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Central Asia in EU’s spotlight as region faces stability question over Afghanistan
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As Afghanistan faces a looming humanitarian crisis following the Taliban's takeover, the country's neighbours are worried about security threats and increased refugee waves coming across their borders. As Afghanistan faces a looming humanitarian crisis following the Taliban’s takeover, the country’s neighbours are worried about security threats and increased refugee waves coming across their borders. Over the past two days, leaders from the region held talks in the Tajik capital Dushanbe – most notably at the Russia and China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit – with the main focus on the regional repercussions from the Afghanistan crisis. The SCO currently consists of China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan India and Pakistan. Tajikistan is the only country in the region that had not engaged in talks with the Taliban prior to their takeover. Afghanistan holds observer status at the SCO, but Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said that the Taliban had not been invited to observe proceedings in the Tajik capital, TASS news agency reported. “Nobody is hurrying to give full recognition to the Taliban,” Lavrov was quoted as saying. Both Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, did not attend the talks in person, though to observers in the region it is clear that both intend to position themselves as key security stakeholders after the fall of Kabul and waning Western influence. Speaking at the SCO summit, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon called for “bolstering the capability of the SCO’s regional anti-terrorist structure and stepping up the interaction of our countries’ law enforcement agencies and special services” to counter the “challenges and threats” coming from Afghanistan. Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed the organisation of a hub in the southeastern Kazakh city of Almaty for international aid to Afghanistan, while Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev called for the unfreezing of the country’s assets kept in foreign banks to facilitate dialogue with the Taliban-led government. Members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) held military exercises in Kyrgyzstan in recent weeks in response to the current security situation. Tajikistan conducted military manoeuvres with Russia and Uzbekistan, while the latter also held separate drills with Russia along the Uzbek-Afghan border. Stability question Europeans, meanwhile, since the start of the crisis have expressed fears that a fragile Afghanistan could have the potential to destabilise the region. In August, EU’s chief diplomat Joseph Borrell said the bloc should provide financial support to countries neighbouring Afghanistan, while Austria, Germany and some other member states have also floated the idea of relying on Central Asia to limit refugee flows from Afghanistan to Europe. EU diplomats in the region for now, however, do not see a danger of Afghanistan migration destabilising the region in the short term, as potential Central Asian migration pathways – through Tajikistan, Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan – would not represent the ‘classic routes to the West’. “The situation in Afghanistan brought among others also concerns related to regional stability, security and potential terrorist threats, that is why we engage with the partners in the region to try to face off these challenges jointly,” EU’s lead foreign affairs spokesperson, Peter Stano, told EURACTIV. He also confirmed that EU diplomatic efforts with stakeholders in the region are ongoing, and every day there would be “more and more of them at various levels”, with partners in Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and beyond, while European Council President Charles Michel has reached out to Central Asian republics and other partners. “One of the five benchmarks the EU has formulated for future potential dealings with the future Afghan authorities is the need to prevent Afghanistan to be a breeding ground and export place for terrorism,” Stano added. Asked by EURACTIV whether he believes the situation around Afghanistan will make Central Asia more strategically important to the EU, Luxembourgish foreign minister Jean Asselborn said it would “be wrong to say that it is up to Central Asian countries to solve the Afghan crisis and the subsequent migration crisis”. “We can’t possibly think that if we close our borders to those poor people that are fleeing for their lives we are going to solve anything,” he said. “I really think that the EU must be present and sensitive to those who in the name of the EU and democracy are in danger,” Asselborn added. EU (un-)focused on Central Asia At the same time, unrelated to Afghanistan, there is notable frustration and incomprehension among EU diplomats in the region that Brussels is not, in general, paying more attention to the region, EURACTIV has learnt. The EU’s Central Asia strategy update, presented in 2019, remains vague as to the region’s importance to the EU, which draws from its strategic location, energy resources, and the EU’s interests in regional security vis a vis Russia and China. The scope of EU relations is linked to the readiness of individual Central Asian countries to undertake reforms, the European Commission has stated. However, in the strategy, the EU played down concerns that Beijing is slowly gaining control over strategic infrastructure important to its internal security agenda “The biggest issue is the fact that Central Asia is not part of DG NEAR,” an EU diplomat lamented to EURACTIV.
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Military Exercise
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2020 Tokyo Olympics: Karsten Warholm sets 400m hurdles world record to beat American Rai Benjamin
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Team USA took home two silver medals in a pair of thrilling track-and-field finals on Monday.
Rai Benjamin finished second behind a record-breaking performance from Norway's Karsten Warholm, while Brittney Reese earned her third career medal in the women's long jump final.
Here's a recap of both events:
Warholm blazed to the finish line with a world-record time of 45:94, well above the second-place Benjamin's 46:17. Brazil's Alison Dos Santos took bronze with a 46:72. The silver is the first Olympic medal for Benjamin, who is 23. Warholm broke his own world record en route to winning gold.
While Warholm ended up winning, Benjamin stuck with him for a majority of the final. You can see Warholm pull away down the stretch in what was a thrilling finish:
Warholm had the perfect reaction to seeing he broke his own record:
The four-time Olympian Reese and Nigeria's Ese Brume battled each other for first place through the first five rounds of the women's long jump final. But it was Germany's Malaika Mihambo who stunned them both with a season-best 7.00 final round to earn gold.
Mihambo came through in the clutch, as she jumped to the top of the leaderboard to win gold on her final attempt:
American Tara Davis finished sixth in the event.
While Team USA would have loved to earn a gold medal on the night, it's tough to overcome the type of dominant performances Warholm and Mihambo both had. The U.S. will have four additional shots at track-and-field gold on Tuesday.
Warholm wins gold in the 400-meter hurdles with a world-record time of 45:94. Benjamin finished just behind with a 46:17 to earn silver, while Brazil's Alison Dos Santos took bronze. A remarkable race from both Warholm and Benjamin.
The long-awaited matchup between American Rae Benjamin and Norwegian Karsten Warholm in the 400-meter hurdles is upon us.
The four-time Olympian Brittney Reese earns a silver medal for the second-straight Games. One of the most decorated American long jumpers ever, Reese now has two silvers and a gold to her name.
The two-time Olympian Brume earns bronze after jumping a 6.90 in the final round.
Germany's Malaika Mihambo saved her best for last, a 7.00, placing her in first and ahead of Reese and Brume.
Davis posts a 6.71 final round in the women's long jump final, not enough to get her into medal position. The 22-year-old will finish sixth in her first Olympic games.
Reese leapfrogs Brume with one round to go, posting a 6.95 in the fifth frame. A strong final round would likely give Reese her second gold medal and first since the 2012 London Games.
During the men’s singles badminton final last night, Olympic champion @ViktorAxelsen of #DEN traded shirts with silver medallist Chen Long of #CHN as a symbol of respect to his opponent. ❤️?View the thread below to see where this beautiful tradition started!@bwfmedia pic.twitter.com/3D2akLmloP
Noah Lyles races to a first-place finish in his 200-meter heat with a 20:18. Because he collected such a massive early lead, he jogged the final few meters and still won.
By submitting my email I agree to receive the "CBS Sports HQ Newsletter" and other marketing and promotional emails from CBS Sports, which may include information from our affiliates and/or partners' offers, products and services. For more information about our data practices consult our Privacy Policy
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Break historical records
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Estonia becomes associate member of CERN
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As of Monday, February 1, Estonia is officially an associate member of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
Katrin Saarsalu-Layachi, ambassador to the UN and other international organizations at Estonia's permanent representation in Geneva, on Monday afternoon handed over the note of enforcement to Fabiola Gianotti, director-general of CERN, spokespeople for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications said.
Viljar Lubi, deputy secretary-general for economic development at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, said that this is an important milestone in increasing the knowledge intensity of Estonian companies.
"Smarter products and services increase the competitiveness of our businesses, create more added value and create more jobs," Lubi said, at the same time expressing confidence that local entrepreneurs and researchers will use the opportunities that have opened up and thus give a development leap to several Estonian companies.
According to the ministry, Estonia has engaged in good cooperation with CERN since 1996. "I am very pleased that with the transfer of the enforcement note, our joint activities can be further strengthened and expanded. Estonia hopes to take an active part in CERN's new research projects and help involve the private sector more," Katrin Saarsalu-Layachi said.
CERN project manager at Enterprise Estonia (EAS) Triin Kangro, the official Estonian contact person for CERN, invited all companies interested in cooperation to contact her.
"As an associate member of CERN, Estonian companies can now carry out cooperation projects with CERN and participate in the procurement. Estonians can also apply to work for CERN and participate in training and internship programs," Kangro said, affirming that, in addition to the ongoing scientific cooperation, it is planned to increase Estonia's participation in the organization's research projects.
Estonia's associate membership lasts for two to five years, after which Estonia becomes a full member of the organization. While, as an associate member, Estonia's income may not exceed the membership fee, then upon becoming a full member, this restriction will disappear and Estonia will also have the right to vote in the CERN Council.
Estonia has been participating in the activities of the organization on the basis of a cooperation agreement since 1996. Estonian researchers have mainly participated in CERN's experimental and theoretical studies of particle physics. In addition, Estonian students and physics teachers have been trained in the framework of CERN's summer school.
Estonia submitted a formal application for membership on September 5, 2018, to which CERN responded positively to the launch of accession negotiations on April 9, 2019.
CERN, or the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is an international research organization set up to develop science and technology. CERN's main activities are research into high-energy physics and the development of the necessary technology. CERN also provides training to improve the qualifications of students and researchers.
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Join in an Organization
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US announces withdrawal from UN Human Rights Council
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WASHINGTON - The United States on Tuesday announced its withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, marking the latest departure by the Trump administration from an international institution. US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the council had failed to conduct the "major, dramatic and systematic changes" required by the United States. "As we said we would do a year ago, if we did not see any progress, the United State is officially withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council," Haley said at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. She accused the council of being "a protector of human rights abusers and a cesspool of political bias." She also criticized the council as a "hypocritical and self-serving organization," saying that it has rendered membership to unworthy nations and harbored "disproportionate focus and unending hostility towards Israel." The exit marks the latest US departure from multinational organizations and treaties after it pulled out of the Paris climate accord, the UN global compact on migration, the UN culture and education body UNESCO, as well as the Iran nuclear deal. Shortly after the US announcement, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced his regret over the US decision. "The secretary-general would have much preferred for the United States to remain in the Human Rights Council," Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief's spokesman, said in a note to correspondents. "The UN's Human Rights architecture plays a very important role in the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide." Also, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein responded that the US withdrawal from the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council is "disappointing, if not really surprising." "Given the state of Human Rights in today's world, the U.S. should be stepping up, not stepping back," Zeid said on Twitter. Christopher Galdieri, assistant professor at Saint Anselm College, said that the withdrawal is "a convergence" of "a longstanding antipathy toward the UN generally on the American right" and "Trump's view that international relations should be transactional and benefit the US." "This is one more action that will have the long-term effect of isolating the US from its allies and other nations," he told Xinhua. "I don't know that many in this administration care for international norms and rules in the first place." The pullout also came as the Trump administration faces intense criticism for its recently introduced policy that separates children from parents who were arrested for illegally crossing from Mexico into the United States. On Monday, the UN chief voiced opposition, saying that he believes that children must not be traumatized by being separated from their parents. Zeid said he was deeply concerned about the US policies that "punish children for their parents' actions," calling on Washington to immediately end the "unconscionable" practice of forcible separation of these children.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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Berlitz Japan 2007–2008 Strike
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The Berlitz Japan 2007–2008 strike was a strike held by Berlitz Japan teachers of the Berlitz General Union Tokyo (Begunto), which was part of the National Union of General Workers (NUGW) before moving to Tozen Union in 2019. Beginning in December 2007 and continuing until November 2008, it grew into the longest and largest sustained strike among language teachers in Japan. [1] Although the union had ceased strike action in November 2008, on December 3, 2008 Berlitz Japan sued the union and seven individual union officials for ¥110 million each (US$1,178,430) in the Tokyo District Court. The union took Berlitz to the Labor Commission for firing two teachers and several other complaints. Berlitz' suit against the union was dismissed by the Tokyo District Court on 27 February 2012,[2] with "all claims rejected" but Berlitz decided within a week that it would appeal its loss to the High Court. [3] After further negotiations and legal wrangling Berlitz's High Court case against the union was withdrawn on December 27, 2012. A little over five years after the strike initially started matters were finally concluded with the union winning a raise and a bonus for teachers at Berlitz Japan. [4]
Berlitz Japan is a subsidiary of Berlitz International, owned by Benesse Corporation. Some staff in the Kanto area are represented by the Berlitz General Union Tokyo (Begunto). Begunto was a part of the National Union of General Workers Tokyo Nambu, which is itself affiliated to the National Union of General Workers (NUGW). The NUGW is in turn affiliated to the National Trade Union Council (Zenrokyo). Until 2003, when Benesse took majority control of Berlitz,[5] all teachers would get an annual base-up raise on June 18, as well as a seniority bonus. Since Benesse bought the company, there has been no across-the-board base-up increase. [6]
While Berlitz offered contracts of less than 30 hours a week (thereby avoiding paying for health insurance and pension for their workers) Paul Baca, Begunto Vice-President at the time the strike started, stated that actual working hours come close to 40 when unpaid lesson preparation time and times between lessons were included. Catherine Campbell, Begunto President, stated that workers hired since 2005 were essentially being paid less, because they were paid 250,000 yen per month, but had to teach 40 lessons a week. Other teachers, hired before 2005, had to teach 35 lessons per week. [7] Teachers hired in the early 1990s only had to teach 30 lessons per week. [8] Berlitz lessons in Japan are for 40 minutes. In 2005, the union took action over a number of grievances, and claimed this forced Berlitz management into paying the performance increase for that year. But there was no across-the board pay increase or bonus. Its “Language Company” sector had been taking losses during 2004, but in the fiscal year 2007, its operation profits were 34.9 billion yen. That sector accounted for 16% of the Benesse's total sales and 18% of its profits. [9]
For the last 6 months of 2007, Berlitz told its teachers that it had no money to give raises. In September 2007, there was an event at the Keio Plaza Hotel to which teachers were invited, but which they had to pay to attend. On December 13, 2007, Berlitz management held a party at the Roppongi Hills Grand Hyatt to celebrate good financial results. The strike started this evening, with teachers picketing the hotel. [10]
Less than two weeks later, the Japan Business Federation encouraged member firms to pay workers more. [10] In March 2008, then-Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda concurred, saying that "I think now is the time when the fruits of reform should be passed on to the people and household budgets. "[10]
By May 2008, at least 55 teachers had struck at a 16 different schools. Berlitz had managers wait in coffee shops ready to step in if teachers went on strike, and also asked other teachers to cover the lessons. Some teachers refused, but others did, leading to some tension between union and non-union teachers. [10]
By September 2008, more than 100 teachers had struck at dozens of different schools around the Kanto region, and it had become the largest sustained strike in the history of Japan's language schools. The union held demonstrations, hired a sound bus to advertise their campaign around Tokyo, and more than half the Berlitz schools in Kanto had participated. [11]
In addition to striking regular lessons at Berlitz Learning Centers, union members assigned to outservice lessons also struck. Berlitz continued to have teachers, which the union referred to as “caffeine cowboys”, on call ready to fill in for possible strikes. Louis Carlet, the Begunto union case officer, said that management had made two pay hike offers, but these were short of demands, and expected to be rejected by the union. [11]
Berlitz has three pay scales, one called "seniority", one called "performance", and the other called "rank". One of the offered pay raises was only for teachers on the "seniority" system, and to accept it would have split the union. [citation needed]
The union had reduced its original nine demands to two: a 4.6% base-pay raise for all teachers and staff, and a bonus equal to one month's salary. After management offered a raise of less than 1% in September 2008, the union rejected it. Strikes continued, leafleting sessions increased, and on October 22 there was a demonstration in front of Benesse's HQ in Tama plaza, which was supported by members of the Kawasaki City Union. The union demanded that Benesse address the issue of the strike. Protests and threats of litigation soon followed. [1]
On November 10, 2008, Berlitz sent letters to striking teachers telling them that the strike was illegal and they should stop. It also posted memos at all Berlitz branches to the same effect. [12]
The union held a meeting and decided that although they believed the strike was legal, they did not want to risk the possibility that striking workers might be fired, and suspended the strikes. [13]
Since the start of the strike a year earlier, more than 100 English, Spanish, and French teachers had participated in spot strikes of almost 3,500 lessons - a total of 3455 strikes. [3] Teachers at 32 of the 46 Kanto area schools had been on strike. On November 17, 2008 Begunto and NUGW Nambu filed a claim of an Unfair Labor Practice with the Tokyo Labor Commission, claiming that Berlitz had violated the Trade Union Law. The unions argued that the memos Berlitz Japan had posted at all its schools in November declaring the strike illegal and letters sent to union members telling them to end the strike were illegal interference, and thus in violation of Article 7 of the Act.
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Strike
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2019 Papua protests
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Indonesia
The 2019 Papua protests are a series of protests by Papuans in Indonesia that began on 19 August 2019 and mainly took place across Indonesian Papua region in response to the arrests of 43 Papuan students in Surabaya, East Java for alleged disrespect of the Indonesian flag. Many of the protests involved thousands of participants, and some grew from local protests in Surabaya to demanding an independence referendum for the whole region. In several locations, the protests turned into general riots, resulting in the destruction of government buildings in Wamena, Sorong and Jayapura. Clashes between protesters and police resulted in injuries, with over 30 people killed from both the clashes and the rioting. In response to the rioting, the government of Indonesia implemented an internet blackout in the region. A Reuters reporter from the Jakarta bureau described the unrest as "Papua's most serious in years". [9]
As a successor state of the Dutch East Indies, Indonesia claimed all of the Dutch colonial territories in the Malay Archipelago, including Papua, formerly known as Netherlands New Guinea. Sovereignty over the region was transferred to Indonesia in 1969 following the controversial "Act of Free Choice." In the years that followed, a low-intensity insurgency occurred across the region. After December 2018, tens of thousands of civilians around the Nduga Regency were displaced following an increased military presence after a massacre of workers constructing the Trans-Papua Highway, and conflict with separatist fighters. In an attempt to reduce tensions in the region, the Indonesian government granted increased autonomy to the provinces of the region, with sitting president Joko Widodo (Jokowi) visiting the region six times since he was sworn into office in 2014. [10]
On 15 August 2019, the anniversary of the 1962 New York Agreement and coinciding with a discussion on Papua in the Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu,[11][12] protests by Papuans were held across several cities in Indonesia, including Jayapura, Sentani, Ternate, Ambon, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, and Malang. [13] Various Papuan student groups joined the protests, which proceeded peacefully in Yogyakarta and Jakarta but saw dispersal by authorities and several protesters arrested in other cities, though they were released soon afterwards. In Bandung, civil militias forced the protesters to change the rally's location. [14] In the city of Malang, Papuan protesters clashed with counter-protesters and later fans of the football club Arema Malang, with racist slurs from the counter-protesters. Five protesters were reported to be "heavily injured", and virtually all protesters were injured in some way. [15][16]
On 16 August 2019, around the celebrations of the Independence of Indonesia, forty-three Papuan students in Surabaya, East Java were arrested by police following reports that an Indonesian flag was damaged outside the building where they lived. [17] According to police accounts, the building where the students were staying was stormed by police as a crowd was gathering outside the building preparing to assault it. [18] Civil militias from the Islamic Defenders Front and the Pancasila Youth were reported to be present at the location and had attacked the students verbally and physically. [19] Allegedly, the mob had yelled "Monkeys, get out" at the students. [20]
On 19 August, a crowd of what was estimated by an AFP reporter to be "several thousand" began protesting in Manokwari, the capital of West Papua province. The protest turned into a riot which resulted in the local parliament building being torched. According to Indonesian officials, three police officers were injured by rock-throwing protesters. [21] Aside from public facilities, some private property was also torched. [22] Some of the protesters were carrying the Morning Star flag - the old flag of Netherlands New Guinea used by Free Papua movement - while crying out pro-independence slogans. [18] In Indonesia, the action is punishable by up to 15 years of prison. [23] West Papua's vice governor Mohamad Lakotani [id] remarked that the city's economy was completely paralyzed by the protests. [24] According to a spokesman from the National Committee for West Papua, a female protester was shot in the ankle during the protests at Manokwari. Indonesian Armed Forces told media that 300 soldiers were deployed to Manokwari on 21 August,[25] with an overall count of 1,200 security personnel across the week. [9]
Jayapura, the region's largest city and the provincial capital of Papua, saw hundreds of protesters who forcefully took down the Indonesian flag in front of governor Lukas Enembe's office. [23] Protesters also blocked the road to the city's Sentani Airport. [26]
In the city of Sorong, protests also occurred with reported gunshots. [27] In response to the "monkey" slur in Surabaya, some of the protesters dressed as monkeys. [20] A mob invaded the Domine Eduard Osok Airport and threw rocks at the airport's glass windows, damaging the terminal building. [28] The attack also temporarily disrupted the airport's operations. [29] Aside from the airport, the city's prison was also torched, resulting in the escape of 258 convicts and injuring some prison guards,[30] though on 23 August a prison official noted that most of the escaped prisoners simply were attempting to escape the fire and check for their families and that most of the escapees have returned to prison. [31]
Around 4,000-5,000 protesters rallied in the mining town of Timika, which saw the damaging a hotel near the local parliament of the Mimika Regency. Further clashes between protesters and police occurred in front of the parliament building, as police dispersed a crowd waiting for Mimika's regent Eltinus Omaleng. Dozens were eventually arrested, charged with damaging of the hotel or coercing a local car repair shop to provide tires for a tire fire. 3 policemen were reported to be injured. [32][33][34]
Thousands of protesters also rallied in the town of Fakfak on 21 August, which saw a local market and office building torched and protesters blocking roads to the Fakfak Torea Airport. Police also fired tear gas on the protesters to disperse the crowds. According to an Indonesian police spokesman, the situation was "contained", and only around 50 people were involved in the torching of the market building. Several people were injured in the protests and clashes. [35][36]
Rallies were also held in the towns of Merauke, Nabire, Yahukimo and Biak. [25][27][37]
Papuan students in Jakarta also held a rally in front of the Ministry of Home Affairs on 22 August. [38] On the same day, the Indonesian government announced a total internet blackout in both regions of Papua. [39]
More peaceful protests continued, with a peaceful "long march" in Sarmi Regency on 23 August[40] and a pro-independence rally in Semarang the following day. [41] Other rallies protesting the racism were also held in Yogyakarta,[42] Bandung[43] and Denpasar,[44] among others. Some activists noted that the protests were the largest to happen in the region for years.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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2020 New York City Subway fire
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On the early morning of March 27, 2020, at around 3:15 AM, a northbound 2 train of the New York City Subway caught fire as it entered the Central Park North–110th Street station in Harlem, Manhattan. The fire killed the operator, injured at least 16 others, and severely damaged the north part of the station and the train cars. MTA officials said the conductor and an MTA employee successfully evacuated passengers from the train and off the platform. Passengers and crew from a second train, behind the train with the fire, were also evacuated. In the early morning hours of March 27, 2020, a northbound 2 train was operating its late night local run between Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station and Wakefield–241st Street station. The train consisted of ten R142 cars comprising two five-car train sets numbered 6346-6350 and 6366-6370. [1][2] While moving north between 96th Street and 110th Street, a fire erupted aboard the second car of the train, 6347, and the train arrived into 110th Street engulfed in flames. Firefighters responded to the fire around 3:18 am. It took 100 firefighters to control the fire. A northbound 3 train behind the 2 train was evacuated in the tunnel. At the time of the fire, there was extremely low visibility due to the intense smoke which also began to seep through the station entrances to 110th Street. After the fire was extinguished, it was revealed that 6347 had suffered severe fire damage, as well as additional fire and smoke damage to the 110th Street station and the rest of the train consists. [1][2]
Sixteen people were injured, with four suffering serious injuries; the injured included five firefighters. The motorman, identified as 36-year-old Garrett Goble, was found on the tracks and pronounced dead shortly after. He was the only fatality, and died after working to save all the passengers on the train. [3][4][5]
Additional fires were reported at the 86th Street, 96th Street, and 116th Street stations around the same time, and because of this, the incident is currently being investigated as a possible arson. [6][7] An "apparently emotionally disturbed person" was questioned in connection to the 110th Street fire. [7] Authorities also reported a shopping cart was set on fire aboard the second car of the train. [8]
The MTA offered a $50,000 reward in order to find the person responsible for the fire. [9] The NYPD released a picture of a "person of interest" in association with the fire two days later. [10] Two days after the release of the picture, police arrested Nathaniel Avinger, who was suspected of starting the fire in addition to fires elsewhere, on March 31. [11] Avinger was eventually charged with the murder of Goble after being arrested for an unrelated crime in mid-December 2020. [12]
Train service along the IRT Lenox Avenue Line was suspended as a result of the incident. 2 trains operated along the IRT Lexington Avenue Line between 149th Street–Grand Concourse station to Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center station before resuming regular service while 3 trains operated between New Lots Avenue and 96th Street and then via the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line to/from 137th Street–City College with service suspended between 96th Street and Harlem–148th Street station. Shuttle buses operated along the closed stations. 86th Street and 96th Street stations were also temporarily closed in order to allow FDNY to continue their investigation. [13][14] Service along the IRT Lenox Avenue Line resumed on March 30 while bypassing Central Park North–110th Street station which was closed for repairs. The station was reopened on April 6, 2020 after some repairs were made. [15]
Cars 6366–6370 were later repaired and returned to service on November 6, 2020. [16][better source needed]
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Fire
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1924 Kohat riots
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The 1924 Kohat riots were major communal riots in Kohat in North-West Frontier Province, British India in 1924. In three days (9–11 September) of rioting, official statistics state that the total casualty-count was 155, of which the casualties of Hindus & Sikhs were more than three times that of the Muslims. Almost the entire population of Hindus living there, numbering 3,200, were evacuated and fled. It was described as a successful attempt to completely exterminate and erase the Hindu and Sikh communities in the region. In the surrounding villages, Hindus and Sikhs were also killed and had to flee the region although majority of them had already been exterminated by the Muslims. [1] Gandhi undertook a 21-day fast for Hindu-Muslim unity in October 1924. [2]
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Riot
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Insect influx threatens rice production - The New Humanitarian
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BANGKOK
Experts warn that a significant increase in the numbers of brown hoppers, a rice pest, in central Thailand, threatens production.
"The current situation is not good," KL Heong, an insect ecologist from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) told IRIN in Bangkok. "Looking at the number of hoppers caught in light traps over the last two months, it's clear that a massive immigration has occurred."
Light traps are used to measure population levels of migrating hoppers within a 9.1-15m radius. On an average night, a light trap will catch 10-20 hoppers. During migration peaks (twice a year), this can rise to about 2,000 per night.
Heong recently spent three days visiting fields, farmers and agricultural experts in Suphan Buri, Chainat and Ang Thong provinces where he saw traps with up to 40,000 hoppers and "nymphs hatching all over the place". Anything above 10,000 is alarming, Heong says.
"This will peak around December. I expect 30 percent losses in most rice fields," Heong warned.
The hoppers, known scientifically as Nilaparvata lugens, remove plant sap with their mouths, causing the tillers - any of the extra stems or culms in a rice plant that arise from its base - to dry out and turn brown, a condition called "hopper burn".
It also transmits two viruses, "ragged stunt" and "grassy stunt", both of which render the rice crop infertile.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, from November 2008 to May 2009 (the dry season) Thailand lost 1.1 million MT of rice due to hopper outbreaks, costing an estimated US$275 million. Thailand, the world's top exporter of rice, produced more than 27 million MT in 2009, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Thailand
Courtesy of IRRI
Evidence of "hopper burn " in central Thailand. Hopper burn is the result of a major infestation of the brown plant hopper to rice fields across the region...
Food
Insect influx threatens rice production
Evidence of "hopper burn " in central Thailand. Hopper burn is the result of a major infestation of the brown plant hopper to rice fields across the region...
Evidence of "hopper burn" in central Thailand
With similar insect population numbers this summer, the Ministry of Agriculture warns of at least the same losses this year.
"Our estimates on production will have to be reduced," Wantana Sriratanasak, an entomologist with Thailand's Department of Agriculture, said.
Pesticide use
According to Heong, extensive pesticide use by farmers is the primary reason for the infestations. Pesticides have a limited effect on plant hoppers but kill off their natural predators, including several species of spiders. The insects have a high migratory ability and fast reproduction rates, exacerbating the threat.
Thai authorities are looking for regional and practical solutions to manage and prevent future outbreaks.
"We've been collaborating on a project for two years with China and Vietnam. Both countries still have a serious problem with outbreaks," Sriratanasak said. The focus will be on improving biodiversity while simultaneously reducing pesticide use.
Vietnam lost four million MT in 2007 because of outbreaks, while China regularly loses a million hectares a year.
The Rice Department is working to encourage local farmers to reduce spraying, Kukint Soitong, a senior expert in the department confirmed.
"We have to change farmers' chemical use," he said, "but it's not easy."
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Insect Disaster
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Years later, California voters still wait on water projects
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SITES, Calif. (AP) — In 2014, in the middle of a severe drought that would test California’s complex water storage system like never before, voters told the state to borrow $7.5 billion and use part of it to build projects to stockpile more water. Seven years later, that drought has come and gone, replaced by an even hotter and drier one that is draining the state’s reservoirs at an alarming rate. But none of the more than half-dozen water storage projects scheduled to receive that money have been built. The largest project by far is a proposed lake in Northern California, which would be the state’s first new reservoir of significant size in more than 40 years. People have talked about building the Sites Reservoir since the 1950s. But the cost, plus shifting political priorities, stopped it from happening. Now, a major drought gripping the western United States has put the project back in the spotlight. It’s slated to get $836 million in taxpayer money to help cover it’s $3.9 billion price tag if project officials can meet a deadline by year’s end. The Biden administration recently committed $80 million to the reservoir, the largest appropriation of any water storage scheduled to receive funding next year. And the project could get some of the $1.15 billion included in an infrastructure bill that has passed the U.S. Senate. Still, the delay has frustrated some lawmakers, who view it as a wasted opportunity now that the state is preparing to cut of water to thousands of farmers in the Central Valley because of a shortage. “The longer you don’t build, the more expensive it gets,” said Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle, whose rural Northern California district includes farmers. Storage was once the centerpiece of California’s water management strategy, highlighted by a building bonanza in the mid-20th century of a number of dams and reservoirs. But in the more than 40 years since California last opened a major new reservoir, the politics and policy have shifted toward a more environmental focus that has caused tension between urban and rural legislators and the communities they represent. The voter-approved bond in 2014 was supposed to jump-start a number of long-delayed storage projects. But some experts say the delays aren’t surprising, given the complexities and environmental hazards that come with building new water projects. “We have about 1,500 reservoirs in California. If you assume people are smart — which they kind of are most of the time — they will have built reservoirs at the 1,500 best reservoir sites already,” said Jay Lund, co-director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California-Davis. “What you have left over is more expensive sites that give you less water.” California’s Mediterranean climate means it gets most of its rain and snow in the winter and spring, followed by hot, dry summers and falls that see rivers and streams dry up. The largest of California’s reservoirs are operated by the state and federal governments, although neither has built a new one since the 1979 New Melones Lake near Sonora, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Yosemite National Park. That could change with the Sites Reservoir project, which would flood what’s left of the town of Sites, located in a valley amid California’s coast range mountains. The town’s roots go back to the 1850s, when John Sites, a German immigrant, settled there. At its peak in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was known for a sandstone quarry that provided building materials throughout the state, including the iconic Ferry Building in San Francisco. But when the quarry closed shortly after World War I, the town slowly dwindled. Fire destroyed many of the buildings, leaving behind about 10 houses on unirrigated land that can only be used for agriculture during the rainy season. Officials would have to eventually buy those properties from residents to build the reservoir. With only two ways in and out of the valley, it’s an ideal spot to flood and turn into a massive lake to store water. But unlike most California reservoirs, Sites would not be connected to a river or stream. Instead, operators would have to pump water from the Sacramento River whenever it has extra to give. The idea is to take advantage of wet years like 2018, when California got so much rain and snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains that reservoirs were filled beyond capacity. “We’re really redefining how water is developed in California,” said Jerry Brown, executive director of the Sites Project Authority, who has no relation to the former governor of the same name. Pumping the water is expensive, which, along with concern from environmental groups, is one reason the reservoir has been talked about for more than 60 years but never built. Many environmental groups argue the reservoir would do more harm than good because they say operators would have to pull way more water than is environmentally safe from the Sacramento River to make the project feasible. “Fundamentally, it is a deadbeat dam, a pretty marginal project, or else it would have been built years ago,” said Ron Stork, a senior policy advocate for Friends of the River, an environmental advocacy group. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration, which included the Sites Reservoir in its water plan, sees the reservoir as a way to prepare for a future impacted by climate change. California’s reservoir system is designed to capture water from melted snow in the mountains. But climate change could mean less snow and more rain, which the state is not as equipped to capture. “We are going to start swinging to more extremes, (a) dry, deep drought or big flood,” said Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources. “I do think there is some value to those kinds of projects.” It will cost $3.9 billion to build the Sites Reservoir, and that’s after project leaders made it smaller to shave about $1 billion off the price tag. Most of the money will come from customers who will buy the water, the federal government and bank loans. California taxpayers have pledged about $836 million to the project from a bond voters approved in 2014. But to use that money, project leaders have to meet a deadline by the end of the year to show the idea is feasible. “I’m absolutely confident,” Brown said. “It’s going to be close, but it’s going to make it.” ___
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Droughts
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COVID-19 anti-lockdown protests in New Zealand
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There have been several COVID-19 anti-lockdown protests in New Zealand held in 2020, where people protested the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, in particular the lockdown measures in place in March–May and August 2020. On 13 August 2020, FACTS NZ and Kotahitanga Movement Aotearoa organised an anti-lockdown protest, that was attended by 60 people[1] including Advance New Zealand co-leader and New Zealand Public Party leader Billy Te Kahika. [2] The two groups held separate marches walking from Forum North to the Whāngarei police station,[1] when they arrived at the police station both groups delivered speeches in regard to the COVID-19 alert levels, Nationwide and Auckland lockdown(s). [2] Afterwards the two groups combined and continued their demonstration walking along Walton and Dent Street which resulted in cars being stopped at traffic lights and roundabouts. There have been no known arrests in relation to this demonstration, however there was a police presence monitoring the protests to ensure they remained peaceful. [1]
On 22 August 2020 in Aotea Square, Auckland there was a COVID-19 anti-lockdown, anti-vaccination, anti-5G and anti-1080 protest[3] organised by NZ Liberty March in which 150 people attended, the protest was peaceful and there were no significant issues or arrests made. [4] The demonstrators used the handling of COVID-19 in Sweden as an example as what New Zealand should have done, discrediting those who said its handling of COVID-19 was horrible and criticised the government's lockdown policy. Some attendees also made health claims regarding COVID-19 but did not elaborate. A minimal amount of attendees wore masks, however all attendees stuck to those that resided with them keeping distance between protestors that did not reside with them. [5]
On 29 August 2020 in Aotea Square, Auckland there was an anti-lockdown, COVID-19 denying, anti-vaccination, anti-United Nations protest,[6] in which 500 people attended including Advance NZ co-leader Jami-Lee Ross and New Conservative Party deputy leader Elliot Ikilei. Most protestors did not wear masks or adhere to social distancing requirements. [7][8]
On 5 September, several anti-lockdown protests were held throughout the country including Auckland, Whangārei, Wellington, New Plymouth, Tauranga, Rotorua, Nelson and Christchurch. [9] The protest in Auckland's Aotea Square was organised by the NZ Liberty Movement, whose Facebook page reported 500 participants. The Auckland protest breached the Alert Level 2.5 ban on gatherings above ten people. [10] In Rotorua, protesters, many of them claiming to be from the Advanced NZ party, gathered at Te Manawa, the intersection of Hinemoa and Tutanekai Streets. Some participants objected to wearing masks while others highlighted the financial and emotional damage caused by the lockdown. [11]'
On 12 September 2020, anti-lockdown, COVID-19 denying protestors again marched from Aotea Square in Auckland. [12] The protest was organised by Advance New Zealand co-leader Billy Te Kahika who dubbed it the 'National Rally for Freedom'. It is estimated that over 1,000 protestors were in attendance, including Jami-Lee Ross, Advance New Zealand's other co-leader. [13] Many signs labelled New Zealand a police state. [14] Other protestors carried signs unrelated to COVID-19, including some advocating against vaccines and 5G. [15][16]
On 10 October, the Advance NZ party staged a "Rally for your Future" in Auckland's Aotea Square. The party's leader Jami-Lee Ross gave a speech claiming that New Zealand's freedoms were being eroded "in the name of the virus" and calling for people to vote for Advance NZ. Several signs read "COVID=Nazi Nexus" and that "Children are not for sale." The NZ Liberty Movement, which had previously organised rallies with Advance NZ, did not participate in the "Rally for your Future" due to a breakdown in communication and coordination with the latter. [17]
On 14 January, Te Kahika led a "freedom rally" outside the New Zealand Parliament opposing the Government's COVID-19 lockdown policies that was attended by between 100 and 150 people. Rally participants also sported banners and signs expressing support for then United States President Donald Trump and attacking 1080 usage, water flouridation, Communist China, and the United Nations. [18][19]
On 18 August, Te Kahika led a 100-strong anti-lockdown protest outside the TVNZ building to oppose the Government's recent decision to move the country to Alert Level 4 following a community case that was reported on 17 August. Many of the protesters reportedly did not wear masks. Te Kahika was detained by Police 43 minutes into the rally. He cooperated with the authorities in order to minimise the risk of supporters causing trouble. One demonstrator urged shopkeepers to keep their businesses open in defiance on lockdown restrictions limiting business operations to essential services. Police reported that they had arrested four people in Auckland for breaching the Health Act notice. [20][21]
In addition, other anti-lockdown protests were staged outside the local police stations in Nelson and Tauranga. Four people were arrested in Tauranga. [21]
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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China's Shi Zhiyong breaks own world record to win weightlifting gold at Tokyo Olympics
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Shi Zhiyong of China celebrates on the podium after winning the gold medal in the men's 73kg weightlifting event, at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 28‒‒:‒‒/‒‒:‒‒ Skip
Just an Olympic gold medal? Not enough for Shi Zhiyong.
He set the first weightlifting world record of the Tokyo Olympics as he easily won the gold in the men's 73-kilogram category Wednesday, and said victory alone wouldn't have satisfied him. “What makes it exciting is not to get the gold medal, it's to break my own record. So that means a lot for me,” Shi said through an interpreter. “If I didn’t manage to break my own record, just to get a gold medal, I would feel regret."
Shi lifted a total 364 kilograms to break his own world record by one kilogram and win gold for the second consecutive Olympics. It was barely a contest for the gold medal as second-place Julio Mayora of Venezuela lifted 19kg less. Assured of the silver, Mayora added his own flourish with a failed attempt to break Shi's record of 198kg for the clean and jerk, then signed off the competition with a backflip on stage.
The five Chinese lifters who have competed so far in Tokyo have four gold medals and a silver.
There was a rare sight in weightlifting as Indonesia's Rahmat Erwin Abdullah took bronze despite lifting several hours earlier in the “B” group for competitors who have registered lower starting weights. “B” lifters are typically a footnote at the Olympics, but Abdullah stuck around for the evening session as better-known competitors tried and failed to match his 342kg total.
“The only thing I do is just praying,” he said, adding that he was inspired by his father, who was in line to lift for Indonesia at the 2004 Olympics but was sidelined by injury.
Abdullah's surprisingly high total from the earlier session seemed to cause confusion for some medal contenders. His name and his total weren't shown on the screens in the arena alongside the “A” competitors, even though it counted for places. Some lifters and their coaches revised their chosen weights for lifts apparently because they hadn't initially taken Abdullah into account.
C.J. Cummings had a shot at being the first men's weightlifting medalist for the United States since 1984 but it was an uphill struggle after what he called a “terrible” snatch part of the contest. Cummings had a shot at bronze when he attempted a world-record 198kg in the clean and jerk but couldn't finish the lift.
“I'm not done. This is a learning experience," the former world junior champion told The Associated Press. “I've got plenty more in me.”
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Break historical records
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High-level donor conference convened by UN hears millions are at risk of starvation without immediate intervention
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High-level donor conference convened by UN hears millions are at risk of starvation without immediate intervention By Annabel Symington and Peyvand Khorsandi People in Yemen face famine unless the world takes immediate action, the World Food Programme (WFP) will warn today. Nearly 50,000 people in Yemen are already living in famine-like conditions with 5 million just a step away. David Beasley, WFP’s Executive Director, will press home the organization’s fears for the country at a high-level fundraising conference, hosted by the UN with the governments of Switzerland and Sweden. The UN estimates nearly 250,000 people have died during Yemen’s six-year war, including more than 131,000 people from the indirect consequences of conflict, such as lack of food, health services and infrastructure — the situation in the country is worse now than it has been at any point since 2015. Yemen is WFP’s biggest humanitarian operation, supplying food assistance to nearly 13 million people — almost half the population — while another 3.3 million women and children receive nutrition support. With the COVID-19 pandemic still in full swing, the international community cannot wait for an official famine classification in Yemen to act. A famine classification in Yemen may never come because of the heavy burden of evidence required. It would have to be proven that 20 percent of households face an extreme lack of food; 30 percent of children suffer from acute malnutrition; and two people for every 10,000 are dying each day due to outright starvation or the interaction of malnutrition and disease. Yet in conflict zones — where communications are disrupted, communities are displaced and humanitarian access is restricted — locking down the facts of a fast-deteriorating situation is a huge challenge. No one doubts that people are already dying and food insecurity will continue to rise without immediate humanitarian support. WFP is keen to stress to donor governments that Yemen needs peace — only peace can break the corrosive cycle of hunger and conflict that has stalked the country for six years. Progress towards peace requires urgent action to protect civilians, provide emergency assistance, secure humanitarian access and support an economy which has shrunk by half since the start of the conflict. WFP needs at least US$1.9 billion in 2021 to provide the minimum amount of food assistance needed to prevent famine—to maintain operations through to July, it needs an immediate injection of US$482 million. Without this, from June, WFP may have to cut nutrition support to 1.1 million children and mothers, while 5 million people may face cuts to emergency food assistance in May. Right now, around 8 million people receive WFP food assistance on alternate months, instead of monthly. This has been the case since April 2020 because WFP simply did not have sufficient funds. Cuts, in turn, have contributed to rising hunger levels, coming on top of continued conflict, displacement, rising food prices and a declining currency – all of which hit worrying new peaks in 2020. So far in 2021, WFP has received US$150 million from the United States, US$75 million from Germany, nearly US$50 million from the World Bank, and US$40 million from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as some smaller contributions from private donors, individuals and the UN pooled funds. These funds are being used to reach the most food insecure people in areas where death and starvation are already a reality. But this is not enough for reach all the people in need this year. Until 2019, WFP received around 70 percent of funds from three donors — the US, Saudi Arabia and UAE. They increased their contributions each year as conflict pushed more and more families into crisis. This allowed WFP to scale up to support increasing needs, going from supporting around 1 million people in 2015 to nearly 13 million in 2019. This humanitarian scale-up — one of the largest in recent history – prevented a famine in 2019. In 2020, however, WFP received around half of funds needed. Now it hopes other donors will give at similar levels to previous years.
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Famine
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Son warns about late diagnosis of pancreatic cancer after dad dies three months after diagnosis
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This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.
Video report by Mel Barham.
A grieving son has made a documentary warning people of the dangers of late diagnosis of pancreatic cancer after his father died of the disease last year. Daniel Kennedy, from South Manchester, filmed the last few days of his dad Paul Kennedy's life for ITV's Tonight programme in a bid to raise awareness of the disease. Paul was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer in 2019 and passed away just three months after his diagnosis on 2nd April 2020. The pensioner had been to see his GP five times as well as visiting A&E, that same year, with complaints of pains in his stomach, but doctors found nothing. Before Christmas, Paul started to turn yellow, itchy and was in a lot of pain so Daniel took him to a private hospital for a CT scan - that's when they discovered he had cancer. It all seemed somehow a bit unreal as if it’s the kind of thing you read about in stories, or in a novel and it seems scarcely believable in a modern day.
According to health professionals, Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest common cancer and survival rates haven’t improved in 40 years.
There are over 10,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer each year in the UK and only around 7% of those diagnosed survive beyond five years.
of pancreatic patients die within one year of diagnosis Daniel went to meet the consultant surgeon who found his dad's cancer, Thomas Satyadas, to find out why his dad did not survive. The doctor explained the tumor was inoperable due to its size and location.
Consultant surgeon Declan Dunne from Liverpool University Hospital NHS Trust said: "We know that delays to surgery are associated with higher rates of inoperable disease at surgery so we know it is important to get surgery quick, ideally within 6 weeks."
According to specialists in the field of combating pancreatic cancer, the best way to treat someone with the disease is to catch it early, operate, and followed up with chemotherapy. How do we catch the disease early?
It all starts at the first point of contact - the GP's surgery, but the problem is there are still no tests available on the market to detect early-stage pancreatic cancer although some are being developed. What we are crying out for in general practice is an effective accurate test that will detect our patients at an early and potentially curable stage.
According to the latest statistics, more than half of all Pancreatic cancer patients will be diagnosed at the latest Stage 4 - by then the illness is terminal.
The tests being developed look promising but the biggest issue is that it is hard to get an accurate reading, as there is very little blood available from patients in the earliest stages because so few are diagnosed.
There is currently a trial being developed called the Galleri trial- it identifies 50 common cancers at an early stage including pancreatic cancer and involves a simple blood test. Another idea that specialists are looking at is screening people like they do for breast cancer. They are aiming to screen at-risk groups like people who have a family history of pancreatic cancer.
If you are interested in finding out more about a trial being carried out by the Royal Liverpool University Hospital into familial/hereditary pancreatic cancer click here for more information.
You can see more from the Tonight team on the ITV website, where you can see a special article with links to support and advice about pancreatic cancer.
And you can catch up with the Tonight programme, Tonight - Britain's Hidden Killer, on the ITV Hub
What are the symptoms for pancreatic cancer?
Pancreatic cancer may not have any symptoms, or they might be hard to spot.
Symptoms of pancreatic cancer can include:
The whites of your eyes or your skin turn yellow, you may also have itchy skin, darker pee and paler poo than usual
Loss of appetite
Feeling tired or having no energy
A high temperature, or feeling hot or shivery
Other symptoms can affect your digestion, such as: feeling or being sick
Diarrhoea or constipation, or other changes in your poo
Pain at the top part of your tummy and your back, which may feel worse when you are eating or lying down and better when you lean forward
Feeling bloated
If you have another condition like irritable bowel syndrome you may get symptoms like these regularly.
You might find you get used to them. But it's important to be checked by a GP if your symptoms change, get worse, or do not feel normal for you.
For Daniel, the biggest thing he's learned is not to ignore any symptoms. Do not ignore any symptoms and don’t be afraid to get a second opinion. That's what my dad would have wanted people to learn.
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Police say they are doing ‘an assessment of materials’ found in a property that they have been searching and the cordon is 'just a precaution'.
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Famous Person - Sick
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Whitmer order creates council to tackle Michigan’s food insecurity problem
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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is seeking solutions to food insecurities in Michigan with the establish of a new council. The governor signed an executive order Friday, Aug. 7 creating of the Food Security Council. The goal of the council, she said, is to develop a plan to ensure all Michiganders can put food on the table for themselves and their families, no matter their socioeconomic status. “Food insecurity is a very real and prevalent issue for many Michiganders, and COVID-19 has only made the problem worse,” Whitmer said in a prepared statement. “That is why, today, I am creating the Food Security Council to bring together leaders from both sides of the aisle to find solutions on behalf of Michigan families. I am committed to making sure every family and person has access to the quality, nutritious food they need.” Michigan has seen a rise in dependence on assistance programs and emergency food since local spread of COVID-19 began in March. The halting of non-essential business activity for months resulted in significant job loss, and the closure of schools affected food resources that some families depend on. Whitmer said food security impacts educational outcomes of children, the costs of health care, the development and stability of Michigan’s workforce and the rate of crime in its communities. She called it a pressing and persistent problem in Michigan. Executive Order 2020-167 creates a council within the Department of Health and Human Services and made up of leadership from the state’s departments of health, agriculture and labor. Whitmer also appointed 16 members representing various sectors of the economy, including the health care, agriculture, education and nonprofit. The council is charged with: Identifying and analyzing the nature, scope and causes of food insecurity in Michigan; Identifying and assessing evidence-based policies to decrease food insecurity during and after the pandemic; Analyzing the return on investment to policies that decrease food insecurity; Making recommendations on how the resources and efforts currently devoted to address food insecurity can be best coordinated, implemented and supplemented. The council will be chaired by Phil Knight, executive director of the Food Bank Council of Michigan, who said the non-partisan challenge is solvable in the “second most diverse agricultural state in the U.S.” “Creating food security is the first step towards self-sufficiency, and while it starts in the field, it is sustained in the workplace,” Knight said in a prepared statement. “Our hungry neighbors are worthy of our investment in them as we seek to fulfill the directives given to the council. I am honored to work with this incredibly smart and insightful group of leaders who will bring wisdom, perspective, and passion to the work of creating a food secure state.” The council will be asked to come up with an initial report with short-term findings and recommendations in November. The remainder of its report will have to be completed within 18 months. In April, Nearly 1.5 million people in Michigan received federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits through the state’s food assistance program. The state increased the number of families that could receive the maximum benefits from the food assistance program during the first five months of the pandemic. Michigan’s unemployment rate is higher than the seasonally adjusted 11% national average. During the week ending July 18, nearly 14% of Michiganders received unemployment assistance .
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Organization Established
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Ole Miss riot of 1962
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The Ole Miss riot of 1962, or Battle of Oxford, was an incident of mob violence by proponents of racial segregation beginning the night of September 30, 1962. Segregationist opposition to the enrollment of James Meredith, an African-American veteran, at the University of Mississippi (also known as Ole Miss), in Oxford, Mississippi became violent. In the wake of the Supreme Court's 1954 decision Brown v. Board of Education, Meredith attempted to integrate Ole Miss by applying in 1961. When he informed the university that he was an African American, his admission was delayed and obstructed, first by school officials and then by Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett. In a bid to block his enrollment, Barnett even had Meredith temporarily jailed. Multiple attempts by Meredith, accompanied by federal officials, to enroll were physically blocked. Hoping to avoid violence and ensure Meredith's enrollment, President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy had a series of telephone conversations with Barnett. Federal and U.S. state law enforcement were dispatched to accompany Meredith during his registration to maintain civil order, but a riot erupted on campus. Partly incited by far-right General Edwin Walker, the mob assaulted reporters and federal officers, burned and looted property, and hijacked vehicles. Two civilians, one being a French journalist, were murdered during the night, and over 300 people were injured, including one-third of the federal law enforcement personnel deployed. The riot ended when over 13,000 soldiers arrived in the early morning. Over 30,000 troops were deployed, alerted, and committed during the conflict−the largest for a single disturbance in American history. The riot was followed by the desegregation of Ole Miss. A statue of James Meredith now commemorates the event on campus, and the site of the riot is designated as a National Historic Landmark. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Eight years after the Brown decision, every Mississippi school district remained segregated, and all attempts by African American applicants to integrate the University of Mississippi—better known as Ole Miss—had failed. Shortly after the 1961 inauguration of President John F. Kennedy (who promised advances in civil rights), James Meredith applied to Ole Miss. Meredith, an African American who had served in the Air Force and completed coursework at Jackson State University, selected Ole Miss as it was a symbol of "white prestige and power" attended by the children of the state's elite. [4] Meredith did not inform the university of his race until midway through the application process. State officials then obstructed and delayed his application, ultimately for 20 months.
In response, Meredith sued the university in late 1961. After months of obstruction by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals' Benjamin Franklin Cameron, Meredith appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. On September 10, 1962, Justice Hugo Black delivered the court's decision: Meredith must be admitted for the fall semester. Mississippi's segregationist Governor Ross Barnett,himself a graduate of Ole Miss, had the Mississippi Legislature pass a law barring the university enrollment of anyone with a charge of "moral turpitude" in state or federal court. Barnett then had Meredith charged and imprisoned for accidentally writing "1960" instead of "1961" while registering to vote; the Fifth Circuit quickly ordered Meredith's release.
Under Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy's orders, the Department of Justice (DOJ) entered the case on Meredith's behalf. Facing contempt charges and jail, the university's board transferred its powers, and liability, to Governor Barnett.] Meredith then travelled to the Ole Miss campus in Oxford, Mississippi to register; he was blocked by Barnett, who read and presented a proclamation. In a second attempt, Meredith, accompanied by DOJ civil-rights division chief John Doar and chief U.S. marshal James McShane,tried to register at the Woolfolk State Office Building in Jackson. He was again physically blocked by Barnett, who issued the rehearsed quip: "Which one is Meredith? " Another attempt to register at Ole Miss was stopped by lieutenant governor Paul B. Johnson Jr. and lines of state troopers.
The Kennedy brothers hoped to resolve the dispute peacefully and avoid federal troop deployment, as had happened in the Little Rock Crisis. Their overwhelming concern was that a "mini-civil war" between the federal troops and armed protesters might erupt. Following the precedent he had established with his discussions with Alabama Governor John Patterson during the Freedom Rides, Robert Kennedy had extensive telephone conversations with Barnett to resolve the issue.
On September 27, the governor offered to enroll Meredith if federal marshals drew their guns on Barnett's head, saving his reputation among the voters of Mississippi. Kennedy rejected the suggestion. In addition to Meredith's enrollment, Kennedy insisted Barnett pledge that he would maintain law and order. [10] In an adept move, Barnett had Robert Kennedy assure him that he would not call in the military, removing any leverage that the administration had. Barnett believed that the White House's public threats of federal forces were little more than bluffs. President Kennedy had extensive discussions with his staff and with Governor Barnett about protecting Meredith. And even though on the phone with the Kennedys, Barnett alternated between bluster and placation, publicly he vowed to keep the university segregated.
On September 28, the Fifth Circuit found Barnett to be in contempt of court and threatened to imprison Barnett and fine him $10,000 daily if Meredith were not registered by October 2. During half time at a September 29 Ole Miss football game, Barnett issued a defiant speech: "I love Mississippi! I love her people! Our customs! I love and respect our heritage! "President Kennedy federalized the Mississippi National Guard shortly after. The following day, rumors spread that Kennedy's federal agents were preparing to arrest Barnett at the Governor's Mansion in Jackson. White-supremacist Citizens' Councils organized a "wall of human flesh"—over 2,000 people—to surround the mansion and protect Barnett, but the alleged federal arrest never materialized. Anticipating violence at Ole Miss, 182 journalists flocked to Oxford to witness Meredith's next enrollment attempt.
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Riot
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Paisley Gilmour Street rail accident
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The Paisley Gilmour Street rail accident occurred on 16 April 1979 at 19:50. The 19:40 Inverclyde Line service from Glasgow Central to Wemyss Bay, operated by two Class 303 trains, crossed from the Down Fast Line to the Down Gourock Line under clear signals at Wallneuk Junction immediately to the east of Paisley Gilmour Street railway station. It collided head-on with the 18:58 Ayrshire Coast Line special service from Ayr to Glasgow Central, formed of two Class 126 diesel multiple units, which had left Platform 2 against a red signal P31. The DMU had started away from the platform against a red signal. A type of SASSPAD[1] (starting against signal at danger) accident, also colloquially known as ding-ding, and away. This accident prompted British Rail to change the Rules so that the bell or "Right Away" signal is only given when the Starting signal has been cleared. [2]
Both drivers and five passengers were killed. 67 passengers and the guard of the Class 303 were injured and were taken to hospital. [3] Only three of these remained in hospital. [3]
Immediately after the accident the power was turned off on the Inverclyde Line; and a bus service substituted between Paisley St James and Paisley Gilmour Street station. Some trains were trapped west of Paisley St James, after a few hours a limited train service ran between Paisley St James and Gourock. The Wemyss Bay line was closed. The Ayrshire Coast services were diverted onto the Paisley Canal Line,[3] which at that time was running services from Glasgow Central station to Kilmacolm, rejoining the Ayrshire Coast Line at Elderslie junction. Both lines were handed back for normal operations at 23:00 on 17 April. [3]
This Scottish history-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This Scotland rail transport related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
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Train collisions
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Boris Johnson willing to 'rip up' his own Brexit deal to avoid Northern Ireland violence
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Senior Government sources warned a key part of the Brexit agreement - which Boris Johnson signed with Brussels - relating to Northern Ireland is 'dead in the water'
Boris Johnson is said to be willing to "rip up" up his own Brexit deal with the EU over Northern Ireland to avoid an eruption of violence in the summer marching season. Brexit minister Lord Frost issued a veiled threat that the UK was willing to walk away from its promises in the agreement unless Brussels gives ground on goods checks.
Senior Government sources have suggested the Northern Ireland protocol is "dead in the water" unless the EU is prepared for the UK to row back on its commitments.
One said: “The marching season is a date whereby you would want to have a material improvement in what is happening.
“We need a bit of movement by then because that is when we risk seeing the kind of disruption and the protests that we had recently.”
Lord Frost admitted that the Prime Minister's Brexit deal had disrupted deliveries of goods to the province from mainland Britain - which could put political stability at risk.
In the Mail on Sunday, he conceded that extra paperwork and checks had resulted from the deal that he negotiated, and which Mr Johnson pushed through Parliament.
But he accused the EU of taking a "very purist view" to the treatment of goods moving to Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK - even though Brussels has warned throughout it would be necessary to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.
Lord Frost suggested the PM could trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol to suspend the checks as a result - meaning the EU could hit back with tariffs on UK goods.
“If the Protocol operates so as to damage the political, social, or economic fabric of life in Northern Ireland, then that situation cannot be sustained for long,” he warned.
“We are responsible for protecting the peace and prosperity of everyone in Northern Ireland and we will continue to consider all our options for doing so.”
But No 10 faces criticism for trying to shift the blame onto Brussels when it was fully aware of the commitments required by the deal.
The EU is refusing to budge on the Protocol because it argues that it is a direct consequence of the Brexit.
A No 10 spokesman said: "We're committed to making the Northern Ireland protocol work and we're also at the same time asking for the EU to be more pragmatic."
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Tear Up Agreement
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Ft. Dorchester alum Camacho-Quinn sets Olympic record in 100m hurdles
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Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, of Puerto Rico, wins a women's 100-meter hurdles semifinal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)(Petr David Josek | AP)
Published: Aug. 1, 2021 at 11:06 AM EDT
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TOKYO (WCSC) - Jasmine Camacho-Quinn set a new Olympic record in the women’s 100 meter hurdles on Sunday morning winning her semifinal heat with a time of 12.26 seconds in Tokyo.
Camacho-Quinn, a Fort Dorchester alum, will have a chance to earn a gold medal on Sunday night when the finals are run at 10:50 p.m.
Running for her mother’s native Puerto Rico, Camacho-Quinn will be one of the favorites in the finals after breaking the previous Olympic record of 12.35 seconds set in 2012.
Mt. Pleasant police officer Murlen Jean finished her heat with a time of 13.99 seconds and did not advance to the medal race.
Camacho-Quinn, who’s running in her 2nd Olympic games, is attempting to become the 2nd Lowcountry native to earn a medal this weekend. Burke alum Raven Saunders earned the silver medal in the women’s shot put on Saturday night.
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Break historical records
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Death toll climbs amid despair in Brazil after dam collapse
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Brumadinho, Brazil: Brazilian officials on Sunday resumed the search for hundreds of missing people in the wake of a massive dam collapse, with firefighter crews returning to mud-covered areas after a several-hour suspension over fears that a second dam was at risk of breach. On Monday, Australian time, authorities confirmed the death toll had risen to 58, with the number expected to rise. Some 305 people are still missing, while192 have been rescued. However, no survivors were found by day's end on Sunday. Authorities evacuated several neighbourhoods in the sout-heastern city of Brumadinho that were within range of the B6 dam owned by the Brazilian mining company Vale. An estimated 24,000 people were told to get to higher ground, but by the afternoon, civil engineers said the second dam was no longer at risk. Roughly 300 people are missing in Brazil after a dam at an iron mine burst. It's the second major disaster in that country linked to mining company Vale SA in the last three years. Areas of water-soaked mud appeared to be drying out, which could help firefighters get to areas previously unreachable. "Get out searching!" a woman yelled at firefighters near a refuge set up in the centre of Brumadinho. "They could be out there in the bush." The scene of the Vale SA dam burst in Brumadinho, Brazil.Credit:Bloomberg Even before the half-day suspension of rescue efforts, hope that loved ones had survived a tsunami of iron ore mine waste from Friday's dam collapse in the area was turning to anguish and anger over the increasing likelihood that many of the hundreds of people missing had died. There was also mounting anger at Vale and questions about an apparent lack of an alarm system on Friday. Caroline Steifeld, who was evacuated, said she heard warning sirens on Sunday, but no such alert came on Friday, when the first dam collapsed. "I only heard shouting, people saying to get out. I had to run with my family to get to higher ground, but there was no siren," she said, adding that a cousin was still unaccounted for. Satellite images compare the dam in Brumadinho, Brazil, before and after the collapse.Credit:DigitalGlobe/AP Several others made similar complaints when interviewed by The Associated Press. An email to Vale asking for comment was not immediately answered. "I'm angry. There is no way I can stay calm," said Sonia Fatima da Silva, as she tried to get information about her son, who had worked at Vale for 20 years. "My hope is that they be honest. I want news, even if it's bad." Da Silva said she last spoke to her son before he went to work on Friday, when around midday a dam holding back mine waste collapsed, sending waves of mud for kilometres and burying much in its path. She was one of scores of relatives in Brumadinho who desperately awaited word on their loved ones. Romeu Zema, the governor of Minas Gerais state, said by now most recovery efforts will entail pulling out bodies. Rescue workers look for victims of the dam collapse in Brumadinho, Brazil, on Sunday.Credit:AP The flow of waste reached the nearby community of Vila Ferteco and an occupied Vale administrative office. It buried buildings to their rooftops and an extensive field of the mud cut off roads. Some residents barely escaped with their lives. "I saw all the mud coming down the hill, snapping the trees as it descended. It was a tremendous noise," said a tearful Simone Pedrosa, from the neighbourhood of Parque Cachoeira, eight kilometres from where the dam collapsed. Pedrosa, 45, and her parents dashed to their car and drove to the highest point in the neighbourhood. "If we had gone down the other direction, we would have died," Pedrosa said. "I cannot get that noise out of my head," she said. "It's a trauma ... I'll never forget." In addition to the dead, 23 people were hospitalised, according to the Minas Gerais fire department. There had been some signs of hope earlier Saturday when authorities found 43 more people alive. For many, hope was evaporating. "I don't think he is alive," said Joao Bosco, speaking of his cousin, Jorge Luis Ferreira, who worked for Vale. "Right now, I can only hope for a miracle." Vanilza Sueli Oliveira described the wait for news of her nephew as "distressing, maddening." "Time is passing," she said. "It's been 24 hours already. ... I just don't want to think that he is under the mud." The rivers of mining waste also raised fears of widespread environmental contamination and degradation. According to Vale's website, the waste is composed mostly of sand and is non-toxic. However, a UN report found that the waste from a similar disaster in 2015 "contained high levels of toxic heavy metals." Over the weekend, state courts and the justice ministry in the state of Minas Gerais froze about $US1.5 billion ($2 billion) from Vale assets for state emergency services and told the company to report on how they would help the victims. Neither the company nor authorities had reported why the dam failed, but Attorney-General Raquel Dodge promised to investigate it, saying "someone is definitely at fault." Dodge noted there are 600 mines in the state of Minas Gerais alone that are classified as being at risk of rupture. Another dam administered by Vale and Australian mining company BHP Billiton collapsed in 2015 in the city of Mariana in the same state of Minas Gerais, resulting in 19 deaths and forcing hundreds from their homes. Considered the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history, it left 250,000 people without drinking water and killed thousands of fish. An estimated 60 million cubic meters of waste flooded nearby rivers and eventually flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Sueli de Oliveira Costa, who hadn't heard from her husband since Friday, had harsh words for the mining company. "Vale destroyed Mariana and now they've destroyed Brumadinho," she said. The Folia de S.Paulo newspaper reported Saturday that the dam's mining complex was issued an expedited licence to expand in December due to "decreased risk". Conservation groups in the area alleged that the approval was unlawful. On Twitter, new Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said his government would do everything it could to "prevent more tragedies" like Mariana and now Brumadinho. The far-right leader campaigned on promises to jump-start Brazil's economy, in part by deregulating mining and other industries. Rescue workers recover the body of a victim after the Vale SA dam burst.Credit:Bloomberg Renato Maia, a 44-year-old salesman whose best friend's daughter remained missing, fled his home in panic early Sunday morning. At midday he and his wife waited on the outskirts of town for police to lift a blockade, angry at the situation. "We're all fed up with Vale ... and this is really adding to the tension," he said. "It was a huge tragedy and now we don't know what might come next." Environmental groups and activists said the latest spill underscored the lack of environmental regulation in Brazil, and many promised to fight any further deregulation. The disaster is now more deadly than a 2015 tailings dam collapse at an iron ore mine less than 100 kilometres to the east near Mariana, belonging to Samarco Mineracao, a Vale joint venture with BHP. The Samarco dam break spilled five times the mining waste into a more remote region, killing 19 people, burying three small villages and contaminating a major river in Brazil's worst environmental disaster on record. Vale chief executive officer Fabio Schvartsman apologised without taking responsibility in an television interview on Saturday. "Apologies to society, apologies to you, apologies to the whole world for what has happened," he said. "I don't know who is responsible, but you can be sure we'll do our part." The cause of the dam burst remained unclear. Recent inspections by a German auditor TUV SUD and Vale did not indicate any problems with the dam, the companies said. Federal prosecutor Jose Adercio Sampaio said on Saturday that state and federal authorities had failed to apply more stringent regulation to the hundreds of tailings dams around the country. Sampaio said that depending on Vale's culpability in the new disaster, it may change how his task force handles a 155 billion reais ($57 billion) case against Samarco. That case is currently suspended amid negotiations for a potential settlement. "Now an intervening fact has appeared and that may completely change the course of those talks," Sampaio said. Schvartsman said all of Vale's tailings dams were checked after the 2015 disaster and periodic reviews are also carried out. Marina Silva, a former environmental minister and presidential candidate, toured the area on Sunday. She said such tragedies should be deemed "heinous crimes," and that Congress should bear part of the blame for not toughening regulations and enforcement. "All the warnings have been given. We are repeating history with this tragedy," she told The Associated Press. "Brazil can't become a specialist in rescuing victims and consoling widows. Measures need to be taken to avoid prevent this from happening again." AP, Reuters
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Mine Collapses
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Community remembers 70th anniversary of Brighton gas line explosions
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0 BRIGHTON, N.Y. — Tuesday marks 70 years since a gas line explosion rocked the Brighton area.
It was Sept. 21, 1951 when a house exploded in the 12 Corners area. It wasn't the last. Over the course of three hours, subsequent explosions and fires destroyed fifteen homes in all. Three people died.
Officials in Brighton remembering a string of house explosions that happened 70 years ago in the 12 Corners neighborhood. Three people died and dozens more were hurt after over pressurized gas lines exploded and set multiple houses on fire. #Roc @Brightonfd @SPECNews1ROC pic.twitter.com/MEDeQVifG4
Town historian Mary Jo Lanphear says the sudden chaos of the day compares to a more recent tragedy.
"This event back in 1951 was just as awful to the people who lived here in this town then as 9/11 was to us when it happened 20 years ago,” Lanphear said. “That destruction coming out from nowhere was just unthinkable."
Lanphear says more documentation and pictures about that day are available at Brighton Town Hall.
The Salvation Army uses the donations to help people locally.
It's a great time to lace up and find your glide and enjoy the open ice with family and friends.
The sale begins Veterans Day and continues through Saturday.
It also simulates the challenges of everyday life, like crossing the street.
Special Touch Bakery provides employment to people of all abilities.
Six facilities are closing across the state, the latest in a line of prison facilities to be shuttered by New York in the last 10 years.
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Gas explosion
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Solar eruption arrives at Earth
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A mass of solar material that erupted from the sun on Oct. 9, 2021, reached Earth on Oct. 12. The Earth-directed coronal mass ejection, or CME, elevated the Kp index, a measure of disturbance to Earth's magnetic field, to 6 (moderate level). Kp index levels range from 0 (quiet) to 9 (intense). The CME was associated with an M1.6 class solar flare from Active Region 2882 on that peaked on Oct. 9 at 6:38 UTC (2:38 a.m. EDT). M-class flares are a tenth the size of the most intense flares, the X-class flares. The number provides more information about its strength. An M2 is twice as intense as an M1, an M3 is three times as intense, etc. The flare also generated a solar energetic particle eruption that was detected by NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-Ahead, or STEREO-A spacecraft, at 7:51 UTC (3:51 a.m. EDT). STEREO-A also detected the CME from its vantage point away from Earth. The CME's initial speed was estimated by NASA's Moon to Mars Space Weather Operations Office to be approximately 983 kilometers per second (610 miles per second). This and other information about the event is reported in the Space Weather Database Of Notifications, Knowledge, Information (DONKI) catalog. Active Region 2882, shown here near the middle of the sun’s disk, erupted with a moderate level solar flare on Oct. 9, 2021. This animated gif shows images from the 131 Angstrom channel of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly instrument. Credit: NASA/SDO The COR2 coronagraph on NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-A spacecraft, which views the sun’s corona by occluding its bright surface, detected this Earth-directed CME on Oct. 9, 2021.
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New wonders in nature
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United Airlines Flight 232 crash
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United Airlines Flight 232 was a regularly scheduled United Airlines flight from Stapleton International Airport in Denver to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, continuing to Philadelphia International Airport. On July 19, 1989, the DC-10 (registered as N1819U) serving the flight crash-landed at Sioux City, Iowa, after suffering a catastrophic failure of its tail-mounted engine, which led to the loss of many flight controls. Of the 296 passengers and crew on board, 112 died during the accident, while 184 people survived. [a] The crash was the fifth-deadliest one involving the DC-10, behind Turkish Airlines Flight 981, American Airlines Flight 191, Air New Zealand Flight 901, and UTA Flight 772. Despite the deaths, the accident is considered a prime example of successful crew resource management because of the large number of survivors and the manner in which the flight crew handled the emergency and landed the airplane without conventional control. The airplane, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 (registration N1819U[3]), was delivered in 1971 and owned by United Airlines since then. Before departure on the flight from Denver on July 19, 1989, the airplane had been operated for a total of 43,401 hours and 16,997 cycles (a takeoff and subsequent landing is considered an aircraft cycle). The airplane was powered by CF6-6D high bypass-ratio turbofan engines produced by General Electric Aircraft Engines (GEAE). [1]:11 The aircraft's No. 2 (tail-mounted) engine had accumulated 42,436 hours and 16,899 cycles of operating time immediately prior to the accident flight. [1]:12
The DC-10 used three independent hydraulic systems, each powered by one of the aircraft's three engines, to power movement of the aircraft's flight controls. In the event of loss of engine power or primary pump failure, a ram air turbine could provide emergency electrical power for electrically powered auxiliary pumps. These systems were designed to be redundant, such that if two hydraulic systems were inoperable, the one remaining hydraulic system would still permit the full operation and control of the airplane. However, at least one hydraulic system must have fluid present and the ability to hold fluid pressure to control the aircraft. Like other widebody transport aircraft of the era,[1]:100 the DC-10 was not designed to revert to unassisted manual control in the event of total hydraulic failure. [1]:17 The DC-10's hydraulic system was designed and demonstrated to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as compliant with regulations that "no single [engine] failure or malfunction or probable combination of failures will jeopardize the safe operation of the airplane..."[1]:19
Flight 232's captain, Alfred C. (Al) Haynes, 57, was hired by United Airlines in 1956. He had 29,967 hours of total flight time with United Airlines, of which 7,190 were in the DC-10. [1]:112[4]
Haynes' co-pilot was first officer William R. (Bill) Records, 48, first hired by National Airlines in 1969. He subsequently worked for Pan American World Airways. He estimated that he had approximately 20,000 hours of total flight time. He was hired by United Airlines in 1985, and had accrued 665 hours as a DC-10 first officer while at United. [1]:112
Flight Engineer[b] Dudley J. Dvorak, 51, was hired by United Airlines in 1986. He estimated that he had about 15,000 hours of total flying time. While working for United, he had accumulated 1,903 hours as a flight engineer in the Boeing 727 and 33 hours as a flight engineer in the DC-10. [1]:113
Dennis E. Fitch, 46, a training-check airman aboard Flight 232 as a passenger, was hired by United Airlines in 1968. He estimated that, prior to working for United, he had accrued at least 1,400 hours of flight time with the Air National Guard, with a total flight time around 23,000 hours. His total DC-10 time with United was 2,987 hours, including 1,943 hours accrued as a flight engineer, 965 hours as a first officer, and 79 hours as a captain. [1]:11,113 Fitch had learned of the 1985 crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123, caused by a catastrophic loss of hydraulic control, and had wondered if it was possible to control an aircraft using throttles only. He had practiced under similar conditions on a simulator. [5]
Eight flight attendants were also aboard the flight. [1]:113–14
Flight 232 took off at 14:09 Central Daylight Time[c] from Stapleton International Airport, Denver, Colorado, bound for O'Hare International Airport in Chicago with continuing service to Philadelphia International Airport. [1]:1
At 15:16, while the plane was in a shallow right turn at its cruising altitude of 37,000 feet (11,000 m), the fan disk of its tail-mounted General Electric CF6-6 engine explosively disintegrated. The uncontained failure resulted in the engine's fan disk departing the aircraft, tearing out components including parts of the No. 2 hydraulic system and supply hoses in the process; these were later found near Alta, Iowa. [1]:25,75 Engine debris penetrated the aircraft's tail section in numerous places, including the horizontal stabilizer, severing the No. 1 and No. 3 hydraulic system lines where they passed through the horizontal stabilizer. [1]:75[6]
The pilots felt a jolt, and the autopilot disengaged. As First Officer Records took hold of his control column, Captain Haynes focused on the tail engine, whose instruments indicated it was malfunctioning; he found its throttle and fuel supply controls jammed. At Dvorak's suggestion, a valve cutting fuel to the tail engine was shut off. This part of the emergency took 14 seconds. [6]
Meanwhile, Records found that the plane did not respond to his control column. [1][page needed] Even with the control column turned all the way to the left, commanding maximum left aileron, and pulled all the way back, commanding maximum up elevator – inputs that would never be used together in normal flight – the aircraft was banking to the right with the nose dropping. Haynes attempted to level the aircraft with his own control column, then both Haynes and Records tried using their control columns together, but the aircraft still did not respond. Afraid the aircraft would roll into a completely inverted position (an unrecoverable situation), the crew reduced the left wing-mounted engine to idle and applied maximum power to the right engine. This caused the airplane to slowly level out. [6]
While Haynes and Records performed the engine shutdown checklist for the failed engine, Dvorak observed that the gauges for fluid pressure and quantity in all three hydraulic systems were indicating zero. [1]:1 The loss of all hydraulic fluid meant that control surfaces were inoperative. [1][page needed] The flight crew deployed the DC-10's air-driven generator in an attempt to restore hydraulic power by powering the auxiliary hydraulic pumps, but this was unsuccessful. [1]:1 The crew contacted United maintenance personnel via radio, but were told that, as a total loss of hydraulics on the DC-10 was considered "virtually impossible", no procedures were established for such an event.
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Air crash
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Aurora borealis could be visible in wide swaths of continental US, Europe on Saturday because of large solar flare
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ATLANTA — A large solar flare erupted Thursday and is set to reach Earth on Saturday, which could result in a strong geomagnetic storm and cause the aurora borealis, or northern lights, to be visible across the U.S. and Europe. NOAA issued a G3, or "strong" geomagnetic storm watch, for Saturday and Sunday ahead of the flare slamming into the Earth. The scale for geomagnetic storms runs from G1, or minor storm, to G5, an extreme storm. This geomagnetic storm could cause voltage irregularities and false alarms on some protection devices, NOAA warns. It also could cause high-frequency radio blackouts and loss of radio contact on the sunlit side of the earth. The most visible effect from the impending geomagnetic storm is it will likely supercharge the aurora borealis, making it visible across large parts of the U.S. and Europe. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute Aurora Forecast indicates, weather permitting, the northern lights could be visible from Portland, Oregon, to New York City. It may also be visible on the horizon as far south as Carson City, Nevada; Oklahoma City; and Raleigh, North Carolina. In Europe, the forecast shows, weather permitting, the aurora borealis may be visible overhead from across Norway, Sweden and Finland, and even as far south as Scotland and St. Petersburg, Russia. It may be visible on the horizon as far south as Dublin, Ireland, and Hamburg, Germany. The aurora australis, or the southern lights, will see similar effects. The forecast shows from Melbourne, Australia to Christchurch, New Zealand, it may be visible on the horizon.
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New wonders in nature
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Kiss nightclub fire
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The Kiss nightclub fire started between 2:00 and 2:30 (BRST)[3] on 27 January 2013 in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, killing 245 people[1] and injuring at least 630 others. [4][5][6][7][8] It is the second most-devastating fire disaster in the history of Brazil—surpassed only by the Great North American Circus fire of December 1961, which killed 503 people in Niterói, and the deadliest nightclub fire since the December 2000 fire that killed 309 people in Luoyang, China. It is also the third-deadliest nightclub fire in history, behind the Luoyang Christmas fire and the Cocoanut Grove fire in 1942. The party, called "Aglomerados", organized by students from six universities and technical courses at the Federal University of Santa Maria, began on Saturday, 26 January 2013 at 23:00 UTC. Two bands were scheduled to perform that night ("Pimenta e seus comparsas" and "Gurizada Fandangueira"). In the early morning hours of 27 January 2013, a fire broke out while students from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) were holding a freshers' ball. A stampede occurred following the fire, and a lack of exit signs and emergency exits allegedly contributed to the deaths. [9] Most of the victims were between 18 and 30 years old. [10]
Witnesses have said either a flare or fireworks lit by band members may have started the fire. [11] Brazilian police stated that the fire began when the band Gurizada Fandangueira[12] ignited a pyrotechnic device (similar to a signaling flare) while performing on stage. [13] The flare then ignited flammable acoustic foam in the ceiling. [14][15] According to the authorities, other reasons for the high death toll include the lack of emergency exits (the only access in and out of the building was the front door) and the fact that the number of people inside exceeded the maximum capacity by hundreds. [16]
About 90% of the victims succumbed to smoke inhalation. [17] Many people died as they either tried to hide in bathrooms or, in panic mistook them for exits. At least 180 bodies were removed from the bathrooms. [18] More than 150 were injured by the crush at the front door and the rapidly accumulating smoke within the nightclub. [citation needed] 14 injuries were attributed to severe burns caused by flames,[19] with eight victims succumbing to their injuries in the days and weeks following the incident. [citation needed] More than 90 people were hospitalized. [19]
Colonel Guido Pedroso de Melo of the Rio Grande do Sul Fire Department stated that the club's front door was locked. De Melo told CNN: "This overcrowding made it difficult for people to leave, and according to the information we have, the security guards trapped the victims inside. "[20]
The fire has the second-highest death toll for an entertainment event in Brazil; it is second only to the 1961 Niterói circus fire, which killed more than 500 people. [21]
Based on an investigation and the accounts of survivors, the cause of the fire was found to be an illegal firework device that ignited the acoustic foam on the ceiling. [1][22]
Two co-owners of the nightclub and two members of the band were arrested and questioned by police. One of the owners of the nightclub tried to commit suicide while still being treated at the hospital; however, one of the police officers guarding his room noticed the attempt and intervened. [23]
The state fire department found that the premises did not have enough emergency exits and was not authorized to use fireworks. The fire department, however, did issue a permit for the club to operate. The permit stated that the club had two emergency exits. The fact that false information was used by the club and approved by the fire department resulted in a state investigation of the authorities responsible for supervising the nightclub, including the city hall and the fire department itself. It was also reported that the fire extinguishers in the club may have been artificial or were disabled at the time. [24]
On 30 January, the nightclub's owner deflected blame to "the whole country", as well as to architects and inspectors who were commissioned with ensuring the building's safety, according to his lawyer. By that time, the death toll was at least 235. [25] The next day, officials inspected and closed more than 58 nightlife spots around the country as part of a crackdown on unsafe public spaces. [26]
On 2 April, two nightclub owners and two band members were charged with manslaughter. [27]
Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff stated, "I want to tell the Brazilians and the population of Santa Maria that we stand together in this sad moment," before departing early[28] from a summit of the EU and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago, Chile to visit grieving relatives of the victims. [29] Rousseff declared three days of official mourning. Santa Maria's city government established thirty days of official mourning. [30][31]
Organisers postponed a ceremony on 28 January in Brasília that marked 500 days to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. [10]
The incident resulted in the inspection of safety features of thousands of nightclubs all over the country. In São Paulo alone, 60% of the nightclubs inspected were found to be operating against safety regulations. [32]
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Fire
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Ukraine to hold land military drills with US, Poland, Lithuania
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U.S. marines take part in a military exercises near Kherson, as Ukraine and the United States stage land military exercises involving more than 30 countries as part of multinational Sea Breeze 2021 drills, in southern Ukraine, July 2, 2021. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo KYIV, July 5 (Reuters) - Ukraine, the United States, Poland and Lithuania will hold a large military exercise in the western part of Ukraine later in July, the Ukrainian military said on Monday, the second round of war games involving Kyiv and foreign partners in a month. The drill, Three Swords-2021, will involve more 1,200 servicemen and more than 200 combat vehicles and will last from 17 to 30 July at Yavoriv training ground in Lviv region. "Three Swords-2021 create favourable conditions for the development and effective coordination of units of partner states, in order to improve the quality and increase the level of combat capabilities," the military said in a statement. Last week, Ukraine and the United States started a military exercise, Sea Breeze, involving more than 30 countries in the Black Sea and southern Ukraine, despite Russian calls to cancel the drills. read more Sea Breeze 2021 follows a rise in tensions between NATO and Moscow, which said last month it had fired warning shots and dropped bombs in the path of a British warship to chase it out of Black Sea waters off the coast of Crimea. Relations between Kyiv and Moscow plummeted after Russia seized Crimea and over Russia's support for a separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine has said it had urged NATO to speed up Ukraine's entry through a Membership Action Plan and welcomed the Alliance statement confirming Ukraine's eventual entry into the military alliance.
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Military Exercise
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Joliet Park District Financial Scandal: Police Investigating
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Updated Fri, Jan 22, 2021 at 12:07 pm CT
Replies (30)
Joliet Park District officials posted a statement on their website Thursday night confirming that financial irregularities are being investigated. (Image via Google Maps)
JOLIET, IL — Police are investigating potential financial improprieties by a former Joliet Park District employee, the district confirmed in a statement Thursday night. On Friday morning, the Will County Forest Preserve District announced that Matt Pehle has now been placed on administrative leave.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Pehle was the director of finance at the Joliet Park District from April 2013 until he left in December 2019. In January 2020, Pehle became the chief financial officer for the Will County Forest Preserve District. At that time, Pehle replaced John Gerl as chief financial officer after Gerl retired from the forest preserve.
On Friday, forest preserve spokeswoman Cindy Cain said she could not comment on the matter involving Pehle, saying it's a personnel issue.
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On Thursday night, Joliet Park District officials said they posted the announcement to their website as "part of the Joliet Park District's ongoing effort to improve operations and transparency," but said "due to the ongoing nature of this investigation, the Park District is unable to provide any further information or comment at this time."
The Joliet Police Department is spearheading a criminal investigation into financial records at the park district, a source confirmed for Patch.
Find out what's happening in Joliet with free, real-time updates from Patch.
Let's go!
"It was a large, large sum. It's thousands, not just single-digit thousands," the source said.
No criminal charges have been filed.
On Friday, Joliet Park Board Vice President Joe Clement, who is also running for a Joliet City Council seat on April 6, told Patch that he had observed some financial issues at the park district and he notified the park district's new finance director.
"We now have an investigation going on by the Joliet Police Department and I really don't want to comment anymore to jeopardize the investigation," Clement said. "I have all the confidence that every stone will be turned over in this investigation."
Joliet Park Board President Sue Gulas declined to comment on the issue
"I cannot comment on any of the details of any ongoing investigation," Gulas informed Patch.
The park district's statement indicates that since 2018, a number of changes have been made to raise the district's professional standards, including the hiring of a new executive director, superintendent and director of finance, and the implementation of new accounting software, updating of purchasing procedures and planned retention of a new auditing firm.
"The Park District will make additional information available to the public as and when circumstances permit," the statement read.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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Bruno Mars plays at luxe, multimillion-dollar Cape Cod wedding
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Troy Brown, the son of Motorola CEO Greg Brown, married Kristin Ryan over the weekend in an over-the-top event that brought the New York elite to Cape Cod. It even included a performance by Grammy winner Bruno Mars. The festivities, which surely cost several million dollars, took place at the luxury Chatham Bars Inn and was put together by A-list wedding planner Marcy Blum, whose clients have included Billy Joel and Katie Lee, LeBron and Savannah James, socialite Fabiola Beracasa and Jason Beckman and George Soros and Tamiko Bolton, plus members of the Rockefeller family. Judging by pictures taken at the bash, Brown and Ryan’s event was all impeccably high-end, starting with a rehearsal dinner catered by James Beard award-winning chef Mario Carbone, whose downtown restaurant, Carbone, is a celebrity magnet. Troy Brown, the son of Motorola CEO Greg Brown, married Kristin Ryan over the weekend. The pair were wed in an outdoor ceremony before moving inside to have their first dance under a ceiling covered in flowers.
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Famous Person - Marriage
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1980 Eureka earthquake
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The 1980 Eureka earthquake (also known as the Gorda Basin earthquake) occurred on November 8 at 02:27:34 local time along the northern coastal area of California in the United States. With a moment magnitude of 7.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong), this strike-slip earthquake was the largest to occur in California in 28 years. Although damage was considered light, several loss estimates equaled or exceeded $2 million, and six injuries resulted when two vehicles came down with the partial collapse of a highway overpass on US 101 in Fields Landing. The north coast of California experiences frequent plate boundary earthquakes near the Mendocino Triple Junction and intraplate events also occur within the Gorda Plate. Due to the regional seismic risk, the nuclear portion of the Humboldt Bay Nuclear Power Plant was shut down in the 1970s. No substantial damage occurred to the two fossil-fuel units that were still operational at the facility. Several types of sensors were installed at the site to capture strong motion data in this seismically-active area, but the majority of records from the event were considered unreliable due to faulty equipment or inadequate maintenance. Only one piece of equipment at the facility provided data by which an estimate of the peak ground acceleration could be made. Near Cape Mendocino, the Mendocino Triple Junction is an area of active seismicity where three tectonic plates come together. The Mendocino Fracture Zone (also known as the Mendocino Fault east of the Gorda Ridge) is a transform fault that separates the Pacific and Gorda Plates. To the south, the relative motion between the Pacific Plate and North American Plate is accommodated by the San Andreas Fault, and to the north, the Gorda Plate is converging with the North American Plate at the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Earthquakes within the Gorda Plate are the result of north–south compression at the Mendocino Fault. [5]
The left-lateral strike-slip earthquake was the largest to occur in California since the 1952 Kern County earthquake. The mainshock (which was described as a multiple-rupture, with four subevents in the initial 80 seconds) and its aftershocks occurred on a northeast-trending fault that extended from near the Mendocino Fault to a point northwest of Eureka. Movement along the fault is due to a north–south compressional regime and the resulting intraplate deformation of the Gorda Plate. Previous events in this area were the January 1922 7.3 Ms and the January 1923 7.2 Ms shocks. [6]
The earthquake occurred offshore (to the northwest of Eureka, about 37 mi (60 km) west of Patrick's Point) and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong). Some people reported intense shaking that lasted for 15 to 30 seconds. In the epicentral area, items were knocked off shelves and furniture was displaced, but damage was considered light (the smaller 5.2 ML event that occurred in June 1975 caused more damage). [7]
While most of the damage from the Gorda Basin earthquake was considered light, there were some exceptions. In Eureka, effects included broken windows and dishes, fallen chimneys, and merchandise that fell from store shelves. In Fields Landing, King Salmon, Loleta, and Big Lagoon areas, the strongest effects included surface cracks on the ground, soil liquefaction, small landslides and rockfalls, and numerous slumps along the Eel River. Similar effects occurred along the Old Coast Highway near Trinidad and Moonstone, where the roadway was reduced to one lane of travel in some areas. Several homes were knocked off their foundations and a highway overpass collapsed in Fields Landing. Seismic wave amplification, poor design, or inadequate construction style may have contributed to losses there. [7][8]
The Tompkins Hill Road overpass is situated just south of Fields Landing and was built in the late 1960s. It suffered slight damage during the 1975 earthquake and was due for a retrofit in 1981. The overpass was constructed with cement abutments on earthen ramps on either end and a series of concrete support columns in the middle. Eight 60 ft (20 m) reinforced concrete spans accommodated northbound and southbound lanes of traffic, with no anchors connecting the spans with each other or to the abutments. At the time of the shock, two of the southbound spans came off their support (a 6 in (15 cm) ledge) and six people were injured when a Volkswagen Beetle and a small pickup truck plummeted off the bridge. [7]
The Humboldt Bay Power Plant is located about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the collapsed highway overpass and operated fossil-fuel and nuclear units in the 1960s and 1970s. The nuclear unit was cancelled in 1976 because of seismic safety concerns, but the two fossil-fuel units remained in operation. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission performed a post-event survey of the facility's systems in late 1980, but inspectors found only minor effects to the plant's structure, piping, tanks, and other mechanical equipment. It was found that the two units were automatically shut down at the time of the shock for various protective concerns and that there were minor cracks in masonry and concrete, sheared bolts, pipe leaks, and slight movement of water tanks. The deformation of a reinforced masonry wall that resulted in a variable-width gap was the only structural issue. [4]
With an area of perceptibility of more than 97,000 mi2, it was felt from the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley to western Nevada, and as far as Salem in northern Oregon. Intensity VI (Strong) effects were limited to a narrow coastal zone that included Myers Flat in the south and Brookings, Oregon in the north. Damage at this intensity level included broken plate glass windows, cracked walls, foundation and chimney damage, and significant loss of merchandise. In Fields Landing, two homes that came off their foundations, the fallen overpass, and broken gas, water, and sewer lines were associated with intensity VII (Very strong) shaking. [9]
Pacific Gas and Electric initially reported that peak ground accelerations in the range of .16–.4g were recorded on the floor of the refueling building on the plant's strong motion instruments (accelerometers). Low voltage from a faulty power supply left the instruments in a condition that was functional, but the records were not considered reliable. Three TERA Technology film recorders were also in use as a backup system, but these instruments also did not produce any usable records, because lack of maintenance had allowed dirt and grit to get inside. Only records from one instrument (an Engdhal peak shock recorder) was believed to be operating correctly, and with a close examination of the energy dispersed at various frequencies, an estimate of .15–.25g was given for the event at that location. [4]
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Earthquakes
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Defender Europe 21 Exercises Multinational Interoperability, Readiness, Transparency
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Exercise Defender Europe 21 has started once again. This year's exercise involves 26 nations, including the U.S., and around 28,000 multinational forces all focused on building operational readiness and interoperability between NATO allies and partners. "It's defensive in nature, focused on deterring aggression, while preparing our forces to respond to crisis and conduct large-scale combat operations if necessary," said Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby, during a briefing today at the Pentagon. Another key attribute of Defender Europe 21, Kirby said, is the transparency surrounding what it is all about, who will participate, what is meant to be accomplished. "[Defender Europe] is an exercise that's annual. We've been doing it a long, long time ... it's a defensive exercise. And it's one that helps us build interoperability," Kirby said. "Here's the other thing that's different: we actually come to the podium and tell you about it." Kirby said that openly discussing the Defender Europe 21 exercise and why U.S., NATO partners and other European allies are gathering troops is an important facet of the operation. Other nations have not been so clear or forthright about their own amassing of troops, he said. "I'm going to continually talk about what we're doing — it's called transparency — it's a wonderful thing," he said "And we're not getting that out of Moscow and we haven't. So that's a big difference right there. It's a defensive exercise and you will be able to hear us talk about it and communicate to you and to the world what we're doing and why." In past weeks, Russia had amassed more than 100,000 troops on the Russian side of its border with Ukraine — alarming the Ukrainians and allies. In recent days, those troops have started to pull back, but many still remain. "There's still quite a few, I mean there's still a lot of forces arrayed against, or aligned along the border with Ukraine and in occupied Crimea," Kirby said. "And it's still never been completely clear what the intentions were." Defender Europe is an Army-led exercise, though this year it has significant Air Force and Navy participation. Last week, for instance, the USNS Bob Hope arrived off the coast of Albania in advance of its participation in a joint logistics over-the-shore exercise there. The Defender Europe 21 exercise will also include several smaller "linked" exercises, Kirby said. Those include Swift Response, which involves airborne operations in Estonia, Bulgaria and Romania; Immediate Response, which involves more than 5,000 troops from eight nations conducting live-fire training in 12 different countries; Saber Guardian, which includes more than 13,000 service members doing live-fire training as well as air and missile defense operations; and a command post exercise with 2,000 personnel exercising the ability of a headquarters to command multinational land forces. "The Defender Europe exercise is going to conclude in June, but not before demonstrating joint force readiness, lethality and interoperability, reinforcing the U.S. commitment to our allies and partners, and providing an outstanding opportunity to highlight the superb job our men and women are doing every day and in the region — the Balkan and Black Sea regions in particular, and throughout Europe and the Africa area of operations," Kirby said. Choose which Defense.gov products you want delivered to your inbox. A woman speaks at a virtual conference. - Mieke Eoyang, deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy, participates in a virtual fireside chat at C4ISRNet CYBERCON 2021, Nov. 10, 2021. A man speaks into a microphone. - Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon, Nov. 10, 2021. A front view of the White House and surrounding grounds. - The White House, Jan. 20, 2021. A soldier poses for a photo next to an aircraft with his friend. - At Ramitelli airfield in Italy, Col. McGee stands in front of the P-51C he named "Kitten" for his wife. At his side is Nathaniel Wilson the Mustang's crew chief. The Department of Defense provides the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security.
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Military Exercise
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Full Text: Xi Jinping's Speech on Boosting Common Prosperity
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· Receive breaking news alerts · 7 days free for new iOS subscribers· Exclusive CEIC data available in-app
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, addressed China’s commitment on common prosperity at the 10th meeting of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs in August. Excerpts of the speech were published by party journal Qiushi Friday. Here is the full text:
Since China launched the reform and opening-up policy, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has conducted a thorough review of the historical experience of both positive and negative aspects, gaining a much deeper understanding that poverty is not socialism. Therefore, the CPC has broken the shackles of the traditional planned economy system and allowed a portion of people and regions to become prosperous first, ultimately liberalizing and promoting the development of productive forces. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee has kept abreast with new changes in the era, put the step-by-step realization of common prosperity for all in a more important position, pushed forward with coordinated regional development, taken powerful action to safeguard and improve people’s livelihoods, won the decisive battle against poverty and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all aspects, laying a solid foundation for common prosperity. So far, China has ushered in a historic stage to tirelessly realize common prosperity.
Now, China is marching toward the second centenary goal into a great modern socialist country in all respects. To act in the evolution of the principal contradiction in Chinese society and better fulfil the ever-growing expectation of the people for a better life, the CPC should put the focus of promoting people’s well-being on boosting common prosperity to strengthen the foundation for the Party’s long-term governance. High-quality development relies on high-quality workers. To increase total factor productivity and cement the driving forces for high-quality development, the only way is to promote common prosperity, raise the income of urban and rural residents, and improve human capital. Currently, the world is facing a prominent issue of income inequality. In some countries, the wealth gap and middle-class collapse have aggravated social divisions, political polarization and populism, giving a profound lesson to the world. China must make resolute efforts to prevent polarization, advance common prosperity and realize social harmony and stability. Meanwhile, we must have a clear understanding that unbalanced and inadequate development remains prominent in China, and the disparities in development between rural and urban areas, between regions, and in income distribution remain substantial. A new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is a powerful driving force for economic development and imposes a significant impact on employment and income distribution, including some negative effects that must be effectively solved.
Common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism and a key feature of Chinese-style modernization. The common prosperity we are pursuing is for all, affluence both in material and spiritual life, but not for a small portion nor for uniform egalitarianism.
Efforts should be made to conduct in-depth research on staged objectives and promote common prosperity by stages. By the end of the 14th Five-year Plan, we will march in confident strides toward common prosperity for all and gradually mitigate income inequality and narrow consumption gaps. By 2035, we will make more remarkable and substantive progress toward achieving common prosperity for all and effectively ensure equitable access to basic public services. By the middle of the 21st century, we will basically achieve common prosperity for all and reduce the income and consumption gaps between urban and rural areas to a reasonable range. Efforts should be made to formulate an action plan for promoting common prosperity and work out scientific and feasible indicator systems and evaluation mechanisms in line with national conditions.
To realize common prosperity, we should adhere to the following principles:
Encouraging hard work and innovation. Happiness is achieved through hard work. Meanwhile, common prosperity depends on hard work and wisdom. We should safeguard and improve people’s livelihood while pursuing development, give top priority to high-quality development, create more favorable and equitable conditions for the people to receive better education and improve their development capabilities, enhance human capital and professional skills throughout society and improve people’s abilities to get employed and start a business and their competence to prosper. We should prevent the ossification of social class, shape a development environment that provides chances for more people to become wealthy and avoid “involution” and “lying flat.”
Adhering to the basic economic system. As China is still in the primary stage of socialism, we must work unswervingly to both consolidate and develop the public sector and encourage, support and guide the development of the nonpublic sector. We must uphold the dominant role of the public sector and common development of economic entities under diverse forms of ownership, exert the important role of the public sector in promoting common prosperity and promote healthy growth of the nonpublic sector of the economy and workers in the sector. We should allow a portion of people to become rich first, encourage them to help those still lagging behind and focus on encouraging entrepreneurial individuals who work hard, engage in lawful operations and have the courage to start their own businesses. We do not advocate becoming rich through side doors, and we will deal with violations in accordance with the law.
Doing everything within our capacity. A scientific public policy system should be established to make the “cake” bigger and form a pattern of equitable distribution for all. Efforts should be intensified, and more practical measures should be taken to enable the masses to have a greater sense of gain. Meanwhile, we must recognize that the development level of our country still lags far behind that of developed countries. We plan by considering both needs and possibilities and improve people’s well-being based on economic development and financial sustainability. We should not aim too high and make promises that cannot be fulfilled. Instead of taking on everything, the government should focus on carrying out programs that are general, inclusive and guarantee basic needs. Even if we become more developed and financially stronger in the future, we should not set excessively high goals and provide excessive guarantees, in order not to fall into the trap of “welfarism” that encourages laziness.
Advancing step by step. As common prosperity is a goal that requires long-term efforts and cannot be achieved overnight, its long-term nature, arduousness and complexity should be fully estimated and realize the goal step by step. Even some developed countries have not achieved common prosperity yet, and the gap between rich and poor is instead becoming increasingly serious due to problems in their social systems, although they have been industrialized for centuries. Therefore, we need to be patient, take solid steps and improve the effectiveness of our work. Great efforts should be made to construct the demonstration zone for common prosperity in Zhejiang and spur all local governments to explore effective paths in light of local conditions, sum up experience and gradually implement the corresponding plans. The general idea is to adhere to the concept of people-centered development; promote common prosperity in high-quality development; correctly handle the relationship between efficiency and fairness; make basic institutional arrangements for the planning of primary distribution, redistribution and tertiary distribution; increase the intensity and accuracy of regulation such as taxation, social security and transfer payments; expand the proportion of the middle-income group, increase the income of the low-income group, rationally regulate high incomes and ban illegal incomes to form an olive-shaped distribution structure; facilitate social fairness and justice; accelerate the all-round development of people; and enable all people to make solid progress towards the goal of common prosperity.
First, identifying a more balanced, coordinated and inclusive development path. The socialist market economy should be improved at a faster pace as a way to make development more balanced, coordinated and inclusive. Development should be more balanced among different regions through the implementation of regional major strategies and regional coordinated development strategies; the transfer payment system should be improved; differences in per capita fiscal expenditures among regions should be narrowed and support should be increased for less-developed regions. The coordinated development of industries should be strengthened; the reform of monopoly industries should be accelerated; and the coordinated development of the finance and real estate sectors with the real economy should be advanced. Support should be rendered to the development of small and midsize companies, and an enterprise development ecosystem in which large, midsize and small enterprises are interdependent and mutually reinforcing should be fostered.
Second, endeavoring to expand the middle-income group. Priority should be given to solving key problems, and measures should be taken accurately to allow more low-income people to enter the middle-income group. Higher education graduates are one important part of those who are expected to enter the middle-income group. The quality of higher education should be enhanced so that students can be armed with expertise and useful knowledge that help them meet the needs of social development as soon as possible. Technical workers also constitute an important part of the middle-income group. Efforts should be stepped up to train skilled talent, raise their salaries and attract more highly competent people to join the ranks of skilled workers. Small and midsize company owners and self-employed people are important sources that contribute to entrepreneurship-based prosperity. The business environment should be refined their tax and dues burdens should be reduced; and more market-based financial services should be offered to help them maintain stable operations and increase incomes. Rural migrant workers in cities are an important source of the middle-income group. The reform of the household registration system should be deepened, and the schooling of trailing children of rural migrant workers should be properly resolved so that they can migrate to cities without worries and find stable jobs. The salaries and benefits of civil servants, especially front-line civil servants and civil servants at the grassroots level and grassroots-level employees of state-owned enterprises and public institutions should be appropriately raised. Urban and rural residents’ incomes from housing, rural land and financial assets should be increased.
Third, facilitating equal access to basic public services. Priority should be given to supporting the low-income group for common prosperity. Inclusive human resources investment should be increased to effectively reduce the education burden for needy families and make children from low-income families more educated. The systems of elderly care and medical security should be improved, which will help gradually narrow the gap in financing and security benefits between workers and residents, urban and rural areas, and raise the level of basic pensions for urban and rural residents. The system for subsistence allowances should be improved by speeding up efforts to narrow the differences in social assistance standards between urban and rural areas, thus raising the subsistence allowances to guarantee the basic livelihood of the people. Furthermore, the housing supply and security system should be perfected. We must keep in mind that housing is for living in, not for speculation, and need to encourage both housing purchase and renting by adopting city-specific policies. To this end, we need to improve the long-term rental policy and supply more government-subsidized rental housing with a focus on addressing the concerns of new arrivals.
Fourth, intensifying the regulation and adjustment of excessive income. While protecting legitimate income according to law, it is necessary to prevent polarization and eliminate unfair wealth allocation. In this regard, we should take many measures, like rationally regulating excessive income, improving the personal income tax system, standardizing the management of capital income, actively and steadily promoting the legislation and reform of real estate tax while ensuring the good completion of pilot projects, intensifying tax regulation in consumption links, expanding the scope of consumption tax collection, strengthening the standardized management of public welfare and philanthropy, improving preferential tax policies, encouraging the high-income group and enterprises to return more to society, cleaning up unreasonable income, enhancing the management of income distribution in monopoly industries and state-owned enterprises, rectifying the order of income distribution, and eliminating distribution chaos such as increasing the income of senior executives in the name of reform, resolutely prohibiting illicit income, curbing the power-for-money deal and cracking down on the acquisition of illegal income through insider trading, stock market manipulation, financial fraud and tax evasion.
After years of effort, we have explored a complete range of solutions to poverty alleviation, but we still need to explore and accumulate experience on how to help people prosper. We must attach importance to the protection of property rights, intellectual property rights and legitimate wealth acquisition, resolutely oppose the unlimited sprawl of capital, draw a negative list of access to sensitive areas and strengthen anti-monopoly supervision. Meanwhile, we need to mobilize the zeal of entrepreneurs and promote the standardized and healthy development of all kinds of capital. Fifth, promoting common prosperity of the people’s spiritual life. Being highly consistent with pursuing the all-round development of the human being, the cause of promoting common prosperity requires strengthening the guidance of core socialist values, enhancing patriotism, collectivism and socialist education, developing public cultural undertakings, and improving the public cultural service system, thus constantly meeting the diversified, multi-level and multi-faceted spiritual and cultural needs of the people. To provide a good public-opinion environment for the cause, we should strengthen the guidance of public opinion in promoting common prosperity, clarify all kinds of vague understandings and prevent a rush to succeed and fear of difficulties.
Sixth, promoting common prosperity in rural areas. As a hard nut to crack, promoting common prosperity in rural areas needs greater effort. However, it is inappropriate to set unified, quantitative indicators as we do for poverty alleviation. The key to common prosperity in rural areas is to consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation, strengthen monitoring and early intervention for people who are prone to falling into poverty again, and give counties out of poverty a leg up to get them going, thus ensuring that large-scale return to poverty and new poverty do not occur. In addition, we should comprehensively advance rural revitalization, speed up agricultural industrialization, make good use of rural assets and increase farmers’ property income, thus helping more rural residents to acquire wealth through hard work. In the meantime, efforts should be made to develop rural infrastructure and public service systems and improve the living environment in rural areas. In my opinion, pursuing common prosperity, like building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, is a general concept that involves all aspects of the society across the country and is not proposed for only urban areas or rural areas, or east, central or west regions, insomuch that putting forward indicators requires overall consciousness. To achieve common prosperity for 1.4 billion Chinese people, we must take concrete, long-lasting actions. It does not mean simultaneous prosperity for everyone or the same level of affluence across the country. The degree of prosperity of different groups and regions and the time of achieving prosperity may vary. Common prosperity entails a process of moving forward amid developments and must be constantly promoted for continuous success.
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Famous Person - Give a speech
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A man has been rescued from a ferry that capsized on Lake Victoria, Tanzania, two days after it overturned with the loss of at least 207 lives.
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A man has been rescued from a ferry that capsized on Lake Victoria, Tanzania, two days after it overturned with the loss of at least 207 lives.
The engineer, named locally as Alphonce Charahani, reportedly survived in an air pocket inside the MV Nyerere ferry, which capsized near Ukara island on its way from Bugorora on Thursday.
He is said to be in a serious condition. It is thought the ship tipped when passengers moved over to one side.
Divers resumed the search for survivors on Saturday after hearing knocking noises.
The engineer had locked himself in a small room inside the ship, and the divers pulled him out of the vessel. Bodies are still being taken out of the water, and reports on state broadcaster TBC cited the transport minister saying the death toll had risen to 207. On Friday, Tanzania's President John Magufuli said he had ordered the arrest of all those who managed the ferry, and declared four days of national mourning. Mr Magufuli reportedly said in a televised speech that "negligence has cost us so many lives", and said it seemed "clear that the ferry was overloaded".
"The arrests have already begun," he said. But the main opposition party, Chadema, criticised the government's response.
"We have often raised concerns about the poor condition of this ferry, but the government turned a deaf ear," the party's deputy secretary general John Mnyika told AFP. "We have repeatedly denounced this negligence."
Local media say the ferry's official capacity was 100 people, but officials say the vessel was carrying more than twice that number when it capsized.
It operates on a busy route, crossing eight times a day between the islands of Ukara and Ukwerewe, which are close to Tanzania's second-largest city of Mwanza.
The ferry was said to have been particularly busy because it was market day in Bugorora, on Ukerewe island. The vessel was also carrying cargo, including bags of cement and maize, when it capsized around 50 metres from the shore.
It is thought that many of the passengers would not have been able to swim.
An official investigation will take place once rescue efforts to find survivors have ended. Tanzania has seen a number of nautical disasters, with overcrowding often playing a role.
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Shipwreck
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2008 Illinois earthquake
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The 2008 Illinois earthquake was one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in the Midwest state of Illinois. This moderate strike-slip shock measured 5.2 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (very strong). It occurred at 04:36:59 local time on April 18 near West Salem and Mount Carmel, Illinois, within the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone. Earthquakes in this part of the country are often felt at great distances. Situated in a stable continental region of the Midwestern United States, the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone (WVSZ) is an area of dispersed seismic activity that encompasses the border areas of Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. This broad, multistate zone of intraplate seismicity lay just to the north of the New Madrid Seismic Zone and comprises both strike-slip and dip-slip earthquake mechanisms across numerous named faults, grabens, and anticlines. [3]
Rapid development and expansion of services from the United States Geological Survey was taking place in the 2000s in terms of earthquake monitoring and information dissemination services. A number of products from it and its subdivisions that relay information to the public over the Internet were displayed during the event. An automated system from the National Earthquake Information Center, for example, sent an initial notification containing magnitude, depth, and location within two and a half minutes of the mainshock. [4]
The shock was felt as far west as Omaha, Nebraska, as far south as Atlanta, Georgia,[5] as far east as Kitchener, Ontario,[6] and West Virginia,[7] and as far north as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The earthquake was felt so far away, compared to earthquakes in other regions, because the old, rigid bedrock beneath much of the Midwest allows the seismic waves to propagate further. [7]
Close to the epicenter in Mount Carmel, Illinois, a woman was briefly unable to exit her home due to a collapsed porch, and a two-story apartment building was evacuated because of loose and falling bricks. The Edwards County sheriff's department took reports of minor damage in West Salem, Illinois. [8] Just across the Wabash River in Indiana, Unit 4 at the Gibson Generating Station automatically shut down due to its vibration sensors,[9] and in Princeton, a woman was cut when a crystal figurine was knocked from a shelf in her home. [10] A man had an eye injury at an unknown location, but medical attention was not sought. [11]
In Louisville, Kentucky, some bricks broke off from an older building near downtown. [8] Slightly further away in St. Louis, Missouri, a portion of the South Kingshighway Boulevard viaduct were closed because of loose pieces of concrete, but whether this was debris-related is unknown, and traffic resumed half an hour later. [12] Several chimneys also collapsed in south St. Louis, the St. Francis de Sales Oratory reported damage to its steeple, and the Basilica of St. Louis King of France reported small fragments from the mosaic ceiling. About 35,000 people in St. Louis County were without power because the Labadie Power Station went offline due to excessive vibrations. Power was restored by midmorning. Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky state highway crews investigated if any roads or bridges were damaged in the area. Cracks were reported on U.S. Route 51 near Cairo at the state's southern tip. [13] No roads were reported to be damaged in Kentucky, but inspections were being conducted in the Louisville, Paducah, and Henderson districts, according to the Kentucky Department of Transportation. [14]
More than 250 aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 0.7 to 4.6 were documented in the month following the mainshock, including the largest, which occurred later in the morning. The other stand-out shocks in the sequence were the M4 event on April 21, an M4.2 event on April 25, and a M3.4 shock on June 5 CDT. [15]
Many precautionary measures were taken, including several evacuations. All Vincennes University dormitories were evacuated as a precaution, but no damage was discovered and students were allowed to return after about 45 minutes. A coal mine in Gibson County, Indiana, was also evacuated, but miners returned to work shortly afterwards. [16] The Gibson County, Indiana, 9-1-1 system was briefly knocked offline due to a flood of calls, but after about 15 minutes, service was restored. [16]
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Earthquakes
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The longest celebrity relationships (to restore your faith in love ❤️)
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Even though celebrities are known for their quick relationship turnover, Hollywood's not all divorce and doom. Yes, over the years some of our favourite A-list couples have split and left us questioning whether love is real. No matter whether you were Team Jen or Team Ange, the whole world was shocked by the Brangelina divorce in 2016, and even more so the next year, when seemingly loved-up couple Anna Faris and Chris Pratt broke up. Oh yeah, and then there was Josh Duhamel and Fergie, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott, Adele and Simon Konecki... But we're not here to dwell on the negatives. For every sad celeb break-up, there's another inspiring, successful love story (or thereabouts, anyway). Take everyone's favourite actor and nicest guy ever, Tom Hanks – did you know he's been married to his wife Rita Wilson since 1988? That's longer than J-Biebs has even been on the planet. Or that supremely talented actress and Oscar nominee Amy Adams has been with her husband since before she found fame? Ditto for Meryl Streep, who back in 1978, married a sculptor instead of another famous actor. Unheard of! Emily Blunt and John Krasinki also deserve a shout-out, as the loved-up couple celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary this summer. Plus, have you heard some of the things RuPaul has said about his beau? It'll melt even the coldest of hearts. Also, who could forget GLAMOUR cover star Chrissy Teigen and musician John Legend? Any love story that can spark a song as beautiful as All Of Me must surely prove that unconditional love is not dead. Seriously, if they ever break up (touch wood), we'll need at least a day off work to mourn. So, forget the dismal divorces and bad break-ups, and let these long-term, committed and blissfully happy celebrity partnerships restore your faith in love. These are the famous couples that have found their soulmates, giving us relationship goals for the last decade (or more!). Together: 25 years Yes, RuPaul Charles is the man behind the hugely-loved RuPaul’s Drag Race, but he's just as successful in his personal life. In fact, he's been in a relationship with Australian rancher Georges LeBar for over 25 years. "I met Georges right on the dance floor at the Limelight disco at 6th Avenue and 21st Street on his birthday in 1994," RuPaul said in a 2019 interview. "We’ve had our ups and downs and everything in between, and there isn’t a person on this planet I like being around more than him." They're also very honest about being in an open relationship. "I love him too much to try to put shackles on him," RuPaul told Vogue with tears in his eyes. "Love is free. It’s not that sort of romantic surface thing we all bought into. He is my most favourite person that I’ve met." Besides, he added: "Gore Vidal said you should never pass up an opportunity to have sex or be on television." Together: 12 years Emily Blunt and John Krasinki celebrated their 10 year wedding anniversary in July 2020 and have two children together, Violet and Hazel. Krasinski met Blunt through a mutual friend in 2008 while he was having dinner with actor Justin Theroux. Together: approx. 25 years Rande Gerber, a nightlife industry entrepreneur, met supermodel Cindy Crawford while she was still married to Richard Gere. When she and Gere separated in 1995, Crawford started dating Gerber. They married on May 29th 1998 and have two children together, Kaia Jordan Gerber and Presley Walker Gerber. Together: 9 years Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes met on the set of the 2012 film The Place Beyond the Pines in which they both starred. Since then, they've been very private about their relationship, but we do know they have two daughter together. In fact, The Place Beyond the Pines was the only red carpet appearance they've ever made together. Perhaps that's the secret to their successful relationship? Together: 11 yearsIf this pair ever split we'd probably have to take the day off work to stare into a wall. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are proper relationship goals: supportive (did you see that gorgeous tribute he made to her for helping him deal with his anxiety? Sob. ), funny and fabulous. The happy pair met in 2010, began dating in 2011, married in 2012, and now have three daughters together. Together: 23 yearsWorld domination was on the cards when David Beckham and Victoria "Posh Spice" Adams started dating in 1997 (they married in 1999). Years in the spotlight haven’t come between Britain’s unofficial royal couple, who now have four children together. Together: 13 yearsIs there a relationship in all of celebdom greater than GLAMOUR cover star Chrissy Teigen and John Legend's? We think not. Not only has this relationship inspired one of the most charming love songs of recent times (John Legend's 'All of Me'), but it fills us with joy every day thanks to Chrissy's wit and very funny posts on Twitter and Instagram. They've been together since they met on the set of his 2007 music video for 'Stereo', got married in 2013, and welcomed their daughter Luna in 2016 and son Miles in 2018. Chrissy has also spoken openly about their fertility struggles, and conceiving her children through IVF – so they're funny, lovely and inspiring too. Together: 35 yearsWill Smith met Jada Pinkett in 1994 when she auditioned to be his onscreen girlfriend in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She didn’t get the part but she did capture Will’s heart. They began dating a year later and have been married for 23 years. Together: 37 yearsMichelle Pfeiffer met TV producer David E. Kelley on a blind date and they married 10 months later in November 1993. The rest, as they say, is history. Together: 35 yearsTom Hanks once told Oprah Winfrey: "I'm a lucky man. Rita could have done better, but, you know, every now and again, you win the lottery." The pair first met in 1981, were reunited in 1985 and have been married since 1988. Recently, they even battled Coronavirus together. Together: 18 yearsMusic’s royal couple, Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z, began dating back in 2002 after collaborating on a number of songs. Fast forward 18 years and they are still owning the music industry, have built a joint empire of over one billion dollars and have three children together. Talk about goals. Together: 20 yearsSerial dater Julia Roberts surprised everyone when she married cameraman Daniel Moder in 2002. The pair met on the set of The Mexican in 2000, while she was dating Benjamin Bratt and he was married. Together: 28 yearsSarah Jessica Parker played serial dater Carrie Bradshaw in Sex And The City but, in real life, she’s more of a monogamist. After splitting from Robert Downey Jr, her boyfriend of seven years, SJP married Matthew Broderick in 1997, five years after their first date. So what’s the secret to the couple’s staying power? Sarah Jessica can’t tell us, unfortunately: “I'm certainly no expert in relationships, God knows, but you need to be with someone who believes in you 100 per cent. If you don't have that, there's no point." Together: 42 yearsMeryl Streep bucked the Hollywood trend and married a sculptor instead of an actor in 1978. She and Don Gummer, who prefers to stay out of the spotlight, have four children together. Together: 19 yearsAmy Adams met Darren Le Gallo, before she found fame, in 2001 at an acting class. Darren, who is also an artist and rally car driver, has appeared in Six Feet Under and Date Night. The couple have a nine-year-old daughter Aviana Olea, and were married in 2015. Together: 16 yearsNeil Patrick Harris and David Burtka truly found their soulmates. Did you know that they have the same shoe size, height, and are both Gemini? But we're not talking about that. We're talking about their amazing relationship that blossomed in 2004 and has gone from strength to strength since then. Neil and David got married in 2014 and have nine-year-old twins, Harper Grace and Gideon Scott. Together: 27 yearsElton John met filmmaker David Furnish in 1993 and the pair were among the first couples to form a civil partnership when it became legal in 2005. The duo now has two sons, Zachary and Elijah, and show no signs of being anything other than completely dedicated to each other and their family. Together: 24 yearsWhen Catherine Zeta-Jones met Michael Douglas (25 years her senior) in 1996, he wooed her saying: “I'd like to father your children.” Despite his cheesy chat-up line, the couple married in 2000. They have been through some difficult times, which have included Michael's throat cancer and a brief separation in 2013, but have managed to stay together. Zeta-Jones and Douglas have two children, son Dylan and daughter Carys. Together: 18 yearsWhen he’s not being Borat, Ali G, Bruno or any of his other alter-egos, Sacha Baron Cohen is married to Isla Fisher. The pair met at a Sydney party in 2002 and Isla spent three years studying so she could convert to Judaism and marry him. "I will definitely have a Jewish wedding just to be with Sacha. I would do anything – move into any religion – to be united in marriage with him. We have a future together, and religion comes second to love as far as we are concerned," she said before their 2010 nuptials. Fast-forward a decade and they have three children together – Olive, 12, Elula, eight, and Montgomery, four. Together: 16 yearsEllen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi got together in 2004 but didn’t decide to tie the knot until 2008, when the Californian Supreme Court ruled in favour of same-sex weddings. We just love these two! Together: 37 yearsAfter two divorces, Goldie Hawn vowed she’d never marry again. She didn’t, but she’s now been with Kurt Russell for 37 years. Wow! Together: approx. 39 yearsFelicity Huffman and William H. Macy met in the early 1980s but took things slowly. Macy asked her to marry him several times over the years, but Huffman was reluctant. "I thought I'd disappear. Men's stock when they get married goes up. Women's stock goes down," she has said. Eventually though, she couldn't say no: "I was finally smart enough to go: 'I'm going to marry this guy or really lose him for good,'" she explained. They married in 1997 and achieved a rare thing in Hollywood: a stable home life. Together: 19 yearsAnna Kournikova might have retired from professional tennis, but her relationship with Enrique Iglesias is still going strong. The pair have been together since 2001 and were married around 2008, although they kept the details of their nuptials private. They have three children, twins, Nicholas and Lucy born in 2017, and a daughter Mary (or Masha in Russian) born 30 January 2020. Together: 34 yearsWe’re amazed that TV personality, media mogul and general philanthropist Oprah Winfrey has time for any romance in her life. But she’s been with author and businessman Stedman Graham since 1986. Together: 33 yearsKevin Bacon officially met Kyra Sedgwick on the TV set of Lemon Sky in 1987 (though Sedgwick had seen him perform in a play when she was just 12 years old) and were married a year later. "The time I was hitting what I considered to be bottom was also the time I met my wife, our kids were born, good things were happening. And I was able to keep supporting myself; that always gave me strength," Kevin said of the early years of his marriage. Together: 24 yearsHugh Jackman met Deborra-Lee Furness in 1996 on the set of Aussie TV series Correlli. They married soon afterwards and their wedding rings bear the inscription: "We dedicate our union to a greater source". Twenty-one years later and they’re still going strong! SEE MORE STORIES
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Famous Person - Marriage
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Lunar Eclipse 2021: THESE Indian cities will witness last Chandra Grahan of the year
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Last Lunar Eclipse of 2021: Stargazers are in for a treat! The last lunar eclipse of the year will take place on November 19 but it will be visible in the country for a short span from northeastern India. A lunar eclipse occurs on a full moon day when the Earth comes in between the Sun and the Moon and when all the three objects are aligned. A partial lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves between the Sun and the Full Moon, but they are not precisely aligned. Only part of the Moon's visible surface moves into the dark part of the Earth's shadow. The second and final lunar eclipse of the year is set to take place on the Full Moon day on November 19, 2021. It will be a partial lunar eclipse, which will be visible only in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in India for some time. In addition, this lunar eclipse can be seen in the US, Northern Europe, East Asia, Australia and the Pacific Ocean region. Lunar Eclipse in India: When, where, how to watch The lunar eclipse will begin at 11:34 am IST on Friday, October 19, 2021 and will end at 05:33 pm. The ending of the partial phase of which will be visible for a very short span of time just after moonrise from extreme north-eastern parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
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New wonders in nature
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1942 Luxembourgish general strike
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The Luxembourgish general strike of 1942 was a manifestation of passive resistance when Luxembourg was occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II. The strikes opposed a directive that conscripted young Luxembourgers into the Wehrmacht. A nationwide general strike, originating in Wiltz, paralysed the country and led to the occupying German authorities responding violently by sentencing 21 strikers to death. Following the German invasion of Luxembourg on May 10, 1940, Luxembourg was briefly placed under military occupation. On August 2, 1940, the military government was dissolved and replaced by a civilian government under the leadership of the German civilian administrator of the adjoining German district. [1] The Luxembourg population was declared to be German and was to use German as its only language; the German authorities, under the orders of the Gauleiter Gustav Simon, developed a robust policy of germanization. Furthermore, on August 30, 1942, Gustav Simon announced that all Luxembourger males born between 1920 and 1927 were to be conscripted into the Wehrmacht to fight against the Allies. [2]
Reaction to the policies was swift among the Luxembourg population, especially against the forced conscription policy. Within hours, a number of Luxembourgers discussed possibilities and decided to organize a general strike. Leaflets calling for the strike were printed, and distributed clandestinely throughout the country by resistants. [citation needed] On August 31, 1942, the strike officially began in the northern Ardennes town of Wiltz with a gathering of local Luxembourg town officials, led by local town officials Michel Worré and Nicolas Müller, refusing to go to work. These were gradually joined by other local workers, among them the employees of IDEAL Lederwerke Wiltz, a large industrial tannery belonging to the Adler & Oppenheimer group before "aryanisation". News on the strike spread rapidly. [citation needed]
Soon thereafter, workers from the southwestern industrial towns of Schifflange and Differdange were alerted, and also refused to go to work. In Schifflange, Hans Adam, a worker of German origins sounded the alarm across the valley to alert all workers. [citation needed]
In Differdange, news of the strike spread throughout the workforce by word of mouth, and increased in intensity on September 1. On September 2, 156 mill workers refused to take their shift, and many of those who were already working stopped. The German directors of the mill warned the millworkers that they could be killed for their actions. A few workers got back to work, but approximately 50 still refused, and declared they were on strike. At 10 a.m., German authorities reacted and designated who they held as responsible for the situation: Jean-Paul Schneider, Nicolas Betz,
Alphonse Weets, Robert Mischo, René Angelsberg, and Ernest Toussaint. [3] The six men were arrested, tried by a special tribunal, sentenced to death, and deported to the Hinzert concentration camp where they were shot. Their families were sent to prison and work camps in Germany. The strike spread also to Esch-sur-Alzette, the capital of the Luxembourg mining area, all aspects of the administration were paralysed, including administration, agriculture, industry and education structures. [4]
The central post office in Luxembourg received rumours of the strike in the morning, and received formal confirmation of the strike by early afternoon, which disrupted the distribution of mail that evening and the following day. [5]
Throughout the country, schoolchildren were kept away from school, teachers refused to teach, laborers refused to work, there was no or little production of steel, milk, and other products. [4]
Although the exact number of strikers is unknown, the movement did have a strong effect on the country and the occupying forces, and revitalized resistance movements. The strike was also widely publicized internationally by the allied press. [citation needed]
Fearing a further escalation of protests, German authorities decided to react in the harshest way to the strike. Within hours, the strike leaders were rounded up and interrogated by the Gestapo. They were formally arrested soon thereafter, on September 1, and interned in local prisons. Twenty strike leaders were summarily tried by a special tribunal (Standgericht) and sentenced to death and transferred to the Hinzert concentration camp where they were shot and buried in an unmarked grave. Hans Adam, who had rung the alarm in Schifflange and had German origins, was considered to be a traitor and was thus decapitated. Two thousand Luxembourgers were arrested, 83 were tried by the special tribunal and transferred to the Gestapo. 290 high school children, boys and girls, were arrested and sent to re-education camps in Germany, as were 40 ARBED trainees and 7 young postmen. [4]
The first two strikers to be shot, on September 2, 1942, at 6.30 p.m., were Michel Worré and Nicolas Müller, from Wiltz. Their last words, according to an SS who witnessed the execution, were "Vive Lëtzebuerg" (Long live Luxembourg!). [6]
A series of black on red posters were then posted throughout Luxembourg announcing the death of the strikers as a consequence of the strike, bearing the names, occupation, and residency of each victim. Their families, including their children, were subsequently transferred to work camps, many in Silesia, under very harsh conditions. [7][citation needed]
The Luxembourg spelling of the names is respected[8]
The 1942 Luxembourg general strike strongly marked Luxembourg's resistance to the German occupier, and represents one of the proudest moments of the history of the Grand-Duchy. Each year, the Strike is commemorated on August 31 by the head of state and government officials. [citation needed]
In 1965, a lighthouse-shaped "National Monument to the Strike" was opened in Wiltz. Luxembourg's most famous 20th-century sculptor Lucien Wercollier created the two reliefs on the lighthouse displayed there. Wercollier was himself imprisoned at the Hinzert concentration camp. [citation needed]
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Strike
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Derek Chauvin qualifies for a longer sentence in George Floyd’s murder, judge rules
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MINNEAPOLIS — Derek Chauvin abused his authority as a police officer when he pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck until he went limp and treated him with “particular cruelty,” qualifying him for a longer prison sentence, a judge said. In a ruling made public Wednesday, Hennepin County District Judge Peter A. Cahill found state prosecutors had proved beyond a reasonable doubt four of five aggravating factors in Floyd’s killing that they argued should result in a tougher prison sentence for the former Minneapolis police officer. Chauvin was convicted April 20 of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s May 25 killing. Floyd died when Chauvin placed his knees on Floyd’s neck and back for more than nine minutes while he was handcuffed, facedown, on a Minneapolis street. Chauvin, who is being held in solitary confinement at a Minnesota prison, is scheduled to be sentenced June 25. Although a jury found Chauvin guilty on all three charges he was facing, Minnesota law dictates he will face sentencing only on the most serious charge: second-degree murder. State sentencing guidelines on that charge recommend 11 to 12 years in prison for someone with no criminal history. Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd But prosecutors last fall and again last month asked Cahill for what is known as an “upward sentencing departure,” citing several factors they argued should open Chauvin up to a maximum of 40 years in prison. In his ruling, Cahill agreed with prosecutors that Chauvin had “abused a position of trust and authority” as a police officer and that Chauvin “knew from his training and experience” that his restraint was putting Floyd in “danger of positional asphyxia.” “The prolonged use of this technique was particularly egregious in that George Floyd made it clear he was unable to breathe and expressed his view that he was dying as a result of the officers’ restraint,” Cahill wrote, referring to Chauvin and the other two officers who restrained him. The judge pointed to Chauvin’s decision to stay on top of Floyd — even after another officer at the scene, Thomas K. Lane, asked whether they should roll Floyd onto his side and another, J. Alexander Kueng, told him he could no longer detect a pulse. “Not only was the danger of asphyxia theoretical, it was communicated to the defendant as actually occurring,” Cahill wrote. “But [Chauvin] continued his restraint.” Cahill also agreed with prosecutors that Chauvin had been “particularly cruel” to Floyd, ignoring his cries for breath during his lengthy restraint. “Mr. Floyd was begging for his life and obviously terrified by the knowledge he was likely to die,” Cahill wrote, adding that Chauvin “remained indifferent to Mr. Floyd’s pleas.” The judge also sided with prosecutors on two other aggravating factors — that Chauvin committed the crime with the “active participation” of the three officers at the scene and that Floyd was killed in front of children, including a 9-year-old girl. But Cahill disagreed with prosecutors who argued that Floyd was “particularly vulnerable” because he was handcuffed and held facedown on the street. Cahill said Floyd’s handcuffs did not create a “particular vulnerability,” writing that he had been able to resist arrest before being placed on the ground. “Restraining George Floyd in the prone position with the weight of three police officers on him for a prolonged period did not create a vulnerability that was exploited to cause death,” Cahill wrote. “It was the actual mechanism causing death.” Chauvin’s defense had argued the state had not proved any aggravating factors in Floyd’s killing. In a filing last month, defense attorney Eric Nelson repeated several arguments he had made at trial — including that Chauvin was authorized under the law to use reasonable force. Derek Chauvin’s attorney files motion for a new trial, alleging misconduct by judge, prosecution and jurors Nelson also argued there was “no evidence” that Chauvin had been particularly cruel to Floyd. He claimed the state had not proved there was “gratuitous infliction of pain and cruelty” that is usually associated with second-degree murder — an argument that Cahill ultimately rejected. Nelson declined to comment on Cahill’s ruling. Nelson last week filed a motion for a new trial, alleging misconduct by the judge, prosecutors and jurors. Cahill has not ruled on the request. Wednesday’s announcement came days after Chauvin and the other three officers at the scene — Kueng, Lane and Tou Thao — were indicted on federal charges alleging they violated Floyd’s civil rights. Chauvin was also indicted on a second federal charge alleging he violated the civil rights of a 14-year-old by hitting the boy with a flashlight and kneeling on him during a 2017 arrest. Chauvin has not entered a plea on the federal charges. If convicted, he would probably serve out the federal sentence at the same time as his state sentence. It is unclear how the federal charges will impact the state’s case against Kueng, Lane and Thao, who are charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter and are scheduled to stand trial in August. Attorneys for the officers are scheduled to be in court Thursday for a motion hearing. Prosecutors have also sought to add a third-degree-murder charge against the former officers, in a case scheduled to be heard by the Minnesota Court of Appeals later this month. The latest: First Chauvin juror to speak publicly recounts stress of coming to court to ‘watch a Black man die’ Photos: Scenes from across the U.S. as verdict was announced Reaction: The private grief of George Floyd’s girlfriend | With a verdict, troubled reflections | Floyd’s family members celebrate verdict, vow to fight on for racial justice The jurors: The people who decided Derek Chauvin’s fate Video timeline: How George Floyd’s death unfolded in Minneapolis George Floyd’s America: Examining systemic racism through the lens of his life Full coverage: Race & Reckoning
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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Woman held for poisoning in-laws; four hospitalised, 18-month-old child dead
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A newlywed woman in Bahraich allegedly poisoned five members of her in-law’s family as she did not want to live with her husband and wanted to get rid of the entire family, said police.
While the 18-month-old child of the woman’s sister-in-law died of poisoning, four others, including a three-year-old girl, have been admitted to a hospital, said police.
Police have registered a murder FIR against the woman, identified as Ankita Jaiswal, who has been arrested.
“Ankita Jaiswal did not want to live with her husband or at her in-laws. That is why in order to get rid of them she poisoned the tea on Monday morning. While the husband left without drinking the tea, her brother-in-law Jitendra, father-in-law Pancham, her husband’s cousin sister Shivani and Jitendra’s daughter Srishti fell ill after consuming tea. Her sister-in law’s 18-month-old son died,” SP (Bahraich City) K Gyananjay Singh said.
“An FIR has been registered on the complaint of Jitendra and the woman has been arrested. The sample of the served tea has been sent for forensic analysis. The reason behind the entire episode is a matter of investigation,” he added.
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Mass Poisoning
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Ripping up the Northern Ireland protocol is diplomacy in action
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Lord Frost’s Lisbon speech represents the most cogent argument yet for replacing the Northern Ireland protocol. So naturally it has been buried under a slurry of snark, solemn head-shaking and breathless indignation. It is worth stepping back from the noise. Switch off the shouty man on LBC, mute the ‘this is not normal’ people on Twitter, and avoid at all costs the catastrophist-analysis of the academic-activists. You will miss nothing.
In fact, read Frost's speech for yourself. It was meant to send a message about the protocol and it does so directly. The Irish are our neighbours. It is in both our countries’ interests that we maintain and enhance the ties between us..
Lord Frost’s remarks are more thoughtful than the faux-controversies chugged out daily by the machineries of outrage in London and Dublin. They acknowledge ‘the very serious problem we have in the Northern Ireland protocol’ and the impact it is having on people’s lives in Northern Ireland. He pushes back against the idea that the current difficulties are Britain’s doing, and that Brussels is a blameless bystander.
‘We look at the EU and see an organisation that doesn’t seem to want to get back to constructive working together,’ he says. He says that Brussels cornered Whitehall into accepting as ‘a moment of EU overreach when the UK’s negotiating hand was tied’. You need not be a true-believing Brexiteer to recognise some truth in this rendering of recent history.
What marks this speech out is a newfound confidence in the British position on the protocol. In setting out what he considers the iniquities of the current arrangements, and proposing a looser set-up, Lord Frost states something which has become lost of late:
Some will hear menace in those sentences. When other countries assert their rights, it’s called self-determination. When Britain asserts its rights, it’s called belligerence. Lord Frost’s comments are simply a statement of fact. So much criticism of Brexit begins from the premise that EU membership was (and remains) the natural order of things, and that the onus is on Britain to justify its curious preference for sovereign self-government. It’s a small thing, but an important one, when Lord Frost says that Brexit is happening ‘because it suits us’. It is an explanation that would be wholly uncontroversial in any other country. The speech draws on Burke’s contention in Observations on the Present State of the Nation that ‘politics ought to be adjusted, not to human reasonings, but to human nature; of which the reason is but a part, and by no means the greatest part’. Quoting Burke as Frost does means he can allude to characterisations of the EU project that would be incendiary if stated directly.
Critics say that, in declaring the failure of the protocol he helped draw up, Lord Frost is tacitly admitting he is a failure. I don’t think this is right. The protocol was an expediency entered into with domestic political considerations in mind. It was neither loved nor loveable; it was driftwood with a sliver of a sail. The present times now require a new expediency, one which still isn’t all that loveable but can be tolerated.
Much analysis of the speech, as of Brexit, assumes that Britain is a recalcitrant child and Brussels an admirably patient grown-up. This is a bizarre and babyish way to think about international relations, as though it’s a Disney movie with a goodie and a baddie. Relationships between states and supranational bodies are not about virtue, but about competing and common interests and how to balance the two. Renegotiating the terms of a protocol or other agreement because it is unsatisfactory isn’t a failure of international relations: it is international relations. There is a yearning for Britain to be taught a lesson. Most Remain voters (of which I was one) would tell you these pathologies are unhealthy. Many people want to see a punishment, one that could have been avoided if we had simply voted to Remain. To think like this is to hold Britain in low esteem but the EU far, far lower.
Stephen Daisley is a Spectator regular and a columnist for the Scottish Daily Mail
Almost no MP has emerged with dignity from the sleaze debacle of the past three weeks. Boris Johnson’s botched attempt to spare Owen Paterson a 30-day suspension has badly damaged his credibility with his own party. The 2019 intake of ‘red wall’ MPs have turned on the old guard, accusing their colleagues of damaging the party’s reputation through outside interests. Opposition leaders have struggled to capitalise on Tory disarray.
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Tear Up Agreement
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Australia's nuclear submarine deal fundamentally changes our relationship with the world
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Emmanuel Macron should perhaps have been on his guard when he greeted Scott Morrison in the courtyard of the Elysee Palace in June this year, complete with ceremonial pomp. Our Prime Minister seems to have a bit of form in courtyards.
Just over three years ago, on August 22, 2018, at a press conference in the prime minister's courtyard at Parliament House, the then treasurer was asked whether he had ambitions for Malcolm Turnbull's job.
He responded by throwing a reassuring arm around his prime minister's shoulder and declaring: "This is my leader and I'm ambitious for him!"
"Thanks ScoMo," Turnbull responded, perhaps just a little uncertainly. Two days later, Morrison had replaced him as PM.
Throw forward to June 15 this year, and Macron was welcoming Morrison to the presidential palace in Paris after the G7's meeting in Cornwall.
Excruciating COVID elbow bumps protocol almost prevailed, except Macron warmly threw his arms around Morrison.
With Australia under pressure from China, the French President declared: "You are at the forefront of the tensions that exist in the region, of the threats, and sometimes of the intimidation. I want to reiterate here how much we stand by your side."
"We are good friends, we are good partners", Morrison told Macron later in remarks over an official dinner. "We share common goals and we share common values and that's why our partnership with liberty and affinity I think is one that we'll be able to progress further this evening."
What the PM didn't mention was that he had just held talks in Cornwall with US President Joe Biden and UK PM Boris Johnson about a proposal for a tripartite alliance, the most spectacular immediate element of which would be dumping the $90 billion plan underway to build French submarines in Australia in favour of some (yet to be worked out) plan to build American (or British) ones (for some unspecified amount of money).
In fact, nobody bothered mentioning this rather significant change of heart to the French until hours before the announcement was made jointly, with much pomp early on Thursday morning Australian time, with Morrison in Canberra, Johnson in London and Biden in Washington.
In a bid to counter China's growing regional influence, Australia joins a historic partnership with the US and UK to acquire nuclear submarines.
Having dumped one good friend, the PM had thrown his lot in with another, who appeared for all the world like he couldn't remember the name of "that fella down under".
The French were very underwhelmed, with Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian saying: "It's a stab in the back."
"We had established a trusting relationship with Australia, and this trust was betrayed."
The website Politico.eu reported he had added he was "angry and very bitter about this break up", and that he had spoken to his Australian counterpart days ago and received no serious indication of the move.
On Saturday morning, the French government recalled its ambassadors to Australia and the US, saying the new deal was "unacceptable behaviour between allies and partners".
Should we really worry about offending the French? One unkind cynic snorted on Friday, "It's not like we've nuked the Pacific or anything".
And yes, the French contract had rapidly blown out from $50 billion to $90 billion and seemed plagued by all sorts of problems. This was partly because we were, somewhat ironically, asking the French to redesign their perfectly functional nuclear submarines for conventional power.
But offending "good friends, good partners" has its limits in this ever-changing world.
Consider this. We are now told that this cunning plan has been in the works for 18 months. So, let's rewind to the state of the world 18 months ago.
In the first quarter of 2020, Donald Trump was president of the United States. He was facing impeachment, had ordered an airstrike that killed Iran's security and intelligence commander, was ringing his "very good friend" Kim Jong Un to wish him happy birthday, giving Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom and declaring his hope that the US economy would be back on its feet in the midst of COVID-19 by Easter.
You have to wonder how this week's announcement might have gone down with Trump in the White House — whether it would have been greeted quite as pragmatically in Australia as it seems to be.
Maybe it is the case that the defence and strategic establishments in both countries see beyond the chaos of any particular political meretricious players, and have faith that, whatever the politicians might get up to, the underlying strategic good sense of whatever is under consideration will prevail.
But the reminder of Trump is an important one to illustrate why most sensible countries want to maintain some sort of sovereignty over their own defences. Which we have just abandoned.
There may have been in recent times a fundamental, clear-eyed reassessment by the government and the national strategic establishment of the threat China presents to us.
But this week's moves — which do not just include the announcement that we may build some submarines with American and British technology but, on Friday, news of more US troops rotated here, along with US missiles, US airforce planes and visits by US nuclear submarines — fundamentally change our relationship with the world in several different ways.
Obviously the first is to align us firmly with the US and make us unambiguously its forward base in the region.
Some see this as a welcome and clear-cut sign of commitment by the US to the Indo-Pacific after years of dithering. Others argue that it is a commitment made without the US actually having to do all that much other than share technology with an always faithful ally.
For it also involves Australia consciously taking on a more assertive military stance of our own in the region, but using imported technology. Over which we have virtually no control. Based on the current stated policy, we will be utterly reliant on the Americans and British to keep our boats afloat.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the "unshakeable alliance" between the United States and Australia will stand up to pressure from China.
That is, if the Prime Minister is actually serious about limiting the nuclear aspect of the whole deal to the power system of the submarines.
So many long-standing shibboleths have been demolished in the past few days: starting with the arguments we have heard for years about why we "couldn't" have nuclear submarines. This was based on the "given" that it would require onshore nuclear expertise and nuclear power — and that we didn't want to ever go as far as having US missiles based in Australia.
And we have obviously moved a long way from John Howard's declaration that we did not have to choose between our history and our geography.
Once ideas which are so entrenched we almost forget about them start to be torn down, it is not that big a leap into a debate about nuclear power for other purposes. Which of course might appeal to some as an answer to future energy questions.
In the meantime, we remain no closer — and in fact further away — from having any submarine capacity of our own. But we have opened the way, effectively, for US submarines to be based here to help fill the gap for the next 20 years.
Laura Tingle is 7.30's chief political correspondent.
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)
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Tear Up Agreement
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2012–13 NHL lockout
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The 2012–13 NHL lockout was a labor dispute between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) that began at 11:59 pm EDT on September 15, 2012. A tentative deal on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was reached on January 6, 2013, with its ratification and signing of a memorandum of understanding on the agreement completed by January 12, 2013, 119 days after the expiry of the previous CBA. [1][2]
The owners of the league's franchises, led by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, declared a lockout of the members of the NHLPA after a new agreement could not be reached before the expiry of the NHL collective bargaining agreement on September 16, 2012. The lockout shortened the 2012–13 NHL season, originally scheduled to begin on October 11, 2012, from 82 to 48 games, a reduction of 41.5 percent. The revised season started on January 19, 2013 and ended on April 28, 2013. [3]
At issue for the owners were desires to reduce the players guaranteed 57% share of hockey-related revenues, introduce term limits on contracts, eliminate salary arbitration, and change free agency rules. The union's initial offers focused on increased revenue sharing between owners and a fixed salary cap that is not linked to league revenues. As the deadline for a work stoppage approached, the union unsuccessfully challenged the league's ability to lock out players of three Canadian teams – the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames (in the jurisdiction of Alberta), and the Montreal Canadiens (in the jurisdiction of Quebec). The dispute was the third lockout in the 19 years since Bettman became Commissioner in 1993, following player lockouts in 1994–95 and 2004–05, with the latter case leading to the cancellation of the entire season. This was also the third labor dispute for NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr who, as head of the Major League Baseball Players' Association, led his union through a lockout in 1990 and a strike in 1994–95. During the lockout, many NHL players went to other leagues in North America and Europe. Many businesses in the United States and Canada located near NHL arenas lost money as a result of the games not played. All games on the original 2012–13 NHL calendar up to January 14, 2013 were cancelled,[4] including the 2013 NHL Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was rescheduled for 2014. [5] In addition, the 2013 All-Star Game, scheduled for January 27, was also cancelled. [6] The revised 48-game schedule resulted in the cancellation of 510 regular season games, comprising 41.5 percent of the season. The owners identified their key issues in their first offer, presented on July 13, 2012. Their offer retained the framework established following the 2004–05 NHL lockout but made numerous changes to player salary and movement rights:[7]
The players' union waited a month to offer a counter-proposal as it requested additional financial data from the league. When the union proposed it on August 14, it retained a salary cap, but de-linked it from revenue. It proposed a fixed cap for three years, followed by a players' option to return to the terms of the expired CBA in the fourth year. Fehr suggested their proposal could save the league as much as $465 million and would feature an enhanced revenue sharing system that would help lower-revenue teams. [8]
The two parties exchanged a pair of offers as the deadline for a lockout approached. The union's last offer before the expiry of the collective bargaining agreement continued to call for an unlinked salary cap that would steadily increase over a five-year term. Donald Fehr argued that if the league continued to see revenue increase at the seven percent average of the 2005–2012 CBA, the players' share of revenues would drop from the 57 percent they received in 2011–12 to a low of 52 percent in 2015–16, but increase in the final two years of the deal back to 54 percent. The NHL countered with a time-limited offer where it would continue with the existing definition of hockey-related revenue and a linked salary cap that would pay the players 49 percent of revenues in 2012–13 and fall to 47 percent by the sixth year of the deal. [9] Each side rejected the others' offer, and some veteran players expressed willingness to sit out an entire season if necessary. [10] The National Hockey League officially locked its players out when the CBA expired,[11]
and on September 19, cancelled all preseason games for the month of September. [12]
Several players then signed contracts to play in European leagues for the duration of the dispute. [13]
The NHLPA challenged the NHL's right to lock out the players in two Canadian jurisdictions. Sixteen members of the Montreal Canadiens unsuccessfully sought a temporary injunction from the Quebec labor Relations Board that would prevent the team from locking its players out of practice facilities and would have required the Canadiens to pay its players regardless. [14] Twenty-one members of the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers sought similar relief from the Alberta labor Relations Board, but the board ruled in favour of the NHL. [15]
Having cancelled the remainder of the preseason, and regular season games up to November 1,[16][17] on October 16, Bettman offered a 50–50 revenue split in the owners' latest CBA proposal. Two days later, the Players' Association presented three counterproposals. Both sides were still far apart when negotiations ended. [18] The league, which refused to negotiate with the NHLPA unless they used the league proposal as the starting point, withdrew its offer after negotiations failed. [19][20]
Subsequently, on October 26, the NHL cancelled all games scheduled for November,[21] including the annual Hall of Fame game, scheduled for November 9 at the Air Canada Centre, and the Black Friday Thanksgiving Showdown scheduled to air on NBC. [22] In addition, the 2013 NHL Winter Classic was cancelled on November 2. [23]
The league and players' association resumed negotiations on November 6, meeting over six consecutive days in a neutral, undisclosed location. [24] The NHL offered to pay a $211 million "make whole provision" over the first two years of the deal to honour existing player contracts; the NHLPA sought $590 million. [25] On November 21, the NHLPA made a new proposal that left the sides $182 million apart, which Bettman immediately rejected. [26] Two days later, all games up to December 14 were cancelled, as well as the All-Star Game. [6]
The NHL and NHLPA agreed to mediation under the auspices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service on November 26. [27] The sides met with mediators on November 28 and 29, but the mediators quit after that point, determining they could not make any progress reconciling the two parties' demands. [28]
Following mediation, Bettman proposed a meeting between players and team owners to Donald Fehr, and Jamal Mayers tweeted that the NHLPA had made a similar offer to meet directly with owners. [29] From December 4 to 6, six team owners, 17–19 players, and staff from both sides met to negotiate and exchange proposals. The league offered to raise the "Make Whole" provision to $300 million and to give ground on player contracting and pension issues, but identified three components of the CBA they considered important: a five-year limit on player contracts, a ten-year length of the new CBA, and compliance issues. The players offered an eight-year limit on contracts and an eight-year CBA with an opt-out clause after six years. The NHL rejected the offer, and talks broke down again. After negotiations failed, Bettman delivered a press conference saying the "Make Whole" provision would be pulled off the table. He also stated that the league would deny the union's request to bring mediators back into the negotiations. [30][31] Four days later, the NHL cancelled all games up to December 30.
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Strike
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Five million Yemenis ‘one step away from famine’– UN relief coordinator tells Security Council
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Malnutrition rates in Yemen are at “record highs” as the country is “speeding towards the worst famine the world has seen in decades”, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council on Thursday, citing newly released data. “We are running out of time”, said Mark Lowcock, who also heads UN humanitarian affairs, noting that across Yemen, more than 16 million people are going hungry, five million of whom are “just one step away from famine”. He painted a picture of children starving to death – with distended bellies, emaciated limbs and blank stares, pointing to some 400,000 under-age-five girls and boys who are so severely malnourished that they are in “their last weeks and months”. Over fears of the devastating impact it could have on Yemen’s food supply, last week the United States reversed its designation of Ansar Allah as a foreign terrorist organization. “US officials have made clear, and we agree, that the concerns around this issue are strictly humanitarian”, said Mr. Lowcock, adding that the US also reaffirmed its intention to prioritize diplomacy in ending the war and dealing with the humanitarian crisis. He warned that if Yemen “tips into a massive famine”, an opportunity towards lasting peace would be lost. To prevent a further catastrophe, the Humanitarian Coordinator called for urgent action on five points, beginning with the protection of civilians. As front lines reportedly move closer to civilian areas – with attacks sparking a dangerous escalation – Mr. Lowcock worried that “hundreds of thousands of people” may again be sent “running for their lives at a time when everyone should be doing everything possible to stop famine”. On his second point, humanitarian access, he reminded that international humanitarian law required “rapid, unimpeded humanitarian access” and emphasized that despite many challenges, aid operations are still delivering. Turning to funding, his third point, the Humanitarian chief said that in 2020, aid operation received half of what it had the previous year, which resulted in millions of people in need. “On 1 March, the Secretary-General will convene a virtual high-level pledging event for the Yemen crisis”, he said, calling for everyone to “show they are serious about seizing the opportunity for peace”. On the fourth issue, supporting the economy, he advised, among other things, to bring the exchange rate down “to more sustainable levels”. And on his final point, making progress towards peace, Mr. Lowcock stressed that “first, the violence must stop” and called for a mediated nationwide ceasefire and the resumption of the political process. “The only way to end the crisis in Yemen is to end the war”, concluded the UN Humanitarian Coordinator. While fresh violence and a worsening humanitarian situation continues to unfold, Special Envoy Martin Griffiths said the situation had taken “a sharp escalatory turn” with Ansar Allah’s most recent offensive on Marib Governorate. Reiterating calls that the attack on Marib must stop, because “it puts millions of civilians at risk…especially with the fighting reaching camps for internally displaced persons”, he upheld that forceful quests for territorial gain threaten peace prospects as looming famine, fuel shortages and other grave challenges prevail. Although the situation on the ground is deteriorating, Mr. Griffiths welcomed the US’ renewed focus on the conflict, saying the move offers a new opportunity to “reopen space for a negotiated solution” and that revived international momentum is “indispensable” to finding a peaceful resolution. He highlighted elements for a mutually acceptable end to the war and a path towards peace that included political participation, accountable governance, equal citizenship and economic justice. “The only way to realize these aspirations…is through a genuinely inclusive, Yemeni-led political process under United Nations auspices and supported by the international community”, the UN envoy spelled out. Emphasizing what is at stake, Mr. Griffiths said that the military situation is “extremely tense” and underscored that civilians are bearing the brunt of “shocking violations of international humanitarian law”, worrying spikes of violence and continuing hostilities in Hudaydah and Taïz Governorates, as well as cross-border attacks. However, recalling that the parties had successfully negotiated a large-scale release of prisoners and detainees in 2020, he maintained that “the negotiating table can produce win-win results”. The UN official informed the Council that negotiations for more releases were underway. He also called for the “immediate and unconditional release of all sick, wounded, elderly and children detainees, as well as all arbitrarily detained civilians, including women and journalists”. “As a mediator, I seek common grounds for agreements”, he said. “But there is nothing anybody can do to force the warring parties into peace unless they choose to put down the guns and talk to each other. The responsibility to end the war, first and foremost, lies with the parties to the conflict. I hope they will not miss this chance.” Since the escalation of conflict in 2015, severe acute malnutrition is among its highest levels in Yemen, threating the lives of half of the country’s children under the age of five, four UN agencies warned on Friday. The US announcement revoking the previous administration's terrorist designation of Yemen’s Houthi movement, formally known as Ansar Allah, will provide “profound relief” to millions in the country, who depend on international assistance and imports for their survival, the UN Spokesperson said on Saturday.
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Famine
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Stony Brook University to Distribute $26.9M in Emergency Pandemic Aid to Students
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Thousands of Stony Brook University students will see additional financial aid this year to continue to support them through the ongoing pandemic. In one week in September, more than 11,150 students who demonstrated high levels of need received $12.1 million. The funds are part of $26.9 million in federal emergency aid that will be distributed to Stony Brook students this year as part of a larger higher education emergency relief effort. “The Stony Brook community is tremendously grateful for this support,” said Paul M. Goldbart, Stony Brook provost and executive vice president. “It will help our students and also the University cope with the prolonged and pronounced financial implications of the pandemic.” Through the federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, part of the larger American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Stony Brook University will receive a total of $53.8 million this fall. This marks the third time the Act has distributed relief funds to U.S. public and private higher education institutions to help offset the costs of the pandemic. “Many Stony Brook students are first-generation college students and others work, like many of their peers around the country, to help pay for their education and to support their families,” said Dawn S. Medley, Stony Brook vice provost of enrollment management and retention. “We are proud that Stony Brook has been able to help them continue to progress toward graduation, helping them borrow laptops from the University, expanding student support services, and ensuring the students with the greatest need receive additional federal aid.” Stony Brook distributes the money to students through emergency grants that students can use to pay off debt or to cover costs including tuition, food, housing, healthcare and child care. “I am truly grateful for receiving this grant because, like other students and families who were affected by COVID financially, this grant will help cover expenses like cost of attendance,” said Nabila Abdulkarim, a senior psychology major. “My mom is out of work because she had surgery a few months ago, which meant I had to go to a family friend to get a loan. Thankfully with this grant, I will be able to pay off the rest of the loan.” All undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of degree program, citizenship or residency status, are eligible to receive financial aid through the program. Students do not need to apply for the funds, or take any action to receive them. Instead, decisions are made based on each student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). “Learning that I received this additional aid granted me a lucky break from the financial stress that had me in a chokehold,” said Stony Brook sophomore Temedaya Taiwo of Brooklyn. “One of the two principal things college students stress about is money; the other is classes. The beginning of the semester, for me and many others, is about trying to find money for books, tuition, housing and other personal necessities. This grant has provided me with some respite from financial anxiety and will allow me to focus more on my studies with a clear mind.” Grants varied from several hundred dollars to more than a thousand, based on student need. The University’s Office of Financial Aid worked to ensure that students with the most need received the largest grants. “Stony Brook’s financial aid officers are dedicated to supporting our students and helping them earn their degrees and begin rewarding careers,” said Nick Prewett, Stony Brook’s director of financial aid. “We will continue to work diligently to ensure that these federal funds are distributed as efficiently as possible to our students.” Stony Brook will continue to use institutional federal funding designated to support the university’s operations in keeping with guidance from the State University of New York.
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Financial Aid
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2022 UEFA Super Cup
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The 2022 UEFA Super Cup will be the 47th edition of the UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match organised by UEFA and contested by the reigning champions of the top two European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The match will feature the winners of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League and the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League. It will be played at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland in August 2022. [1]
The Helsinki Olympic Stadium was selected as the final host by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 2 March 2020. [2] The Albanian Football Association also had bid for the match to be hosted in Tirana, but withdrew the candidature prior to the vote. [1]
The match will be the first UEFA club competition final to be held in Finland. The stadium previously was a venue for UEFA Women's Euro 2009, where it hosted four group stage matches and the final. [3]
The Champions League winners will be designated as the "home" team for administrative purposes. Match rules
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Sports Competition
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December 2009 Kurdish protests in Turkey
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The December 2009 Kurdish protests in Turkey were five[1] days of protests in Turkey that ensued after a December 11, 2009 ruling by the Constitutional Court of Turkey that banned the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), after finding them guilty of having links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)[5] and spreading "terrorist propaganda. "[6]
The DTP was formed in 2005 with a merger of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party, the Democratic People's Party (DEHAP), and the newly found Democratic Society Movement (DTH) that had been founded by former Democracy Party (DEP) MPs Leyla Zana, Orhan Doğan, Hatip Dicle and Selim Sadak after their release from prison in 2004. After being formed, the party called on the PKK to lay down its arms. The PKK responded by declaring a unilateral cease-fire that lasted until September 20, 2005. [7]
The DEHAP had won 6.2 percent of the vote in the 2002 general election, failing to meet the 10% election threshold and thus failing to win any seats in parliament. So for the 2007 general election the DTP fielded its candidates as independents. [8] In total, 726 independent candidates won 1,835,486 votes, a total of 5.24% and 26 out of 550 seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. [9] 21 independents then formed a DTP faction in parliament. [10] The election was however mainly a disappointment for the DTP as majority of votes in the Kurdish-dominated regions went to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP). [9] The party however performed well during the March 29, 2009 local elections, winning 2,116,684 votes or 5.41% and doubling its number of governors from four to eight, increasing its amount of mayors from 32 to 51. [11] For the first time they won a majority in the southeast and aside from the Batman Province, Hakkâri Province, Diyarbakır Province and Şırnak Province which DEHAP had won in 2004, the DTP managed to win Van Province, Siirt Province and Iğdır Provinces from the AKP. [12]
After the March 2009 election, approximately 50 DTP members were arrested. Between April and August 2009, more than 500 DTP members were taken into custody and 267 were indicted. According to the Turkish Human Rights Association, the government carried out three crackdowns against the DTP between April and October 2009 in which 1,000 people were detained, including 450 who were not told what they were being charged with. [13]
After surviving a closure case in 2007,[13] on December 11, 2009, the Constitutional Court of Turkey voted to ban the DTP, ruling that the party had links to the PKK[5] and was guilty of spreading "terrorist propaganda". [6] Chairman Ahmet Türk and co-chair Aysel Tuğluk were expelled from Parliament, and they and 35 other party members, including Leyla Zana, were banned from joining any political party for five years. [14] The 19 DTP members that remained in parliament joined the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), which had already been formed in anticipation of the ban. [13]
In protest of the ban, the 19[13] remaining DTP MPs boycotted parliamentary sessions. Meanwhile, protests broke out all over Turkey's predominantly Kurdish region and in Western cities such as Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir and lasted the whole weekend. [4]
In Istanbul, several protests of a few hundred people broke out over the following few days. Protesters destroyed property and attacked police using stones and Molotov cocktails, and set street fires. Police attacked protesters using tear gas, water cannons, and pepper gas. 200 people, mostly Kurdish children, closed traffic and threw stones at buses in Sultangazi and Başakşehir districts. Police intervened with tear gas. [3] Turkish nationalists also attacked protestors, resulting in at least one injury from a gunshot. [2]
On December 11, shortly after the verdict was announced, over 1,000 people gathered outside the DTP offices in Diyarbakır chanting "Blood for blood! Revenge!" Protesters attacked police with petrol bombs and smashed security cameras. Riot police responded with tear gas and water cannons. In Istanbul, around 100 people gathered around the local DTP office with a banner reading "An End to the Attacks on the Kurdish People". [15]
On December 12 in Hakkâri, about 1000 protesters clashed with security forces. [16] Police used water cannons to break up protests. [16][17] Protestors unsuccessfully attempted to lynch a police chief and an officer. [3] A young girl was hospitalized during the protests[3] and over a dozen protesters were arrested. [4]
In Van five policemen were hospitalized after violent clashes with protesters. 20 people were taken into custody during the protest in Van. In Beytüşşebap and Cizre districts of Şırnak province the protests continued until late in the night, as protesters threw Molotov cocktails and stones at buildings such as post offices, banks, and the Beytüşşebap district governor's house. In Cizre, protesters blocked the road of the Habur Customs Gate, closing off the road to Iraq. Police intervened to re-open the road. [3] Sit-ins were held in Iğdır and Şanlıurfa. [3]
On December 13, 2009, protests continued in Yüksekova district. Police used tear gas and water cannons against protesters. Protesters barricaded roads and started fires in the streets. Shops were closed in all city centers of Hakkâri during the weekend. [3] Yüksekova protests had been ongoing since Saturday as crowds of DTP supporters threw firebombs and rocks at police vehicles. [4]
December 14, 2009, over 5,000 people Diyarbakır welcomed DTP MPs which drove into the town in an open bus. Later a group of youths started pelting police with rocks and ripped up street signs, and police responded with water cannons. Protesters also stoned a local AKP office, and several people were arrested. In Doğubeyazıt protesters threw petrol bombs and stones at police and police responded with tear gas and water cannons. [18]
On December 15, 2009, two Kurdish protesters were killed and seven injured when a shopkeeper opened fire on a crowd of protesters in Bulanık, Muş Province with an assault rifle after the windows of his shop had been broken.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Europe’s tallest active volcano has been spewing lava for three weeks — and now its raining stones and ash on the villages below
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Europe’s tallest active volcano has been spewing lava for three weeks — and now its raining stones and ash on the villages below The tenth big explosion to rock Italy's Mount Etna has a massive fallout of ash and small lava stones causing damage to cars, especially in in the village of GiarreIl Mondo dei Terremoti/Twitter Mount Etna, Europe’s tallest active volcano, let out its tenth big blast in the last three weeks on March 7. The eruption led to lava stones and ash raining down on the Silician towns located on its slopes. The governor of Sicily Nello Musumeci has declared a state of emergency in the most affected villages. Italy’s famed active volcano, Etna, has been spewing lava for over three weeks. On Sunday, March 7, the fiery mountain on the eastern coast of Sicily let out its tenth big blast of the season since February 16. Only this time, it also rained down ash and small lava stones on the town nearby. At nearly 3,324 meters above sea level, Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe. According to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology ( INGV ), the giant exploded at approximately 2:00 am local time, pushing the column of ash and lava to a height of 10,000 metres. The lava down below did not change direction and continues to flow from the southeast crater — down the side of the volcano that does not house any residents. “This activity is still ongoing and the INGV is constantly monitoring its development,” the agency said in a statement. Roads covered in volcanic ash after the Mount Etna's eruption on March 7Il Mondo dei Terremoti/Twitter However, the blast did result in ash and small lava stones causing damage to eight villages along Etna’s slopes. Sicily’s governor Nello Musumeci has declared a state of crisis in the most affected regions, according to a local news outlet Tg2 . One of these regions is Giarre, where the photos show streets covered in ash and lava stones that broke through windows. According to Musumeci, new vehicles will be brought in to help clear the roads. Advertisement Queste sono due foto che sono state scattate proprio a Giarre, un comune ubicato nella parte orientale del vulcano. The lull before the storm There is nothing new about Etna spewing out volcanic ash, molten rocks and lava. On this day, in 1669, an eruption at Mount Etna killed 20,000 people. However, this time something is different. According to INGV’s Marco Neri , Etna’s most recent explosions have been “most violent in the Southeast Crater's young history.” A glowing plume of volcanic fumes spotted over Italy using VIIRS day-night band data from the Joint Polar Satellite System and Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey on February 23 Advertisement As long as the eruptions remain at the current intensity and lava comes from the summit rather than the sides of the volcano, the risk to surrounding communities is small. But history shows that periods of intense activity are almost always followed by lateral eruptions that open up mouths on the flank of the volcano — sometimes at low elevations. “That means there is a concrete possibility that lava could directly affect an urbanised area, as has happened numerous times in the past,” said Neri. In 1983, engineers used dynamite to divert lava away from homes. And, in 1992, the army had to build an earthen wall to protect one of the village’s on Etna’s slopes.
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Volcano Eruption
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Cristiano Ronaldo breaks men's international scoring record with 110th and 111th goals
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Last updated on 1 September 20211 September 2021.From the section European Footballcomments1544
Cristiano Ronaldo broke the world record for goals scored in men's international football as he hit his 110th and 111th goals for Portugal in their dramatic 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over the Republic of Ireland.
The 36-year-old scored two late headers - to break and extend the record - after he had a penalty saved by Gavin Bazunu.
Ali Daei, who scored 109 goals for Iran between 1993 and 2006, held the record which Ronaldo equalled with a double against France at Euro 2020.
The Manchester United forward has also equalled Sergio Ramos' European record for men's caps - with his 180th Portugal appearance.
The world record - only ratified by Fifa this summer - is the 195 Malaysia caps won by Soh Chin Ann between 1969 and 1984.
Ronaldo, who rejoined United from Juventus on deadline day, and Daei are the only two male players to score 90 or more international goals.
"I'm so happy, not only because I beat the record, but for the special moment that we had," he told RTE. "Two goals at the end of the game. I have to appreciate what the team did, we believed until the end. I'm so glad."
This is the latest landmark to push the argument for the Portuguese to be considered an all-time great.
He is already the top scorer in club football's top tournament, the European Cup/Champions League, a trophy he has won five times.
The former Real Madrid forward is also the top scorer in European Championship history (14) and in Euros and World Cups combined (21).
Almost half of Ronaldo's goals have come in the final 30 minutes of games.
He has netted 33 times in the final 15 minutes - including twice against the Irish - and 22 times between the 61st and 75th minute.
Ronaldo has scored 17 times between minutes 16-30 and 16 times between 31-45, with 11 in the opening 15 minutes of the first half and 12 in the opening 15 minutes of the second half.
Some 91 of his goals have been inside the box with 20 from outside. He has scored 14 penalties and nine free-kicks.
Lithuania and Sweden - seven each - are the sides he has scored the most against. He had not scored against the Republic of Ireland before Wednesday's game in the Algarve.
There is no official database for top men's international goalscorers which makes it hard to say exactly who ranks where.
Ronaldo is top on 111 and Daei is next on 109, of that there is no doubt.
Iran's Daei, who played for Bayern Munich, was said to have broken Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas' record in 2003 with his 85th international goal. That is the year Ronaldo made his international debut.
Cynics could argue that Daei's goals were against easier opposition - with 95 against fellow Asian sides.
He scored eight against the Maldives and Laos and six against Lebanon.
But Ronaldo has also benefitted from facing weaker nations including six against Andorra and Luxembourg each.
The only question is who ranks below them? Mokhtar Dahari of Malaysia - who played in the 1970s and 80s - is credited as being third in some places with 89 goals. A Fifa tweet this summer seemed to confirm thatexternal-link, despite it never being officially validated.
Puskas is definitely next, with 84 goals in 85 caps for Hungary. He was the top-scoring European before Ronaldo.
Zambia's Godfrey Chitalu scored 79 goals between the 1960s and 1980s - again not certified but also mentioned on that Fifa tweet.
Ronaldo is unlikely to beat the world record, including women's football, of Canada striker Christine Sinclair. She has scored 187 goals in 304 caps and has not yet retired.
In the strange modern-day phenomena of Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fanboys, this is another tick in the Ronaldo column.
Ronaldo's 111 goals in 180 games is well clear of Messi's 76 in 151 - roughly 0.6 goals a game compared with 0.5.
Messi - the joint eighth top scorer in the world - is 34 and on current form would need to play into his forties to reach 111 international goals.
The highlight of Ronaldo's international career was undoubtedly winning Euro 2016, although he went off injured early in the final.
He has scored in two Euros semi-finals too, 12 years apart - against the Netherlands in 2004 and Wales in 2016.
His finest hour at a World Cup was a hat-trick against Spain in the group stages three years ago in Russia, including a late free-kick. That is one of his nine international hat-tricks - including one against Switzerland in the 2019 Uefa Nations League semi-finals.
He has also scored in all nine major tournaments he has played in - World Cups and European Championships. Including the Confederations Cup and Nations League, he has scored in 11 out of 11.
He won the Golden Boot at Euro 2020 with five goals in four games, beating five-goal Czech Patrik Schick on assists.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger on having the guts to go green
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Break historical records
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2018 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak
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The 2018 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak was a set of infections of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV). The cases were most numerous in, and are believed to have originated from, Saudi Arabia. 250 cases of MERS were recorded in 2017, and 249 in 2016. [3] In 2018, there was an early surge in cases, with 21 confirmed cases in February. [4] However, over the whole year, cases were down compared to previous years, with 147 recorded cases. [3]
The syndrome originates in countries on the Arabian peninsula, and there is a low general risk to any travelers. Symptoms usually appear 2 to 14 days after exposure, and include fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. [5]
Total laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS world-wide per year were as follows:[6][7][8]
It was reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) on June 18, 2018 that there were 75 laboratory confirmed cases of the syndrome in Saudi Arabia. [10] The first observed case outside of the Middle East was diagnosed on August 23, 2018 in the United Kingdom, being the first case in 5 years in the country. [11] A second case was detected on September 8, 2018 of a South Korean man who was traveling from the Middle East, being the first diagnosis in that country since the 2015 outbreak. [12] There were also hundreds of expected cases in United States and other parts of the World, most of which were eventually diagnosed as being not MERS infections. [2][13]
Full year totals were as follows:[7]
The Ministry of Health in the Republic of Korea monitored at least 21 individuals who were in close contact with the confirmed case, and placed all identified close contacts in quarantine at their homes. [14]
The confirmed case in Korea did not change the World Health Organization (WHO) overall global risk assessment for the disease, and WHO also stated that any additional confirmed cases would also not change the risk, which was deemed as low. [14] However, it does recommend countries to continue to monitor potential cases and to carefully record any unusual patterns. [citation needed]
After the confirmed case in the United Kingdom, the ECDC repeated their risk assessment[15] that close contacts of confirmed cases must be monitored for symptoms for at least 14 days after the last exposure. The organization also repeated that cases of the syndrome were not unexpected and had been observed in Europe before, and the risk of transmission to the general population from the confirmed case was extremely low. [16]
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Disease Outbreaks
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Iran, Russia and China will hold joint maritime exercises - dubbed CHIRU
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Agencies | August 26, 2021 Tehran: Iran, Russia and China will hold joint maritime exercises - dubbed CHIRU -- in the Persian Gulf between late 2021 and early 2022, to ensure international shipping safety and combat piracy, according to the Russian ambassador in Tehran. "In the end of this year or the beginning of the next year, the annual joint naval exercises, CHIRU, will be held in the Persian Gulf region. Russian, Iranian and Chinese warships are taking part in it. The main aim is to practice actions on ensuring international shipping safety, and combating sea pirates," Levan Dzhagaryan said in an interview with Sputnik on Monday. He added that preparations for the Depth competition, held at the International Army Games 2021 in Iran's Chabahar port, are also being completed. "Along with Russia and Iran, China, India, Syria and Venezuela will take part in it. There are plans to hold a contest between dive teams of these countries' armed forces. Representatives of the Russian Navy command will arrive at the opening and closing ceremonies of this contest," the ambassador noted. The announcement of a new joint exercise comes as the United States, Britain and Israel accused Iran of a drone attack on an Israeli-managed tanker near Oman on July 29 and threatened that there would be consequences. Elsewhere in his interview, Dzhagaryan said Russia is confident that neither Iran nor its Arab neighbors are interested in further escalation in the Persian Gulf. "There are tensions indeed ... but I would not be dramatic and say that the situation is more acute now than during previous crises. Neither Iran nor its Arab neighbors are interested in further escalation," the ambassador pointed out. Dzhagaryan said he believes that relations between Iran and Arab counties in the Persian Gulf are becoming warmer. "Russia welcomes dialogue in this strategically important region. This is one of the goals of our concept for collective security in the Persian Gulf, which we are promoting," he added. Late in December 2019, Iran, Russia and China staged a four-day joint maritime exercise in the Indian Ocean and the Sea of Oman area. The drills, dubbed the 'Marine Security Belt' exercise, covered 17,000 square kilometers and consisted of various tactical exercises such as target practicing and rescuing ships from assault and incidents such as fires. The Sea of Oman is a particularly sensitive waterway as it connects to the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil passes and which in turn connects to the Persian Gulf.
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Military Exercise
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1998 Ariana Afghan Airlines crash
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The 1998 Ariana Afghan Airlines crash was a flight operated by an Ariana Boeing 727-200. The flight crashed on approach into Kabul killing all 45 aboard. The flight may have been involved in illegal smuggling and Islamic militant operations, as Ariana Afghan Airlines was back then controlled by the Taliban-led Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan regime. The flight departed the city of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Kabul on an unscheduled flight with a stop in Kandahar, Afghanistan. While descending for Kabul International Airport, the flight struck the Sharki Baratayi Mountain at an altitude of 2,700 feet (820 m) at 13:00 local time. The crash killed all 10 crew members and 35 passengers. The weather at the time of the accident was poor with snow and rain as well as poor visibility. [1][2][3]
The flight was operated by a Boeing 727-228, registered YA-FAZ. The aircraft first flew on 22 January 1981, meaning at the time of the accident, it was 17.2 years old. [4]
During rescue operations, Taliban regime members and Ariana officials reportedly carried 32 bodybags and another 15 bags with body parts from mountain. Rescue work was delayed by bad weather and from the aircraft's wreckage being on fire until 03:00 (local time) of the next day. The rescue attempt was difficulted by landmines planted in the area during the 1979-89 Soviet invasion. An Ariana official said on March 20 that the plane was carrying 32 passengers and 13 crew members. [5]
Even if the aircraft's black boxes were reportedly searched for, there is no trace of either a report or an investigation to either determine the causes of the accident or the fate of the black boxes (possibly a consequence of the Taliban regime's international isolation). The director-general of Ariana Afghan Airlines, Hassan Jan, said that the crash was a consequence of bad weather. [5]
The crash was one of several incidents that would lead to Ariana Airlines being prohibited from EU airspace. [6]
According to a November 2001 Los Angeles Times story, this flight may have been one of several involved in a series of smuggling runs carrying arms, money, drugs and Islamic militants between Sharjah, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Passengers in these flights reportedly included militants from both the Al-Qaeda and Taliban movements, the latter of which ruled most of Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, while also harboring Osama bin Laden. Being the regime that controlled most of Ariana's fleet and assets, as well as the airports in Kandahar and Kabul, the Taliban facilitated the flights, helping to provide fake crew and employee IDs to the militants. According to the LA Times report, the pilots of this particular flight may have been Taliban themselves. The story reports on an August 1996 incident, in which Ahmad Shah Massoud's militia stopped an Ariana 727 that was about to depart from Jalalabad Airport full of opium hidden in a fake timber cargo. US intelligence officials were reportedly aware of these flights and the use that the Taliban regime was giving to Ariana Afghan. [7]
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Air crash
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1986 Vrancea earthquake
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This is a list of earthquakes in Romania, including any notable historical earthquakes that have epicenters within the current boundaries of Romania, or which caused significant effects in this area. The seismicity of Romania is clustered in several epicentral zones: Vrancea, Făgăraș-Câmpulung, Banat, Crișana, Maramureș and Southern Dobrogea. [1][2] Other epicentral zones of local importance can be found in Transylvania, in the area of Jibou and Târnava River, in northern and western part of Oltenia, in northern Moldavia and in the Wallachian Plain. [3] The Vrancea seismogenic zone is the most important among these seismic zones, having in mind the energy, the extent of the macroseismic effects and the persistent and confined character of the earthquakes that occur in this area. Basically, Vrancea area is responsible for over 90% of all earthquakes in Romania, releasing over 95% of the seismic energy. [4] Two belts of moderate and shallower seismicity are emphasized in the other regions of the country: one along the Southern Carpathians and the eastern edge of the Pannonian Basin, the other along the Eastern Carpathians that extends towards SE on the Peceneaga–Camena line. [5][6][7]
During the last 1,000 years, according to historical data, it is thought that 17 earthquakes with 7 and over magnitude have occurred, which suggests a mean for unleashing the energy of every 58 years. Statistically, the magnitude 6 and over earthquakes in the Vrancea area occur approximately every 10 years, magnitude 7 every 33 years, while those with 7.5 magnitude every 80 years. [8]
Earthquakes listed in the following tables include only M6.0+ events or earthquakes with significant material damage or casualties. All seismic events are shown in detail in the ROMPLUS catalog of the National Institute for Earth Physics. It collected information from the catalog of Constantinescu and Mîrza (1980) for the period 984–1997. After 1997, the catalog was permanently filled and updated with data on seismic events produced in Romania and around national borders. Turnul Colței heavily damaged by the 1802 Vrancea earthquake
Rescue operations at Carlton Bloc after the 1940 Vrancea earthquake
Enei Church was nearly destroyed during the 1977 Vrancea earthquake.
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Earthquakes
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2010 Men's South American Hockey Championship
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The 2010 Men's South American Hockey Championship was the third edition of the Men's South American Hockey Championship, the South American championship for men's national field hockey teams, organized by the PAHF. It was held from 3 to 11 April 2010 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [1]
The finalists, Argentina and Chile qualified for the 2011 Pan American Games. [2] Argentina, the defending champions, won their third title in a row by defeating Chile 3–0 in the final. Qualified for the 2011 Pan American Games
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament. [3]
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Sports Competition
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Flat inferno: 82-yr-old, daughter charred to death
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Bangalore Mirror Bureau / Updated: Sep 22, 2021, 06:00 IST
Increase font size
The blaze at a flat in Devarachikkanahalli
An elderly woman and her daughter were charred to death and another person was severely injured after an accidental fire inside a flat in
Devarachikkanahalli
near Bannerghatta Road on Tuesday evening. The daughter who was on walking on the balcony when the fire broke out, was trapped behind the grills and was charred to death while she was crying for help. The deceased have been identified as
Lakshmi Devi
, 82, and her daughter
Bhagya Rekha
, 52. Their relative, Bheemsen, has sustained burn injuries and has been shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police said that the two along with other family members had reportedly returned from the US on Monday. It took three hours to douse the intense fire completely and the two bodies were removed from the flat around 7:30 pm. Preliminary investigations suggest that the cause of the fire could be a domestic gas explosion.
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According to the police, the incident took place around 4.30 pm in Ashrith Aspire Apartment complex. The deceased were staying in flat number 210 on the third floor. The apartment which is a ground-plus three-storeyed residential apartment complex has 72 flats in all. The public alerted the fire control room and fire tenders from
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Gas explosion
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Ashulia bank robbery
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Ashulia bank robbery was a robbery of the Ashulia branch of Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited by members of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh and Ansarullah Bangla Team, both of which are Jihadist terror organizations, to raise funds for terror attacks in 2015. The terrorists killed 7 civilians in the bank during the robbery and one terrorist was killed while fleeing the scene. In 2016, six of the robbers were sentenced to death for their part in the robbery. [1][2][3]
On 21 April 2015, an estimated 8-10 robbers arrived at Kathgora Bazar in Ashulia Industrial Area on three bikes. They enter the Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited around 2:00 pm and asked the 15 people inside the bank to lay down on the ground. They killed the two armed security guard, Ibrahim and Kazi Badrul Alam, and the bank manager. The robbers had asked the manager, Waliullah Subin, to handover the vault key, but he refused and tried to escape. He was shot and killed by the robbers. Hearing the shots, residents of the area raised alarm and sought aid using the loudspeaker of a mosque that was opposite of the bank. Some 200 locals arrived outside the bank hearing the call for help. The robber also killed a client of the bank, Shahabuddin Mollah Palash. [4]
The robbers stole 3.5 million taka from the cash counter but had failed to break open the vault. The robbers exploded bombs and stabbed people randomly while attempting to escape in the chaos and confusion. The robbers tried to escape on three motorbikes and some on foot while the residents chased after them. Three local residents, Jamir Ali, Monir Hossain, and Nur Mohammad were killed by the robber's gunfire and bombs as they were chasing after them. The residents were able to catch two robbers, one was lynched by the mob while another was handed over to the police. [4]
The police suspected that the robbery was the work of militants. [5] On 5 May 2015, Bangladesh Police arrest one member of Ansarullah Bangla Team in connection with the robbery. [6] Ansarullah Bangla Team is a Jihadist terrorist organisation in Bangladesh and is ideologically aligned with the Al Qaeda. [7]
On 1 December 2015, Bangladesh police filed one case for robbery and murder and another case for using explosives. According to the investigation of Bangladesh police in Ashulia 16 people were involved in the planning and executing the robbery. One of the accused was killed by civilians while fleeing the scene of the robbery while another accused was killed in a gunfight with police officers in Gabtoli, Dhaka. [8]
On 21 January 2016, a court in Dhaka framed charges against 11 accused and began trial proceedings. Abdullah Al Baki, the mastermind of the robbery according to the case, was a member of Ansarullah Bangla Team and was formerly a member of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh. [9] Dipak Kumar Saha, the Officer in Charge (OC) of Ashulia Police Station was the lead investigator of the case. [10]
On 1 June 2016, a court in Dhaka gave death sentences to six of the accused, one was given a life sentence, two were sentenced to three years imprisonment, and two other accused were acquitted. Judge SM Kuddus Zaman presided over the case and cited the lack of remorse among the accused as the reason behind the death sentence. [8][11]
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Bank Robbery
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1933 Diexi earthquake
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The 1933 Diexi earthquake occurred in Diexi, Mao County, Szechwan, Republic of China on August 25 with a moment magnitude of 7.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). With up to 9,300 killed, this was the deadliest earthquake of 1933. This earthquake destroyed the town of Diexi and surrounding villages, and caused many landslides, and killed about 9,000 people. [4] The old town of Diexi sank into the landslide dam-created Diexi Lake.
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Earthquakes
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Soldiers sign Rutland community agreement
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A community covenant has been signed between the people of Rutland and soldiers due to move into the county.
The Royal Air Force is closing its Cottesmore base and soldiers from the Royal Anglian Regiment will arrive from Ayia Napa in Cyprus in July.
The covenant is designed to ensure the troops are welcomed and that they become positively involved with life in the rural community. Further troops will arrive from the Royal Logistics Corps in 2013.
Leader of Rutland County Council, Roger Begy, said it was important to make the soldiers feel part of the community.
"We have had a very close, working relationship with the airforce for many years and recently with the navy and army.
"We've got 400 single army personnel and 240 families coming in July and we thought it was a good idea, that we, the community, will work to make their life in Rutland pleasant.
"They, in turn, will work to make Rutland as pleasant as possible for us."
Brigadier Andrew Williams, Commander 49 (East) Brigade, who signed the covenant on behalf of the army, said the idea between the agreement was to strengthen ties between existing and new residents.
"This covenant will help...ensure that our armed forces, veterans and their families have the support they need, are not disadvantaged for being servicemen and are treated with the dignity they deserve in the future."
Mr Begy added he was not unduly worried about the soldiers transferring from notorious party town Ayia Napa to rural Rutland.
"You don't have to be in the army to be dancing in the street, singing in the street and we have to work together and now live together. We do not want an us and them situation and we need to develop our society," he said.
The base is due to close in March with the loss of 1,000 jobs.
RAF Cottesmore opened in 1938 and during the 1960s was the base for nuclear capable Vulcan bombers. It was the home of the Harrier aircraft until 2010.
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Sign Agreement
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Massive sewage spill in Port Stephens an unwelcome setback for businesses and tourists
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Businesses in Port Stephens are losing valuable tourist dollars after council workers struck the wrong pipe, spilling hundreds of thousands of litres of raw sewage into the bay.
Beaches are likely to remain closed at the popular coastal holiday spot near Newcastle until at least Thursday.
Council workers were doing an excavation when a sewerage main was damaged on Monday morning, sending 225,000 litres of sewage into a car park on the foreshore and into the ocean.
According to Port Stephens Council and Hunter Water, which are monitoring the water quality at the beaches, it is still unsafe to go swimming and do water sports.
While the stench has gone, it has proved to be a major setback for local businesses during the first good spell of warm weather for about a month.
The leak has forced Splash Waterpark to close and the operator said it was costing the business up to $12,000 a day.
The water park was expecting 500 to 600 entrants a day this week. The Little Dolphin Cafe is on the waterfront and Tracy Blundell said business had dropped off dramatically at what was normally a very busy time of the year.
"It's actually probably dropped our business by about 80 per cent," she said. "[Normally there are] families, children, the beach is full, the water park is jumping and everyone is coming to have coffees. So that isn't happening any more after that event."
One beachgoer said local authorities rushed to get everyone off the beach straight away.
"I was like five minutes on the beach and then we had to go. Not fair for me," she said.
"They didn't tell us what happened on the beach, they just said there's been an incident and we had to get off."
Laura Jones and her family had just arrived from the Central Coast for a summer vacation.
"So we were hoping just to walk across to the beach and take the kids across for a swim," she said.
"But now the beach is closed we'll probably have to get in the car and go for a drive, which is a bit annoying."
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Environment Pollution
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Climate Scientists Meet As Floods, Fires, Droughts And Heat Waves Batter Countries
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Volunteers fight a wildfire in northeastern Siberia on July 17th. Heat waves in the Russian Arctic and boreal forests have fueled intense, widespread blazes that can damage trees and release enormous amounts of stored carbon dioxide from forests and permafrost. Ivan Nikiforov/AP Volunteers fight a wildfire in northeastern Siberia on July 17th. Heat waves in the Russian Arctic and boreal forests have fueled intense, widespread blazes that can damage trees and release enormous amounts of stored carbon dioxide from forests and permafrost. More than 200 of the world's leading climate scientists will begin meeting today to finalize a landmark report summarizing how Earth's climate has already changed, and what humans can expect for the rest of the century. The report is the sixth edition of an assessment of the latest climate science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body that coordinates research about global warming. The last edition of this report came out in 2013 — an eternity in the world of climate science, where the pace of both warming and research are steadily accelerating. The urgency of addressing global warming has never been more clear. The two-week virtual meeting of IPCC scientists coincides with a raft of deadly climate-driven disasters unfolding around the world, from flash floods in Europe, North America and Asia, to intense wildfires in Siberia, to widespread persistent heat waves and droughts that threaten to upend food supplies in the U.S., Middle East and much of Africa. The new report will be a crucial document for world leaders. It represents the international scientific consensus about human-caused climate change. Governments rely on its predictions as they develop policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, manage forests and fisheries and decide how to protect their citizens from extreme weather. In November, world leaders will meet for the first time since 2019 to discuss promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions — promises that are still insufficient to prevent catastrophic warming this century. It takes years to put together the IPCC report. It has 12 chapters, covering everything from the heat-trapping properties of individual greenhouse gases to extreme weather events to the regional impacts of global warming. Over the next two weeks, the authors of the report will hash out the final draft. Here are three things to watch for. Climate science has come a long way in the last decade The new report will be the most comprehensive, detailed and accurate picture of the global climate ever released. The computer models that scientists use to predict how the climate will change in the future are a lot more advanced than they were a decade ago, when the last edition was published. And the data that feeds those models is also more robust, thanks to satellites, buoys and information about the historical climate gathered from rock, ice and mud. Together, those advances allow scientists to say with more certainty how quickly the Earth is heating up, and how the extra heat being trapped by greenhouse gases will affect everything from sea levels and hurricanes to droughts and heat waves. For this report, scientists considered all the climate research published before February 2021. That's thousands of studies about the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, forests and weather patterns. The meeting that kicks off today will focus on how to phrase key takeaways, such as how quickly the Earth is barreling toward the 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warming threshold set by the Paris climate agreement in order to avoid the most catastrophic effects of global warming. There are five future scenarios that scientists are imagining A critical goal of the forthcoming report is to help governments make decisions about how to address climate change. The report won't tell governments what to do, but it is meant to help leaders understand the effects of different policies. For example, if humans stop burning coal immediately, it will dramatically reduce the rate of global warming. But what if humans stop burning coal in the next five years? Or ten years? Or what if solar panels get really cheap and population growth slows down? How does that affect climate change? The new IPCC report is meant to help answer such questions using a set of 5 hypothetical policy scenarios. This is the first time the IPCC has used these scenarios, which are essentially a collection of imaginary worlds in which countries pursue different sets of climate policies. For example, in one world countries work together to develop low-cost, low-carbon technologies and put them into use quickly for everyone. In another, some countries or groups of people transition very quickly to wind, solar and other clean energy sources while others move much more slowly. In a third imaginary world, nationalism surges around the world and governments focus on local energy and food security rather than global economic changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Each of the five scenarios takes into account population growth, GDP and a host of other demographic, economic and technological possibilities. Under most of the scenarios, it's still possible to keep global warming below the 2 degree Celsius threshold set by the Paris agreement, says Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. In other words, there are many ways to address climate change, and the new report will help describe those options. The Biden administration has promised to cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030, but has not released a specific plan for how to achieve that goal. A major infrastructure package that would invest in cleaner transportation and electricity is facing an uncertain future in Congress. The report will include regional information for the first time This is the first time the IPCC will break down its global climate science findings by region. That's a big deal because the climate is changing in different ways depending on where you live. For example, the Arctic is warming about twice as fast as the rest of the Earth, and sea levels are rising much more quickly in some areas than in others. But many countries don't have the resources to systematically study how the climate is changing in their region, or what to expect in the future. That leaves governments in the dark about the rate of local sea level rise, for example, or the likelihood of regional drought or extreme rain. Without localized information, it's impossible to prioritize infrastructure and housing that's built for the climate of the future. The forthcoming IPCC report includes a chapter on regional climate change. The IPCC is also releasing an interactive, online regional dashboard that allows policymakers to choose their region and see current and future climate conditions. The U.S. government will not rely on the new regional data from the IPCC. The U.S. already has access to localized data through the National Climate Assessment, which is produced by the federal government every few years. The next edition is scheduled to be published in 2023.
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Droughts
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Meanwhile in Los Angeles: Woman Recreates Nicole Kidman’s Iconic Divorce Photo to Celebrate Newly Single Status
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Meanwhile in Los Angeles: Woman Recreates Nicole Kidman’s Iconic Divorce Photo to Celebrate Newly Single Status
by Mandatory Editors
Sep 3rd, 2021
It’s always a bummer when a marriage doesn’t last, but sometimes, divorce is actually cause for celebration. One woman in Los Angeles is using her newfound single status as a reason to celebrate – and taking inspiration from fellow divorcee Nicole Kidman on how to do so.
In case you missed it back in 2001, the Aussie actress was photographed joyfully leaving her divorce attorney’s office when her split from Tom Cruise was finalized.
— Liz Maupin (@LizMaupin) August 30, 2021
Producer Liz Maupin wanted to recreate that feeling, so she did, in a photograph that has now gone viral.
DID i get Nicole Kidman’s divorce outfit created for a party for the day my divorce is final? yes i did pic.twitter.com/ppBBaz0gc6
— Liz Maupin (@LizMaupin) August 30, 2021
“I honestly think I only saw the photo for the first time a few years ago and I just loved it,” Maupin told TMRW. “You can feel how relieved, how happy Nicole is to have it all over with.”
Maupin made copies of the Kidman photo, framed them, and put them in goody bags, then surprised 30 of her closest girlfriends with them at her divorce party. She also had a custom replica of Kidman’s floral blouse made and wore it with cargo pants, just like the actress.
Maupin was shocked when the photo went viral overnight, but she found strength in numbers.
“It’s been overwhelmingly positive,” she said of the response. “There are a lot of women out there who have gotten out of unhealthy relationships and have said they felt very supported (seeing this).”
Whether or not Kidman – who is killing it, career-wise, and is happily remarried – is one of those people is anybody’s guess. But as far as post-divorce role models go, Maupin couldn’t have asked for a better one.
Cover Photos: @LizMaupin (Twitter)
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Famous Person - Divorce
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2019–2020 Maltese protests
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The 2019–2020 Maltese protests started in Valletta and other urban centres of Malta on 20 November 2019, mainly calling for resignations[10][11] after alleged political links[12][13][14] to the assassination of journalist and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia surfaced following the arrest of businessman Yorgen Fenech. The protesters also targeted government corruption[15] and the lack of action on money laundering. [16] The protests consisted of demonstrations, marches, sit-ins, and civil disobedience and have been unprecedented in Malta's political history since its independence from the United Kingdom. [11]
As of December 2019 the Maltese government was accused of using intimidation tactics against protesters and journalists. [17] Caruana Galizia's family accused Muscat of trying to shield members of the inner circle from the investigations. [18] Organisers contested claims that protests were violent in any way, while an official spokesperson said that some protesters did "resort to violence, abuse and incitement. "[19]
On the 1st of December 2019, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced that he would resign on 12 January 2020. [20] Constitutional experts, legal bodies, and other representatives stated that Muscat's decision to remain in office until January 2020 and to have a more than six-week Parliamentary recess over Christmas[21][22] led to the crisis within Maltese institutions. [22][23][24] The Caruana Galizia family,[25] political parties,[26][27][28] the European Union mission in Malta,[5] academics,[29] NGOs, civil society, the University of Malta students' union,[30] former advisers,[31] industrial organisations, and organised business and labour unions called for his immediate resignation. [32] On 13 January 2020, Joseph Muscat resigned,[33] satisfying one of the protestors' main demands. [23]
As of December 2019 businesses were negatively affected by both the crisis[34][35] and the protests,[36] while major industrial associations[37] and institutions[38] expressed concern at the impact of the turmoil. [39]
Malta, an island nation of nearly 500,000 citizens, gained its independence from Great Britain in 1964, and its people subsequently declared it a Republic in 1974. It has largely been viewed as a nation of general geopolitical neutrality (since 1979),[40] but also of extraordinarily impressive democratic voter participation. [41] Its modern governmental body - a unicameral chamber known as the House of Representatives - is currently predominated by a two-party system, of which the Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, holds the majority of seats. Despite several markers of socioeconomic success, such as its high life expectancy of 81 and its classification as an advanced society according to the IMF and UN (along with 32 other nations worldwide), public perception of Malta's public servants has been marred by allegations of corruption. This has resulted in a worse Corruption Perceptions Index compared to several other similar small economically-advanced nations like Denmark, Singapore, Luxembourg, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. In recent years,[when?] investigative journalists have increasingly reported on allegations of money laundering, tax evasion via offshore havens (including those connected with the Panama Papers), nepotism, and various other indications of bribery and fraud; journalists are protected pursuant to Malta's Constitutional law on free press and free speech. [42]
Leaders of both parties, including Muscat and the opposition party's Adrian Delia, were commonly the subjects of critique. Daphne Caruana Galizia garnered international reputation as a resolute critic of political and business malpractice, despite being targeted by several SLAPP suits. Throughout 2017, she released a series of controversial and sensitive pieces of information that link a number of Maltese politicians to the Panama Papers. She was subsequently assassinated with a bomb installed into her car, on 16 October 2017. [43] At the time of her death, she was fighting 48 libel suits. [44]
Thousands of people attended a vigil in Caruana Galizia's hometown of Sliema the night of her murder. [45] A series of monthly protests and vigils in remembrance of Caruana Galizia were held by civil society organisations on every sixteenth day of the month from October 2017 onward,[46][47][48] in addition to ongoing anti-corruption protests and marches. These demonstrations, in opposition of secretive Panama accounts being opened by Maltese officials, had been consistently and formally organised for years leading up to Caruana Galizia's death. [49][50][51] However, protests in Malta – some of them spontaneous – fundamentally transformed in meaning following her assassination,[52][53] and evolved and intensified as more information about her murder has surfaced, implicating businessmen and politicians alike. Her death was covered by international media, and the name Caruana Galizia began trending worldwide on Twitter. [54]
On 22 October 2017, the Civil Society Network organised a protest demanding justice and calling for the immediate resignation of the Police Commissioner and the Attorney General. [55]
Both Muscat and Delia expressed frustration over her death, viewing it as a representation of the "collapse of democracy and freedom of expression"[56] Pope Francis sent a letter of condolence to the Maltese people. [57] WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange announced that he would pay a €20,000 reward "for information leading to the conviction of Caruana Galizia's killers",[58] stimulating the creation of additional crowdfunded campaigns and state-sanctioned rewards with similar goals. [59][60]
In April 2018, a consortium of 45 international journalists published The Daphne Project, a collaboration between 18 news organizations including the locally syndicated newspaper Times of Malta, as well as The New York Times and The Guardian to complete her investigative work. [61] In 2018 the European United Left–Nordic Green Left Award for Journalists, Whistleblowers & Defenders of the Right to Information was established in honor of Caruana Galizia. [62]
In October 2019, as the second anniversary of the assassination approached, Civil Society organised a protest march, with the US Embassy issuing a statement, reiterating its offer to help Maltese investigators. [63] Prime Minister Joseph Muscat insisted that the press misinterpreted this statement by the US embassy. [64] Meanwhile, Dutch experts continued to help with Maltese investigations into the assassination,[63] as the Netherlands Ministry for Foreign Affairs commemorated Caruana Galizia and echoed their commitment to free press and anti-corruption efforts:
"Two years ago today the Maltese journalist #DaphneCaruanaGalizia was murdered in a heinous attack on freedom of expression. There can be no democracy without a free and independent press. Let justice for journalism be served and set an example for everyone." ~ Netherlands Ministry for Foreign Affairs, 16 October 2019
On 11 November 2019, Muscat's chief of staff, Keith Schembri, dropped a libel case against Simon Busuttil, in order to avoid testifying about 17 Black, a shell company based in Dubai, which had become implicated with the Panama Papers. [65] This decision was made in defiance of judiciary orders,[66] but Muscat supported Schembri's decision not to testify,[67] stating as justification that: 1) he had already sat down with the Caruana Galizia family to reach an agreement on a public inquiry into the assassination; and 2) such testimony by Schembri could constitute a conflict of interest, or prejudice the investigation into 17 Black. [67][68]
A Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) report had identified the owner of 17 Black to be power station investor and Tumas Group CEO Yorgen Fenech, who has a clear link to Muscat and Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, through mutual investment into a new gas-fired power station, since 2013 or earlier. [65] Fenech's ownership of 17 Black was corroborated by banking records acquired by Reuters from sources in the United Arab Emirates familiar with 17 Black. [65] This FIAU intelligence report furthermore identified, in a leaked email, that 17 Black was "one of two sources of income for the Panama companies Hearnville and Tillgate", which were "set up by OPM consultants Nexia BT for Dr Mizzi and the Prime Minister's chief of staff Keith Schembri". [65] 17 Black allegedly planned to pay $5,000 a day to these two Panama companies owned by Schembri and Mizzi. [69][65][70] Fenech denied any connection to Panama companies and even declined to comment about his ownership of 17 Black; Mizzi denied any connection to 17 Black; Muscat and Schembri denied any knowledge of 17 Black's ownership. [65]
On 19 November 2019, Muscat announced that he had written to Melvin Theuma, an alleged middleman in the Caruana Galizia murder case, offering him a pardon in exchange for exhaustive information detailing those involved in the assassination plot,[71] following Theuma's arrest during the previous week (on a separate case). Muscat claimed that this was "the beginning of the end" of the investigation. [71]
Early on 20 November 2019, Fenech was intercepted at sea by an Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) patrol boat, while allegedly attempting to flee the country on his private yacht, one day after Theuma's presidential pardon. [69] Six days later, Schembri resigned from his post as chief of staff, was questioned by police,[72] and was released on police bail. [73] Fenech first attempted to gain immunity in exchange for information; when immunity was denied,[74] and an indictment filed against him on 30 November 2019, he plead not guilty.
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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'Pet poisoning' in Ballysillan area of North Belfast after bait hidden in sausages
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A number of pets have allegedly been poisoned in North Belfast over the past few months, local residents have claimed.
Back in May, a number of dogs became severely sick at Ballysillan Playing Fields after a substance, believed to have been hidden in sausages, was placed around the grounds.
Following this incident, owners took to social media to express their concerns after their own dogs became ill.
A spokesperson for Belfast City Council said at the time: “We are aware of the incident in Ballysillan Park and our Parks Team and Ground Maintenance staff will continue to inspect and patrol the site."
A resident in Ballysillan , who doesn't wish to be named, has been left in shock after their cats were also poisoned on several occasions in the surrounding area for over a year.
The resident's cats (Image: Submitted)
The most recent incident, which happened a few weeks ago, left their cat fighting for his life for more than a week.
On these recurring attacks, the pet owner told Belfast Live: "My cat was apparently exposed to rat poison, as he was hemorrhaging out of the back and other parts of his body. He became lethargic but aggressive, couldn't stand up, didn't want to eat or drink for days.
"He only survived as the vet put him on an IV and I got tiny amounts of canned chicken soup in him every two hours after four or five days.
"I think it's more than one person, since dogs were poisoned in the local park some months ago, following a complaint over barking.
"It seems to be a problem with a group of people who support each other in that kind of behaviour for expressing discontentment."
Oldpark DUP councillor Dale Pankhurst said that pet owners in the area should remain vigilant.
He said: “This is the latest in a string of pet poisonings in the area which are utterly abhorrent and must be condemned. It takes a particularly evil kind of depravity for any individual to deliberately set out with the intention of poisoning defenceless animals.
"I would appeal for anyone with information to contact the police and urge pet owners to be extra vigilant.”
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Mass Poisoning
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Myanma Airways Flight 635 crash
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Myanmar Airways Flight 635 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Yangon to Tachileik in eastern Myanmar that was operated by a Fokker F-27 Friendship (registration XY-AEN) owned by Myanmar's flag carrier Myanma Airways. On 24 August 1998, during its descent to Tachileik the flight went missing over a hill approximately two miles (3.2 km) from the airport. Search and rescue team later found the wreckage of the aircraft. The accident killed all 36 passengers and crew. [1]
Flight UB635 took off at around 08:30 UTC, flying from Myanmar's former capital Yangon to Tachileik, a town located near the Myanmar-Thailand border in eastern Myanmar with 36 passengers and crew members. The passengers were mostly members from the Myanmar military. It was a two hour flight and it was scheduled to land in Tachilek Airport at 02:00 UTC. The flight however missed its schedule and was declared missing by authorities. [2]
Myanmar officials contacted Thai authorities to assist with the search operation of the flight. Thailand's aide to the army chief Col. Nipat Thonglek stated that the crew members had at least twice contacted the airport for poor visibility during their descent to the airport. The flight might have been diverted to nearby Heho Airport in Myanmar or Chiang Mai Airport in Thailand, but officials from both airports claimed that neither of them had heard or seen any signs from the aircraft. Workers from Bangkok International Airport also stated that there were no signs that the aircraft had entered Thai airspace and no emergency calls were received by the operators. [2]
On 25 August, a Myanmar official stated that Flight 635 had landed safely at an old airfield in Laos. He added that the passengers and crews were "OK" and that the aircraft was able to be flown back to Yangon by the next day. [2]
However, on 27 August, Laos Foreign Ministry denied the reports made by Myanmar officials two days earlier that the plane had landed safely in northern Laos. Myanmar's Foreign Ministry stated that the search was resumed. Later that day, Myanmar officials announced that they had been informed by the Laotian government that the aircraft had crashed in northern Laos, with no details provided on the fate of the passengers and crews. [2]
On 28 August, Myanmar officials retracted their statement that the aircraft had crashed in northern Laos, stating that the aircraft had crashed in Myanmar's territory. The wreckage was found by search party at 02:00 a.m local time, in a mountainous and densely forested area. Government officials announced that all 36 bodies had been found. Everyone on board, including 4 crew members and 3 babies, were killed in the crash. [2]
A news report from Bangkok Post stated that several people had actually survived the crash, but were eventually killed by local villagers. It was reported that five people had survived the crash and were eventually tortured, gang-raped and murdered by the villagers. The paper quoted unnamed officials and witnesses from the crash site, stating that an air stewardess and a female university student were gang-raped, while the male survivors, who were military personnel, were tortured and punched by the ethnic Shan villagers. The infant was reportedly starved to death. Myanmar authorities stated that at least 14 Shan villagers had been questioned for the incident. [2]
Government officials initially stated that there were 39 passengers and crew members on board the flight. It was later revised to 36 passengers and crew members, including 3 infants. Most of those on board were members from the Myanmar military and their family members. Myanmar authorities stated that all on board were from Myanmar. Among the passengers were Tachileik police chief and senior officials from Tachileik. [2]
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Air crash
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Valley Fire (2018)
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The Valley Fire was a wildfire that burned near the community of Forest Falls in San Bernardino National Forest, including the San Gorgonio Wilderness in California, United States. The fire was reported on July 6, one of a handful of brush fires that started in the area due to high temperatures and dry conditions. The Valley Fire burned 1,350 acres (5 km2) before it was fully contained on October 22. [1] The fire impacted traffic on Highway 38 due to road closures and has caused evacuations of Forest Falls. The Valley Fire was reported on July 6 at 1:42 PM PDT, burning in a steep, inaccessible mountainside near Valley of the Falls Drive and Highway 38 in the San Bernardino National Forest. By the evening, the fire had grown to 1,000 acres (4 km2). Evacuation orders were put in place for the community of Forest Falls and portions of Highway 38 were closed. Fire crews focused on structure protection and security. [2] By the evening of July 7, the fire remained the same acreage and was five percent contained. However, the fire moved north and east into the San Gorgonio Wilderness. Thunderstorms caused debris flows on Highway 38, closing additional portions of the highway. [3]
The fire saw minimal growth on July 8. Rocks and burning material began rolling down hillsides, creating challenges for firefighters, which resulted in low containment. That evening, evacuation orders were lifted, however, additional road closures were put in place along Highway 38 and access to San Gorgonio Wilderness was closed. [4]
On July 15, 5 individuals were reported as being injured in the fire. [5] By July 30, the fire had consumed 1,350 acres (5 km2) and was 30 percent contained. The fire continued to remain active in steep and rugged terrain with helicopters dropping water on the fire and smoke remaining visible in the area. [1] On August 30, the Valley Fire was no longer producing any flames or smoke and remained at 1,350 acres (5.5 km2), while containment had increased to 82%. On October 22, the Valley Fire was declared to be 100% contained, following significant rainfall from a storm system on October 13. [1]
The Valley Fire directly impacted the community of Forest Falls and closed the San Gorgonio Wilderness. The fire caused the mandatory evacuation of the community of Forest Falls for two days. [2][4] Inland Leaders Charter School served as the evacuation center. [3]
The fire was initially reported at the intersection of Valley of the Falls Drive and Highway 38. This led to major impacts regarding traffic on the highway, a large portion of which was closed to traffic. [2] On the fire's second day, expanded areas of Highway 38 were closed due to a debris flow caused by a thunderstorm. [3]
Numerous recreation sites were closed in San Bernardino National Forest due to the fire, including picnic areas, and three trails. [3] Additionally, all trails into San Gorgonio Wilderness were closed. [4] Target shooting the national forest was restricted, with only three shooting ranges remaining open due to the restrictions. [6]
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Fire
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Packers' Randall Cobb: Recovering from core muscle surgery
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Cobb underwent core muscle surgery last week with the hope he'll recover in time for the postseason, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports. Cobb exited the Packers ' last game Week 12 against the Rams with what was termed a groin issue. With the benefit of a bye, the Packers weren't required to disclose any details of the injury until this week, but coach Matt LaFleur touched on Cobb on Thursday, stating the veteran wide receiver "is going to be out for awhile. He had a pretty significant injury." Cobb seems poised to land on injured reserve in due time, but the team may wait to make the transaction official until he's well into his rehab, considering the 21-day practice window aspect once the team designates him for return.
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Famous Person - Recovered
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Ansett-ANA Flight 149 crash
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On 22 September 1966 a Vickers Viscount departed from Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia for a 73-minute flight to Longreach. Forty-four minutes after takeoff a fire started in one of the engines. The crew were unable to extinguish the fire or feather the propeller so made an emergency descent with the intention of landing at Winton, a small town along the route. The fire spread to the fuel tank and weakened the wing structure so that a large part of the left wing broke away and the aircraft crashed. All twenty-four occupants were killed. [1][2] The accident remains the fifth-worst in Australia's civil aviation history. [3]
Ansett-ANA Flight 149, a Vickers Viscount registered VH-RMI, took off from Mount Isa at 12:08 pm Eastern Standard Time and climbed to an altitude of 17,500 feet (5 334 m) for the flight of 316 nautical miles (585 km) to Longreach. [4] On board were two pilots, two air hostesses and twenty passengers. [1][2]
At 12:52 pm the Flight Service Unit at Longreach heard a radio transmission from the crew of Flight 149 saying they were making an emergency descent. [Note 1] Two minutes later the crew notified Longreach they had a fire warning for number 2 engine and had been unable to feather the propeller. At 12:59 pm Longreach received a message relayed by the crew of a Douglas DC-3[Note 2] saying fire in the engine nacelle was visible to the crew of Flight 149 and they were diverting to land at Winton airport, 92 nautical miles (171 km) from Longreach. [6][7][8]
At 1:03 pm when only 13.5 nautical miles (25 km) from the airport[Note 3] VH-RMI crashed on Nadjayamba Station and was engulfed in flames. [2]
Clouds of black smoke were observed by several people on agricultural properties to the west of Winton. One was a station hand working on the tower of a windmill. He was aware of the noise of an aircraft in the distance. The noise suddenly stopped so he looked up and saw a cloud of black smoke in the sky. Two burning objects were falling from the smoke towards the ground. When one of the falling objects struck the ground he saw a bright flash followed by a rising column of black smoke. [5] A number of people in Winton observed the cloud of black smoke in the air to the west of the town, followed by two columns of dense black smoke rising from ground level. [9]
The main wreckage consisting of the forward fuselage, right wing, inner part of the left wing and number 2, 3 and 4 engines was badly burned. A short distance away were the tail and rear fuselage aft of the rear cabin door, both unburned and with little damage. Scattered about were bodies, passenger seats, pieces of cabin flooring, and sections of fuselage structure, some with cabin windows and cabin lining. The bodies of eleven of the passengers were unburned and still strapped to their seats. The bodies of the two air hostesses and three other passengers were found free of their seats. The bodies of six passengers and the two pilots were incinerated in the main wreckage. The outer part of the left wing and number 1 engine were about 900 yards (820 m) away from the main wreckage. [9]
On the morning after the crash a team of 22 members of the Department of Civil Aviation reached Winton to investigate the accident. The crash site on Nadjayamba Station was flat and dry, with only a few trees. [9] Investigation was difficult because most of the aircraft was destroyed in the impact and subsequent fire. [6] After two weeks of investigation at the crash site, most of the wreckage was catalogued and secured in crates. The crates were transported to Melbourne, where an empty wool store was hired for the purpose of laying out all items of wreckage in their original position in the aircraft. [9]
The aircraft was equipped with an early-model flight data recorder, so this was the first accident investigation in Australia to be aided by information from such a recorder. [10] Housed in the forward belly locker, the recorder was damaged in the crash and subsequent fire, but it provided sufficient information to allow reconstruction of the aircraft's flight path until the moment of impact. [9][11][12] The aircraft was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder. [Note 4][13][14]
The investigation eventually determined that the rotors in the cabin pressurisation blower on number 2 engine began to break up, resulting in severe vibration that loosened the nuts securing the oil metering unit to the blower and allowed oil to escape freely. [Note 5] The rear bearing of one of the rotors also came free, so the rotor gyrated, causing metal-to-metal contact and great heat. The blower was located aft of the firewall, and a fire started in the rear of the nacelle when the escaping oil was ignited by contact with the hot metal in the damaged blower. The fire burned the engine control rods, preventing feathering of the propeller. Burning oil flowed into the wheel bay and from there into the leading edge of the left wing, where the fire breached the wall of a fuel tank. [Note 6] The abundant supply of fuel caused the fire to spread throughout much of the left wing and become so intense it caused softening of aluminium alloy and loss of strength of the upper boom (or upper flange) in the wing spar. [17] The spar was critically weakened in the region between number 1 and 2 engines. [18]
With the aircraft at a height between 3,500 feet (1 067 m) and 4,000 feet (1 220 m) the outer part of the left wing folded upwards and the remainder of the aircraft rolled to the left to meet it. [18] The propeller of number 1 engine slashed the roof of the cabin before the detached part of the left wing separated from the remainder of the aircraft. [6][10] With the roof slashed open, the airstream entered the fuselage and peeled away large segments of the cabin roof. The fuselage disintegrated aft of the propeller slash. Passengers and passenger seats from the rear of the cabin were ejected into the airstream, some passing through the ball of fire created by fuel from the severed left wing. [19] The tail and rear fuselage aft of the rear cabin door remained intact but broke away from the rest of the fuselage. [9]
The investigation was the longest and most detailed of any aircraft accident investigation conducted in Australia. [9] It concluded that the probable cause of the accident was:
The means of securing the oil metering unit to the no. 2 cabin blower became ineffective and this led to the initiation of a fire within the blower, which propagated to the wing fuel tank and substantially reduced the strength of the main spar upper boom.
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Air crash
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Agile Spirit 2021: multinational military exercise to host 2,500 NATO allied, partner troops in Georgia
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Of the military personnel, about 700 are U.S. service members, around 1,600 are Georgian personnel, and approximately 250 are from other participating nations. Photo: Georgian Defence Ministry press office Georgia will host the Agile Spirit 2021 multinational exercise next week involving 2,500 troops from 15 NATO allied and partner countries in Georgia between July 26 and August 6. Agile Spirit is a Georgian Defence Forces and US Army Europe and Africa cooperatively-led, joint multinational brigade-level exercise, incorporating a simulated command post exercise, field training, and joint multinational, battalion-level combined arms live-fire exercises. Approximately 2,500 military personnel from 15 allied and partner forces will participate from the following nations: Georgia (host nation), Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Italy, and Azerbaijan. This will be the 10th Agile Spirit exercise, which initially was an annual US Marine Forces Europe exercise between US and the Georgian military forces, but in 2018 transformed into a biennial US Army Europe and Africa exercise, part of US European Command’s Joint Exercise Program. Two major objectives have stayed consistent throughout each iteration - increasing interoperability among participating nation militaries and strengthening regional security cooperation”, the US Army Europe and Africa says. Georgia-produced Didgori 1 and Didgori Medevac military vehicles will take part in the multinational exercise for the first time. The defence ministry has announced that the movement will be temporarily restricted tomorrow at Senaki-Leselidze and Khashuri-Akhaltsikhe-Vale motorway as the vehicles will be driving from Senaki to Orpholo. At today's briefing, MoD Juansher Burchuladze assessed the importance of #AgileSpirit, a multinational exercise conducted with the @USArmyEURAF, 10th iteration of which will be held on Jul. 26 - Aug. 6 to strengthen the readiness of participant forces & foster regional security. pic.twitter.com/Wl4FxNOLbx Agile Spirit 2021 enhances US, Georgian, allied and regional partner forces’ readiness and interoperability in a realistic training environment. The exercise will take place in five training locations in Georgia: This year is the first time where a combined multinational airborne operation with participation from Georgia, United Kingdom, and Poland will occur. For the first time Special Operation Forces from Georgia, United States, United Kingdom, Romania and Poland will perform combined operations at Sorta Training area, Georgia. Georgia is hosting trilateral Eternity 2021 drills involving the country's defence forces alongside their counterparts from Azerbaijan and Turkey, in manoeuvres designed to hone capabilities for protecting strategic energy infrastructure in the South Caucasus. The Chief of Defence of Italy Enzo Vecciarelli, who has paid his first ever visit to Georgia, expressed his support to the country’s European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Following his meeting with Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze, the Italian General spoke about strengthening defence ties with his counterpart, Chief of Georgian Defence Forces, Major General Giorgi Matiashvili. The 10th Agile Spirit multinational exercise hosted by Georgia, involving 2,500 troops from 15 NATO allied and partner countries, came to an end earlier today. Agile Spirit, which is a Georgian Defence Forces and US Army Europe and Africa cooperatively-led, joint multinational brigade-level exercise, was held between July 26 and August 6. It covered a simulated command post exercise, field training, and joint multinational, battalion-level combined arms live-fire exercises. Georgian and American airborne troops deployed in "scale not seen before" at the ongoing Agile Spirit multinational drills in Georgia on Sunday, with defence minister Juansher Burchuladze praising the first-ever occasion at the anniversary edition of the exercise.
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Military Exercise
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Qalyoub train collision
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The Qalyoub train collision occurred at a converging junction in Qalyoub to the north of Cairo in Egypt on 21 August 2006, when two commuter trains collided during the morning rush hour, killing 58 people and injuring over 140. A passenger train from Mansoura passed a red signal and crashed into a stationary train that had come from Benha. Four passenger cars derailed in the accident, which closed the line in the country's Nile Delta region. The train was estimated to have been travelling at more than 50 mph (80 km/h) at the time of the collision. [1] The driver of the Mansoura service was amongst the dead. [2][3]
In the wake of the accident, Egyptian National Railways director Hanafi Abdel Qawi was dismissed[4] and 14 railway officials were later charged with gross negligence and jailed. [5] The prosecutor's office said the officials ignored repairing some technical equipment that control train signals. Egypt has a poor safety record on its railways and there are several fatal accidents each year, usually blamed on inadequately maintained equipment. [citation needed]
Families of each victim who died in the accident received compensation of £E5,000 (about $US870). Passengers who were injured will get £E1,000. Egypt is proposing to implement an upgrade project including some upgrade of its signalling. [6]
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Train collisions
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Rare 'super blood moon' eclipse should bring wonder, not apocalypse
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On Sunday night and early Monday morning, much of the Earth will witness a glorious heavenly event. The night of September 27-28 will showcase a lunar eclipse coupled with a "supermoon": a full moon that appears larger because it's at perigee, the closest point of its orbit with Earth. The concurrence is relatively rare, having not happened since 1982 . Though some observers are viewing the date with fear -- calling the eclipse a "blood moon" -- for astronomers and stargazers, the event is to be welcomed with celebration. "It's a beautiful sight in the nighttime sky," said Mark Hammergren, an astronomer at Chicago's Adler Planetarium . "It's a way of connecting us to the universe at large. It gives us this view that there's a bigger picture than just what we're concerned with in our daily lives." iReport: Share your supermoon eclipse images with us The entire eclipse, from first shadow to last, will be visible from most of the Americas -- including the eastern half of the United States -- Greenland, Western Europe, western Africa north of the equator and parts of Antarctica. Other portions of the world, including western North America, the rest of Europe and Africa and a swath of western Asia, will see most of the drama, though they'll miss the first or fading bites of the moon. What is the supermoon eclipse, where can I see it? In the United States, observatories are hosting a variety of festivities to showcase the eclipse and supermoon. The University of Nebraska Omaha is opening its Durham Science Center observatory and planetarium to the public , adding telescopes with smartphone adapters so visitors can take pictures. The Kopernik Observatory & Science Center near Binghamton, New York, the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and Hammergren's own Adler are planning moon parties for what the Cincinnati Observatory is calling "THE astronomical event of the year." Can't make it to a planetarium? NASA TV will have live eclipse coverage that you can watch in the comfort of your own home. Or you can walk outside. "You don't have to be anyplace special. If you can see the moon, you can just look up," said the Griffith's curator, Laura Danly. The Earth's shadow will start making its way across the moon at 8:11 p.m. ET. The total eclipse begins at 10:11 p.m. ET and will peak at 10:47 p.m. ET. The total eclipse will last about 72 minutes. A sign of turmoil? Hammergren points out that these astronomical events link humanity to history. We've been watching the skies for thousands of years, creating mythology, arriving at scientific discoveries and simply taking pleasure in the movement of celestial bodies. "Astronomy, in particular, is something that hooks us up to our most ancient roots," he said. For some, astronomy also provides clues to earthly futures -- and this particular "blood moon," as some end-times believers call the lunar eclipse for the reddish tint of the earth's shadow, is revealing of particularly troubled times to come. Doomsdays throughout time – From biblical times to the present, the end of the world has been anticipated many times. CNN asked Lorenzo DiTommaso, religion professor and author of the book "The Architecture of Apocalypticism," to describe end of the world predictions throughout history. Photos: Photos: Doomsdays throughout time Doomsdays throughout time – The Bible's book of Genesis tells how the wickedness and corruption of humankind saddens God to such a point that he unleashes a huge flood to wipe out almost all life on Earth. But before he does, he commands Noah to build an ark to save his family and two of each living creature -- one male, one female. The rain lasts 40 days and 40 nights, after which the floodwaters cover the Earth for 150 days. In some Christian views, Noah's flood was the deluge of the world by water, and it will be followed by future judgment and destruction by fire. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Doomsdays throughout time Doomsdays throughout time – The most famous Jewish apocalypse is the book of Daniel, the final part of which was written about 165 B.C. The book is both an apocalypse and apocalyptic. It contains predictions about the end of time and foretells the rise and fall of four great empires. Daniel chapters 2 and 7 claim the end will come after the fall of the fourth empire. Daniel 8 and 9 lay out specific timetables, while Daniel 12 offers a brief description of final judgment and a promise of individual resurrection. Along with the book of Revelation, Daniel has had great influence on subsequent apocalyptic speculation and end-time timetables. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Doomsdays throughout time Doomsdays throughout time – This final book of the New Testament dates from the last decade of the first century A.D. It describes the coming doom in great detail, laying out a sequence of plagues, pestilence, chaos and cosmic catastrophe. Its themes and images are an indelible part of the apocalyptic idiom. Some examples include the number 666 as the "mark of the beast," the expectation of a final battle (Armageddon) and a New Jerusalem that will descend from heaven. Unlike much apocalyptic literature, Revelation does not pinpoint a precise doomsday date. This has allowed people of later centuries to interpret the book's message in their own way and to believe, in some cases, that the end will come in their time. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Doomsdays throughout time Doomsdays throughout time – The "Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius" is arguably the most influential of hundreds of apocalyptic texts composed by Christians, Jews and Muslims during the Middle Ages. Written in Syriac (an Aramaic dialect), almost certainly in the seventh century, it was quickly translated into Greek, Latin and other languages. Pseudo-Methodius coincided with the rise of Islam, and its message comforted Christians living in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern lands. It promised the coming of an end-time emperor who would vanquish Muslims, confound the enemies of Christ and restore the glories of Rome. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Doomsdays throughout time Doomsdays throughout time – The Anabaptists were Reformation Christians in 16th- and 17th-century Europe. Melchior Hoffman, an Anabaptist visionary and prophet, proclaimed that a new era would begin in 1533. Strasbourg, now in France, would be the epicenter of the event and the location of the New Jerusalem. When the apocalypse didn't happen, some followers blamed flawed calculations. They said Munster, now in Germany, would be the second coming site, and this led to the Munster Rebellion of 1534-35, when Anabaptists tried to establish a radical theocracy in the city. The Amish and the Mennonites are among the groups that descended from the Anabaptists. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Doomsdays throughout time Doomsdays throughout time – Sabbatai Zevi, a young Kabbalah scholar, lived in Smyrna (now Izmir in Turkey). In 1648 he announced he was the long-awaited messiah. Jews believed the messiah would come that year and shepherd in the end of days. When 1648 came and went without incident, rabbis censured and then banished Sabbatai Zevi from Smyrna. He traveled for 15 years and adopted the Christian apocalyptic speculation that the end would come in 1666. Anticipating the overthrow of the sultan in Constantinople, he and his followers headed that way in early 1666, only to be imprisoned. Taken before the sultan, he converted to Islam on the spot, as did many followers, thereby ending his mass movement. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Doomsdays throughout time Doomsdays throughout time – The "Great Disappointment" was the most notorious example of a failed doomsday prophecy in American religious history. In the 1830s, after crunching numbers derived from biblical prophecy, Baptist preacher William Miller became convinced the end-time events and second coming of Jesus would occur between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844. When nothing happened, others recalculated and said the date would be October 22, 1844. The repeated failure of these apocalyptic predictions greatly disappointed evangelicals. Rather than suppress future apocalyptic speculations, however, the experience galvanized evangelical Christianity in the United States. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Doomsdays throughout time Doomsdays throughout time – "Marian Keech" (an alias used by sociologists who infiltrated her group) led a tiny doomsday sect. She had earlier been a part of L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics movement before he created Scientology. She claimed spiritual beings on the planets Cerus and Clarion told her a flood would destroy Chicago on December 21, 1954. A visitor would arrive at midnight on December 20 to take her group to a waiting spacecraft and salvation. When nothing appeared, she said the group's piety helped change God's mind. The incident inspired the book "When Prophecy Fails," introducing the public to the term cognitive dissonance, the mental turmoil provoked by holding contradictory ideas simultaneously. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Doomsdays throughout time Doomsdays throughout time – A 1966 pamphlet published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, an organization of the Jehovah's Witnesses, mentioned that the seventh period of human history, which was to last 1,000 years, would begin in 1975. Although never a part of official doctrine, the view that the world would end in 1975 came to be accepted by many members and profoundly affected the outlook and public activities of the religion. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Doomsdays throughout time Doomsdays throughout time – The Branch Davidians (a distant offshoot of the Seventh-day Adventist Church) became a household name when members killed four U.S. agents in a 1993 shootout at the group's compound near Waco, Texas. After a 51-day standoff, the FBI stormed the compound. An ensuing fire left nearly 80 Branch Davidians dead, including their leader and prophet David Koresh. During the standoff, Koresh worked to decipher the seven seals of the book of Revelation, which he thought would explain the group's situation. The Branch Davidians were one of several apocalyptic movements since the 1970s to result in tragedy, including Jim Jones' Peoples Temple. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Doomsdays throughout time Doomsdays throughout time – Marshall Herff Applewhite and Bonnie Lu Nettles founded a theology that blended biblical apocalypticism and science fiction. The Earth, they said, was a stepping stone to a higher evolutionary state. They were convinced the planet, which they likened to a garden, was so full of weeds that God (actually an alien from the evolutionary level above human) would plow it under, or recycle it. In March 1997, 39 members committed suicide in Rancho Santa Fe, outside San Diego, California, to escape the prophesized doom. They believed a spaceship, traveling alongside the comet Hale-Bopp, would transmit their souls to their evolutionary destination. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Doomsdays throughout time Doomsdays throughout time – Some Christians thought the end date would be May 21, 2011. That's when their biblical calculations told them the Rapture would occur, when the righteous remnant of the world's population would be saved. But that date would also bring an enormous earthquake, draw bodies up from graves and mark the beginning of five apocalyptic months before the world would finally end on October 21. The best-known proponent of this belief was Harold Camping, founder of Family Radio, a Christian broadcasting ministry. Camping previously claimed that the world would end on September 6, 1994. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Doomsdays throughout time Doomsdays throughout time – According to the 2012 theory, data recorded in the Mayan "Long Count" calendar suggested the present age would end on December 21, 2012. The 2012 prediction combines old-school apocalyptic notions with a nonbiblical (Mayan) timetable. Some expected a cosmic calamity on the order of Revelation. Others anticipated an alignment of the planets or the sudden inclusion of a new celestial body. Still others thought 2012 would usher in a spiritual transformation. The Internet -- not to mention Hollywood -- played a huge role in shaping the 2012 message, allowing people around the world to participate in what became a global, multicultural phenomenon. Hide Caption The eclipse is said to be the last of a "tetrad," four consecutive total lunar eclipses, each separated by six lunar months, that took place on Jewish holidays. (The first three in the current series took place April 15, 2014; October 8, 2014; and April 4, 2015.) Some Christian ministers have theorized that the sequence has earth-shaking significance, noting that other tetrads took place in key years in history, including 1492 (Jewish expulsion from Spain) and 1948 (a Mideast war). In promotion for his 2013 book "Four Blood Moons," Christian minister John Hagee claimed that the tetrad was a signal being sent by God . "The coming four blood moons points to a world-shaking event that will happen between April 2014 and October 2015," he said. And Mark Blitz, head of El Shaddai Ministries and the author of "Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs," says God is trying to get humanity's attention -- and we ignore it at our peril. "There are always the naysayers and the agnostics when it comes to God trying to reach mankind in His urgent message to repent," he told World News Daily , which has been charting the eclipse's arrival with headlines such as " 'Blood Moons' expert: Get on God's calendar" and "Coming solar eclipse seen as 'judgment.' " "Here we have had four total lunar eclipses in a row on Passover and Tabernacles," he said. "And just look what is happening in the world today!" Skeptics have pointed out that claims made of "blood moons" -- a term that has arisen only in the past few years, Hammergren says -- should be taken with at least a few grains of salt . After all, their coincidence with Jewish holidays is logical, since the Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, and some tetrads' occurrence in significant historical years is an example of confirmation bias: looking for connections that fit preconceived notions. "Some people look at it as being a portent of doom. That is not uncommon," said the Griffith's Danly. "But it really isn't. It is the alignment of the sun and the moon." Added the Adler's Hammergren, "People have been predicting the end of the world for thousands of years in recorded history, and not a single time has that come about." 'It's a great entry point' One prediction that's still being refined is one of the most basic: the weather. On Sunday afternoon, CNN Weather reported that viewing conditions will be poor in the Southeast with low visibility stretching along the Gulf Coast up into parts of the Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic. New England will be the exception in the East, with clear skies mostly north of Massachusetts. The Midwest through most of the lower Central Plains should offer fair to good conditions for viewing, but a front is expected to move through the Northern Plains, bringing clouds to the front's boundary from Minnesota through the Dakotas. Out West, where the eclipse will be partial, clear conditions are expected. Hammergren points out the supermoon eclipse is one of those events best viewed with the naked eye (though binoculars can come in handy), so anywhere there's a clear sky will do the trick.
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New wonders in nature
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Murfreesboro police: Possible road rage incident sends 3 people to hospital
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MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — Murfreesboro police are investigating a possible road rage incident involving a motorcyclist and SUV that injured several people. According to police, the SUV flipped after it crashed into a City of Murfreesboro Rover bus just before 6 p.m. Friday. The crash occurred on Northwest Broad Street in front of the Bumpus Harley Davidson. The driver of the SUV told officers a motorcyclist pointed a gun at him on I-840 and he followed the motorcyclist until he ended up colliding with the Rover bus and his car flipped onto its roof. The bus crashed into a utility pole. No passengers were riding the bus at the time. Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department firefighters stabilized the overturned SUV and helped the occupants get out of the vehicle, including a mother, father, and their 9-year-old daughter. The mother, daughter, and bus driver were taken to the hospital. All were alert and talking. The 9-year-old was later transported to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital by a LifeFlight helicopter. The SUV driver was not injured but received a citation for reckless driving and officers obtained a warrant for reckless endangerment for chasing after the motorcyclist. Police were not able to locate the motorcycle rider. Bumpus Harley Davidson was hosting a bikers event in the parking lot at the time of the crash, but no bystanders were hurt.
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Road Crash
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2015 Kohler Strike
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The 2015 Kohler Strike is the fourth strike in the 142-year-old history of the Kohler Company in Kohler, Wisconsin. In December 2010, the Kohler Company and United Auto Workers Local 833 reached agreement on a new five-year labor contract, that covered approximately 2,300 union workers at the company's two Sheboygan County, Wisconsin manufacturing locations. The contract passed 1,152 to 717, with 62 percent of union members voting to ratify the deal and 38 percent voting no. Throughout negotiations, Kohler Company officials insisted labor concessions were needed as the company's Sheboygan County manufacturing plants are easily the company's most expensive to operate, and products produced there are no longer competitive. [1]
The deal included a five-year wage freeze, higher health care premiums and the creation of a two-tiered wage and benefit system. It also allowed for the limited use of temporary workers. [2]
The first Kohler Company strike, which began in 1934, lasted seven years and resulted in the shooting deaths of two strikers during a riot outside the company’s factory. [3] The second strike was in 1954 and lasted 6 years. It was marred by acts of violence and vandalism. The third strike, which occurred in 1983 and lasted several weeks, saw car windows smashed by demonstrators and two union members injured by a motorist who drove his vehicle through a picket line. The Board of Directors of the Kohler Company elected David Kohler the company president and CEO on April 29, 2015, passing leadership of the family business to Herbert Kohler, Sr. grandson. [4] The 76 year old Herbert Kohler, Jr. would continue as company chairman and would oversee the company's hospitality and real estate group. [5]
On November 11, 2015, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported negotiations between the company and the United Auto Workers were continuing, but with a deadline laid down by the union approaching, the two sides were "not even close to an agreement," said Tim Tayloe, president of UAW Local 833. [6]
On November 13, workers held an informational picket[7] outside the Kohler Company owned-and-operated The American Club ahead of a possible strike. On November 14, the Kohler Company released its "last, best and final offer. "[8][9]
On the morning of November 15, 2015, an estimated 1,800 UAW Union members attended a meeting at Sheboygan South High School. 94 percent voted down the proposed Kohler Company proposal and approving a strike. [10] The second day of the strike on November 16 began with workers marching 1.58 miles from Emil Mazey Hall in the Town of Sheboygan to the Kohler Company Headquarters. [11][12] Closed entrances to the company campus caused traffic congestion for morning commute with traffic backed up into nearby cities of Sheboygan and Sheboygan Falls. About 150 union employees were blocking the only company entrance as of 6 a.m. and preventing non-union employees from entering. [13] Three days into the strike on November 17, Sheboygan County Judge James Bolgert issued a temporary injunction barring picketers from interfering with traffic near Kohler Company property. [14] The temporary injunction issued Tuesday bars demonstrators from interfering with traffic on public roads and with vehicles entering or leaving Kohler Co. property. It also restricts picketers from seizing and occupying Kohler property, including driveways. [15][16][17] On the fourth day of the strike, UAW Local 833 told Wisconsin Public Radio that the company has not responded to a request for more contract talks. [18]
During the first week of the strike, the Village of Kohler has also asked for help from the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office and the neighboring Sheboygan Falls Police Department with traffic control. [19]
On the seventh day of the strike, union members and supporters held mass picket in support of striking Kohler Company workers on November 21 during company's American Club hosts its popular Wisconsin Holiday Market. [20] The street in front of the American Club and the Kohler Company headquarters was closed to traffic during the picket. [21]
After 32 days, the strike ended as UAW Local 833 and Kohler struck a deal which was ratified by 91% of the union. The deal secured wage increases for Tier A and B employees, narrowing the pay gap between new hires and older workers. Pension benefits were improved and healthcare premium increases were minimized. [22]
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Strike
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Microplastics found in Great Barrier Reef wild-caught fish, new research reveals
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Microplastics have been detected in wild-caught fish from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, researchers report. A study conducted by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in Townsville is the first study to report the detection of man-made fibres in the intestines of coral trout, a commercially important reef fish, in the first sign marine debris is entering the animals' food chain.
The research published in Nature found 115 items of waste in the gut of 19 juvenile coral trout caught at Lizard, Orpheus, Heron and One Tree Islands on the Great Barrier Reef.
AIMS marine ecologist Frederieke Kroon said the long-term effects of the pollution were unclear at this stage.
"In our study, the condition of the coral trout did not appear to be affected by the abundance of ingested microdebris," she said.
Dr Kroon said the effect of the ingested plastics on spawning rates and viability of the fishery was unknown at this point.
"We do not know whether there could be any longer-term effects on coral trout reproduction or mortality."
The quota for commercial fishing of coral trout was recently restored to pre-2014 levels, when an alarming decline in stocks led to a reduction in the total allowable catch figure by the Queensland Government.
The findings of the study will be used to improve knowledge of exactly what microplastic fibres are commonly ingested by fish, with evidence showing semi-synthetic fibres like rayon found more often than wholly artificial fibres like polyester.
The origin of the plastics has not been confirmed, meaning it could be land-based or from shipping traffic through the Great Barrier Reef.
The plastic-free movement has led to the removal of single-use items like cutlery from many coastal businesses in recent months, with Plastic Free Noosa claiming to have recently removed 1.4 million items from circulation in 2018 through a voluntary program to replace plastics with compostable material.
While the process has been welcomed by environmental groups, the Australian Marine Conservation Council (AMCS) wants legislation to enforce such change.
Great Barrier Reef campaign director Imogen Zethoven said the Federal Government should work to reduce the estimated 5 trillion pieces of plastic in the oceans.
"AMCS would like to see the Australian Government introduce a 70 per cent reduction of plastic pollution entering our waterways and reaching our oceans by 2020, commencing immediately with a ban on single-use plastics by 2023," she said.
"[The research] is a great concern. More research needs to be done to examine the consequences of the pollution on human health and the long-term effects on the coral trout."
Campaigns to move away from single use plastic are active in developed nations like Australia, with conservationists adamant reducing their use will assist in cutting plastic waste flowing to the coastline.
AMCS has also welcomed the expansion of 10 cent container recycling incentives, recently rolled out in New South Wales and Queensland.
"We expect the rate of recycling of these containers to increase up to 50 per cent, reaching similar rates like in South Australia where the return rate is over 80 per cent," Ms Zethoven said.
Peak fishing body Seafood Industry Australia has backed calls for more research into the microplastic scourge.
CEO Jane Lovell said the research was a cause for concern for the environment and fishermen reliant on healthy wild-catch stocks.
"The study's authors made note that the fish were not affected by the micro-debris, but we'd like to see more research done looking at what the long-term effect, if any, is on ingesting plastics is on spawning and fish mortality," Ms Lovell said.
"Really, this needs to be seen as a call to the community to be really conscious of the amount of plastics they are consuming, how they are consuming it and most importantly how they are disposing of it. It comes back to the age-old mantra to 'reduce, reuse, recycle'."
Ms Lovell urged Australians to take responsibility for the condition of oceans and make efforts to reduce consumption of single-use plastics.
"People need to take responsibility for their own consumption of plastics and take the steps to make changes, irrespective of plastic-bans and legislative enforcements," Ms Lovell said.
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Environment Pollution
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Air Bagan Flight 11 crash
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Air Bagan Flight 11 was a scheduled domestic flight of a Fokker 100 twinjet from Yangon to Heho, Myanmar, that on 25 December 2012 crash-landed short of the runway at Heho Airport in fog, coming to a stop in a paddy field and bursting into flames. One of the 71 passengers and a motorcyclist on the ground were killed; ten more people were seriously injured. [1][2][3]
The Fokker 100 had departed Yangon International Airport in the morning of 25 December on its first leg to Mandalay International Airport. The aircraft was refuelled at Mandalay, and at 08:26 local time departed towards Heho Airport. The first officer was designated as the Pilot Flying for the leg. [4]
On approaching Heho, the air traffic control passed to the crew the local weather conditions as wind calm, visibility 3000 m and "distinct fog." At about 08:47 local time, the crew initiated a non-precision NDB approach procedure to Heho's runway 36. [4]
During the final inbound track, the aircraft descended prematurely, and at about 1.7 km (0.9 nmi) from the runway threshold it struck power lines and trees, before colliding with terrain across a road. In the collision, both wings separated and a fire quickly broke out. An emergency evacuation was carried out. One aircraft occupant and a passing motorcyclist were fatally injured. [4]
The aircraft's flight recorders were sent to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau for analysis. [5] Initial statements by the authorities suggested that the pilots mistook a road for the airport's runway in low visibility. [6][7]
However, the final report concluded that the primary cause of the accident was the crew's decision to descend below the approach procedure's minimum descent altitude of 530 ft without having the runway in sight. At that point, the airline's standard operating procedure would have called for an aborted landing to be immediately initiated. [4]
The report cited as contributory factors the captain's inadequate risk assessment in designating the first officer as pilot flying for the approach in the given weather conditions, and an increased pressure on the flight crew to complete the landing due to the presence of other aircraft on approach to Heho at the time. Three safety recommendations were made. [4]
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Air crash
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Aeroflot Flight 1691 crash
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Aeroflot Flight 1691 crashed near Moscow Vnukovo Airport on 17 March 1979 killing 58 of the 119 people on board. The Tupolev Tu-104B operating the flight was overloaded and the crew received a false fire alarm. Flight 1691 was due to leave for Odessa at 8:15 local time, but was delayed due to adverse weather conditions at both Odessa and Vnukovo. The Tupolev eventually took off at 19:32 local time. Five seconds after liftoff, the left engine fire alarm sounded in the cockpit. The plane continued climbing, and conducted a series of four turns back towards Vnukovo. The flaps were then deflected by 20 degrees. It then entered the glideslope at 360m and was 50m left of the runway centerline. The aircraft descended rapidly and 2.5 seconds before first impact, the crew moved the throttles to takeoff thrust and left them there, but this did nothing to save the aircraft. The first collision was the left main landing gear with some cables on a road near Vnukovo. The aircraft collided with the ground 1548 metres from the runway threshold. The left engine was torn from the aircraft as it rolled over and a fire broke out. 57 passengers and one stewardess were killed. The board found that the plane was overloaded. Other factors included the lack of communication between the crew and the false fire alarm caused by a mismatch of parts in the engine.
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Air crash
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2020 Guyanese protests
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The 2020 Guyanese protests were mass protests and rioting against the results of the 2020 Guyanese general election in March 2020 in Guyana and claimed there was electoral voter fraud during the campaigns, calling for the end of the political crisis and the resignation of President David Granger, yet fresh elections. [1]
Guyana has a long history of protest actions, such as the disturbances and demonstrations in 1962–1963 against working conditions and demands for reforms grew. Riots and popular unrest in 1964 countrywide left at least 110 dead and no concessions was made. This time, the government dispersed protesters and didn't tolerate any acts of disobedience. [2]
Dissenters marches, protest rallies, strikes, labour protests, demonstrations, unrest, rioting, civil disobedience movement, significant discontent and campaigns for new elections led by the opposition turned violent. Turmoil spilled onto the streets and turned was burned. [3]
Schoolchildren and young students participated in the protests, burning tyres and sticks, chanting anti-government slogans and demanded fresh votes in Berbice. Police used tear gas and killed an 18-year-old unemployed man in the city as protesters ramped the protests. [4][failed verification]
3 days of popular protests and citywide demonstrations turned violent. Berbice was the epicentre of protests where protesters demanded the overhaul of the elections over electoral fraud and ‘rigging’ of the elections. The rioting had turned deadly. [5]
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Carbon monoxide poisoning may be to blame for 3 deaths in SW Albuquerque
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Updated: February 17, 2021 05:33 PM
Created: February 17, 2021 03:02 PM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.- The Albuquerque Police Department is waiting on the autopsy reports to find out how three people died in a southwest Albuquerque home.
Police said a homeowner called 911 after finding a body inside a car, in the garage of his rental home.
When police arrived, they found two more bodies inside the house.
Police said there were strong car fumes inside the garage, and inside the home.
Police believe carbon monoxide poisoning may be to blame.
Albuquerque Fire Rescue said they respond to more carbon monoxide poisoning cases when temperatures drop.
They say people can protect themselves by doing the following:
Check carbon monoxide detectors regularly
Avoid using a gas stove to heat a home
Do not leave a car running in a closed garage
"Your car does emit carbon monoxide so if you do or you are warming up your car in your garage, make sure you open up your door to let those fumes, that carbon monoxide out because it can become toxic," said AFR Lt. Tom Ruiz.
AFR said a kerosene heater is a better alternative if a home's heater goes out. However, Ruiz reminds people to keep any heater at least three feet from flammable objects like curtains or blankets.
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Mass Poisoning
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4 people sent to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning, WFPS issues warning
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WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service is issuing a warning after four people were evacuated from a home filled with carbon monoxide.
According to the WFPS, on Friday at 1:05 p.m., first responders were called to a medical emergency at a home on Maralbo Avenue East near St. Mary’s Road.
When crews arrived at the house, portable carbon monoxide alarms attached to their equipment activated, alerting them to the presence of carbon monoxide in the home. WFPS said the monitors found levels of 80 parts per million (ppm) within the residence.
All four residents of the home were immediately evacuated. WFPS said they were treated by on-scene paramedics and all taken to hospital in stable condition.
DANGERS OF CARBON MONOXIDE
As a result of the incident WFPS is reminding residents about the extreme danger of carbon monoxide, a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas produced by the combustion process.
The fire service says carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms are flu-like and include nausea, dizziness, confusion, vision and hearing loss, but no fever.
To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, the WFPS recommends:
Never idling vehicles in an attached garage, even if the door is open.
Having fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, wood-burning fireplaces, and gas dryers cleaned and checked annually by a qualified service technician.
Ensuring all fresh air intake vents, exhaust vents, and chimneys are clear of snow, insulation, leaves, bird nests, lint, and debris.
Making sure wood stoves are properly installed and vented.
Not operating gasoline-powered engines, charcoal or propane barbecues or grills, or kerosene stoves, indoors or in enclosed spaces.
The WFPS strongly encourages people to install a carbon monoxide alarm on every floor of their home and test them regularly. It asks that if you suspect carbon monoxide in your home or an alarm activates, you exit immediately and then call 911.
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Mass Poisoning
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St Bedes Junction rail crash
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St. Bedes Junction lies between Jarrow and Bede Metro stations on what was the North Eastern Railway line between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields. From the junction, a mineral line descends on a gradient of 1 in 100 to Tyne Dock Bottom. On 17 December 1915, in the early morning in fog, a goods train ran out onto the main line past St Bedes signalbox having been banked in the rear up the incline by a six-coupled tank engine. The banking engine, uncoupled, dropped away from the goods train and came to a stand on the up main line, but was not seen by the signalman. Shortly afterwards, the signalman accepted the 07:05 passenger train from South Shields to Newcastle on the up line and the 06:58 empty stock train from Hebburn to South Shields. The passenger train collided with the rear of the banking engine at 30 mph, telescoping the two leading coaches. Almost immediately the empty stock train collided with the wreckage, killing the fireman. The gas-lit passenger coaches were consumed by fire, killing 18. The signalman's failure to notice that the goods train had been banked was the primary cause of the disaster. But also at fault was the driver of the banking engine who stood for 17 minutes before obeying Rule 55 and sending his fireman back to the signalbox, by which time it was too late to avert the accident. The continued use of gas-lighting also contributed to the severity of the accident and a circular was sent to all railway companies stressing the importance of replacing gas with electric lighting.
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Train collisions
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Withdrawing from UNESCO: Symbolism and Next Steps
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On October 12, 2017, the United States announced its withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), citing a perceived anti-Israel bias and a politicized organizational mission. In general, UNESCO’s stated purpose is “coordinating international cooperation in education, science, culture, and communication.” UNESCO is well-known for many of its activities, not least of which is its Holocaust education programs and its designation of world heritage sites around the globe. Although the United States is a founding member of UNESCO, this is not the first time it has withdrawn from the organization. The United States withdrew in the 1980s under President Reagan because of a perceived Soviet bias and mismanagement of the organization as a whole. The United States rejoined UNESCO in 2002 under President George W. Bush. In 2011, the United States suspended dues payments after the United Nations voted to accept Palestine as a full member state. Under a U.S. law passed in 1990, the United States is prohibited from funding any U.N. agency “which accords the Palestine Liberation Organization the same standing as member states.” As a result, the United States is behind on its UNESCO dues to the tune of approximately $550 million. Following the UNESCO withdrawal announcement, it is certainly reasonable to view this as just the latest—and entirely predictable—instance of the United States withdrawing from the international stage in favor of an inward-looking, “America First” policy. The act of withdrawing from UNESCO on the basis of its now politicized mission could also easily manifest into further politicizing of UNESCO’s mission by creating a self-perpetuating, self-fulfilling prophecy; when countries cede their membership and influence, policies the United States views as problematic are more likely to exist, which will then provide further support to the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw when later viewed with the benefit of hindsight. One commentator argues, however, that UNESCO’s mission has long been subverted and that the organization’s gross mismanagement shows no signing of abating, notwithstanding the United States’ extensive efforts to reform UNESCO over the years. Withdrawing from UNESCO certainly presents a political win in the eyes of President Trump’s domestic base because it eliminates what many view as a sizeable financial obligation to a poorly managed, largely toothless organization focused on priorities unimportant to the United States. As an observing member, the United States could easily distance itself from any of UNESCO’s controversial decisions, as well as any of UNESCO’s managerial scandals or poor programming. Unfortunately, these views overlook some of the complexities around multilateral maneuvering between organizations that comprise the United Nations. The Trump administration should have used the threat of withdrawal as leverage to achieve the type of Israel-Palestine engagement the United States desires to lead. Simply threatening to withdraw its UNESCO funding might not have worked, however, as the United States hasn’t paid dues for years. Rather, the United States could have used the threat of withdrawal as a tool to extract structural changes within UNESCO, to achieve greater transactional transparency, and perhaps to gain further support for projects associated with the protection of cultural property within Iraq and Syria.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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Suspect photos revealed as East Point police investigate fatal shooting
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Juan Lopez's sister recalls her sibling "begging for his life" over the phone just before his death.
Author: Hunter Boyce
Published: 6:13 PM EST December 14, 2021
Updated: 7:13 PM EST December 14, 2021
EAST POINT, Ga. — Juan Lopez was shot and killed in East Point the night after Thanksgiving . Now East Point Police Chief Shawn Buchanan has come forward with suspect photos and a message on the case.
The East Point Criminal Investigations Division released footage and photos of a suspect in a grey hoody. A man can be seen walking in a Waffle House parking lot on Washington Road near the crime scene shortly after the shooting.
"This was a random act of violence that can not be tolerated and will not be tolerated in this city," Buchanan said in a press conference, asking for anyone with information on this case to contact detectives at 404-761-2177 or Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS.
"I spoke with the lead detective in this case," Buchanan said. "They have made great lead ways in this case."
On Saturday, November 26, 2021 at approximately 6:30 pm East Point officers were dispatched to 2919 East Point St.,...
Posted by East Point Police Department on Tuesday, December 14, 2021
East Point's top officer added that the Lopez family is on his mind during the investigation.
"They assured me they are close to an arrest," Buchanan said. "So I want the Lopez family to know I am very concerned about them, and we are working this case very diligently to bring them justice."
Buchanan explained that he hopes the newly released photos will expedite the investigation and lead to an arrest.
"The reason I released that photo is very simple," Buchanan said. "I want to make sure you have no place to hide. When someone sees you, they are going to call the police. I want you in prison. I want you in prison now."
On Nov. 26, Lopez was speaking to his sister over the phone while getting cash from an ATM. Lopez's sister remembers hearing gunshots and the voices of multiple men on the call. It was the last time she would speak to her brother.
East Point Police reported that Lopez was shot by one of the suspects, who left the scene in a silver car. Police responded to the shooting at 2919 East Point St. at approximately 6:30 p.m., ultimately coordinating for Lopez to be transported to Grady Memorial Hospital. He ultimately succumbed to his injuries. Lopez leaves behind a loving family, including a one-year-old child.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Investigate
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Stunning images of Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland
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Mount Fagradalsfjall – a volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula – began to erupt on the evening of March 19, 2021, the Icelandic Meteorological Office reported. The eruption produced a river of lava that could be seen from the capital city of Reykjavik, 20 miles (30 km) away. While small in comparison to other recent eruptions in Iceland , the event was bright and large enough to be seen by satellites orbiting hundreds of kilometers above the planet. This is the first eruption in the Reykjanes peninsula in nearly 800 years, the Associated Press reported . Thousands of small earthquakes in February and earlier this month on the Reykjanes peninsula had experts warning that magma was moving beneath the ground and could soon erupt. Late last Friday (March 19), an eruption officially began, as lava broke through the surface near Fagradalsfjall, one of several shield volcanoes on the peninsula. Iceland is among the most volcanically active places in the world, with roughly one eruption every five years, not including submarine eruptions. Iceland borders the Arctic Circle where it straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge , a crack on the ocean floor separating the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates . The shifting of these plates is in part responsible for Iceland’s intense volcanic activity. The Icelandic Met Office notes that dangers from this eruption are currently limited to the vicinity of the eruption site and nearby valleys. Unhealthy air from the volcanic gases isn’t significantly affecting people living elsewhere on the Reykjanes peninsula or in the capital area. Updates here . Gudmann & Gyda said: “We were ready to go photographing when the Geldingadalsgos volcanic eruption started. In this video we hike to Geldingadalur walley on the first day of the eruption. This was a unforgettable adventure. It is unreal to stand close to a volcano.” Bjorn Steinbekk said: “I wanted to share some of my more simple captures of the volcano, and as a big admire of Icelandic music, I was allowed to use this song by the talented Frikki Dór.” Bjorn Steinbekk did some ‘crater surfing’ with his drone. On March 21, 2021, NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite acquired a nighttime view of western Iceland through a thin layer of clouds. Reykjavik, Reykjanesbær, and other cities appear as bright spots in the image. The eruption appears as a new patch of light on the southwestern part of the island. For comparison, the image on the left shows the same area a few days before the eruption. Image via NASA Earth Observatory . Lava from the volcanic eruption on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula lights up clouds from below. NASA’s Landsat 8 satellite acquired this image at 10:25 p.m. local time on March 22, 2021, 3 days after the start of the eruption. The image was made from a combination of shortwave and near-infrared data (bands 7, 6, 5) to reveal how the lava lit up the clouds from below. Extremely hot features, such as lava, can “glow” in the shortwave-infrared part of the spectrum. Image via NASA .
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Volcano Eruption
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Woolworths hit with $1 million fine from ACMA for spam emails
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A Victorian man who flew from Brisbane to Hobart on flight VA702 today has tested positive to COVID-19 and has not been allowed to board a flight to Melbourne
A Watch & Act warning is in place for a fire in the northern parts of Mokine, in WA's Northam Shire. Keep up to date with ABC Emergency
One of Australia's biggest supermarket chains has paid more than $1 million in a fine for spamming emails.
Woolworths was found to have breached spamming laws more than 5 million times, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
The $1,003,800 fine is the largest ever issued by the ACMA.
Woolworths was found to have sent marketing emails to consumers after they had unsubscribed from previous messages.
"The spam rules have been in place for 17 years and Woolworths is a large and sophisticated organisation," ACMA chair Nerida O'Loughlin said.
"The scale and prolonged nature of the non-compliance is inexcusable.
"Woolworths failed to act even after the ACMA had warned it of potential compliance issues after receiving consumer complaints."
In a statement released by Woolworths, the company said an error with their system meant they were sending emails to accounts which were used by multiple people. "Many of the breaches were the result of technical and systems issues, which we fixed in 2019," Amanda Bardwell, managing director of the company's digital arm WooliesX, said. "Subsequent breaches occurred because we continued sending communications to email addresses shared by multiple rewards members, where only one member had made an unsubscribe request.
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Organization Fine
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2013 Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation Fokker 50 crash
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On 4 March 2013, a Fokker 50 operated by Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation on a domestic cargo flight from Lodja to Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, crashed in poor weather on approach to Goma Airport. There were nine people on board, of which six were killed. No fatalities were reported on the ground, despite the aircraft crashing into a populated area. The aircraft was two minutes from touching down at Goma airport on a cargo service from Lodja Airport,[1] 640 kilometres (400 mi) west of Goma. [2] At 17:55 local time,[1] the aircraft crashed in an empty lot in the middle of the city. [2] No distress calls were made prior to the crash. [3]
There were nine people on board the aircraft, including six airline employees—a crew of five and a security guard—and three passengers. [4] All six employees were killed in the accident. [3] Except for the pilot, a 46-year-old Russian national named Alexander Bazhenov, the dead were all from the Congo. [4] The Russian consul to the Democratic Republic of the Congo confirmed that a Russian national was on board. [5][2][4][6]
The aircraft involved in the accident was a twin-turboprop Fokker 50, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW125B engines; it first flew in 1992 with registration PH-LXJ. Having serial number 20270, it was delivered to AirUK in 1994 and re-registered G-UKTE. This registration was kept following the rebranding of Air UK to KLM uk in 1998. KLM Cityhopper re-registered the aircraft as PH-LXJ in 2003, and returned it to the lessor in 2010. In March of the same year, it was re-registered 9Q-CBD and delivered to Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation. The aircraft was 20 years old at the time of the accident. [7]
Following the crash,[8] the Ministry of Transport of the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced a re-certification of all airlines having an operator's certificate issued in the country[9] that were subject to a ban in the European Union. [10]
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Air crash
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PH cube satellites Maya-3, Maya-4 launched
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SPACE X FALCON9 LAUNCH. The SpaceX rocket carrying the Maya-3 and Maya-4 blasts off at Cape Canaveral, Florida, August 29, Philippine time The Maya-3 and Maya-4 follow the launch of the Maya-2 back in February 2021, and the Maya-1 in June 2018 The Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation, and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) Program announced on Sunday, August 29, the successful launch of two Philippine cube satellites, Maya-3 and Maya-4. The satellites were launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on August 29, 3:14 pm, Philippine time, aboard a SpaceX rocket called Dragon C208. The launch is part of the SpaceX Commercial Resupply Mission-23. The 10 cubic centimeter satellites have remote data collection systems along with optical imaging. Once they are released from the ISS, they will move along an orbit similar to the space station’s at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers. MAYA-3 AND MAYA-4. The cube satellites follow the launch of the MAYA-2 in February 2021 Beyond the technical capabilities, the satellites allow Filipino engineers to “learn and acquire space technology know-how, and hands-on experience in satellite development,” says STAMINA4Space in its press release. “The success of Maya-3 and Maya-4 will prove that CubeSats can be successfully built locally,” says Paul Jason Co, project leader of Space Science and Technology Proliferation through University Partnerships (STeP-UP) project. “The knowledge and experience gained from this endeavor can and will be shared to any other institutions through collaboration and cooperation.” STeP-UP is a graduate program with a nanosatellite engineering track housed within the University of the Philippines Diliman Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (UPD EEEI). It is under the STAMINA4Space program, which in turn is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and is implemented by the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) and the DOST Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI). The new satellites will offer proof of concept, paving the way for future solutions. STAMINA4Space says, “Its mission and payloads were conceptualized and developed to test and demonstrate technologies that can later on be used to provide data that may be used in a number of applications across various sectors such as agriculture, environment and natural resources, and disaster risk reduction and management, among others.” The timeline graphic provided by STAMINA4Space shows the development of the satellites starting in January 2018, and the various design reviews and tests they went through, the turnover to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in April 2021, and its eventual launch in Cape Canaveral, Florida to the ISS. Eight Filipino scholars were instrumental in developing the satellite: Gladys Bajaro, Derick Canceran, Bryan Custodio, Lorilyn Daquioag, Marielle Magbanua-Gregorio, Christy Raterta, Judiel Reyes, and Renzo Wee. These eight received scholarship support from DOST-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI). The development of the satellites are also part of the course requirements of the Master of Science or Master of Engineering under the nanosatellite engineering track. SATELLITE SCHOLARS. L-R: Derick Canceran, Judiel Reyes, Christy Raterta, Gladys Bajaro, Marielle Magbanua-Gregorio, Lorilyn Daquioag, Bryan Custodio, and Renzo Wee Photo from STAMINA4Space The scholars made what are now known as the first nanosatellites built in the Philippines. Its predecessors, the Maya-1 and Maya-2, began development in 2016 and 2018, respectively, and were built in Japan’s Kyutech through the multi-nation BIRDS project – with the eventual goal of acquiring the know-how to build them in the country’s own backyard. HELLO, WORLD! The STeP-UP engineers sign their work STAMINA4Space “When we sent Filipino scholars to Kyutech to work on Maya-1 in 2016 and Maya-2 in 2018, we committed to the idea of being able to build and innovate future Maya cubesats in our own laboratories. With Maya-3 and Maya-4 being lifted up to the ISS today, we achieve that proximate objective,” says Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) director general Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr. Maya 3 and 4’s launch follows the launches of the bigger microsatellites Diwata-1 in March 2016 and Diwata-2 in October 2018 , and cube or nanosatellites Maya-1 in June 2018 , and Maya-2 just last February 2021 . Maya-5 and 6 are currently in development – Rappler.com
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New achievements in aerospace
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Aeroflot Flight 826 crash
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On Sunday 3 August 1969 an Antonov An-24 operating Aeroflot Flight 826 (Russian: Рейс 826 Аэрофлота Reys 826 Aeroflota) crashed resulting in the death of all 55 people on board. An investigation revealed the cause of the accident was an in flight failure of the propeller attached to "No. 1" (left) engine. [1]
Flight 826 was a scheduled passenger flight from Voroshilovgrad to Lviv with stops at Dnipropetrovsk and Vinnytsia. At 15:47 the aircraft departed Dnipropetrovsk. At 15:58 the crew reported an altitude of 3,600 meters and received permission from ATC to climb to 4,200 meters. This was the last radio transmission from flight 826. While climbing through 4,000 meters, the number two propeller blade of the left engine separated from its hub and punctured the fuselage severing control rods for the ailerons and rudder rendering the Antonov uncontrollable. Because of the imbalance, the left air screw was detached. The aircraft then banked to the left and entered a descent with its airspeed increasing. After a steep spiral, the airliner struck the ground at an angle of 45-50 degrees and at a speed of 500-550 km/h. At 16:06 ATC tried to communicate with flight 826 but received no answer. All further attempts at communication with the AN-24 were unsuccessful. [2]
The aircraft involved was an Antonov An-24B, serial number 77303206 and registered as CCCP-46248. The airliners production date was 23 March 1967 and at the time of the crash, it had a total of 4,557 flight hours with 4,789 landings. [3]
Investigators discovered the propeller blade failed due to mechanical fatigue and the presence of a corrosive material. [3]
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Air crash
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Trump Withdraws U.S. From Iran Accord
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President Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and reinstate sanctions on Tehran. He called the deal ‘defective’ and said it didn't do enough to stop the country from developing nuclear weapons. The U.S. is exiting the Iranian nuclear accord, President Donald Trump said Tuesday, dismantling his predecessor’s most prominent foreign-policy initiative and bucking the appeals of some of America’s closest allies. Speaking in the Diplomatic Room of the White House, Mr. Trump delivered harsh words about the 2015 deal to curb and monitor Iran’s nuclear activity, calling it “horrible,” “one-sided” and “disastrous.” The president said he planned to institute sanctions against Iran , and said the U.S. would sanction any nation that helps Tehran pursue nuclear weapons, as well as U.S. and foreign companies and banks that continue to do business with the country.
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Tear Up Agreement
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Madagascar: Severe drought could spur world’s first climate change famine
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More than one million people in southern Madagascar are struggling to get enough to eat, due to what could become the first famine caused by climate change, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). The region has been hit hard by successive years of severe drought, forcing families in rural communities to resort to desperate measures just to survive. Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, has a unique ecosystem which includes animals and plants found nowhere else on the planet. The country experiences a dry season, usually from May to October, and a rainy season that starts in November. However, climate change has disrupted the cycle, affecting smallholder farmers and their neighbours, said Alice Rahmoun, WFP Communications Officer in the capital, Antananarivo, speaking to UN News on Thursday. “There is of course less rain, so when there is the first rain, they can maybe have hope and sow some seeds. But one little rain is not a proper rainy season,” she said. “So, what we can say is that the impacts of climate change are really stronger and stronger….so harvests fail constantly, so people don’t have anything to harvest and anything to renew their food stocks.” Ms. Rahmoun was recently in southern Madagascar, where WFP and partners are supporting hundreds of thousands of people through short and long-term assistance. The impact of the drought varies from place to place, she said. While some communities have not had a proper rainy season for three years, the situation might be even worse 100 kilometres away. She recalled seeing villages surrounded by dried-out fields, and tomato plants which were “completely yellow, or even brown”, from lack of water. “In some areas they are still able to plant something, but it's not easy at all, so they are trying to grow sweet potatoes. But in some other areas, absolutely nothing is growing right now, so people are just surviving only eating locusts, eating fruits and cactus leaves,” said Ms. Rahmoun. “And, just as an example, cactus leaves are usually for cattle; it is not for human consumption.” The situation is even more dire because, she added, “even the cactus are dying from the drought, from the lack of rain and the lack of water, so it's really, really worrying”. The plight of families is also deeply troubling. “People have already started to develop coping mechanisms to survive,” she said. “And that means that they are selling cattle, for example, to get money to be able to buy food, when before, they were able to get food and feed themselves from their own field production, so it's really changing the daily life for people.” Valuable assets such as fields, or even houses, are also put up for sale. Some families have even pulled their children out of school. “It’s also a strategy right now to gather the family's forces on finding income-generating activities involving children, so this has obviously a direct impact on education,” Ms. Rahmoun said. WFP is collaborating with humanitarian partners, and the Malagasy Government, to provide two types of response to the crisis. Some 700,000 people are receiving life-saving food aid, including supplementary products to prevent malnutrition. “The second one is more long-term response to allow local communities to be able to prepare for, respond to and recover from climate shocks better,” said Ms. Rahmoun. “So, this includes resilience projects such as water projects. We’re doing irrigation canals, reforestation and even microinsurance to help smallholder farmers to recover from a lost harvest, for example.” WFP ultimately aims to support up to one million people between now and April, and is seeking nearly $70 million to fund operations. “But we are also involving more partners to find and fund climate change solutions for the community to adapt to the impacts of climate change in southern Madagascar.” In just over a week, world leaders will gather in Glasgow, Scotland, for the COP26 UN climate change conference, which UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called the last chance to “literally turn the tide” on an ailing planet. Ms. Rahmoun said WFP wants to use the conference to shift the focus from crisis response, to risk management. Countries must be prepared for climate shocks, and they must act together to reduce severe impacts on the world’s most vulnerable people, which includes the villagers of southern Madagascar. “COP26 is also an opportunity for us to ask governments and donors to prioritize funding relating to climate adaptation programmes, to help countries to build a better risk management system, and even in Madagascar, because if nothing is done, hunger will increase exponentially in the coming years because of climate change,” she said, adding: “not only in Madagascar, but in other countries.”
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Famine
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US officially notifies World Health Organization of its withdrawal
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The US has formally notified the World Health Organization of its withdrawal, despite widespread criticism and an almost complete lack of international support for the move in the midst of a pandemic. Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw in May, accusing the WHO, without evidence, of withholding information, and of being too close to China. The letter confirming the move was delivered to the UN secretary general, António Guterres, officials confirmed on Tuesday. A WHO official said: “We have received reports that the US has submitted formal notification to the UN secretary general that it is withdrawing from WHO effective 6 July 2021.” Trump’s Democratic challenger for the presidency, Joe Biden, said he would return the US to the WHO before the year-long process of withdrawal was complete. “Americans are safer when America is engaged in strengthening global health,” Biden said on Twitter. “On my first day as President, I will rejoin the @WHO and restore our leadership on the world stage.” Democrats have also questioned the legality of the move without congressional approval. But the administration has already begun looking for other channels to spend the $450m it pays annually in WHO membership dues and voluntary contributions. It is unclear what will happen to US officials who work with the global health body. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations subcommittee that oversees multilateral institutions, called the move “a huge win for China and a huge blow to the American people”. “By pulling out of the WHO, President Trump is strengthening Chinese leadership and power, both within the WHO and more broadly within the international community,” Merkley said. “Cutting the United States out of the WHO in the middle of the worst global pandemic in a century makes Americans more vulnerable. By abandoning the efforts to control the virus abroad, we’re ensuring that far more Americans will get sick, either through foreign travelers coming to the US, or through Americans traveling abroad.” Republican members of Congress have also urged Trump to keep the US inside the WHO to support reform. The administration has received almost no support for withdrawal from US allies, with the exception of the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, who confirmed he had tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday. The formal withdrawal was confirmed as the number of US coronavirus cases approached 3 million, with 130,000 deaths so far. The White House coordinator on coronavirus response, Deborah Birx, said the administration had been caught by surprise by the spread among younger Americans. “I think none of us really anticipated the amount of community spread that began in our 18-to-35-year-old age group and I think that this is an age group that was so good and so disciplined through March and April, but when they saw people out and about on social media, they all went out and about,” Birx said at a roundtable with foreign ambassadors and senior diplomats organised by the Atlantic Council. Birx left the online meeting before news of the formal withdrawal arrived. None of the foreign diplomats taking part supported the move. “While criticism is welcome … we feel that it is not a good idea to hamper the organization, while in the full thrust and brunt of this pandemic,” the German deputy head of mission, Ricklef Beutin, said.
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Withdraw from an Organization
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The most surprising celebrity couples of 2021 so far
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Although the year is just seven months in, we have had many surprising celebrity couples pop up and declare that they are an item. From romances that turned serious to dating situations that brought drama, fans have been shocked by some of these relationships. While it all started in the Instagram DMs, Musa and Liesl officially made themselves known as an item last month when the child star-turned-doctor put a ring on the former Miss SA's finger and asked for her hand in marriage. Since then, the couple has been sharing loved up pictures all over social media and we can’t help but admire their new flame. When rumours first started swirling in March that media personality Khanyi Mbau was dating a Zimbabwean businessman, Kudzai Mushonga, who is believed to being a “fugitive”-- everyone was shocked at how “drama-filled” their romance was. From Porsches and Lamborghini convoys to chopper rides to a romantic destination, Khanyi and her new man have had people talking on social media about their relationship. After weeks of speculation, rumoured new couple, actress Natasha Thahane and professional footballer Thembinkosi Lorch, made their romance official after Twitter "detectives" figured out that they were in Zanzibar together last month. The couple soon became a trending topic on social media, with Natasha sharing a sweet video on Lorch's birthday revealing sweet moments the pair have shared. T American rapper and billionaire Kanye West surprised everyone when rumours surfaced that he was dating Russian model and actress Irina Shayk. Last month, the A-list duo was spotted in Provence, France, celebrating the rapper’s 44th birthday. Although Kanye’s divorce from Kim Kardashian has yet to be finalised, a source revealed to In Touch in early June that “they’ve been friends for years and recently got even closer." The couple is exploring their love for each other to see "where it goes".
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Famous Person - Marriage
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Celebrities have had to shell out millions and even billions of dollars to their former spouses as a result of their divorces
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Celebrities have had to shell out millions and even billions of dollars to their former spouses as a result of their divorces.
Fans hate to hear the news that their favorite celebrity couple is calling it quits , but what might make these stars' divorces even more difficult is just how costly it will be for one of them, especially if a prenup was never signed.
RELATED: What Really Happened Between Machine Gun Kelly And Sommer Ray?
Celebrities have had to shell out millions and even billions of dollars to their former spouses as a result of their divorces. While their hearts may be crushed, their wallets just got a little thinner from the insane amount of money these stars had to hand over in their divorce settlements. These celebs below paid a hefty price after separating their former partners.
10 Madonna And Guy Ritchie - $76 Million To $92 Million
via: mercurynews.com
Songstress Madonna and her former husband of eight years, Guy Ritchie, called it quits in 2008, with the "Material Girl" having to pay Ritchie between $76 million and $92 million in the divorce settlement.
RELATED: What Happened To Chris Judd After His Divorce From J.Lo?
At the time of their divorce, Ritchie admitted that he "stepped into a soap opera " when married to Madonna, but did not regret the time he spent with her. Ritchie was also awarded the former couple's English country estate that is worth about $30 million, according to Reuters.
9 Melissa Mathison And Harrison Ford - $85 Million
via: pagesix.com
Actor Harrison Ford and his former wife Melissa Mathison were together for 17 years after meeting on the set of the film Apocalypse Now in 1979. However, the couple could not make their marriage work and separated in 2000 after it was reported that Ford was seeing a younger woman , according to ABC News.
Mathison was awarded a large chunk of Ford's movie earnings and settled with $85 million. Mathison later passed away in 2015 from an illness, according to People.
8 Amy Irving And Steven Spielberg - $100 Million
via: extra.com
After just four years of marriage, director Steven Spielberg and his wife actress Amy Irving called it quits in 1989. According to Irving, the two separated after their careers got in the way of their marriage, with the actress admitting that she felt like a "politician's wife."
Irving was given $100 million in the divorce settlement after a judge refused to recognize a prenuptial agreement that was reportedly scrawled on a napkin.
7 Tiger Woods And Elin Nordegren - $110 Million
via: ftw.usatoday.com
Golf-pro Tiger Woods had to give his ex-wife Elin Nordegren a whopping $100 million in their divorce settlement after the pair went their separate ways in 2010. The couple was married for five years, so Nordegren was given $20 million for each year , according to Forbes.
On top of the divorce settlement, Woods lost many of his endorsements, including Gatorade and AT&T, after he admitted to several infidelities while married to his wife.
6 Garth Brooks And Sandy Mahl - $125 Million
via: tasteofcountry.com
Country singer Garth Brooks and his former wife Sandy Mahl separated in 1999 after being married for 15 years. With no prenuptial agreement in place, Brooks had to pay his ex-wife $125 million in the divorce settlement .
RELATED: Natalie Portman And 9 Other Celebs Who Fell For An Employee
In 2005, Brooks went on to marry country singer Trisha Yearwood, and Mahl was surprisingly supportive after it was revealed in Brook's documentary that Mahl supposedly told him, "I think this is a really good move for you, and I think this is a really good move for our children."
5 Neil Diamond And Marcia Murphy - $150 Million
via: networthheightsalary.com
After 25 years together, singer Neil Diamond and his wife Marcia Murphy ended their marriage with Diamond's $300 million estates divided up and his ex-wife getting half. In 1996, the singer blamed himself for the separation sharing, "I assume a lot of responsibility for what went wrong, but I was taken aback by how many friends dropped me."
4 Michael Jordan And Juanita Vanoy - $168 Million
via: marieclaire.com
NBA legend Michael Jordan and his former wife Juanita Vanoy were married for 17 years before they decided to split in 2002 but later got back together to try to make things work, only to split for good in 2006, according to People.
Jordan made history after having to pay Vanoy $168 million in the divorce settlement.
3 Mel Gibson And Robyn Moore - $425 Million
via: thetimes.co.uk
Actor Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore were together for 30 years but went their separate ways in 2006, the day after Gibson was arrested in Malibu for driving under the influence and went on his anti-Semitic tirade, according to Deadline.
Their divorce was finalized in 2011 and Moore came out with $425 million, half of Gibson's $850 million fortune.
2 Rupert Murdoc And Anna Torv - $1.2-1.7 Billion (Plus $110 Million Cash)
via: thedailybeast.com
After 32 years together, media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his wife Anna Torv filed for divorce in 1999 with Torv walking away with $1.7 billion in assets in which $110 million was in cash, according to ABC News.
Just 17 days after their divorce was finalized, Murdoch went on to marry 30-year-old Wendi Deng, who he later divorced in 2013, however details of their divorce settlement are unknown as they resolved matters amicably , according to the New York Times.
1 Jeff And MacKenzie Bezos - $38 Billion
via: vox.com
The costliest divorce ever goes to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his former wife MacKenzie Bezos who walked away with a whopping $38 billion, according to Insider. The pair were married for 25 years, even before Amazon was created, and have four children together.
Her divorce settlement also made her one of the wealthiest women in the world, and since her divorce, gave $1.7 billion to charities.
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Famous Person - Divorce
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Explosion in vacant Calgary building under investigation
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Six people on an abestos abatement team safely escaped a vacant building in Calgary’s Bridgeland neighbourhood that was the site of an explosion on Tuesday morning.
The building, which was formerly a tattoo parlour but had a For Lease sign outside on Tuesday morning, was initially believed to be empty at the time of the blast, however the Calgary Fire Department later said six people were inside at the time.
All six people were able to get out safely, and no others were found inside the building and no injuries were reported.
Fire officials said crews were called to the building at the corner of 1 Avenue and 7A Street N.E. at about 9:40 a.m.
A technical rescue team was called to ensure the building wasn’t at risk of collapsing, the fire department said.
The building was significantly damaged, the fire department said, with one wall being dislodged and several windows being blown out.
Debris could be seen on the ground at the front of the building, and damage was visible on the roof and front of the structure.
The fire department said it appeared to be a natural gas explosion, however, investigators were still working to determine what happened.
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Gas explosion
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NDP calls for early warning system for potential school closures, reinstatement of contact tracing
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Alberta’s NDP is calling for the reinstatement of contact tracing in schools and an early warning system for potential school closures. Doing so will allow parents to know the prevalence of COVID-19 in schools and prepare ahead of time for any potential closure, according to NDP Education Critic Sarah Hoffman. “These are incredibly anxious times in Alberta schools, for students, staff, and families,” said Hoffman, in a press release Wednesday. “Thousands of Albertans are infected with COVID-19 every week, our hospitals are overwhelmed, and the UCP government seems more focused on their own political drama than on keeping people safe.” Based on government data, there are 4,952 active cases among school-age Albertans today, say Party officials. Adding, that is almost double the number of cases in that age group than there were when schools were closed for the second wave. It is also close to the number of cases in that age group when schools were closed in the third wave, according to Party officials. NDP officials note that the UCP government had initially planned to end testing, tracing, and isolation requirements this summer. While many of those requirements were eventually restored due to public outcry, contact tracing in schools was not. “I don’t want Alberta schools to be closed. But if we reach a point where that must happen to keep people safe, it can’t be another surprise. This throws everyone into chaos, especially working families,” added Hoffman. “We need leadership from the provincial government. And we need to give parents more information so they can plan,” stated Hoffman.
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Organization Closed
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Slain Katy man ID'd as ‘Reckless Robber' in bank heists
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A surveillance image shows a suspect believed to be the "Reckless Robber" at a Spring Wells Fargo Bank in April.FBI A Katy man, now identified as Mouafak Kazzaz, was behind a rash of bank robberies throughout Texas that ended last week in a deadly shootout with Fort Bend County sheriff’s deputies, FBI officials said on Friday. FBI investigators had been looking for Kazzaz, 26, since they linked him to an October 2008 hold-up of a Compass Bank branch at 204 W. 19th. Dubbed the “Reckless Robber,” Kazzaz was believed to be responsible for at least eight additional bank robberies in the Houston area and about 10 more in Dallas, Austin and San Antonio. FBI spokeswoman Pat Villafranca said the identification of the dead bank robber as Kazzaz was made partly through interviewing eyewitnesses. FBI Bank robbery task force members gave Kazzaz the Reckless Robber nickname because he usually kept his finger on the trigger during the hold-ups and on several occasions pointed pistols at the heads of bank employees. He also gave his victims time limits to comply with his demands for cash, officials said. Kazzaz relied on disguises to change his appearance. He was reported as being bald during some of the robberies while having hair that appeared to be painted silver or white during others. Kazzaz also was known to wear a fake mustache at times, officials said. On May 22, Fort Bend County sheriff’s deputies spotted a van matching the description of a vehicle used earlier that day in a robbery at a Bank of America branch near Grand Parkway and U.S. 59, officials said. Deputy Charlie Scott ordered the van to pull over. The doors suddenly flew open and Kazzaz began shooting at the deputy with an automatic rifle. A barrage of rifle fire raked the deputy’s patrol car. Scott was hit twice in the wrist and had a grazing head wound. Kazzaz lead law enforcement officers on a running gun battle that lasted about 20 minutes, officials said. The chase ended when the van crashed through a fence along West Bellfort. Another deputy fatally shot Kazzaz, officials said. Although FBI officials said they are confident Kazzaz is responsible for at least 20 bank hold-ups in Texas, the investigation will determine if he is linked to still other cases. In February 2006, Kazzaz pleaded guilty to unlawfully carrying a weapon. He spent two days in jail and paid a $200 fine. Kazzaz also received two years probation and paid a $500 for drug possession, according to Harris County criminal records. mike.glenn@chron.com
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Bank Robbery
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2019 Croatian protests
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The 2019 Croatian protests was an influx of movements and peaceful demonstrations in Zagreb, as part of a popular uprising against a surge in Violence against women and participated in rallies as part of the Spasime movement. The protests have been nicknamed the #Justice for Girls, #Save Me! Movement and #Me too! Movement. [1]
In Croatia, protesters were on the streets after a wave of Violence against women and injustice against young girls. Girls and women has suffered a history of violence in Croatia, so they called on Marches and Rallies to be held in public in protest. [2]
Mass rallies was held in Zagreb on 16 March, in protest at violence against women. Thousands rallied in town squares and city-centres in streets for a day. Justice rallies and different street protests grew in late-October, when justice for girls rallies were taking place across Zagreb at protest against violence. [3]
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Protest_Online Condemnation
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Cristiano Ronaldo Sets All-Time Men's International Goal Record With Late Heroics for Portugal
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Days after securing his return to Manchester United from Juventus in an abrupt and blockbuster transfer, he now has sole possession of the all-time men's international goal record, scoring his 110th and 111th goals for Portugal in Wednesday's World Cup qualifying match vs. the Republic of Ireland.
Ronaldo had tied Iranian great Ali Daei, at his previously unassailable total of 109, with a pair of penalty kicks against France to close the group stage at Euro 2020 but was made to wait a little while longer to set the record outright after Portugal's ouster at the hands of Belgium in the round of 16.
He set the record on Wednesday in dramatic fashion, scoring on a late header to bring Portugal level with Ireland in the 89th minute and then netting the winner deep into stoppage time. The goals came after he had an earlier penalty saved, with 19-year-old Gavin Bazunu, a Man City goalkeeper on loan at Portsmouth, delaying his historical moment—however briefly—with a top, diving denial.
“This achievement rewards an outstanding career of almost two decades representing your country at the highest level, which speaks of your tremendous commitment and dedication to your art and your incredible passion for football," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement. “In the process of breaking the record for the number of goals in men’s international football, you have become not only a national hero but an international icon and a role model for aspiring players all around the world. Your skills and consistent drive for improvement deserves global acclaim and admiration. Parabéns, Cristiano!”
Of Ronaldo's 111 goals for his country, just 19 have come in friendlies. He has scored 33 in World Cup qualifying and 31 in European Championship qualifying to account for 64 others. He has 14 at the Euros, seven at the World Cup, five in the UEFA Nations League and two at the now-defunct FIFA Confederations Cup. Just 14 have come from the penalty spot, the first of which (goal No. 12 overall) came in the 2006 World Cup against Iran—a match for which Daei was suited up as the opponent.
Ronaldo, who has nine international hat tricks in his 180 caps, has scored the most against Sweden and Lithuania (seven times apiece), while picking on Hungary, Andorra and Luxembourg six times each and tallying against Armenia and Latvia five times each. He added new, high-profile nations to his hit list at the Euros. His goal against Germany in the group stage of the competition was his first ever against Die Mannschaft in five all-time meetings, and his two against France were his first vs. Les Bleus in seven all-time encounters. Wednesday's goals were his first against Ireland.
Daei offered his congratulations to Ronaldo upon his tying the record, which stood since 2006, saying on Instagram at the time: "I am honoured that this remarkable achievement will belong to Ronaldo—great champion of football and caring humanist who inspires and impacts lives throughout the world."
While he didn't wind up breaking the record at the Euros, he had set other records in the competition. With his appearance vs. Hungary in Portugal's opener, he became the first men's player to appear in five European Championships. With his two goals in that match, he broke a tie with Michel Platini to become the competition's all-time leading scorer, and in doing so he became the first player to score in five European Championships as well. The 36-year-old's five goals in total were tied for the most in the competition along with the Czech Republic's Patrik Schick.
Presuming Portugal qualifies for Qatar 2022, he'll look to score in a fifth straight World Cup, something no player has done in the men's game—only four have ever played in five World Cups. He has tallied seven World Cup goals across the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 competitions.
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James said his elbow on Detroit's Isaiah Stewart was accidental following Wednesday night's overtime win over the Pacers in which James scored 39 points.
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During his weekly live stream show, Saban went on a rant after being asked a question about why Alabama doesn't win games by bigger margins.
Johnny Davis's breakout performance and a full squad effort showed the Badgers are ready to compete with the Big Ten's best.
MSU had reportedly prepared an offer that would make Tucker the highest-paid Black head coach in American sports.
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Whaley collapsed on near the bench towards the end of the Huskies' win over Auburn, and was tended to by personnel on the sideline.
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Break historical records
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Ohio man gets prison sentence for threatening pro-abortion group
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — A central Ohio man was sentenced Thursday to 20 months in prison after he threatened members of a nonprofit group that helps women get safe abortions. James Hampton, 41, of London, Ohio, pleaded guilty in June to making more than a dozen online threats toward 10 members of Abortion Support Network, according to federal prosecutors with the Southern District of Ohio. In August 2020, Hampton did a search on Facebook and found the page for the Abortion Support Network, prosecutors say. He then commented on the page, writing “we kill scum like you … we follow you … we stalk you … then we kill you” and “there will be no pity when I myself stand over your cowering body as you beg and weep for your own life … just before I cut your throat.” Hampton continued, writing, “we know where you live ... your routines ... we kidnap your kind … we torture you for information,” according to prosecutors. He also wrote in graphic detail about how he would cause pain and suffering to his victims before their death, telling one person: “100 beatings with a hot chain ... then ... I will bury you alive in a whole (sic) with bleach water to drink (if you choose to) ... oh, and the earth above your body will be set on fire as well ... consider it a trial run for your time in hell.” Prosecutors say Hampton also posted several public Facebook live videos on his profile, saying “My name is James David Hampton and I kill baby murderers.” He warned that a “great and ferocious wrath” was coming and spoke about burning down clinics and executing the doctors in the streets, as well as people who fund abortion clinics. Besides the prison sentence, Hampton also received five years of supervised release from U.S. District Judge Edmund Sargus Jr.
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Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence
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FBI Offers up to $5,000 Reward in Escondido 'Takeover Style' Bank Robbery
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SAN DIEGO—The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Violent Crimes Task Force is seeking the public’s assistance to identify the individuals responsible for a takeover style robbery in Escondido, California. On May 23, 2019, at approximately 9:50 a.m., three males committed an armed takeover-style robbery at the San Diego County Credit Union located at 1875 S. Center City Parkway in Escondido, California. After backing the getaway vehicle at the front doors of the credit union, three masked and hooded men entered the bank. Immediately upon entry, the robbers ordered the employees to the ground. While pointing the handgun at one of the employees, one of the robbers directed the employee towards the credit union’s vault. Once inside the vault, the men emptied one of the bank trash cans and used it to collect cash from the vault. After collecting cash from inside the vault and keeping the employees on the ground, the men exited the bank together. They fled the scene in a 1980s Chevrolet Suburban that had been reported stolen earlier that week to a switch vehicle parked a few blocks away from the robbery location. All three males can be seen wearing hooded sweatshirts, dark pants, masks covering their faces, and gloves covering their hands. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects. Bank robbery carries a possible prison term of up to 20 years. The use of a gun, other dangerous weapon, toy gun, or hoax bomb device during the commission of a bank robbery can be punishable by a prison term of up to 25 years.
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Bank Robbery
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Saddleridge Fire
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The Saddleridge Fire was a wildfire burning near the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County, California. It broke out roughly around 9:02 pm on Thursday October 10, 2019. It is still undetermined as to how it had started, but believed that the blaze had started beneath a high voltage transmission tower. [2] Reporters and first responders began to assess the fire, the main location at the time of ignition was at the entrance of Interstate 210 and Yarnell Street. Residents were being evacuated, shop owners standing by in hopes their shops were still up, and many of the community helping with evacuating all animals from surrounding farms and ranches. The fire was fully extinguished on Thursday October 31, 2019, twenty days after first igniting. The fire burned 8,799 acres (3,561 ha) and resulted in 8 injuries and 1 fatality. [3]
The Saddleridge fire broke out late in the evening hours of Thursday, October 10, at around 9:03 pm during a highly anticipated Santa Ana wind event scheduled to commence throughout that day. [4] Igniting in Sylmar, off Interstate 210 and Yarnell Street, the blaze immediately began pushing predominantly west as it burned in all directions. Burning in a mixture of wild land and urban interface, firefighters were tasked initially with structure protection as the fire loomed to 200 acres (80 ha) within its first hour. [5] By early Friday morning, the high winds had blown embers half a mile (800 m) west of the main fireline, jumping Interstate 5, and triggered spot fires in the foothills above Porter Ranch where the fire continued to burn. [6] During these initial hours, many likened the fire's footprint to that of the destructive Sayre and Sesnon fires in 2008. [7] By that time, the fire was threatening thousands of structures throughout the Sylmar, Porter Ranch and Granada Hills communities as well as forcing the closure of both Interstate 210 and Interstate 5. Mandatory evacuations were put in place for the Oakridge Estates, which had previous been destroyed in the Sayre fire, as the conflagration ballooned to 1,600 acres (650 ha) by 3 am. [8]
By sunrise on Friday, October 11, the fire was reportedly well over 4,500 acres (1,800 ha) with an estimated 25 structures either damaged or destroyed. The fire had also reportedly lead to the death of a man in his late 50s when he went into cardiac arrest amid the fire. [9] One firefighter was hospitalized with a minor eye injury while over 1,000 personnel were on scene battling the blaze by this point. [9] Due to the Saddleridge fire's dramatic push towards the several highly populated communities within the San Fernando Valley, up to 23,000 homes were placed under mandatory evacuation, leaving over 100,000 residents displaced at the fire's peak. [9]
The Los Angeles Fire Department has determined that the fire began under a 50 ft × 70 ft (15 m × 21 m) area under a high voltage transmission line, but they had not determined the cause as of October 28. 98% of the fire is contained. [10]
On October 18 at 7:00 a.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department released information regarding the fire and the efforts to contain it. The size of the fire had grown to a sizeable 8,391 acres (3,396 ha) with 19 structures being destroyed and another 88 being damaged. Injuries included a man dying from cardiac arrest at a hospital, he was a resident of the area claimed by the fire. Out of the 1,047 personnel that was assigned to contain the fire, eight firefighters suffered non-life threatening injuries while battling the flames. The containment has reached 97% according to the data provided by the Los Angeles Fire Department. [11]
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Fire
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The Global Housing Market Is Broken, and It’s Dividing Entire Countries
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The Dutch economy is forecast to grow by 2.4% in 2021, after a record decline in 2020. The year starts with a quarter of negative growth, but as social distancing measures are gradually phased out, the rebound should gain traction and be stronger than during the financial crisis Despite the fact that Dutch GDP hardly changed in 4Q20, shrinking only 0.1% quarter-on-quarter, 2020 will go down in history as the year with the largest post-WWII decline (-3.8%). While the Netherlands went into an arguably stricter lockdown in mid-December than in March 2020, with retail stores forced to close, the economic consequences so far have been much less profound. This can be explained by a number of factors: Despite the relatively benign experience in 4Q20, we nevertheless expect the first-quarter figure to be worse. In particular, household consumption is expected to come in with more negative growth, as is indicated by a fall in the value of ING's debit card, IDEAL and cash withdrawal transactions (the total amount spent by consumers, based on their debit card, ATM withdrawals and online payments was 12% and 8% below normal in January and February, respectively) and in retail sales (-4% month-on-month in January). Don't be surprised if lockdowns are extended The lockdown will continue at least until the end of March and one should not be surprised if it is extended. In recent weeks, the extensions have often been accompanied by a piecemeal loosening of the social distancing measures. While the 9pm curfew and a maximum of one guest per day still hold, schools have reopened partially, most contact occupations (hairdressers, masseurs, driving instructors, etc.) have been allowed to operate again, shopping can be done via click-and-collect or by appointment, and sport is allowed for young people. As of 31 March, bars and restaurants can serve guests on terraces and retail stores may get some more options to welcome back customers. Such a relaxation should translate into the beginning of a recovery in the second quarter, even though it will probably take more time for a full reopening of the economy. The government expects adults to have received their first Covid-19 vaccine injection only by 1 July, which suggests that much of the GDP rebound should happen in the second half of the year. The government maintains sizeable support for the economy in 2021. Even though projected public Covid expenditures are lower for the full year 2021 than in 2020, the average per month with support is higher. The intended phasing out of support (mainly wage subsidies and fix cost compensation) has been scratched for the first two quarters; support continues to fluctuate automatically with the turnover of firms. Furthermore, the government announced in mid-February a National Education Programme aimed at making up for the lost years of schooling during school closures, which implies a cumulative €8.5 billion (1% GDP) additional spending for the next 2.5 years. While public support for the economy is lower in 2021 than in 2020, the average per month with support is more generous There will be general elections for the House of Representatives on 17 March. The outcome will determine the direction of fiscal policies of the Dutch government. Our earlier analysis of the policy proposals and their effects shows that most political parties, both parties currently in the government and also parties in the opposition, are opting for further increases in public spending for the next term up to 2025. The direction of taxation depends more on the political composition of the next coalition – a centre-left government would increase the tax burden while a centre-right government is likely to go for lower taxation – but generally, the direction of almost all parties is a loosening of the fiscal stance. So for the medium term, economic developments are expected to be supported. Although this would imply a shift of the fiscal burden to future generations, and hence a possible need for an upward revision to our public debt ratio projections, it is likely that public debt in the Netherlands will remain low by international standards. Despite ample support for the economy and the possibility of even more spending after elections, we currently still expect some negative repercussions of the earlier hit to the economy to play out. Most support measures will end in mid-2021, and this is when it will become more apparent which businesses are structurally viable. This should coincide with an increase of insolvencies and layoffs, but not to a level seen during the aftermath of the Global Financial, as the cause of the losses is more temporary in nature this time around. Still, policies are accommodative: a total of about €13 billion in tax deferrals need to be paid back by businesses, but they are allowed to spread the payment over no less than 36 months. Given all the uncertainties that surround the Covid virus, risks to the projections remain large. But the rebound will happen, sooner or later, and since we have recently observed progress on the consumption side - the laggard among expenditures - we maintain our view that the Dutch economy could be back to the pre-coronavirus peak around the turn of 2022.
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Financial Crisis
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The Griffin Warrior: A Staggering Discovery from Ancient Greece
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The discovery of the Griffin Warrior Tomb is one of the most fascinating archaeological findings as it seems to link the Minoan and the Mycenaean civilizations. On May 28, 2015, the archaeologists excavating in Pylos, southwestern Greece, discovered a Bronze Age tomb with a skeleton surrounded by rich artifacts, suggesting it belonged to an important man. The grave belongs to the Mycenaean Civilization, approximately 1750 BC – 1050 BC. Also, many of the objects found seem to be related to the Minoan Civilization, c. 3500 BC – 1100 BC. Overall archaeological research has shown that the Mycenaeans had reached most of the eastern Mediterranean, including ancient Egypt, the city-states of the Near East (today’s Turkey), and the islands of the Mediterranean. However, the strongest connection discovered is the one with the Minoan Civilization in the island of Crete. The Minoan Civilization was named after the legendary King Minos, but the islanders’ culture was very different from that found on mainland Greece. The Griffin Warrior Tomb was discovered near the ancient Palace of Nestor, within the Bronze Age city of Pylos, in southwest Greece. The archaeoligists were Sharon Stocker, a senior research associate in University of Cincinnati, Department of Classics, and Jack Davis, the university’s Carl W. Blegen chair in Greek archaeology, The excavation started in a spot where three stones appeared to form a corner. A two meter by one meter shaft was discovered. Inside the shaft there was a stone lined chamber containing a wooden coffin. Several offerings were found inside the chamber and on top of the coffin. The findings were jewelry, sealstones, carved ivories, combs, gold and silver goblets, and bronze weapons, hence the warrior suggestion. The artifacts included a gold box-weave chain with “sacral ivy,” a meter-long sword with a gold-coated hilt, a gold-hilted dagger, multiple gold and silver cups; Carnelian, amethyst, amber, and gold beads, four gold rings, many small, carved seals with etched depictions of combat, goddesses, reeds, altars, lions, and men jumping over bulls; A plaque of ivory with a representation of a griffon in a rocky landscape, a bronze mirror with an ivory handle, thin bands of bronze from the warrior’s armor, boar tusks, possibly from the warrior’s helmet, and others. Analyses of the skeleton indicate that the man was 30-something, around 5 foot tall, had long hair and the finds suggest he was a rich, prominent member of society. A computerized facial reconstruction based on the warrior’s skull, shows a broad, determined face with close-set eyes and a prominent jaw. The analysis suggests that the Griffin Warrior lived in the Middle Bronze Age. Further analysis of the skeleton will show more about the identity of the skeleton. Scientific examination of his well-preserved teeth and pelvic bones may help determine his genetic background, diet and cause of death. Excavations on the Greek mainland and Crete have shown that, beginning around 1600 BC, the comparatively unsophisticated culture on the mainland underwent a transformation. “In time, there’s a blossoming of wealth and culture,” Stocker told UC Magazine. “Palaces are built, wealth accumulates, and power is consolidated in places such as Pylos and Mycenae.” For a few centuries, mainland Greeks seemed to imitate the Minoans. Pylos, an early Mycenaean power center, had buildings that resembled the large houses with ashlar masonry found at Knossos, Crete. “There were probably four or five fancy mansions in Pylos at the time of the Griffin Warrior, all very Minoan in style,” Davis said. The mansions had painted walls, a type of artistry pioneered by the Minoans. For a time period, the Mycenaeans imported Minoan luxury goods and incorporated Minoan symbols, such as the bull, into their own art. Rich Mycenaeans were buried with Minoan luxury goods, while some other graves included locally produced Mycenaean objects, such as painted pottery, copies of Minoan originals. The Mycenaeans also adapted the Minoan script, called Linear A, for their own use; this script is now called Linear B. Mycenaean society also changed shape, becoming more hierarchical. Power concentrated in the hands of the palace-dwelling members of society, as shown in the works of Homer. The findings in the Griffin Warrior Tomb are an indication of riches and sophistication that supports the archaeologists’ argument. The most astonishing find in the Griffin Warrior Tomb is a miniature seal stone with a combat representation of remarkable detail. It is vivid depiction of a warrior in battle with two others. The hero is slaying an opponent and a third warrior is lying dead in the foreground. The hero is wearing an item similar to the seal itself, like a wristwatch. His two opponents wear the same patterned kilts, whereas the hero is wearing a codpiece. The detail of the carvings is hard to believe and can only be seen with a magnifying glass. The seal measures only 3.6 cm (1.4 inches), carved on a hard stone known as agate, hence it is named the Pylos Combat Agate. It is mounted so that it can be worn on the wrist. Archaeologist John Bennet, director of the British School at Athens, said the seal is a masterpiece of miniature art, and Aegean art in particular. Archaeologists have been puzzled by the engraved detail, with some of the details being only half a millimeter big. Some even say that the engraver must have used a magnifying glass to carve it. Archaeologists argue that the human body is represented at a level of detail and musculature that is not encountered until the classical period of Greek art, 1,000 years later.
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New archeological discoveries
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FBI searching for Maumee bank robber
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MAUMEE, Ohio (WTVG) - The FBI and the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office are searching for a person who held up a bank Saturday morning. Around 9:10 a,m. a suspect robbed the Superior Credit Union on S. Holland Sylvania Road in Maumee. According to investigators, the suspect walked into the bank and gave a note to two tellers, demanding cash. The suspect then took the cash and left on foot into a nearby neighborhood. The suspect was described as a black male, approximately 5 feet, 8 inches tall, wearing blue jeans, a black zip-up hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses, and a surgical type mask. Anyone with information regarding this bank robbery or the identity of the suspect captured in the photos is asked to contact the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau at (419) 213-4921, the Federal Bureau of Investigation at (419) 243-6122, or Crimestoppers at (419) 255-1111. Tips can remain anonymous. Reward money is available for information leading to the successful identification and prosecution of the individual responsible for this robbery.
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Bank Robbery
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