{"event_trigger":"August_2018 Hurricane Lane enters the central Pacific as a category 4 hurricane. (Honolulu Star-Adviser)","document":"Hurricane Lane, a powerful Category 3 storm, is moving west in the Central Pacific on a path that will take it south of the Hawaiian islands later this week.\nLane is packing maximum sustained winds of 125 mph with higher gusts and was about 1,180 miles east-southeast of Hilo moving west at 16 mph as of late Saturday night. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from Lane’s center and tropical-storm-force winds of 39 mph or more extend up to 105 miles, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Hawaii.\nThe storm is forecast to follow a similar path as Hurricane Hector which passed safely south of Hawaii earlier this month.\nThe five-day forecast for Lane calls for it to weaken to tropical-storm strength south of the islands by midweek.\n“Lane is forecast to pass south of the main Hawaiian islands Wednesday and Thursday, potentially causing local impacts as it tracks west-northwestward,” forecasters said at 11 p.m. Saturday. “Interests in those islands should watch the progress of Lane closely, since long-range forecast track and intensity errors can be large.”\n\n5 p.m. Saturday\nHurricane Lane moved into the Central Pacific this afternoon as a category 4 hurricane.\nLane is located 1,050 miles east-southeast of Hilo and 1,260 miles east-southeast of Honolulu. It has maximum sustained winds at 130 mph and is moving toward the west at 16 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center.\nA motion between west and west-northwest with some decrease in forward speed is expected over the next few days.\n11 a.m.\nHurricane Lane is expected to cross into the Central Pacific basin in the next few hours.\nThe category 4 hurricane is located 1,135 miles east-southeast of Hilo with winds at 140 mph. Lane is moving toward the west-northwest near 15 mph. A motion between west and west-northwest with some decrease in forward speed is expected over the next few days.\n6:19 a.m.\nHurricane Lane continued to strengthen this morning, now packing maximum sustained winds of up to 140 mph with higher gusts.\nAs of 5 a.m. Hawaii time, Lane was located 1,230 miles east of Hilo and forecasted to reach the Central Pacific basin later today. Forecasters are predicting little change to Lane’s strength today and a gradual weakening beginning Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center.\nHurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the eye of the hurricane and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["Forecasters","forecasters","the Central Pacific Hurricane Center","forecasted"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["south of the Hawaiian islands","south","Hawaiian islands","the Central Pacific basin","Central Pacific basin"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["west-northwest","west"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["later this week","later","today"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["category 4 hurricane","Category 3 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["16 mph","15 mph"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Lane"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 140 mph","140 mph","125 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2018 Hurricane Lane weakens to a Category 3 storm and is expected to pass south of Hawaii throughout the next few days. (CBS News) (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)","document":"Updated on: August 19, 2018 / 5:45 PM\n \n Hurricane Lane grew to a Category 4 storm on Saturday, but then weakened Sunday morning to a Category 3 as it moved closer to the Central Pacific basin, the National Hurricane Center said. As of 11 a.m. ET Sunday, Lane was located 885 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii.\nThe storm's maximum sustained winds are 120 mph, and it's moving west at about 15 mph. Forecasters say Lane is expected to lose power as it continues west-northwest over the next few days.\nThe current forecast track has it passing south of Hawaii's Big Island, CBS Honolulu affiliate KGMB reports. \nThere have already been strong storms in the Pacific Ocean in 2018, and water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego hit a record high this month. While hurricanes are virtually unheard of in California, conditions could potentially raise the threat.\n\"It could happen, especially if the ocean temperatures continue to stay in this anomalously warm state,\" said Art Miller, an oceanographer.\nScientists at the Scripps Pier have been recording historic temperatures in the Pacific Ocean as high as 79.5 degrees. That's about 10 degrees above normal.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["the National Hurricane Center","Forecasters"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["west"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a Category 4 storm","a Category 3"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["15 mph"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Lane"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["120 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2018 Hurricane Lane strengthens to a Category 5 hurricane for around three hours as it heads toward Hawaii, before returning to Category 4. (CNN)","document":"Hurricane Lane strengthened into a Category 5 storm as it rolled toward Hawaii -- just two weeks after Hurricane Hector passed the islands.\n\nHurricane Lane has weakened to a Category 4 storm, though it is forecast to remain a dangerous hurricane as it draws closer to the Hawaiian Islands, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center says.\n\n.\n\nHurricanes rarely make landfall in Hawaii, as the Central Pacific does not see as many storms as the Atlantic or Eastern Pacific, and the Hawaiian Islands present a small target in the vast Pacific Ocean.\nOnly four named storms -- two hurricanes and two tropical storms -- have made landfall in Hawaii since 1959. Even close calls are somewhat rare, with Hawaii getting a named storm within 60 miles of its coastline about once every four years on average.\nTrack the storm here\nBut Hurricane Lane looks poised to affect the Aloha State, and was about 480 miles southeast of Honolulu early Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, just above the Category 5 threshold.\nThe forecast puts the storm very close to the islands, with a direct landfall possible later this week.\nThough the storm is expected to weaken somewhat as it approaches Hawaii, Lane has become one of only two Category 5 hurricanes to come within 350 miles of the state in recorded history, the National Weather Service said.\n\"On the forecast track, the center of Lane will move very close to or over the main Hawaiian Islands from Thursday through Saturday,\" the weather service said. A hurricane warning is in effect for Hawaii County while a hurricane watch has been issued for Maui County and Oahu.\nA hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area, and is issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds.\n\"Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,\" the National Weather Service said.\nA hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area, according to the National Weather Service's (NWS) Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu. More watches and even warnings could be necessary for additional islands as the storm moves closer in the next day or two.\nAmerican Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines issued travel advisories to customers flying to or from Hawaii. Both are waiving reservation change fees as the hurricane approaches.\nTropical-storm-force winds could arrive on Wednesday in the Big Island, and in the smaller islands by Thursday or Friday.\nIn addition to strong winds, the primary threats will be rough surf, coastal erosion, and heavy rainfall, even if the center of the storm does not move directly over the islands.\nLarge waves are already being experienced along the eastern edge of Hawaii, with a \"sizable swell already propagating out from this storm, which is currently impacting the eastern exposures throughout the Hawaiian Islands, showing strongest along the Hilo Side of the Big Island,\" according to Jonathan Warren, lead forecaster for Surfline.com.\nWhile there is still considerable uncertainty in the forecast for Lane, it appears the storm will be passing close enough to the islands on Thursday through Saturday to bring significant impacts to the southern portions of the islands, especially along the coastline.\nHawaii has been experiencing a volcanic eruption for much of the summer. Mount Kilauea began producing lava flows in early May and portions of the southeastern coastline of the Big Island have been transformed by the lava flows that covered over 13 square miles (35 square kilometers).\nFortunately, the eruptive activity of Kilauea has \"paused,\" with no new lava flows since August 9, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.\nSince there is not much lava reaching the ocean anymore, the hurricane shouldn't have too much of an impact on the volcano region, according to Denison University Geophysicist Erik Klemetti.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["the Central Pacific Hurricane Center","Central Pacific Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Hawaii","Hawaiian Islands"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a Category 5 storm","Category 5","5","a Category 4 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Lane"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2018 A study from the Milken Institute School of Public Health finds that a total of 2,975 people died in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria, bringing the official death toll up from 64. (ABC News)","document":"Using a study from a team of independent researchers, officials in Puerto Rico said they're raising the official death toll from Hurricane Maria to 2,975 from 64.\nResearchers have determined that an estimated 2,975 people died from September 2017 through the end of February 2018. The independent study, from George Washington University's (GWU) Milken School of Public Health, was commissioned by the Puerto Rican government.\nAt a press conference Tuesday in San Juan, Gov. Ricardo Rossello announced he would be raising the island's official estimate to match that of the study.\nRossello called the announcement \"painful\" and said it's a time for Puerto Ricans to mourn and reflect.\nThe GWU report also showed that the risk of dying in the aftermath of Maria was 60 percent higher for those in the poorest communities and 35 percent higher for those aged 65 or older.\n\"There are huge inequalities in Puerto Rico that were brought up by the hurricane,\" said Carlos Santos-Burgoa, one of the principal investigators of the study.\nThe estimate of 2,975 was determined using a mathematical model based on historical patterns, with adjustments made for age and sex, researchers said. That sum is more than 4,500 percent higher than the original estimate of 64.\nPresident Donald Trump, who visited Puerto Rico in the days following the storm, initially told a crowd of Puerto Ricans to be \"very proud of all of your people\" because the death toll was so low.\n\"If you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina, and you look at the tremendous hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that died ... 16 people versus in the thousands,\" he said. Hurricane Katrina claimed more than 1,800 lives, according to the National Hurricane Center.\nOn Wednesday, a day after the announcement that thousands of lives were lost to Hurricane Maria, the president remained steadfast that his administration did a \"fantastic job.\" The storm was a \"tough one,\" Trump said, but he blamed the level of destruction on the island's geography and faulty electrical system.\n\"Puerto Rico was actually more difficult because of the fact it's an island,\" Trump said. \"With Texas, you're land-based, with Florida it was land-based ... I only hope they don't get hit again.\"\nIn a statement to ABC News, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz strongly disagreed with the president's characterization.\n“President Trump continues to demonstrate his inability to understand what his job in this crisis was all about: This was never about him, this was never about politics, this was about saving lives,\" Cruz wrote. \"His lack of sensibility is beyond offensive -- 2,975 people died because of his inability to get the job done. We will never forget!”\nDr. Lynn Goldman, dean of the Milken School of Public Health, told ABC News the death rates have still not returned to the baseline, and that the deaths for the poor and elderly did not stop after the study concluded in February.\n\"We thought we would capture all the deaths if we looked at the period between September 2017 and February 2018, but in reality, even in February, there was still some excess deaths among the poor and the elderly,\" Goldman said. \"It might make sense to follow through for the next six months to see when the death rates actually return to baseline.\"\nHurricane Maria \"caused problems for people for months -- loss of electricity, issues with getting food and water, healthcare and other things people needed,\" Goldman added.\nThe GWU report also offered a blistering criticism of Rossello and his government, saying there was \"inadequate preparedness and personnel training for crisis and emergency risk communication.\"\nThese factors \"decreased the perceived transparency and credibility of the Government of Puerto Rico,\" the report said.\nRossello said he takes responsibility for what happened as a result of the passing of the storm.\n\"Yes, I made mistakes,\" he said. \"We could have done things differently.\"\nThe governor announced the creation of a commission that will start by working off the GWU recommendations to improve public health and safety as well as the creation of a registry of people considered vulnerable to future disasters. Rossello also said the commission would update Puerto Rico's preparedness plans to endure stronger hurricanes.\nA memorial at the University of Puerto Rico to commemorate the lives lost because of Maria also is planned, the governor said.\nOn Wednesday, Trump offered praise for the governor.\n\"We're still helping Puerto Rico, the governor is an excellent guy,\" he said. \"And he is very happy with the job we've done.\"\nGoldman said assistance provided to Puerto Rico needed to include assistance to the island's understaffed Department of Health.\nThe GWU team plans to conduct a second phase of the study to better understand everything that contributed to the death toll. They're looking for funding for additional phase.\nThe study's findings come after nearly a year of questions, uncertainty and political sparring over the human toll of the storm.\nCruz tweeted following the release of the study: \"The # of deaths 2,975 reinforces the pain inflicted on the people of PR and the violation of our human rights. THEY WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN.\"\nShe added in the subsequent tweet: \"I am sure the small minded will now compare studies and concentrate on the difference in #s. Remember, no matter the # thousands died.\"\n\"We need to come to terms with the fact,\" Goldman told ABC News, \"that these storms are getting bigger and there are more of them and we all need to be prepared for them.\"\nOn Tuesday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the federal government will continue to support Rossello's efforts \"to ensure a full accountability and transparency of fatalities resulting from last year's hurricanes -- the American people, including those grieving the loss of a loved one, deserve no less.\"\n\"We are focused on Puerto Rico's recovery and preparedness for the current Hurricane season,\" Sanders said.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":["2,975","estimated 2,975"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Maria"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2018 The National Hurricane Center issues advisories for what forecasters call a Potential Tropical Cyclone Six. If it strengthens to a tropical storm, it would be known as Florence. (Sun Sentinel)","document":" We can expect a soggy Labor Day holiday, with brief periods of intense rain beginning early Sunday expected to give way to more intense, prolonged rainfall as the day wears on.\n We can thank that broad patch of stormy weather drifting toward the Gulf of Mexico, tropical wave that forecasters now say is likely to become Tropical Storm Gordon off Southwest Florida Monday afternoon.\n Meanwhile, forecasters are also watching Tropical Storm Florence and a new wave off the African coast.\n A briefing issued Sunday morning by the National Weather Service said the system could soak southeast Florida cities from Miami to Jupiter from through early Tuesday. Winds as high as 18 mph, with gusts reaching 22 mph, are expected. Also possible are tornadoes and waterspouts.\n The current wind pattern is expected to gradually change and lead the storm over the eastern and central Gulf of Mexico by Tuesday or Wednesday. That will spread heavy rains across much of the Bahamas, South Florida and the Florida Keys during the next day or two, according to the National Hurricane Center.\n The heaviest rain, with three inches or more possible, is expected to fall along the coast from just south of Miami to just south of West Palm Beach, as the storm system moves through the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Weather Service.\n The mix of high pressure and the approaching tropical wave led the weather service to put out a rip current warning for the coast from Jupiter Inlet to Miami for Monday.\n “It’s related to the east winds that have increased in the last day or so,” said Robert Molleda, a meteorologist with the weather service.\n He said there’s a potential for flooding in the next 36 hours.\n Meanwhile, a patch of bad weather off the African coast formed into Tropical Storm Florence early Saturday morning but is not expected to reach hurricane strength or threaten the United States. It will strengthen over the next few days, however.\n At 11 a.m. Sunday, the tropical storm was located west of the Cape Verde Islands — which puts it about 2,500 miles from South Florida. It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, with the system moving northwest at 14 mph. Additional slow strengthening is expected.\n According to the forecast, the system is expected to stay below hurricane strength, reaching a maximum 70 mph in early next week. The system’s current forecast cone appears to show it most likely to veer north into the Atlantic, missing the Caribbean and the United States.\n The forecast track has the future storm traveling west before turning toward the west-northwest over the next few days. Beyond that, it was too early to say with any certainty if the storm would threaten the United States, although some long-range outlooks were throwing doubt on that possibility.\n Forecasts produced by the long-range, computer-powered forecast models used by weather agencies around the world suggest the likely tropical cyclone could head west into the Atlantic before turning north into the open ocean before reaching the Caribbean Sea early next week, reducing the likelihood of landfall in the Caribbean islands or the United States.\n Also Sunday, forecasters are keeping an eye on a new tropical wave that just emerged off the African coast. The wave is forecast to move westward over the far eastern tropical Atlantic for the next several days. Upper-level winds are expected to gradually become more conducive for some slow development of this disturbance by the middle of the week.\n But forecasters warn that any long-range forecast should be viewed with skepticism because conditions could change.\n Other weather watchers are pointing that conditions in the Atlantic hurricane zone, which includes the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, are becoming more hospitable to cyclone formation.\n So far in 2018 the Atlantic tropics have been relatively quiet. At the start of August, hurricane experts at Colorado State University said that conditions in the Atlantic — cooler than average ocean surface temperatures and varying wind speeds in the atmosphere — have diminished the chances of a hurricane striking the U.S. during the remainder of the hurricane season, which goes until Nov. 30.\n John Homenuk, a meteorologist at nymetroweather.com, said in a tweet that “[d]evelopment conditions are about to become much less hostile in the Tropical Atlantic.”\n We’re also entering the peak of the hurricane season, when so-called Cape Verde storms emerge in the far eastern Atlantic.\n ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["forecasters","National Weather Service"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["three inches or more"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the eastern and central Gulf of Mexico","Mexico","eastern"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Tuesday","Wednesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Florence"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["18 mph","22 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2018 The Typhoon Jebi in Taiwan killed six people while another was declared missing. (Taiwan News)","document":"TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Rogue waves have claimed six lives over the course of two days on the beaches of northeastern Taiwan's Yilan County as Typhoon Jebi, the strongest storm observed the planet so far this year, churns in the western Pacific Ocean. \nAt total of eight people were swept away and six have lost their lives after a series of rogue waves struck on Sunday and Monday at Mystery Beach and Lover's Bay, also known as Neipi Bay. \n\nThree separate deadly incidents involving rogue waves were reported in Yilan County's Mystery Beach in Nan'ao and Neipei Beach on Sunday.\nOn Nan'ao's Mystery Beach in Yilan County, a 52-year-old man surnamed Chou and his wife surnamed Liu, 50, were riding an ATV along with the 52-year-old ATV rental owner surnamed Ho, who was riding another ATV. Suddenly, they along with their vehicles were washed out to sea by a rogue wave that was estimated to be over 3 meters in height at 3:06 p.m., reported TVBS.  \nRescuers said a Coast Guard Administration boat carried a male body to Nansing Inspection Office in Nan'ao at 6:36 p.m., and the body was confirmed to be Chou by his family, the report said. However, Ho is still missing, according to the report.\nLater that day, also on Mystery Beach, a 40-year-old woman surnamed Wei (魏) and her 10-year-old son surnamed Lee (李) were riding on all-terrain vehicle (ATV) with friends when a massive rogue wave suddenly crashed into them and sucked them into the ocean, never to be seen again alive. \nAt 5:41 a.m. yesterday (Sept. 3), search and rescue personnel found the body of Wei about 1.6 nautical miles from Nan'ao's Mystery Beach. Four hours later, not far from the beach, the body of Lee was recovered as well. \nOn Neipi beach in Su'ao, an eight-year-old girl, who was enjoying the beach with her family and friends, was suddenly swept out to sea by a rogue wave and a male passerby surnamed Wu (吳) jumped in the water to try to save her. The girl was washed ashore and survived, however, the man drowned, and paramedics were unable to revive him. \nMonday\nAnother victim lost their life on the county's shores yesterday. The Yilan County Fire Department received a report on Monday morning around 11:15 a.m. that a middle-aged woman, had been walking along the shore of Yilan’s Suao (蘇澳) township along the Neipi Beach (內埤海灘) and was swept away by a wave.\nA search and rescue unit responded immediately, however the woman showed no signs of life when brought ashore. According to reports, the search and rescue operation was completed by noon, and the woman was rushed to the nearby Suao Branch of the Taipei Veteran’s Hospital, reports CNA.\nApple Daily reports that the woman was pronounced dead at 12:51 by doctors at the hospital.\nChia Hsin-hsing (賈新興), a supervisor of Weather Risk, said on his Facebook page that there are four types of situations when rogue waves are likely in the area, including: in the winter when the northeast monsoon is strong, in the summer when the southwest monsoon is strong, when typhoons are churning in the outer ocean, and at high tide during the lunar new year festival period, especially if there are monsoons or typhoons. ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Mystery Beach and Lover's Bay, also known as Neipi Bay","Mystery Beach","beaches of northeastern Taiwan's Yilan County","Yilan County"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["six lives","At total of eight people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Sunday","Monday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Jebi"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2018 Tropical Storm Gordon forms in the Florida Keys and is forecast to strengthen over the next 48 hours as it brings strong winds and heavy rain to the Gulf of Mexico. (KXLY) (NBC News)","document":" Follow NBC News Parts of the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts were under a hurricane warning Tuesday after fast-developing Tropical Storm Gordon moved across South Florida on its way to the northern Gulf of Mexico.\nDozens of schools in Louisiana and Mississippi were closed as a precaution after Gordon became a tropical storm late Monday afternoon, NBC affiliate WDSU of New Orleans reported.\nThe National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning for the mouth of the Pearl River, which divides Louisiana and Mississippi.\nGov. John Bel Edwards said Tuesday that Louisiana would likely miss the worst of the storm, but he encouraged residents to remain vigilant and prepared. He earlier issued a state of emergency and authorized the activation of 200 National Guardsmen to be positioned in southeastern Louisiana.\n\"We still have some nasty weather headed our way,\" Edwards told reporters, adding that the state could expect winds of 40 mph to 70 mph. \"We're not out of the woods,\" he added.\nAt 11 a.m. ET, Gordon's top sustained winds were at 65 mph. It was about 130 miles south-southeast of the Mobile, Alabama, and was moving northwest at 15 mph.\nTropical storm and storm surge warnings were also in effect along a long stretch of the central Gulf Coast from Morgan City, Louisiana, including Lake Pontchartrain, to the Alabama-Florida border. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey declared states of emergency as the storm moved closer.\nGordon is expected to strengthen into a hurricane when it makes landfall along the northern Gulf Coast, sometime late Tuesday or early Wednesday, but is then forecast to immediately weaken, according to the National Hurricane Center.\nThe center said tropical storm-force winds would hit parts of southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi coast by late Tuesday, with hurricane conditions also expected in the central Gulf Coast. The Mississippi coast can expect 4 to 7 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts, it said.\nTropical-storm-force winds (39-plus mph) from #Gordon are expected to reach the northern Gulf Coast by Tuesday afternoon, with hurricane-force winds (74-plus mph) expected by Tuesday evening. Power outages are possible in many areas: https://t.co/myUKr4N7ok pic.twitter.com/cqig0XPFvV\nThe Mississippi cities of Gulfport, Biloxi and Long Beach ordered mandatory evacuations of their harbors and marinas, and the U.S. Coast Guard temporarily closed the ports of New Orleans, Mobile and Pascagoula, Mississippi.\nThe storm was projected to become a depression as it moved farther north over Oklahoma and Arkansas.\nAll tropical storm warnings were canceled for South Florida and the Florida Keys as Gordon moved away, but not until after it had battered the region with heavy rain and winds.\nAuthorities in South Florida and across the Gulf Coast urged people to stay out of the water — warnings that beach lovers like Cameron Armstrong and Matthew Ewbanks ignored on their visit to Gulf Shores on the Alabama Gulf Coast.\n\"We got caught up in the undertow, and we almost died,\" Armstrong told NBC affiliate WPMI of Mobile on Monday.\nEwbanks said: \"It almost pulled us straight underneath. I literally had to grab his hand and help him. We got out of it barely alive.\"\nJeff Collier, mayor of Dauphin Island, Alabama, in the Gulf, said the storm was approaching just as the island was finishing up recovery from Hurricane Nate last year.\n\"We've just about got things cleaned up,\" Collier told WPMI. \"It's been a good summer, and hopefully this won't do too much damage.\"\nRay Coleman, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said residents should be on highest alert.\n\"My worry is that people might get hurricane amnesia, where they feel like, 'Oh, last year wasn't so bad,'\" Coleman told NBC affiliate WLBT of Jackson. \"My thing is, no two storms are alike. Just because you made it through Hurricane Nate last year doesn't mean that this one will be the same.\"\nAs those on the Gulf Coast prepared for Tropical Storm Gordon, another storm was brewing in the Atlantic: Hurricane Florence formed Tuesday and was about 1,240 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, according to the National Hurricane Center.\nEarly projections show Florence — the third hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season — weakening into a storm before restrengthening as it heads northward.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["The National Weather Service"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the mouth of the Pearl River, which divides Louisiana and Mississippi","Mississippi","Parts of the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts","Louisiana","parts","the northern Gulf of Mexico","northern Gulf"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["northwest"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a tropical storm","Tropical Storm","Tropical storm","tropical storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["15 mph"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Gordon's","Gordon"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["65 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2018 Typhoon Jebi kills at least 11 people in Japan, while more than 300 are injured. It is considered the strongest typhoon in the country in 25 years. (BBC)","document":"A major international airport in western Japan has been closed, with thousands of people evacuated, in the wake of deadly Typhoon Jebi.\nKansai airport, a major transport hub serving Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, was cut off when an ocean tanker hit and damaged its bridge to the mainland. Jebi, Japan's most powerful storm in 25 years, has killed at least 10 people.\nIn a separate incident, a 6.6 magnitude earthquake caused a landslide on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.\nA number of houses in the town of Atsumi were engulfed and several people were said to be trapped. There were no reports of fatalities.\nThe quake came as Typhoon Jebi left a trail of damage to infrastructure, ripping off roofs, overturning vehicles and cutting power.\nThe tanker was unmoored by the strong winds of Typhoon Jebi and drifted into the bridge.\nKansai International Airport is built on a man-made island and is linked to the mainland by the bridge.\nAbout 3,000 passengers were stranded overnight, some for more than 18 hours in terminals without power, before ferries and speedboats were deployed to evacuate them on Wednesday.\nOne passenger told broadcaster NHK: \"We had a blackout so there was no air conditioning. It was hot.\"\nSome people were able to leave on buses, using an unaffected part of the damaged bridge.\nRunways were also severely hit by surging water, with some aircraft flooded up to their engines.\nAll flights have been cancelled and there is no confirmation of when the airport will reopen. The Kansai airport website could only say that the runways and bridge would reopen on \"6 September or later\". Some reports said it could take a week.\nIn 2016, Kansai handled some 25 million passengers, making it the third busiest in Japan.\nIt recorded winds of up to 216km/h (135mph) and made landfall at about noon local time on Tuesday (03:00 GMT).\nIt moved quickly northwards over the mainland in the west of the country.\nIn addition to the deaths, some 300 people were injured, officials said.\nSome 400,000 households are said to be still without power.\nThe winds brought down part of the ceiling in the main railway station in the tourist hub of Kyoto.\nImages showed containers in ports thrown about like toy bricks and vehicles scattered across roads.\nDozens of cars were engulfed in fire at a depot in Nishinomiya as water short-circuited electrics.\nSome 1.2 million people had been advised to leave evacuated areas as the storm approached and local media say some 16,000 took to designated shelters overnight.\nPrime Minister Shinzo Abe tweeted: \"We continue to make utmost efforts to respond to disaster damage and restore infrastructure.\"\nThe Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka was closed again on Wednesday but should reopen on Thursday.\nFootage on social media showed the 100m (328ft) tall ferris wheel in Osaka spinning rapidly in the storm despite being switched off.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":["thousands of people","at least 10 people","About 3,000 passengers"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["northwards"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Jebi"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 216km/h (135mph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2018 Passengers who were planning on visiting Bermuda are forced to change plans and go to Maine and Canada thanks to a threat of safety posed by Hurricane Florence. (CBS)","document":"WBZ News BOSTON (CBS) – Cruise passengers who had planned to sail to Bermuda will instead be visiting Bar Harbor and other locations up north thanks to Florence.\nThe hurricane-turned-tropical-storm has forced Norwegian Cruise Lines to alter its itinerary. The latest forecast shows Florence strengthening into a Category 3 hurricane and tracking just south of Bermuda next week.\n“The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority,” Norwegian Cruise Lines said in a statement. “Due to Hurricane Florence in the Eastern Atlantic, we have modified Norwegian Dawn’s itinerary.”\nThe Norwegian Dawn, departing from Boston on Friday, will skip Bermuda entirely. Instead, the ship will call in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Bar Harbor, Maine.\n“Our on board team is prepared to ensure the best vacation experience possible given these weather related necessary changes,” the cruise line said. “We will continue to closely monitor the storm and provide additional updates as they become available.”\nThe news was a bitter pill for vacationers all decked out for sunshine. Most took the news in stride.\n“We’ll make sunshine wherever we go,” one woman said. “I don’t care,” another woman said. “We’re on vacation. We’re all together and we’re going to have fun, make the best of it.”\nOther passengers were disappointed, like Elaine and Keith Bornn who drove from Canada to Boston. “Seriously? But I’ve been to all these places,” said Keith. “We’ve been about five months planning it and it’s what, seven hours to drive down yesterday.”\nThey packed for Bermuda ?. Now they’re headed to Maine and Canada instead. Disappointing news for passengers on the Norwegian Dawn changing its itinerary to avoid potentially dangerous weather. #wbz pic.twitter.com/0rg6oBZhV5\n— Christina Hager (@HagerWBZ) September 7, 2018\nRoyal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Lines are telling passengers on social media that no decision has been made yet on trips to Bermuda, but they are actively monitoring the storm.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":["vacationers"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a Category 3 hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Florence"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2016 The death toll from mudslides in Eastern Mexico triggered by Hurricane Earl rises to 38, with 28 people killed in Puebla, and 10 others in Veracruz. (Reuters)","document":"MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mudslides triggered by intense rainfall in eastern Mexico killed 40 people at the weekend as saturated hillsides collapsed onto modest homes in the wake of now-dissipated Tropical Storm Earl.\nMexicans mourn mudslide victims\n\nThe death toll rose late on Sunday after state governors in the two most affected states confirmed two more deaths from a series of mudslides that struck hillside communities.\nThe head of national emergency services previously put the death toll at 38, the vast majority of whom were found in Puebla state, while the remainder died in neighboring Veracruz.\nRafael Morena Valle, governor of Puebla state, said canine units were searching for the missing, but the number of unaccounted for residents was unclear.\nImages of the damage from Earl, broadcast on Mexican television, showed massive mudslides burying entire hillsides, trees felled and buildings creaking under collapsed walls and roofs.\nOn the Pacific coast, Mexico’s Baja California peninsula braced for another major storm to strike as early as Monday.\nTropical Storm Javier was generating maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour (80 kph) on Sunday night and was forecast to become a hurricane late Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a statement.\nThe center of the storm was expected to strike the southern tip of Baja, home to the beach resort of Los Cabos, by Monday night.\nAt least 25 of the deaths in Puebla state were confirmed on Sunday near the town of Huauchinango in the rugged Sierra Norte de Puebla mountains, site of the worst destruction so far.\nEleven people have died in Veracruz, buried in landslides after intense rainfall and flooding struck the Gulf coast state after Earl crossed the Yucatan peninsula.\n“We continue to monitor rivers that are above critical levels,” Veracruz Governor Javier Duarte said in a post on Twitter on Sunday.\nBefore striking Mexico, Earl battered Belize last Thursday, smashing car windows and punching holes in the roofs of Belize City’s wooden houses. It also flooded parts of the coast.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["the U.S. National Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["eastern Mexico"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["death toll at 38","death toll","two more deaths","deaths","40 people","At least 25","Eleven people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Earl","Javier"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["50 miles per hour (80 kph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2016 Remnants of Hurricane Earl helped form Tropical Storm Javier which is southeast of the Mexican resort of Cabo San Lucas on the Baja California Peninsula. A hurricane warning is issued for the southern portion of the peninsula. Rainfall from the storm is expected to impact the American Southwest, starting Tuesday evening. (The Yucatan Times) (The Weather Channel) (NHC)","document":"While remnants of Tropical Storm Earl were helping fuel the formation of Tropical Storm Javier off Mexico’s Pacific coast early Monday Aug. 8, at least 40 people were reported killed by landslides in the Mexican states of Puebla and Veracruz after Earl hit eastern Mexico, according to the official Twitter account of National Civil Protection Coordinator Luis Puente.\nBefore becoming a tropical storm as it moved across the region and then being downgraded to a tropical depression, the storm was Hurricane Earl.\nRainfall totals of 3-6 inches (locally up to 10 inches) are expected over coastal parts of the Mexico’s Sinaloa and southern Sonora states into Baja California.\nIn addition, Javier may help to send a surge of tropical moisture into the Southwest U.S. by midweek, with locally heavy rain and flooding in parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado.\nJavier formed partially from the remnants of Hurricane Earl, which impacted the Yucatan Peninsula and other parts of southeastern Mexico, as well as Belize and Honduras over the weekend and late last week.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["3-6 inches (locally up to 10 inches)","locally"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["eastern Mexico"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least 40 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Earl","Javier"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2016 Remnants of Hurricane Earl helped form Tropical Storm Javier which is southeast of the Mexican resort of Cabo San Lucas on the Baja California Peninsula. A hurricane warning is issued for the southern portion of the peninsula. Rainfall from the storm is expected to impact the American Southwest, starting Tuesday evening. (The Yucatan Times) (The Weather Channel) (NHC)","document":"\nTropical Storm Javier developed from an area of low pressure, called a Tehuantepecer, and moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Earl that crossed mainland Mexico in early August. \nIn the first week of August 2016, an area of low pressure formed south of Mexico and gained moisture from the remnants of the Atlantic's Hurricane Earl. By August 7, the low-pressure system had gained enough organization to be declared a tropical depression. \nBy later that day, the tropical depression developed into a tropical storm. Winds gusted to 46 mph in Manzanillo when Javier was near the southwest coast of Mexico.\nOn August 8, Javier intensified into a 65 mph tropical storm near Cabo San Lucas. Over the next day, Javier paralleled Baja California as it moved toward the north and began to weaken. \nScattered showers and storms mainly on the periphery of former Javier's circulation continued to produce locally heavy rain and flash flooding of normally dry washes and arroyos into the following week. \nAs with many tropical cyclones tracking near Baja California, Javier has helped to pull a surge of moisture northward into the Southwest U.S. For more details on that story,\n\nJavier formed partially from the remnants of Hurricane Earl, which impacted Belize, Honduras and Mexico in early August.\nHow often does a \"ghost\" or remnant of a past tropical storm or hurricane help form a new one in a different basin?\nAccording to NOAA's Hurricane Research Division, it's more common than it sounds.\nIt most recently occurred in October 2014 when eastern Pacific Tropical Storm Trudy made landfall in Mexico. After that, NOAA/HRD says the following occurred:\nIt's happened in the opposite direction, as well.\nIn 2001, Iris made a devastating landfall in southern Belize as a Category 4 hurricane after a less-than-five-day cruise through the Caribbean Sea, spun down to a remnant low, then was reborn as Tropical Storm Manuel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, lasting over a week in that basin.\nNOAA-HRD documented 15 total cases of remnants of tropical storms or hurricanes from one basin helping to form new tropical storms or hurricanes in another basin, dating to 1923. They caution that due to lack of satellite data, some other cases prior to the 1970s may have gone undetected.\nThis has occurred 11 times since the 1970s, or once every 3 to 4 years, on average. One of these cases involved 1974's Hurricane Fifi, responsible for anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 deaths (primarily due to rainfall flooding) in Central America.\n(MORE: Tragic History From Tropical Cyclones in Mexico, Central America)\nAnother bizarre case involved a Category 5 landfall in Belize (Hurricane Hattie in 1961) whose remnant helped form eastern Pacific Tropical Storm Simone.\nBut there's more.\nSimone's remnant then ended up back in the Bay of Campeche, merging with another disturbance to help form Tropical Storm Inga.\nTo recap, that was Atlantic to eastern Pacific back to Atlantic Basin.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Manzanillo"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Earl","Javier"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["46 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2016 The National Hurricane Center declares a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning from the Anclote River, north of Tampa, to Destin, Florida, near the Georgia border. Hermine, now at 45 mph (75 km), is expected to reach hurricane strength when it makes landfall Thursday afternoon. Florida Governor Rick Scott, with life-threatening flooding forecast, declares a state of emergency. (Reuters) (NHC)","document":"KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (Reuters) - Hurricane Madeline weakened to a tropical storm on Wednesday as it advanced toward Hawaii’s Big Island, while a hurricane warning was issued for another storm approaching the Gulf Coast of Florida, where the governor has called an emergency.\nStrong winds and driving rain pounded both northwest Florida and Big Island as residents braced for even wilder weather.\nHawaii officials opened shelters and closed offices, schools and roads on Wednesday to prepare for Madeline, which is expected to pass just south of the Big Island.\n“We should all be hunkering down as the storm passes,” said Hawaii County Civil Defense spokeswoman Kanani Aton.\nMadeline, as it weakened with sustained winds of about 70 mph (113 kph) on Wednesday afternoon, was about 75 miles (121 km) southeast of the Big Island, said Central Pacific Hurricane Center meteorologist Ray Tanabe.\nThe tropical storm, before it moves westward out of reach of Hawaii, could dump as much as 15 inches (40 cm) of rain on parts of the Big Island, according to the National Weather Service. The storm already was lashing the island with rain and wind, resulting in some road closures, Tanabe said.\nHurricane Lester, currently a major Category 4 storm, could affect Hawaii over the weekend.\nHawaii Governor David Ige signed an emergency proclamation that runs through Sept. 9, freeing up state resources.\nMeantime, the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for a portion of northwestern Florida as Tropical Storm Hermine continued to strengthen over the eastern Gulf of Mexico.\nThe system was located about 315 miles (510 kilometer) west-southwest of Tampa with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 km/h), the Miami-based weather forecaster said late on Wednesday.\nThe NHC said additional strengthening is forecast during the next 24 to 36 hours, and Hermine is expected to be a hurricane as it reaches the Florida’s northern Gulf Coast by Thursday afternoon and then sweep across northern parts of the state with driving rain, then northeast along the Atlantic Coast.\nFlorida’s governor declared an emergency on Wednesday ahead of the brewing storm as many school districts along the Gulf Coast canceled after-school activities and ordered students to stay home on Thursday.\nHeavy rains were already pounding parts of the state on Wednesday. As much as 20 inches (50 cm) could fall over northwest Florida, the NHC said, warning of storm surges and “life-threatening inundation.”\nOn its current path, the system would dump as much as 10 inches (25 cm) of rain on coastal areas of Georgia, which was under a tropical storm watch, and the Carolinas.\nLori Hebert, 40, woke up on Wednesday to flood waters seeping into her house in the Tampa Bay region. Catfish came onto her driveway as the street flooded in Gulfport, a small waterfront city.\n“We haven’t gotten the main storm yet,” she said, loading a dozen sandbags into her van.\nU.S. oil and gas producers in east of the Gulf of Mexico removed workers from 10 offshore platforms, moved drilling rigs and shut some output because of the storm.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["the governor","Governor","governor","Central Pacific Hurricane Center meteorologist","the National Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["15 inches (40 cm)"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the Gulf Coast of Florida","Florida","Gulf Coast","a portion of northwestern Florida","Hawaii’s Big Island","Big Island"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a hurricane","Hurricane","hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Madeline","Hermine","Lester"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["70 mph (113 kph)","60 mph (95 km/h)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2016 Residents of the American state of Florida prepare for the impact of Hurricane Hermine which is expected to make landfall today. A state of emergency has been declared in 51 of the 67 counties in the state. (Reuters/AFP via ABC News Australia)","document":"Hurricane Hermine has swept onto Florida's Gulf coast with winds and heavy rain causing flooding and cutting power to tens of thousands of people, as officials warn of \"life-threatening\" conditions.\nThe Category One storm made landfall on Friday morning local time near St Marks, just south of Florida's capital Tallahassee, with 130 kilometre per hour winds extending 72 kilometres from the hurricane's eye, the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said.\n\"There is a danger of life-threatening inundation within the next 12 to 24 hours along the Gulf coast of Florida,\" it added.\nThe storm is moving north-northeast at 23kph.\nSome 70,000 people in rain-drenched Tallahassee were already without power as local television stations broadcast video footage of buffeting winds and cars driving through flooded streets.\nAuthorities in several counties have issued mandatory evacuation orders for residents living on the coast and in low-lying regions.\n\"This is life-threatening,\" Governor Rick Scott said on Thursday, urging residents to take warnings seriously.\n\"We have a hurricane. You can rebuild a home. You can rebuild property. You cannot rebuild a life,\" he said.\nHundreds of schools and government offices will be closed on Friday as residents brace for the storm's full impact.\nHermine is the first hurricane to hit Florida in 11 years since Hurricane Wilma in 2005.\nPentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said 100 Florida National Guard personnel were activated, with 6,000 more on alert in the state and 34,000 members ready to deploy from elsewhere in the United States.\nPresident Barack Obama has asked FEMA administrator Craig Fugate to keep him updated on the situation \"and to alert him if there are any significant unmet needs\", White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.\n\"Local, state and federal officials have been working diligently to prepare for these storms and have resources on hand to respond to them as necessary,\" he added.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["near St Marks, just south of Florida's capital Tallahassee","Florida","Florida's Gulf coast","Gulf coast"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["tens of thousands of people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["north-northeast"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Friday morning"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["The Category One storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["23kph"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Hermine"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["130 kilometre per hour"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2016 A study concludes that typhoons in Asia are becoming stronger. (The Guardian)(Nature Geoscience)","document":"Giant storms that wreak havoc across China, Japan, Korea and the Philippines have grown 50% stronger in the past 40 years due to warming seas\nLast modified on Wed 14 Feb 2018 17.10 GMT\nThe destructive power of the typhoons that wreak havoc across China, Japan, Korea and the Philippines has intensified by 50% in the past 40 years due to warming seas, a new study has found.\nThe researchers warn that global warming will lead the giant storms to become even stronger in the future, threatening the large and growing coastal populations of those nations.\n“It is a very, very substantial increase,” said Prof Wei Mei, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who led the new work. “We believe the results are very important for east Asian countries because of the huge populations in these areas. People should be aware of the increase in typhoon intensity because when they make landfall these can cause much more damage.”\nTyphoons can have devastating impacts in east Asia. In 2013, typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, killing at least 6,300 people and affecting 11 million. Typhoon Nina struck China in 1975, dumping 100cm of rain in a day and leading to 229,000 deaths and 6m destroyed buildings. Last week typhoon Lionrock left 11 people dead in northern Japan and caused power blackouts and property damage, while in July typhoon Nepartak hit Taiwan and China, killing at least nine people and leaving a trail of destruction.\nIn the new research, published in Nature Geoscience, the scientists took data collected independently by centres in Japan and Hawaii and, after accounting for differences in the way it had been collected, showed that typhoons in the north-west Pacific had intensified by 12–15% on average since 1977. The proportion of the most violent storms - categories 4 and 5 - doubled and even tripled in some regions over that time and the intensification was most marked for those storms which hit land.\nThe intensity of a typhoon is measured by the maximum sustained wind speed, but the damage caused by its high winds, storm surges, intense rains and floods increases disproportionately, meaning a 15% rise in intensity leads to a 50% rise in destructive power.\nThe researchers showed that the intensification of typhoons making landfall occurred because warmer coastal seas provided more energy to growing storms, enabling their wind speeds to increase more rapidly.\nScientists are not yet able to determine whether manmade climate change or natural cycles are to blame for the warming seas in the region because 40 years is a relatively short time span for such phenomena. But Wei is clear that the future global warming, as projected by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, would heat the oceans in the region and lead to even more intense typhoons.\nMei said: “We want to give the message that typhoon intensity has increased and will increase in the future because of the warming climate.” He said action was needed to both prepare for future typhoons and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to curb warming: “Understanding intensity change is very important for disaster preparation.”\nProf Kerry Emanuel, an expert on tropical cyclones at MIT and not involved in the new research said: “The results leave little doubt that there are more high intensity events affecting south-east Asia and China, and these are also intensifying more rapidly.”\n“This is significant for these nations because what matters, in the end, is landfall size and intensity,” he said. “Stronger storms cause higher storm surges, which often cause the most destruction and loss of life.” Previous work by Emanuel showed tropical cyclones are likely to become more frequent and stronger if climate change is not curbed.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["Prof Wei Mei"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["100cm of rain"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["China","Philippines","across China, Japan, Korea and the Philippines","across China","Japan","Korea","northern Japan","Taiwan and China"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least 6,300 people","affecting 11 million","229,000 deaths","11 people","at least nine people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Haiyan","Nina","Lionrock","Nepartak"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2016 Typhoon Meranti hits mainland China and Taiwan killing at least eight people and destroying 1,600 houses. (The Wall Street Journal) (AP via ABC News)","document":"At least eight people have been reported dead after a powerful typhoon lashed much of southeastern China and Taiwan.\nChina's Ministry of Civil Affairs on Friday updated the number of deaths to seven as a result of Typhoon Meranti, which struck Fujian province early Thursday. Nine people in China are still missing.\nTaiwanese authorities reported that one person died in the storm.\nAccording to Chinese officials, Meranti forced the relocation of 33 million people and destroyed 1,600 homes. Images shared by state news media showed power lines and destroyed vehicles downed on streets in the coastal city of Xiamen. Taiwanese media reported that parts of southern Taiwan remain flooded.\nBut even as the cleanup is underway there, another typhoon, Malakas, is expected to hit Taiwan late Friday and Saturday.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Taiwan","southeastern China and Taiwan","Fujian province"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["At least eight people","seven","Nine people","one person"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["early Thursday","late Friday and Saturday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Meranti","Malakas"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2016 The storm cuts power and communications in the Philippine province of Batanes as it undergoes a \"state of calamity.\" (Rappler)","document":"The province does not have power, and communication lines are cut in the towns of Basco, Itbayat, and Mahatao\n\nCAGAYAN, Philippines – Batanes province has been placed under a state of calamity due to the onslaught of Typhoon Ferdie (Meranti).\nNorma Talosig, chief of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) in Cagayan Valley region, confirmed to Rappler on Friday, September 16, that the provincial board declared the province under a state of calamity on Thursday, September 15.\nThe declaration follows the recommendation of the provincial disaster management agency, according to Talosig.\nGovernor Marilou Cayco said on Friday that the declaration will allow the provincial government to \"immediately respond to the restoration needs of some facilities which were greatly affected by strong the typhoon and to enable quick response and service delivery to the affected families.\"\nCayco said the provincial government will prioritize families whose houses were totally damaged by strong winds.\nOn Thursday, Batanes Representative Henedina Abad said the province was \"heavily\" damaged by Ferdie.\nAbad said the province still had no power supply, and the communication lines in the towns of Basco, Itbayat, and Mahatao had been cut.\n“Our communities at the moment do not have access to water or electricity, and communication across the province is difficult to establish,” Abad said, adding that there was also great damage in agriculture and infrastructure.\n\nShe said she's \"thankful\" that there were no casualties reported.\nTalosig, meanwhile, reported 50 houses were totally damaged while 100 were partially damaged.\nThe buildings of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Technical Education Development Authority (TESDA), Basco Central School, Batanes National High School, Provincial Capitol building and Sto Domingo Church also suffered damages.\n'No help yet'\nIn a Facebook post, Rachel Ponce, Abad's aide who is a resident of Itbayat, pleaded for help as they have yet to contact some towns.\nPonce lamented the lack of media coverage on the aftermath of Ferdie in Batanes, saying the damage had left some town islands isolated.\n\"Nakakalungkot na [sobra ang] media coverage [sa] Senate samantalang ang mga kahilyan (kababayan) sa Itbayat eh nagiiyak na sa pag aalala sa Itbayat Island,\" Ponce said.\n(It is saddening that the Senate is receiving a huge media coverage while our countrymen in Itbayat are crying and worried of what had happened to our families in Itbayat Island.)","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["Norma Talosig, chief of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD)","the provincial disaster management agency"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the towns of Basco, Itbayat, and Mahatao","towns","Basco","Itbayat","Mahatao","Batanes province"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Ferdie"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2016 Taiwan braces for the potential impact of Typhoon Megi which is strengthening as it approaches the island. (AccuWeather)","document":" Typhoon Megi will continue to strengthen through Monday before threatening lives and property across Taiwan and eastern China this week.\nOn Monday, outer rain bands from Megi will begin to move into Japan's southernmost Ryukyu Islands and eastern Taiwan, but the most intense winds will remain across the Philippines Sea posing hazards only to shipping interests as rain, wind and seas increase around its center.\nDanger to lives and property will heighten Monday night as the typhoon takes aim at land.\n\"The most likely area to experience significant impacts will be across Taiwan and then into southeastern China,\" AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Douty said.\nJapan's southernmost Ryukyu Islands or far northern Luzon Island in the Philippines could be grazed by gusty showers and rough surf as well.\nEven though the Philippines will escape the damaging winds and flooding rain from Megi, moisture may still be drawn onto western Luzon Island and trigger flash flooding, including in Manila.\nTaiwan, on the other hand, should brace for Megi to make a direct hit.\nTaiwan weather centerAccuWeather typhoon centerVIDEO: Building crumbles into raging river during deadly flooding in China\n\"Impacts to Taiwan are expected to gradually increase on Monday, but will be the worse from Monday night through Tuesday (local time),\" Douty said.\nThe strength of Megi will be equal to that of a Category 3 hurricane when it slams into southeastern Taiwan with destructive winds, flooding rain and an inundating storm surge.\nNear the point of landfall in southeastern Taiwan, wind gusts are expected to be near 200 km/h (125 mph). Rainfall will exceed 250 mm (10 inches) in many areas. Over 500 mm (20 inches) could fall in some of the mountainous terrain.\nEven though Megi will pass well to the south of Taipei, the city could still see damaging wind gusts of 65-130 km/h (60-80 mph). Power cuts and minor structural damage are possible.\nThere is a greater risk of Megi causing wind damage and flooding across Taiwan since the island has been affected by both Super Typhoon Meranti and Typhoon Malakas in the last two weeks.\n\"Even though Megi will not be nearly as strong as Meranti, it could cause more damage than expected because of infrastructure already weakened by Meranti and the glancing blow from Malakas,\" AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said.\nAlready saturated and loose soil could lead to flash flooding and mudslides.\nMegi will then threaten eastern China after battering Taiwan, likely on Tuesday night into Wednesday.\nA closeup look of Megi in the western Pacific Ocean. (NOAA satellite)\nDouty is most concerned for Megi to move into southeastern China, likely from eastern Guangdong to Fujian, he said.\n\"While we should see weakening by [the time Megi reaches China], there could still be damaging wind near the point of landfall along with flooding rain,\" Douty said.\nThe mountainous terrain of Taiwan will cause Megi to be past its peak intensity as it tracks toward eastern China, but will likely be a tropical storm or possible a typhoon at landfall.\nMegi will continue to weaken once over land in eastern China. While the risk of damaging winds will lessen as Megi weakens, flooding rain will likely remain a concern until Megi dissipates.\n\nA tropical wave is likely to become the Atlantic Basin's next tropical storm as it approaches or crosses the Caribbean Sea later this week and potentially pose eventual threats to North America.\nFall air has finally arrived in the northeastern United States and may yield the first frost of the season in parts of the region to end this weekend.\nTyphoon Megi will continue to strengthen before threatening lives and property across Taiwan and eastern China this week.\nDownpours will not be so quick to depart Texas as other parts of the central United States into Monday, further heightening the risk of flooding.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Douty"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["across Taiwan and then into southeastern China","across Taiwan","southeastern China","across Taiwan and eastern China","eastern China","Japan's southernmost Ryukyu Islands and eastern Taiwan","Japan","southernmost Ryukyu Islands","eastern Taiwan"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["this week","week"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Megi"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2016 Taiwan authorities close schools and offices as Typhoon Megi approaches the island. (AP via Star-Telegram)","document":"A massive typhoon left one person dead in eastern China on Wednesday, a day after killing four and injuring 260 in Taiwan.\nTyphoon Megi weakened to a tropical storm after hitting the coastal city of Quanzhou in Fujian province before dawn, packing winds of up to 118 kilometers (74 miles) per-hour, China's National Meteorological Center said.\nOne person died after several structures collapsed in Quanzhou, state-approved news media reported. In Fuzhou, Fujian's provincial capital, people were shown on state television walking through knee-deep waters that had swamped major roads. Schools were closed and dozens of flights were canceled.\nThe storm was forecast to move northwest Wednesday and fade gradually.\nIn Taiwan on Tuesday, the typhoon's bands of heavy rain and sustained winds of 162 kilometers (100 miles) per-hour blanketed the island by midafternoon as the eye of the storm made landfall on the east coast. Authorities had raised alert levels for Taiwan, which is prone to landslides and flooding, said National Fire Agency Director-General Chen Wen-lung.\nThe 268 injured included eight Japanese tourists traveling in a tour bus that turned on its side in central Taiwan. Three people suffered fatal falls and a fourth person died in a truck crash, said Lee Wei-sen, a spokesman for Taiwan's Central Emergency Operations Center. Many of the injuries were from falling and wind-blown objects.\nMegi was 500 kilometers (310 miles) in diameter at its largets, and rainfall had topped 300 millimeters (12 inches) in the south and eastern mountains of Taiwan.\nMore than 8,000 people were evacuated, mostly from mountainous areas at risk of landslides or floods. About 2,800 went to shelters, Chen said. Approximately 2.9 million households lost power overnight.\nThe weather delayed more than 121 flights and forced the cancellation of 253 more at Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport, while another seven were diverted to other Taiwanese airports. Authorities had closed schools, offices and most of Taiwan's railway system.\nMegi is the fourth typhoon of the year to hit Taiwan and third in the last two weeks.\nOn the Chinese coast, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Taiwan at its nearest point, fishing boats were ordered back to port, China's official Xinhua News Agency said.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the coastal city of Quanzhou in Fujian province","Quanzhou","Taiwan","eastern China"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["one person dead","killing four","injuring 260","One person died"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["northwest"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Wednesday","before dawn"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Megi"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["118 kilometers (74 miles) per-hour","per-hour"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2016 Hurricane Matthew becomes a category-5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds up to 160 mph, the strongest hurricane to form over the Caribbean Sea since Hurricane Felix in 2007. It is expected to impact parts of Haiti, Jamaica and eastern Cuba. (ABC News), (AP)","document":"— -- Hurricane Matthew continues to be unpredictable: At 10:57 p.m. on Friday, the National Hurricane Center announced Matthew had strengthened from a Category 4 to a Category 5 hurricane over the Caribbean Sea with maximum sustained winds up to 160 mph.\nBut less than six hours later, at 4:45 a.m on Saturday, the NHC announced Matthew had weakened and returned to a Category 4 hurricane.\nHurricane #Matthew advisory 13 issued. #Matthew weakens slightly and is now a category 4 hurricane.\nHurricane #Matthew advisory 13 issued. #Matthew weakens slightly and is now a category 4 hurricane.\nAlthough Matthew has officially weakened, ABC News meteorologist Daniel Manzo says its current maximum sustained winds are up to 155 mph -- a decrease of only 5 mph from late Friday night. Plus, it continues to move westward at 7 mph, as it was earlier.\n\"Matthew is still a really powerful and dangerous storm.\" Manzo says. \"Regardless whether the storm is a strong category 4 or a weak Category 5, the storm is very well organized, very intense and has the potential to bring major impacts to parts of the Caribbean early next week\"\nAfter touching CAT 5 status overnight, #Matthew is now a strong CAT 4 #hurricane with 155 mph sustained winds. pic.twitter.com/lhTkFJd3v4— Rob Marciano (@RobMarciano) October 1, 2016\nAfter touching CAT 5 status overnight, #Matthew is now a strong CAT 4 #hurricane with 155 mph sustained winds. pic.twitter.com/lhTkFJd3v4\nPrior to slightly weakening, Matthew had been the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic since Hurricane Felix in 2007, according to the NHC. It is also the second major hurricane in the Atlantic Basin in 2016.\nAs of Friday at 11 p.m. ET, Matthew was centered about 80 miles northwest of Punta Gallinas, Colombia, and about 440 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica.\nMatthew is expected to hit eastern Jamaica on Monday. But Evan Thompson, director of the National Meteorological Service, told The Associated Press that the first effects of Matthew may be felt as early as Saturday.\n\"We do consider it serious,\" he said. \"We are all on high alert.\"\nA hurricane watch has been issued for Jamaica, and rainfall totals of 10 to 15 inches with maximum sustained amounts of 25 inches are expected across Jamaica and southern and southwestern Haiti.\nThe U.S. embassy in Kingston announced Friday that its consular services section will be closed on Monday and Tuesday in anticipation of Matthew.\nDue to the anticipated effects of #HurricaneMatthew, @USEmbassyJA will be closed for Consular Services on Oct 3 & 4. https://t.co/tH7sQoz34j— US Embassy Jamaica (@USEmbassyJA) September 30, 2016\nDue to the anticipated effects of #HurricaneMatthew, @USEmbassyJA will be closed for Consular Services on Oct 3 & 4. https://t.co/tH7sQoz34j\nThe hurricane is on path to travel west-by-southwest through the central Caribbean on Friday afternoon and to retain its strength as a major hurricane, the National Hurricane Center showed.\nBy early Sunday morning, Matthew is forecast to begin to turn north toward Jamaica.\nAfter it is expected to hit Jamaica on Monday, the eastern part of Cuba could see a direct hit later that evening from Matthew with damaging winds, flooding rain and large waves.\n\"As Matthew moves over Cuba it will lose some strength due to the friction with the land mass,\" ABC News meteorologist Max Golembo said. \"As it re-emerges north of Cuba in the Bahamas it could regain its strength back.\"\nGolemo added Friday, \"At this time, most forecast models keep Hurricane Matthew east of Florida, and only a few models have it hitting Florida by the middle of next week.\"\nMatthew developed very quickly from a tropical wave into a tropical storm with sustained winds of 60 mph around 11 a.m. on Wednesday. The only other storm that has done this was Hurricane Debbie in 1961, Golembo said.\nAs Matthew moved over the eastern Caribbean, it brought wind gusts from 50 mph to 60 mph from Dominique to St. Lucia and Barbados. Heavy rain of up to 3 inches fell on the islands, producing landslides and flash flooding. Landslides were so severe that one person was killed by a boulder in St. Vincent.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["the National Hurricane Center","National Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["westward"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a category 4 hurricane","Category 4 hurricane","a Category 4 hurricane","category 4 hurricane","a Category 4 to a Category 5 hurricane","category 4"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["7 mph"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Matthew"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["155 mph","up to 160 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Hurricane Matthew, at Category 4 strength with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 km/h), temporarily stalls as it heads towards Jamaica and Haiti. Weather forecasters expect tropical storm conditions today with landfall tomorrow. Further, they expect rainfall of 20 inches, with up to 40 inches in some parts of southern Haiti. (BBC), (NBC News), (The National Hurricane Center)","document":"Hurricane Matthew has weakened slightly as it moves towards Jamaica, but is still packing winds of up to 230km/h (145mph), strong enough to wreck houses, forecasters say.\nIt is now a category four storm, the US National Hurricane Center says, after earlier reaching the top category five on a scale of intensity.\nJamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has urged citizens to make all necessary preparations.\nThe storm is due to hit land on Monday.\nIt is expected to reach Jamaica's southern coast first, but is also likely to reach Haiti and Cuba. Cuban President Raul Castro has travelled to the eastern city of Santiago to supervise preparations for the storm.\nOfficials have warned the high winds could batter Jamaica's main tourist areas including Montego Bay in the north.\nWith the government on high alert, PM Holness said people should expect the worse.\n\"What we have control over is our ability to prepare,\" he said. \"We hold firm to the view that our preparation can reduce loss of life and damage to property.\"\nLocal emergency teams as well as the police and army are on standby, while shelters are being set up throughout the island, his office said.\nAs the storm approaches, many Jamaicans have been stocking up on water and food.\nTropical storm warnings have also been issued for parts of coastal Colombia and Haiti over the weekend.\nHaitian authorities say the priority is to protect the southern islands of the country, whose inhabitants they have described as \"first at risk\", according to AFP news agency.\nForecasters said up to 38cm (15 ins) of rain could fall across Jamaica and on southern Haiti.\nWhile Jamaica was damaged by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, the last major storm in the region was Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Matthew could be the most powerful storm to hit the island since records began, meteorologist Eric Holthaus said on Twitter.\nHurricane strengthens near Bahamas\nHurricane claims life in Jamaica\n\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["forecasters","Forecasters","the US National Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Jamaica's southern coast first, but is also likely to reach Haiti and Cuba","Jamaica"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a category four storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Matthew"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 230km/h (145mph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Weather forecasters issue hurricane warnings for eastern Cuba, from Las Tunas to Guantánamo provinces. (The Los Angeles Times), (The National Hurricane Center)","document":"A powerful Hurricane Matthew moved slowly Sunday across the Caribbean Sea on a track that authorities warned could trigger devastation in parts of Haiti.\nThe storm had winds of 145 mph as it moved northwest and the center was expected to pass across or very close to the southwestern tip of Haiti late Monday before reaching Cuba, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.\nA hurricane warning was in effect for Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti. Forecasters said the southern Haitian countryside around Les Cayes could see the worst of it.\n“Wherever that center passes close to would see the worst winds and that’s what’s projected to happen for the western tip of Haiti,” said John Cangilosi, a hurricane specialist at the center. “There is a big concern for rains there and also a big concern for storm surge.”\nMatthew is one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recent history and briefly reached the top classification, Category 5, becoming the strongest hurricane since Felix in 2007. The hurricane center said it appeared to be on track to pass east of Florida through the Bahamas, but it was too soon to predict with certainty whether it would reach the coast of the United States.\nThe government of Haiti opened 1,300 emergency shelters across the country, enough to hold up to 340,000 people. Authorities broadcast warnings over the radio and across social media, trying to counter a common tendency for people to try to stay in their homes to protect them during natural disasters.\n“The shelters are open but I don’t believe we have anyone inside them just yet,” said Joseph Edgard Celestin, a spokesman for the civil protection agency.\nTeams of civil protection officials were walking the streets of Les Cayes urging residents to secure their homes, prepare emergency kits and warn their neighbors. Many Haitians appeared unaware of the looming hurricane.\n“No, I haven’t heard anything about a bad storm coming here,” farmer Jean-Bernard Mede said with a concerned expression as he took a break from walking three cows along a dirt track outside the town of Leogane. “I’ll do what I can for my animals and my family.”\nForecasters said the slow-moving Matthew was expected to dump 15 to 25 inches of rain over southern Haiti, with a few places getting as much as 40 inches.\nThe impoverished country is particularly vulnerable to devastating floods because of the steep terrain, with hillsides and mountains often devoid of the trees that hold back the water because they have been cut down to make charcoal for cooking fires. Many people often live in houses that are not able to withstand a storm, typically built of scraps of wood with flimsy corrugated-steel roofs.\nAs of 2 p.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 335 miles south-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It was traveling north-northwest at 5 mph.\nA hurricane watch was posted for the southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands. A tropical storm warning was in effect for parts of the Dominican Republic, where authorities began mandatory evacuations of areas at risk for flooding.\nThe hurricane earlier had been projected to move closer to Jamaica, but the risk to the island seems to have diminished somewhat.\n“The center of the system is looking more likely that it will pass to the east of Jamaica but it won’t miss it by that much, so they are still going to see impacts,” Cangilosi said. “The impacts are maybe going to be a little lower there than they would be in Haiti and eastern Cuba.”\nAfter passing Jamaica and Haiti, Matthew is expected to reach Cuba, potentially striking near the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, where authorities were evacuating non-essential personnel, including about 700 family members of those serving there.\nEveryone remaining behind was being told to take shelter, said Julie Ann Ripley, a spokeswoman. There are about 5,500 people living on the base, including 61 men held at the detention center.\nCuban President Raul Castro traveled to the eastern city of Santiago to oversee preparations for Matthew’s arrival. A report on state television showed the 85-year-old leader discussing the hurricane’s path with ministers and saying, “This is a hurricane we need to prepare for as if it were twice as powerful as Sandy,” the 2012 hurricane that devastated much of Cuba’s second-largest city.\nHundreds of troops were moving in convoys around the city and state workers with chain saws were cutting trees overhanging power lines and homes. Trains from Havana to eastern Cuba were canceled and the government called on residents of eastern Cuba to move livestock to high ground, tape up their windows and store potable water ahead of the hurricane’s arrival.\nThe forecast track would also carry Matthew into the Bahamas. Cangilosi said the storm appeared to tracking toward the U.S., but it was too soon to say if it would affect Florida or parts of the East Coast.\n“The message we have for people in Florida is just closely monitor Matthew,” he said. “We can’t rule out any significant impacts just yet but the indications at this point are that the center of it will move to the east.”\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["Forecasters","the U.S. National Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["15 to 25 inches","40 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti","Haiti","Cuba","Jamaica","southern Haitian countryside around Les Cayes"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["northwest"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Matthew"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["145 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Typhoon Chaba, now a super typhoon with winds of 145 knots (165 mph), heads for Japan's southern islands with storm warnings of torrential rain followed by mudslides and flooding. (AAP via SBS), (Weather.com)","document":"Authorities have warned of mudslides, flooding and high waves in the southern Japanese islands due to Typhoon Chaba.\nResidents on Japan's southern islands are preparing for torrential rain and strong winds as Typhoon Chaba bears down on the region.\nAuthorities have warned of mudslides, flooding and high waves as the season's 18th typhoon is projected to hit islands in the southern Japanese archipelago on Monday.\nAll the public schools on Okinawa's main island are closed while dozens of flights in the region have been cancelled.\nThe typhoon could dump rainfall of up to 80mm an hour in some areas of the island, the Japan Meteorological Agency says.\nThe eye of the storm was 290km south of Naha city on Okinawa on Monday morning, travelling north-northwest at 25km/h, with maximum sustained winds of 180km/h and gusts of 252km/h, the agency said.\nIn late August, Typhoon Lionrock pounded northeastern Japan, leaving more than 20 people dead. It was the first typhoon that made landfall on the northeast since records began in 1951.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["southern Japanese islands"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Residents on Japan's southern islands","Japan"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["north-northwest"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":["290km south of Naha city on Okinawa","Okinawa"]},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["25km/h"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Chaba"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["180km/h","252km/h"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Typhoon Chaba, now a super typhoon with winds of 145 knots (165 mph), heads for Japan's southern islands with storm warnings of torrential rain followed by mudslides and flooding. (AAP via SBS), (Weather.com)","document":"\nChaba hammered parts of Japan's Okinawa prefecture on Monday, Oct. 3 with wind gusts well over 100 mph, but spared Kadena Air Base the worst of its fury. \n\nChaba intensified to a super typhoon for a time on Oct. 3. The U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) estimated maximum sustained winds had reached 145 knots, roughly 165 mph, the equivalent of a Category 5 tropical cyclone at that time.\nWind gusts up to 134 mph (59.7 meters per second) were clocked on the Japanese island of Kume as the eastern eyewall passed through late Monday night, local time.\n\nChaba is only the third Category 5 equivalent super typhoon to track within 65 nautical miles of Kume Island, in records dating to the 1960s, and is the strongest on record, there.\nThe Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) estimated central pressure had cratered at roughly 905 millibars, a \"violent\" typhoon by their classification.\nA final jog of the eyewall westward spared Okinawa Island, home of the U.S. Kadena Air Base, from the eyewall of this violent super typhoon. Winds gusted over 50 mph on Monday, there.\nChaba also brought heavy rain and strong winds as it passed near southern South Korea while weakening.\nFlooding was reported in Gyeongju, South Korea. Sogwipo, South Korea, saw nearly a foot of rain in 24 hours from Chaba.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["parts of Japan's Okinawa prefecture"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Monday, Oct. 3","Oct. 3","Monday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["Category 5 tropical cyclone","5","a super typhoon","super typhoon"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Chaba"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["over 100 mph","145 knots, roughly 165 mph","134 mph (59.7 meters per second)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Heavy rains from Hurricane Matthew's outer bands drench Haiti and Jamaica, killing a Haitian fisherman. The Category 4 storm, with 140 mph ((220 km/h) maximum sustained winds), is heading towards western Haiti, eastern Cuba, and the southeastern and central Bahamas. (CBS News), (The National Hurricane Center)","document":"Updated on: October 3, 2016 / 11:33 PM\n \n KINGSTON, Jamaica -- People from Cuba to the Carolinas are getting ready for the\npotential impact of Hurricane Matthew.\nThe powerful Category 4 storm is already blamed for at least four deaths.\nHeavy rains from the outer bands of Hurricane Matthew\ndrenched Haiti and Jamaica on Monday, flooding streets and sending many people\nto emergency shelters as the sprawling Category 4 storm steamed toward the two\nCaribbean countries.\nA slightly strengthened Matthew had sustained winds of 145 mph late Monday, up from 140 mph earlier in the day. Its center was expected to pass near or over the southwestern tip of impoverished Haiti after dawn on Tuesday, then head for another landfall in eastern Cuba, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. \n“We are looking at a dangerous hurricane that is\nheading into the vicinity of western Haiti and eastern Cuba,” said Richard\nPasch, a senior hurricane specialist with the center. “People who are\nimpacted by things like flooding and mudslides hopefully would get out and\nrelocate because that’s where we have seen loss of life in the past.”\nIn Jamaica, many took that advice before the island’s\ngovernment discontinued a hurricane warning and replaced it with a tropical\nstorm warning as Matthew tracked closer to Haiti. More than 700 people packed\nshelters in the eastern parish of St. Thomas and the Salvation Army said there\nwere about 200 people at its shelters in Kingston as it put out a call for\nmattresses and cots.\nJamaica has felt Hurricane Matthew’s outer bands all weekend, striking fear of its fury into residents. Kingston, the nation’s capital with almost 600,000 people, is a virtual ghost town, CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann reported.\nAnnette Gerald headed for a shelter. \n“My roof is not solid and the hurricane is coming,” she said. “And the hurricane is coming.”\nMany people chose to stick it out at home. Local Government\nMinister Desmond McKenzie said all but four residents of the Port Royal area\nnear the Kingston airport refused to board buses and evacuate.\nIn Haiti, authorities experienced a similar problem in some\nflood-prone areas. In the Port-au-Prince suburb of Tabarre, officials urged\nshantytown residents living next to a muddy river to take shelter at a local\nschool where cots were set up. But many refused, fearing their few possessions\nmight be stolen.\n“If we lose our things we are not going to get them\nback!” Toussaint Laine said as police and officials from the mayor’s\noffice urged the jobless man and his family to evacuate.\nHaiti’s civil protection agency reported the death of a\nfisherman in rough water churned up by the storm. Agency chief Marie Alta\nJean-Baptiste had said early Monday that the body of another fisherman was\nrecovered off the southern town of Aquin but she later said that was wrong and\nhe was still missing.\nThe reported death in Haiti brought the total for the storm to at least three. One man died Friday in Colombia and a 16-year-old was killed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Sept. 28 when the system passed through the eastern Caribbean.\nAuthorities went door to door in Haiti’s south coast cities\nof Les Cayes and Jeremie to make sure people were aware of the storm. At least\n1,200 people were moved to shelters in churches and schools.\n“We are continuing to mobilize teams in the south to\nmove people away from dangerous areas,” Jean-Baptiste said.\nThere is no shortage of people with flimsy houses set up in\nrisky places in Haiti. In an unregulated sprawl of shacks built on hillsides\nnear the northern edge of Haiti’s capital, some poor families did the best they\ncould to reinforce their tin-and-tarp houses. But most were just praying they\nwould get through the storm in the shanty metropolis of Canaan without getting\nhurt.\n“I know my house could easily blow away. All I can do\nis pray and then pray some more,” said Ronlande Francois. She lives with\nher unemployed husband and three children.\nIn Port-au-Prince, schools were closed and people lined up\nat gas stations and cleared out shelves at supermarkets as a light rain fell in\nthe capital.\nSome worried the crowded city might not fare well. “We\nare not prepared,” unemployed mason Fritz Achelus said as he watched water\npool on a downtown street.\nForecasters said the storm could dump as much as 40 inches\n(100 centimeters) of rain on some isolated areas of Haiti, raising fears of\ndeadly mudslides and floods in the heavily deforested country where many\nfamilies live in flimsy houses with corrugated metal roofs.\nMatthew is one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in\nrecent history and briefly reached the top classification, Category 5, becoming\nthe strongest hurricane in the region since Felix in 2007.\nThe hurricane center said the storm appeared to be on track\nto pass east of Florida through the Bahamas, but it was too soon to predict\nwith certainty whether it would threaten any spot on the U.S. East Coast.\n“Although our track is to the east of Florida,\ninterests there should remain vigilant and we can’t rule out the possibility of\nimpacts,” Pasch said.\nA hurricane warning was posted for the central Bahamas,\nwhere the storm was expected to move along the eastern length of the island\nchain starting early Wednesday.\nAs of 11 p.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 100 miles south of Tiburon, Haiti, and 190 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince. It was moving north at 7 mph.\nhe U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to the central Caribbean as Hurricane Matthew hits.\n“The DART has experts in Haiti, Jamaica and the Bahamas. The U.S. Government is also communicating with officials in Cuba, Dominican Republic, Colombia, the Cayman Islands and Belize to coordinate relief efforts, if requested,” USAID said in a statement. “USAID is providing $400,000 for initial relief assistance in Haiti and Jamaica. USAID will work with international partners to distribute critical relief supplies, manage emergency shelters and provide logistics support to humanitarian organizations.”\nCuba’s government declared a hurricane alert for six eastern\nprovinces and removed traffic lights from poles in the city of Santiago to keep\nthem from falling due to heavy wind.\nMatthew’s center was expected to make landfall in Cuba about\n50 miles least of the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, where\nauthorities evacuated about 700 spouses and children of service members on\nmilitary transport planes to Florida.\nThe U.S. installation has a population of about 5,500,\nincluding 61 men held at the detention center for terrorism suspects. Navy\nCapt. David Culpepper, the base commander, said emergency shelters had been set\nup and authorities were bracing for storm surge and heavy rain that could\nthreaten some low-lying areas, including around the power plant and water\ndesalination facility.\n“We have no choice but to prepare ourselves to take a\nfrontal assault if you will,” Culpepper said.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Cuba to the Carolinas","Cuba","Caribbean countries"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least four deaths"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["Category 4 storm","4","Category 4 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Matthew"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Hurricane Matthew moves towards the United States with hundreds of thousands of people being evacuated from the states of Florida and South Carolina. (USA Today)","document":"MELBOURNE, Fla. — Evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people was underway Wednesday in Florida and South Carolina as Hurricane Matthew roared closer to the U.S. after leaving 16 people dead and carving a path of destruction across Haiti.\nThe impending weather prompted Florida Gov. Rick Scott to ask President Obama to declare a pre-landfall emergency, activate 1,000 more National Guard members to join the 1,500 already positioned in the state and suspend all tolls in the affected areas, including the entire Florida Turnpike, Alligator Alley, Central Florida Expressway Authority and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority.\n\"Based on the most recent forecast I received from the National Hurricane Center, the eye of Hurricane Matthew is going to be much closer to Florida,\" Scott said Wednesday night in a statement. \"There are hurricane watches and warnings along Florida’s entire east coast and we now have Tropical Storm warnings on Florida’s Gulf Coast. This storm is serious and protecting life remains our number one priority.\"\nDuring a briefing with reporters earlier Wednesday, Scott also implored those who had been ordered to evacuate to do so.\n\"There is absolutely no excuse not to evacuate,\" Scott said during the briefing at the Brevard County Emergency Operations Center in Rockledge, Fla. \"If you are able to leave early, go now,\" before evacuation-related traffic tie-ups get worse.\"\n\"We can rebuild your home. We can rebuild your business,\" Scott said. \"We cannot rebuild your life.\"\nThe governor added that the state is \"preparing for the worst, hoping for the best and not taking any chances.\nTropical storm conditions are expected to reach parts of the Florida coast by early Thursday, intensifying to hurricane conditions in some areas later that day, the National Hurricane Center warned. Matthew had top sustained winds of 115 mph, a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, Wednesday evening and is forecast to strengthen in coming days, the center said.\n\"People have less than 24 hours to prepare,\" Scott said. \"Having a plan could be the difference between life and death.\"\nFlorida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina declared states of emergency ahead of the most powerful storm to rock the Atlantic basin since Hurricane Felix killed more than 100 people, most in Nicaragua, in 2007.\n“Residents and visitors should take evacuation orders seriously,” Federal Emergency Management Agency chief W. Craig Fugate said. “This is a major hurricane that has the potential to cause significant harm to life and property.”\n. Wednesday evening the storm was about 325 miles southeast of West Palm Beach heading northwest at 10 mph. The storm had weakened but was expected to strengthen later Wednesday and on Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["the National Hurricane Center","National Hurricane Center","Florida Gov. Rick Scott"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Florida and South Carolina","Florida","South Carolina","the U.S"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["hundreds of thousands of people","16 people dead"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":["much closer to Florida","Florida"]},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Matthew"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Matthew gains strength and again becomes a Category 4 storm with 140 mph (220 km/h) maximum sustained winds. (AP via Philly.com), (The National Hurricane Center)","document":"But the National Hurricane Center says the Category 3 storm's western eyewall is approaching Cape Canaveral with hurricane-force winds.\nAs of 5 a.m. EDT Friday, Matthew is centered about 40 miles east-southeast of Cape Canaveral and is moving north-northwest near 13 mph.\nMore than 270,000 in Florida are without power.\nTwo million people were warned to flee inland as the most powerful storm to threaten the Atlantic coast in more than a decade charged toward Florida. Matthew left more than 280 dead in its wake across the Caribbean.\n\nCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - Hurricane Matthew pelted Florida with heavy rains as the deadly storm steamed ever closer to the coast with potentially catastrophic winds of 130 mph Thursday. Two million people across the Southeast were warned to flee inland.\nIt was the most powerful storm to threaten the U.S. Atlantic coast in more than a decade, and had already left more than 280 dead in its wake across the Caribbean.\n\"This storm's a monster,\" Gov. Rick Scott warned as it started lashing the state with periodic heavy rains and squalls around nightfall. He added: \"I'm going to pray for everybody's safety.\"\nAs it moved north in the evening, Matthew stayed about 100 miles or more off South Florida, sparing the 4.4 million people in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas from its most punishing effects.\nBut by Thursday night, more than 80,000 homes and businesses were without power. Streets in Vero Beach were partially covered with water, and hotel guests in Orlando were told to stay inside, though a few sneaked out to smoke or watch the rain.\nThe lobby of the Loews Sapphire Falls Resort was crowded with people and pets, including dogs occasionally snapping at each other. Some meals were served buffet style while other people waited more than 2 hours for a pizza delivery.\nThe hurricane was expected to blow ashore - or come dangerously close to doing so - early Friday north of Palm Beach County, which has about 1.4 million people, and then slowly push north for the next 12 hours along the Interstate 95 corridor, through Cape Canaveral and Jacksonville, according to the National Hurricane Center.\nForecasters said it would then probably hug the coast of Georgia and South Carolina over the weekend before veering out to sea - perhaps even looping back toward Florida in the middle of next week as a tropical storm.\nMillions of people in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina were told to evacuate their homes, and interstate highways were turned into one-way routes to speed the exodus. Florida alone accounted for about 1.5 million of those told to clear out.\n\"The storm has already killed people. We should expect the same impact in Florida,\" the governor warned.\nMany boarded up their homes and businesses and left them to the mercy of the storm.\n\"We're not going to take any chances on this one,\" said Daniel Myras, who struggled to find enough plywood to protect his restaurant, the Cruisin Cafe, two blocks from the Daytona Beach boardwalk.\nHe added: \"A lot of people here, they laugh, and say they've been through storms before and they're not worried. But I think this is the one that's going to give us a wake-up call.\"\nThe hurricane picked up wind speed as it closed in, growing from a possibly devastating Category 3 storm to a potentially catastrophic Category 4. Forecasters said it could dump up to 15 inches of rain in some spots and cause a storm surge of 9 feet or more.\nThey said the major threat to the Southeast would not be the winds - which newer buildings can withstand - but the massive surge of seawater that could wash over coastal communities along a 500-mile stretch from South Florida to the Charleston, South Carolina, area.\nPresident Barack Obama declared a state of emergency for Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, freeing up federal money and personnel to protect lives and property.\nThe Fort Lauderdale airport shut down, and the Orlando airport planned to do so as well. The Palm Beach International Airport reported a wind gust of 50 mph with the center of the storm 70 miles offshore, the National Hurricane Center said. Airlines canceled more than 3,000 flights Thursday and Friday, many of them in or out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale.\nAmtrak suspended train service between Miami and New York, and cruise lines rerouted ships to avoid the storm, which in some cases will mean more days at sea.\nOrlando's world-famous theme parks - Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld - all closed.\n\"I never get time off. I'm a little sad,\" tourist Amber Klinkel, 25, of Battle Creek, Michigan, lamented at Universal.\nPatients were transferred from two Florida waterfront hospitals and a nursing home near Daytona Beach to safer locations.\nThousands of people hunkered down in schools converted to shelters, and inland hotels in places such as Charlotte, North Carolina, reported brisk business.\nAt the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, NASA no longer has to worry about rolling space shuttles back from the launch pad to the hangar because of hurricanes, since the shuttle fleet is now retired. But the spaceflight company SpaceX was concerned about the storm's effect on its leased seaside pad.\nAs evening fell, the winds picked up along Vero Beach, midway between West Palm Beach and Cape Canaveral, stripping away palm fronds, ripping awnings and blowing sand that stung the face. Waves crashed on the beach, and rain came in short bursts.\nThe last Category 3 storm or higher to hit the U.S. was Wilma in October 2005. It sliced across Florida with 120 mph winds, killing five people and causing an estimated $21 billion in damage.\nAs people hurried to higher ground, authorities in South Carolina said a motorist died on Wednesday after being shot by deputies in a gun battle that erupted when he sped away from a checkpoint along an evacuation route.\nThe coordinator for Haiti's Interior Ministry in the area hit hardest by Hurricane Matthew said the confirmed death toll in that southwestern zone was 283. Emmanuel Pierre told The Associated Press late Thursday that he expects the toll to rise as authorities reach remote places that were left isolated by the storm.\nBodies have started to appear as waters recede in some areas two days after Matthew smashed concrete walls, flattened palm trees and tore roofs off homes.\nIn the Bahamas, authorities reported many downed trees and power lines but no immediate deaths.\nAs of 11 p.m. EDT, Matthew was about 125 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral, moving toward the northwest at about 13 mph. With hurricane-force winds extending outward up to 60 miles, Matthew could wreak havoc along the coast even if its center stayed offshore.\nGeorgia Gov. Nathan Deal ordered an evacuation of the entire Georgia coast, covering more than a half-million people. It was the first hurricane evacuation along the Georgia coast since 1999, when the state narrowly escaped Floyd.\n\"We have a house that sits right here on the water and we kind of said goodbye to it thinking that, you know, the house ... might not be here when we get back,\" said Jennifer Banker, a resident of Georgia's dangerously exposed St. Simons Island. \"You know, we pray a lot and trust God to provide.\".","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["the National Hurricane Center","National Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["up to 15 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Cape Canaveral","CAPE CANAVERAL"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["More than 270,000"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["north-northwest","north","North","northwest"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["Category 3 storm","Category 3 storm's","Category 4"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["13 mph"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Matthew"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 The death toll is at least 140 people with 136 in Haiti. (Reuters)","document":"PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti/DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - Hurricane Matthew killed almost 900 people and left tens of thousands homeless in Haiti earlier this week before it skirted Florida’s Atlantic coast on Friday and plowed northward over waters just off Georgia.\nThe number of deaths in Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, surged to at least 877 on Friday as information trickled in from remote areas previously cut off by the storm, according to a Reuters tally of death tolls given by officials.\nMatthew triggered mass evacuations along the U.S. coast from Florida through Georgia and into South Carolina and North Carolina.\nU.S. President Barack Obama urged people not to be complacent and to heed safety instructions.\n“The potential for storm surge, loss of life and severe property damage exists,” Obama told reporters after a briefing with emergency management officials about the fiercest cyclone to affect the United States since Superstorm Sandy four years ago.\nMatthew smashed through Haiti’s western peninsula on Tuesday with 145 mile-per-hour (233 kph) winds and torrential rain. Some 61,500 people were in shelters, officials said, after the storm pushed the sea into fragile coastal villages, some of which were only now being contacted.\nWhile highlighting the misery of underdevelopment in Haiti, which is still recovering from a devastating 2010 earthquake, the storm looked certain to rekindle the debate about global warming and the long-term threat posed by rising sea levels to low-lying cities and towns.\nAt least three towns in the hills and coast of Haiti’s fertile western tip reported dozens of people killed, including the farming village of Chantal where the mayor said 86 people died, mostly when trees crushed houses. He said 20 others were missing.\n“A tree fell on the house and flattened it. The entire house fell on us. I couldn’t get out,” said driver Jean-Pierre Jean-Donald, 27, who had been married for only a year","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Haiti","the U.S. coast from Florida through Georgia and into South Carolina and North Carolina","Florida","coast","Georgia"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["almost 900 people","tens of thousands","at least 877"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["this week"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Matthew"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Hurricane Matthew hits the southeastern United States as the death toll in Haiti rises to at least 877. (Reuters), (Sky News), (AP), (ITV)","document":"CHANTAL, Haiti/PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Hurricane Matthew’s trail of destruction in Haiti stunned those emerging from the aftermath on Friday, with the number of dead soaring to 877, tens of thousands left homeless and outbreaks of cholera already claiming more lives.\nInformation trickled in from remote areas that were cut off by the storm and it became clear that at least 175 people died in villages clustered among the hills and on the coast of Haiti’s fertile western tip.\nRural clinics overflowed with patients whose wounds including broken bones had not been treated since the storm hit on Tuesday. Food was scarce and at least seven people died of cholera, likely because of flood water mixing with sewage.\nThe storm razed homes to their foundations. The corrugated metal roofs of those still standing were ripped off, the contents visible from above as if peering into doll’s houses.\nAt least three towns reported dozens of fatalities, including the hilly farming village of Chantal, whose mayor said 86 people were killed, mostly when trees crushed houses. He said 20 more people were missing.\n“A tree fell on the house and flattened it, the entire house fell on us. I couldn’t get out,” said driver Jean-Pierre Jean-Donald, 27, who had been married for a year.\n“People came to lift the rubble, and then we saw my wife who had died in the same spot,” said Jean-Donald, his young daughter by his side, crying “Mommy.”\nThe death toll continued to rise on Friday in southwest Haiti. Dozens more were missing, many of them in the Grand’Anse region on the northern side of the peninsula.\n“We flew over parts of the Grand’Anse region. It’s a humanitarian catastrophe,” said Frenel Kedner, a government official in the town of Jeremie in southwest Haiti. “The people urgently need food, water, medicine.”\nIn the town of Anse-d’Hainault, seven people died of cholera, a disease that did not exist in Haiti until U.N. peace keepers introduced it after a 2010 earthquake that killed some 200,000 people.\nAnother 17 cholera cases were reported in Chardonnieres on the south coast.\n“Due to massive flooding and its impact on water and sanitation infrastructure, cholera cases are expected to surge after Hurricane Matthew and through the normal rainy season until the start of 2017,” the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said in a statement.\nWith fatalities mounting, various government agencies and committees differed on total deaths. A Reuters count of deaths reported by civil protection and local officials put the toll at 877.\nHaiti’s central civil protection agency, which takes longer to collate numbers because it needs to visually confirm victims itself, said 271 people died as Matthew smashed through the western peninsula on Tuesday with 145 mph (233 kph) winds and torrential rain.\nSome 61,500 people were in shelters, the agency said.\nMatthew pushed the sea into fragile coastal villages, some of which are only now being contacted.\nCoastal town Les Anglais lost “several dozen” people, Louis-Paul Raphael, the central government representative in the region, told Reuters.\nLes Anglais was the first place in Haiti that Matthew reached, as a powerful Category 4 storm before it moved north, lost strength and lashed central Florida on Friday.\nWith cellphone networks down and roads flooded by sea and river water, aid has been slow to reach towns and villages. Instead, locals have been helping each other.\n“My house wasn’t destroyed, so I am receiving people, like it’s a temporary shelter,” said Bellony Amazan in the town of Cavaillon, where around a dozen people died. Amazan said she had no food to give people.\nOutside Chantal, stall holders at a makeshift market were selling vegetables and soft drinks, brought in from Port-Au-Prince as roads were cleared to the capital.\n“All our houses have been destroyed. This is our existence,” said one stall holder, who declined to give her name.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Haiti"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["dozens","Dozens","20 more people","people","at least 175 people","877","tens of thousands"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Matthew’s"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Hurricane Matthew hits the southeastern United States as the death toll in Haiti rises to at least 877. (Reuters), (Sky News), (AP), (ITV)","document":"\"Devastation is everywhere,\" says one official, as the number of lives lost keeps rising and medics fear an outbreak of cholera.\nFriday 7 October 2016 15:00, UK\nThe number of people killed by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti has risen to 572, as medics on the island prepare for a surge in cholera cases.\nThe nation is left with flooded roads, collapsed bridges and power outages in the wake of the hurricane, which has battered the Caribbean and is now near the US east coast.\nAccording to a tally by the Reuters news agency on the basis of numbers reported by local officials, 572 people have been killed and another 61,500 remain in shelters.\nMore than 3,200 homes have been destroyed.\n\"Devastation is everywhere,\" said Pilus Enor, mayor of a town called Camp Perrin on the peninsula's south shore.\n\"Every house has lost its roof. All the plantations have been destroyed,\" he said.\n\"This is the first time we see something like this.\"\nFour people have also been killed in the Dominican Republic, one in Colombia and one in St Vincent and the Grenadines.\nBut it is Haiti, already the hemisphere's least-developed and most aid-dependent nation, that has suffered the most.\n\nMost deaths are believed to have occurred in the southwest region, and officials fear the toll might rise even further as information from remote areas trickles in.\nThe southern city of Jeremie is said to have suffered \"complete destruction\", while a bridge over the La Digue river in Petit Goave has been destroyed.\nIn Les Cayes, home to a major port, a cathedral roof has been completely blown off, and banana and mango crops have been ravaged in fields.\nOfficials say at least 350,000 people will need some sort of assistance, in what will likely become the country's worst humanitarian crisis since a devastating earthquake in January 2010.\nWith crops destroyed, wells inundated by seawater and some water treatment facilities ruined, officials said that food and water were urgently needed.\nThe Red Cross has launched an emergency appeal to provide immediate relief to 50,000 Haitians. It is aiming to raise more than £5m for medical relief, shelter and sanitation over the next year. \nHealth officials are bracing themselves for an increase in cases of cholera.\n\"Due to massive flooding and its impact on water and sanitation infrastructure, cholera cases are expected to surge after Hurricane Matthew and through the normal rainy season until the start of 2017,\" the Pan American Health Organisation said.\nEven before the storm hit this week, the impoverished nation was struggling to stem the waterborne disease.\nInternational aid groups are already appealing for donations for a lengthy recovery effort.\nThe UK is sending a team of humanitarian experts, International Development Secretary Priti Patel said.\nIn the coming days, the US military expects to help deliver food and water to hard-hit areas via helicopter.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Haiti","Dominican Republic","Colombia","St Vincent and the Grenadines"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["572","572 people","another 61,500","Four people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Matthew"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Hurricane Matthew, responsible for killing 13 people and knocking out power to 2.2 million households and businesses in the Southeastern United States, is now a Category 1 hurricane (75 mph;120 km/h winds) approaching the North Carolina coast. (Reuters), (The National Hurricane Center), (ABC News)","document":"— -- Hurricane Matthew is no longer a hurricane: It was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone around 5 a.m. ET on Sunday as it made an eastward turn and began to move out into the Atlantic at 14 mph. The newly-minted post-tropical storm Matthew has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.\nDespite the downgrade, ABC News meteorologist Daniel Manzo cautions, \"Record-breaking flooding will continue in eastern North Carolina this morning. This will come to an end later on Sunday. The Outer Banks and mid-Atlantic will continue to see very gusty winds and heavy rain this morning.\"\nPresident Obama signed major disaster declarations, which provide more federal money and resources than emergency declarations, for Florida and Georgia on Sunday morning.\nMatthew made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in the Cape Romaine National Wildlife Refuge near McClellanville, South Carolina, around 10:45 a.m. on Saturday\n\nAround the same time the National Hurricane Center announced that Matthew had been downgraded, the North Carolina Office of Emergency Management confirmed a fifth death in Pitt County overnight due to weather. The US death toll from Matthew is currently at 19.\nThe state-by-state death toll so far is: North Carolina, 8 deaths; Georgia, 4 deaths; Florida, 6 deaths; and South Carolina, 1 death.\nAs of late Saturday, there were also four people missing in Cumberland County in North Carolina.\nThe latest radar and satellites maps of Hurricane Matthew as it slowly heads offshore \nDuring the early hours of Sunday, Matthew had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and was moving northeast at 16 mph. It was located 30 miles south-southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, at 2 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.\nMatthew has left 2.2 million households and businesses without power across the Southeast region.\nAt 1 a.m. Sunday, North Carolina officials said there were 670,716 power outages across the state. In South Carolina, there were 768,856 power outages. Georgia was experiencing 205,220 outages, while Florida still had 561,862 outages, as of early Sunday morning.\nThe video below, released the city of Fayetteville, North Carolina, shows New York Police Department officers and New York Fire Department firefighters performing a rescue.\nA Fayetteville resident also posted this video to Instagram of a road being washed away amidst the torrential downpour.\n \nStorm surges that could cause flooding have been a concern up and down the coast. The National Weather Service measured a record tide level of more than 12 feet at the mouth of the Savannah River, which borders both South and North Carolina. Forecasters warned that the combination of a dangerous storm surge, the tide and large waves could cause rising waters to move inland from the shoreline to flood normally dry areas near the coast.\n\nOn Saturday, Charleston County Emergency Medical Services in South Carolina suspended its service countywide, warning that high-span or exposed bridges are unsafe for public travel due to high winds. A curfew was implemented in Charleston between Saturday 8 p.m. ET through Sunday 8 a.m. ET.\nNearly 17 inches of rain were recorded at Hunter U.S. Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia over a 48-hour period, according to the National Hurricane Center.\nFEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said Friday, \"Many of these areas have not had this level of flooding since, like, the late 1800s.\"\nMeanwhile, the storm left a deadly trail of destruction in Florida. Six people in the state have died from Hurricane Matthew, authorities said.\nIn Jacksonville, officials said at a press conference Saturday morning that one person died in the area but they have not yet confirmed whether it was storm-related. The city's beaches will reopen Saturday at noon as officials continue to assess the damages.\n“I’m grateful that the damage wasn’t worse than it is, but there’s a whole lot of work to do,\" Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said at the news conference Saturday.\nFlorida Gov. Rick Scott said there are \"unbelievable\" amounts of beach erosion and fallen trees, but he was thankful the hurricane didn't make landfall. More than 5,900 people were in 70 shelters across the state as of Saturday afternoon, Scott said.\nMore than 763,000 households and businesses were still without power in Florida as of late Saturday afternoon, the governor said. The Florida Power and Light Company said it expects to have power restored to all customers by end of day Sunday, but \"flooding and severe damage\" will likely extend outages for some homes and businesses through Monday.\nAs of Saturday afternoon, more than 500,000 Floridians were in evacuation zones. As the zones are being lifted, the governor said local law enforcement ultimately decides when it is safe for residents to return to their communities and homes. Meanwhile, all toll suspensions remained in effect and will remain suspended until at least Sunday night.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["Nearly 17 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a post-tropical cyclone","post"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["14 mph"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Matthew"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["75 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Hurricane Matthew, responsible for killing 13 people and knocking out power to 2.2 million households and businesses in the Southeastern United States, is now a Category 1 hurricane (75 mph;120 km/h winds) approaching the North Carolina coast. (Reuters), (The National Hurricane Center), (ABC News)","document":"CHARLESTON, S.C./SAVANNAH, Ga. (Reuters) - Hurricane Matthew slammed into South Carolina on Saturday, packing a diminished yet still potent punch after killing almost 900 people in Haiti and causing major flooding and widespread power outages as it skirted Florida and Georgia.\nNow weakened, the most powerful Atlantic storm since 2007 unleashed torrential rains and damaging winds in Florida before churning slowly north to soak coastal Georgia and the Carolinas. Wind speeds at midday had subsided by nearly half from their peak about a week ago to 75 miles per hour (120 kph), reducing the storm to a Category 1 hurricane, the weakest on the Saffir-Simpson scale of 1 to 5.\nMatthew, which topped out as a ferocious Category 5 storm days before, made U.S. landfall near McClellanville, South Carolina, a village 30 miles (48 km) north of Charleston that was devastated by a Category 4 hurricane in 1989.\nThe National Hurricane Center in Miami said Matthew passed over Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Saturday afternoon, and warned of potentially life-threatening flooding in Georgia and North Carolina even as the storm slowed as it plowed inland.\nAs of 11 p.m. EST (0300 GMT), the storm was about 35 miles (55 km) south of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, the center said in an advisory.\nThe center of the storm will move near or south of the North Carolina coast early on Sunday and east of the state later in the day as it weakens.\nThe storm was blamed for at least 11 deaths in the United States - five in Florida, three in North Carolina and three in Georgia, including two people killed by falling trees in Bulloch County, the county coroner said.\nPower was reported knocked out to more than 2 million households and businesses in the U.S. Southeast, the bulk of those in Florida and South Carolina.\nNorth Carolina Governor Pat McCrory urged residents on Saturday evening to stay off roads and sidewalks to avoid “deadly conditions” caused by severe flooding and debris.\n\nConditions in eastern and central North Carolina were expected to worsen as the storm edged along the coast and toward the Outer Banks barrier islands, the governor said.\nForecasters warned that widespread flooding was possible from heavy rain - 15 inches (40 cm) was expected to fall in some areas - along with massive storm surges and high tides.\nThe storm-stricken stretch of the Atlantic Coast from Miami to Charleston, a nearly 600-mile drive, encompasses some of the most well-known beaches, resorts and historical towns in the southeastern United States. Parts of Interstate 95, the main north-south thoroughfare on the East Coast, were closed due to flooding and fallen trees, state officials said.\nRoads in Jackson Beach, Florida, were littered with debris, including chunks from an historic pier dislodged by the storm, with some intersections clogged by up to a foot of standing water. Beachfront businesses suffered moderate damage.\n“We rode out the storm. It wasn’t this bad at our house, but here there’s a lot of damage,” said Zowi Cuartas, 18, as he watched bystanders pick up shattered signs near the beach.\nFlorida Governor Rick Scott said more than 6,000 people stayed in shelters overnight, but he appeared relieved that the state had been spared from greater harm.\n“We’re all blessed that Matthew stayed off our coast,” he said. He predicted electricity would be restored to most homes by Sunday evening.\nStreets in downtown Charleston, known for its historic waterfront architecture, were flooded to the tops of tires on some parked cars, and a few residents could be seen wading near the city’s sea wall as high tide approached.\nTony Williams, 54, who said he is homeless, rode his bicycle against huge wind gusts after spending the night in a public garage. “I just got tired of laying where I was laying,” he said.\nOn Daufuskie Island near the Georgia border, writer Roger Pinckney, 70, said it “blew like hell” as he hunkered down at home despite evacuation warnings during the height of the storm’s fury, but he emerged unscathed.\nSome 8 inches (20 cm) of rain fell in the Savannah, Georgia area, downing trees and causing flooding.\nThe National Weather Service said record-high tides were recorded along the Savannah River at the South Carolina-Georgia border, peaking at 12.6 feet, surpassing those from Hurricane David in 1979.\nThough gradually weakening, Matthew was forecast to remain a hurricane until at least Sunday, when it was expected to creep away from shore, the NHC said.\nStorm damage was far greater in Haiti, where at least 877 people died earlier when the storm plowed directly into the impoverished Caribbean island nation.\nMatthew howled through Haiti’s western peninsula on Tuesday with 145 mph (233 kph) winds and torrential rain. Some 61,500 people were in shelters, officials said, after the storm lashed coastal villages in high surf.\nThe U.S. military began sending aid to Haiti by air and sea, including a Navy amphibious transport ship carrying heavy-lift helicopters, bulldozers, fresh-water delivery vehicles and two mobile surgical units.\nThe Haitian government warned that a deadly outbreak of cholera could worsen, confirming dozens of new cases of the water-borne disease since the storm hit, 13 of them fatal.\nOfficials in Florida, grappling with an outbreak of Zika, said they hoped the flooding would not worsen the spread of the mosquito-borne virus, which can cause fever and birth deformities.\n“We have got to get rid of standing water as quickly as we can,” Governor Scott told reporters.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["Some 8 inches (20 cm)"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["McClellanville, South Carolina, a village 30 miles (48 km) north of Charleston","South Carolina","north","North","Charleston","Florida and Georgia","Florida","Georgia","South Carolina-Georgia","Haiti"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["almost 900 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a Category 1 hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Matthew"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["75 miles per hour (120 kph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Matthew's death toll in Haiti rises to at least one thousand, with victims being buried in mass graves. An unknown number of people remain missing and authorities report that cholera is spreading in the hardest hit-areas in the country's southwest. (AP/Reuters via ABC News Australia)","document":"As the death toll from Hurricane Matthew in Haiti rises to 1,000 and cholera spreads in the devastated south-west, the nation has started to bury its dead in mass graves, an official says.\nThe powerful hurricane, the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade, slammed into Haiti on Tuesday (local time), bringing 233 kilometre-per-hour winds and torrential rains.\nNumbers from local officials showed 1,000 people were killed by the storm in Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas.\nThe official death toll from the central civil protection agency is 336, a slower count because officials must visit each village to confirm the numbers.\n\nAuthorities had to start burying the dead in mass graves in Jeremie as the bodies were starting to decompose, said Kedner Frenel, the most senior central government official in the Grand'Anse region on Haiti's western peninsula.\nMr Frenel said 522 people died in Grand'Anse alone.\nA tally of death reported by mayors from 15 of 18 municipalities in Sud Department on the south side of the peninsula showed 386 people there.\nIn the rest of the country, 92 people died, the same tally showed.\nMr Frenel said there was great concern about the cholera spreading, and that authorities were focused on getting water, food and medication to the thousands of people living in shelters.\nCholera causes severe diarrhea and can kill within hours if untreated. It is spread through contaminated water and has a short incubation period, which leads to rapid outbreaks.\nGovernment teams fanned out across the hard-hit southwestern tip of the country over the weekend to repair treatment centres and reach the epicentre of one outbreak.\n\nDespite the loss, survivors packed what remained of the city's churches on Sunday, many seated in pews under open sky because Matthew ripped away roofs and even walls of the sanctuaries.\nAt least one was so badly damaged that worshippers set up an altar and prayed outside.\nJameson Pierre, 22, saw at least one bright side of the devastation.\n\"There will be lots and lots of jobs since so many homes were knocked down. I've been working for the last three days straight,\" he said.\nThe first three of five cargo planes of humanitarian aid from the United States have arrived at the airport in the capital Port of Prince.\nThey were carrying 480 metric tons of relief supplies, including 20,000 hygiene kits, 18,000 sets of kitchen utensils for cooking, 40,000 blankets and 500 rolls of plastic sheeting.\n\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Haiti"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["1,000","1,000 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Matthew"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["233 kilometre-per-hour winds"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Hurricane Nicole impacts Bermuda at Category 3 strength, making it the strongest hurricane to effect the British Overseas Territory since Hurricane Fabian in 2003. (The Weather Channel), (The Alabama Media Group)","document":"\nNicole formed as a tropical storm south of Bermuda on Oct. 4, 2016.\nIt meandered in the same general area for several days and briefly became a Category 2 hurricane on Oct. 6. It then weakened to a tropical storm again on the following day.\nBy Oct. 10, Nicole began its crawl northward on a path that would take its center very close to Bermuda. It regained hurricane strength the following day on Oct. 11.\nNicole then rapidly strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane late Oct. 12 with maximum sustained winds increasing to 130 mph. It made its closest pass to Bermuda as Category 3 hurricane on Oct 13.\nHowever, the northern, then western eyewall did not spare Bermuda, lashing the island with wind gusts over 100 mph in spots.\n\nSustained winds topped 75 mph at Pearl Island and at L.F. Wade International Airport where peak gusts of 119 mph and 104 mph were measured, respectively on Oct. 13.\nIn fact, the eye of Nicole moved over Bermuda midday Oct. 13 before moving away later in the day. \nNo other center of a Category 3 or stronger hurricane had tracked as close to Bermuda (officially, it did not \"make landfall\", according to the National Hurricane Center) as Nicole's center did since an Oct. 22, 1926 hurricane. (Hurricane Fabian's eastern eyewall struck Bermuda in 2003, but its center remained about 14 miles west of Bermuda at its closest approach.)\nIn a true \"weather geek\" moment, the Bermuda Weather Service launched a weather balloon in the eye, something they also did during Hurricane Gonzalo in October 2014. \nThey described the \"suspended salt spray\", with a \"small of ripped vegetation hanging in the heavy, hot air\". \nPrior to Nicole's direct hit on Bermuda, its large eye, approximately 50 miles wide at one time, was much larger than the width of Bermuda.\n\nHurricanes of this intensity passing near Bermuda are exceedingly rare. Only 12 Category 3 hurricanes have tracked within 75 miles of Bermuda since 1899.\nOnly four October hurricanes have tracked within 50 miles of Bermuda dating back to 1950, according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, tropical scientist at Colorado State University.\nAfter impacting Bermuda, Nicole moved across the north Atlantic Ocean for several days. It was finally declared post-tropical by the National Hurricane Center early on Oct. 18. \nNicole was the longest lived Atlantic named storm to form after Oct. 1 since 1906, according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a tropical scientist at the Colorado State University.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["northward"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a tropical storm","tropical storm","Category 3 hurricane","Category 3","a Category 2","Category 4 hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Nicole"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["130 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Typhoon Sarika (Karen) arrives at Luzon, Philippines, with the storm's future direction predicted to be toward Vietnam. (The Independent)","document":"A powerful typhoon is bearing down on the Philippines and could be the “most damaging” storm to hit the country this year. Typhoon Sarika, which has already caused several deaths, is gaining strength and expected to make landfall in the early hours of Sunday morning UK time. With winds of up to 115mph, Sarika is expected hit the country as a category 3 storm, bringing huge amounts of rain, which could cause landslides and flooding, and storm surges of up to two metres above normal levels.\n\"We can see from the radar that the storm is very destructive,” government forecaster Benison Estareja told AFP news agency. “It can destroy wooden houses, it can topple trees. It can possibly rip off roofs. This could so far be the most damaging typhoon this year.\"\nThe storm, known locally as Karen, is predicted to hit the eastern side of Luzon, the Philippines largest and most populated island, and travel across its centre, also affecting parts of Manila, Mr Estareja added.\nIt is not expected to pass through the central Philippines islands, where Typhoon Haiyan killed more than 6,000 people in 2013.\nHeavy rains have already been battering the capital and other areas and public storm warnings have been issued in provinces across Luzon.\nAfter passing through the Philippines, Sarika is expected to pick up the pace as it travels west across the warm waters of the South China Sea towards Vietnam.\nVietnam has already been dealing with flooding in its four central provinces, which have killed at least 11 people and displaced thousands. Flooding from heavy rainfall brought by a tropical low pressure system since Wednesday has cut food supplies to thousands of people and blocked north-south traffic, the government said in a statement on Saturday.\nSeven people drowned or were electrocuted in Quang Binh province, four others were killed in three nearby provinces, and at least 30,000 homes were submerged, state-run Vietnam Television (VTV) said, citing government reports.\n\"It is our priority now to save people's lives,\" Chairman Nguyen Huu Hoai, of the provincial People's Committee in Quang Binh, said on a VTV bulletin.\nDozens of foreign tourists were among passengers stranded on 22 trains in the affected region, prompting provincial authorities to provide food and water, while many flights to the region were cancelled, VTV said.\nTropical storm Sarika could bring more rain to the affected areas, analysts said. J","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Philippines"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["early hours of Sunday morning"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a category 3 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Sarika"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 115mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 The Philippine government places more than two dozen provinces on alert before Typhoon Haima makes landfall over Luzon. Haima, downgraded by the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System to a Category 4 storm, landfalls Cagayan province in the island's northeast. Weather forecasters expect the storm to impact up to 2.7 million people before veering northwest toward the Chinese coast on October 21. (Media Corp Press Today Online), (CNN via KCCI), (The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System)","document":"MANILA — The Philippines cancelled flights, shut schools and stockpiled supplies before Super Typhoon Haima reaches land on Thursday morning (Oct 20).\nHaima is a Category 5 storm that is packing maximum winds of 145 knots (268.5kph) and gusts of up to 175 knots, according to the latest bulletin from the US Navy and Air Force's Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The storm is expected to reach land in the northern province of Cagayan, the nation's weather bureau said.\nFour local flights have been canceled as of 9am Manila time (9am Singapore time), airport authorities said. School classes were suspended in Isabela province, while more than 1.28 billion pesos of food and supplies are on standby, the disaster monitoring agency said on its website. Typhoon alerts have been raised in more than 20 areas, including the capital.\nHaima, the second storm to hit the Philippines' main Luzon island in a week, may have a \"high humanitarian impact\" and could affect as many as 11.6 million people, according to the United Nations Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System. Named after a sea horse in China, the Category 5 storm's \"powerful winds in combination with the torrential rain will down trees, and may cause widespread power outages that could linger well after the storm has passed,\" Accuweather said.\nThe Philippines, battered annually by an average of 20 cyclones that form over the Pacific Ocean, is among countries most vulnerable to climate change, according to risk analysis company Verisk Maplecroft. Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms in the world to hit land, killed more than 6,000 people in November 2013 and left more than a thousand missing.\nHaima will remain a \"violent tropical system\" as it approaches China and may impact Hong Kong, Accuweather said. The storm is expected to enter the northern part of the South China Sea on Thursday, edging close to the coast of Guangdong on Oct 21, the Hong Kong Observatory said. BLOOMBERG\n ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["US Navy and Air Force's Joint Typhoon Warning Center","the nation's weather bureau"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["northern province of Cagayan"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Thursday morning (Oct 20)"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["Category 5 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Haima"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["145 knots (268.5kph)","up to 175 knots"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Typhoon Haima, the second tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines in less than a week, kills at least seven people and causes flooding, landslides, and power outages before heading out to sea. (AP via The New York Times), (The Epoch Times), (BBC)","document":"VIGAN, Philippines—Super Typhoon Haima weakened and blew out to sea Thursday after smashing the northern Philippines with ferocious wind and rain overnight. Flooding, landslides and power outages were evident, but large casualties appeared to have been averted after nearly 100,000 people fled to safer ground.\nHaima’s blinding winds and rain had rekindled fears of the catastrophe wrought by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, but there were no immediate reports of any major damage. Several villages are cut off by fallen trees, landslides and floods, impeding communications and aid.\nAlthough storms are a part of life in the country’s north, many villagers were still horrified by Haima’s fury.\n“In my age, I’m 60 years old, this is the strongest typhoon I have ever seen,” village councilor Willie Cabalteja told The Associated Press in Vigan city in Ilocos Sur province. “We haven’t slept. Trees were forced down, houses lost their roofs and fences and metal sheets were flying around all night.”\nAt least seven people were killed in the storm, officials said. But the evacuations from high-risk communities helped prevent a larger number of casualties.\nTwo construction workers died when a landslide buried their shanty in La Trinidad town in the mountain province of Benguet, officials said, while two villagers perished in another landslide and another was swept away in a river and remains missing in Ifugao province, near Benguet. A 70-year-old man died apparently of a heart attack in an emergency shelter while another man died after being pinned by a fallen tree in Isabela province. One other typhoon-related death was reported in northern Ilocos region but details were not immediately available.\nHaima, with sustained winds of 225 kilometers (140 miles) per hour, hit northeastern Cagayan province late Wednesday then barreled northwestward before blowing out into the South China Sea with sustained winds of 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 185 kph (115 mph), according to forecasters.\nAlthough weakening, the typhoon was expected to blow toward China, Filipino forecasters said.\nAfter dawn, the extent of damage in Cagayan — about 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of Manila — and nearby regions became evident, with overturned vans, toppled or leaning electric posts and debris blocking roads. Most stores, their window panes shattered and canopies shredded by the wind, were close.\nIn northern Ilocos Sur province, ricefields resembled brown lakes under waist-high floodwaters, although cleanup operations had started.\n“Search, rescue and retrieval operations are ongoing,” Office of Civil Defense administrator Ricardo Jalad said in a statement.\nThe region is still recovering from a typhoon last weekend that killed two people and displaced tens of thousands of villagers.\nPresident Rodrigo Duterte, on a state visit to China, urged people to heed orders by disaster agencies. Duterte is to fly home Friday.\nAbout 20 typhoons and storms lash the Philippines each year, adding to the burdens in a country also at risk of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.\nIn November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines with ferocious power, leaving more than 7,300 people dead and displacing more than 5 million others after leveling entire villages.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["northern Philippines","northeastern Cagayan province"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["nearly 100,000 people","At least seven people","Two construction workers"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["late Wednesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Haima"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour","per hour","225 kilometers (140 miles) per hour","up to 185 kph (115 mph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Typhoon Haima, the second tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines in less than a week, kills at least seven people and causes flooding, landslides, and power outages before heading out to sea. (AP via The New York Times), (The Epoch Times), (BBC)","document":"At least four people have been killed in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Haima hit the country.\nThe storm, which brought sustained winds of up to 225km/h (140mph), made landfall over Cagayan in the north on Wednesday.\nNearly 100,000 people were evacuated from threatened areas as the storm approached.\nThere was widespread damage overnight, with homes destroyed and power lines brought down.\nAuthorities said two of those killed were buried in a landslide, and two others buried in a shanty town in a mountainous region. Experts had feared Haima could prove as destructive as the catastrophic super typhoon Haiyan, which claimed more than 7,350 lives in 2013.\nThe Philippines endures around 20 major storms every year, many of them deadly.\n\"I'm 60 years old, this is the strongest typhoon I have ever seen,\" village councillor Willie Cabalteja told news outlet the Associated Press. President Rodrigo Duterte, in Beijing on a state visit, had said he prayed the Philippines would be spared but that they were \"ready\".\n\"We only pray we be spared the destruction such as previous times. Everything has been deployed.\"\nThe storm was upgraded to a super typhoon just before it hit in Penablanca, a town in Cagayan province, around 23:00 local time (1500 GMT) on Wednesday.\nOn Thursday morning, there were reports of damage across a wide area. \"Rice and corn plants as far as the eye can see are flattened,\" Villamor Visaya, a teacher in the northern city of Ilagan told the AFP.\n\"Many houses were destroyed. I saw one school building crushed under a large tree... it was as if our house was being pulled from its foundations.\"\nHaima, known as Lawin locally, had a weather band 800km (500 miles) wide, and authorities had warned the public to expect fierce winds and storm surges up to five metres (16 feet) or higher. It is the second typhoon to hit the Philippines in a week, after Sarika struck on Sunday. At least one person was killed in that storm, and three people are still missing.\nHaima is now moving out across the South China Sea towards Hong Kong and southern China.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Philippines","Cagayan in the north","Cagayan"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["At least four people","Nearly 100,000 people","two of those killed","two others"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Haima"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 225km/h (140mph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2016 The Met Office issues warnings for parts of South East England as Storm Angus prepares to make landfall. (BBC)","document":"A 200m-long cargo ship hit a barge full of rocks in the English Channel, as Storm Angus battered the south coast of England with high winds and heavy rain.\nEleven of the 23 crew members were evacuated by helicopter after the ship got into difficulty off Samphire Hoe near Dover.\nThe other 12 members remained on board and are working on getting the vessel to a safe port.\nStorm Angus is the first named storm of the season.\nThe Saga Sky was dragged into the rock barge by severe winds after losing all of its engine power. The coastguard declared the situation \"a major incident\", with two helicopters involved in evacuating crew members and a French tug sent to assist the stricken ship. Andy Roberts, an RNLI volunteer with the Dover Lifeboat House, said although the Saga Sky was damaged and had been taking on water, there was \"no sign of pollution\" in the surrounding waters.\nAfter regaining some engine power, the ship was able to move to a safe anchorage at Dungeness, according to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, and the focus is now on moving it to a more secure port of refuge.\nStorm Angus has brought gusts of up to 106mph - recorded 23 miles off the coast of Margate - while gusts hit 80mph at Langdon Bay, both in Kent. More than 1,000 properties in the south west of England - the majority in Devon - were without power, according to Western Power Distribution. Almost all power had been restored by Sunday afternoon.\nOn Sunday evening there were five flood warnings in place across England and Wales, down from more than 25, including one severe, at the storm's height. Angus has now moved out into the North Sea, but bad weather is set to continue into Monday. A further three Met Office weather warnings have been issued for the beginning of the week for Wales and the south-west and north-east of England, which can expect heavy rain and winds of up to 50mph. Devon and Cornwall Police declared a major incident overnight because of flooding at the Mill on the Mole residential park, South Molton, at 04:15 GMT, but residents who had been evacuated were able to return by 05:50.\nDevon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said some properties in Braunton and in Bradiford had been flooded.\nMeanwhile, fire crews were called to flooding to roads and \"multiple properties\" from sea water in East Bar, Swanage.\nIn East Sussex, organisers of the Brighton 10k tweeted that the run had been cancelled because of the high winds.\nAnd in West Sussex. fire crews tackled a \"major\" fire on Bognor Regis seafront in the \"difficult conditions\" brought by Angus.\nThe Port of Dover suspended ferry crossings earlier due to \"very high winds\" but this was later lifted.\nNetwork Rail said the weather had affected train services across the south east, but the majority of lines were now open.\nThe storm's effects have also been felt in the Channel Islands, with a wind gust of 84mph recorded in Guernsey and gusts of up to 87mph in Jersey.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Wales and the south-west and north-east of England","south","England","south west","Wales","South","East","West","south east","the south coast of England"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Eleven of the 23 crew members"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Angus"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["106mph","80mph","up to 50mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2016 Storm Angus brings strong winds and heavy rain to southern England and the Channel Islands. (BBC)","document":"The first named storm of winter - Storm Angus - is battering the south coast of England, with winds of up to 80mph forecast to sweep through some areas.\nStorm Angus batters southern England. ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the south coast of England","England","southern England"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Angus"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 80mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2016 At least 21 are killed and more than 500,000 are displaced by cyclone Roanu in Bangladesh. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera), (The Daily Star)","document":"DHAKA (Reuters) - A cyclone battered coastal Bangladesh on Saturday, killing at least 21 people and injuring many more, but has now weakened into a depression that the weather office said could still bring brief periods of violent wind or rain.\nAuthorities in low-lying Bangladesh have moved about 500,000 people into 3,500 shelters, the disaster minister said. Cyclone Roanu has killed people in house collapses, landslides and a storm surge that broke embankments at two places in the Chittagong port city in the southeast.\n“We’ve shifted most of the people who are vulnerable,” said Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, adding that people were working “all-out” to contain and tackle the damage.\nSeveral people were injured after gusty winds damaged houses and shops and uprooted trees and electric poles. Some places were inundated by a storm surge of 3 to 4 feet (a meter or more) above normal tide height, officials said.\nAuthorities were also evacuating people from hilly parts of Chittagong in case persistent rain triggers more landslides.\nOfficials suspended flights at Chittagong airport while the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority restricted movement of all ships and ferries.\nThe weather office, in its final update for the day, advised fishing boats and trawlers to remain in shelter until Sunday noon.\nBangladesh is frequently battered by such storms. More than 3,000 people were killed by Cyclone Sidr in 2007 and around 200 lives were lost to Cyclone Aila in 2009.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["coastal Bangladesh"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least 21 people","injuring many more","about 500,000 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Roanu"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2016 Tropical Storm Bonnie makes landfall on the East Coast of the United States, affecting mainly the city of Charleston, South Carolina. (AccuWeather)","document":" Despite no longer being a tropical storm or depression, Bonnie will induce daily showers and thunderstorms across the Carolinas into the middle of the week.\nBonnie became the second named tropical system of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season during Memorial Day weekend.\nThe storm made landfall as a tropical depression just east of Charleston, South Carolina, on the Isle of Palms, around 8:30 a.m. EDT Sunday.\nWeak winds high up in the atmosphere combined with a lack of systems moving in from the west will allow Bonnie to sit and spin near the coast for several days.\nInto Wednesday, daily opportunities for wet weather are expected across North and South Carolina as a result of the slow movement of the rainstorm.\n\"Across the eastern Carolinas, drenching showers and thunderstorms will be produced daily as Bonnie crawls eastward across the region into midweek,\" according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.\nAreas along the immediate coast could be socked in with clouds and occasional rain into midweek.\nFarther inland where the sun breaks out for a time, storms are expected to erupt and may become locally strong and gusty.\nPydynowski added that an isolated tornado or two can also be spawned in some of the strongest thunderstorms.\n.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["east of Charleston, South Carolina, on the Isle of Palms","South Carolina","the Carolinas","Carolinas"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["the middle of the week","around 8:30 a.m. EDT Sunday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Bonnie"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2016 The National Hurricane Center says this is the earliest a third named storm has ever formed in the Atlantic basin. (CBS News)","document":"Updated on: June 6, 2016 / 9:35 PM\n \n TAMPA, Fla. -- Residents on Florida's Gulf coast filled sandbags, schools closed early and graduation ceremonies were postponed as Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency just before Tropical Storm Colin began drenching the state Monday, threatening serious flooding.\nRain and gusty winds from the storm have already begun to pelt the state's west coast, reported CBS Miami.\nAt 11 a.m., the center of the system was about 285 miles west-southwest of Tampa. It was moving to the north-northeast at 16 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 230 miles to the southeast of the center.\nHeavy rains from the storm hit north Florida and southern Georgia on Monday, knocking out power in some areas and flooding roads on the Gulf coast.\t\nResidents filled sandbags, schools closed early and graduation ceremonies were postponed.\nA large portion of Florida's western and Panhandle coast was already under a tropical storm warning when the National Hurricane Center announced that a swift-moving depression had become a named storm. The center said it is the earliest that a third named storm has ever formed in the Atlantic basin. Scientists warned back in May there were likely to be more named storms this year than the past few.\nColin is forecast to take a turn toward the northeast with an increase in forward speed on Monday. A rapid northeastward motion is expected Monday night and Tuesday. On this track, the center of Colin is forecast to approach the coast of the Florida Big Bend area Monday afternoon or evening and move across portions of Florida and southeastern Georgia early Tuesday morning.\nLittle change in strength is forecast during the next couple of days.\nEarly Monday, Ronald P. Milligan, 74, stopped by a park in St. Petersburg where authorities planned to distribute sandbags because the ditch in front of his home had filled during the previous evening's rain.\n\"If last night was a 'no storm' -- and the water was almost up to the hump in my yard - I'm worried,\" Milligan said, motioning to about knee level. He's lived in Florida since the late 1970s and hasn't ever prepared for a storm this early.\nSandbags also were being distributed in Tampa and nearby cities.\nSchools in at least one Florida Gulf Coast county were dismissed early Monday, and two high school graduations in the Tampa Bay area were postponed due to the storms, with both ceremonies being moved to Wednesday night and Thursday. Winds from Colin also closed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa.\nIn addition, two high school graduations in the Tampa Bay area were postponed due to the storms, with both ceremonies being moved to Wednesday night and Thursday. Winds from Colin also closed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa.\nFarther north at Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge, the storm's arrival this afternoon was due at the same time as high tide, creating even higher risk of severe flooding, said Andrew Gude, manager of the refuge for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.\n\"We're taking chain saws home so we can cut our way out of our neighborhoods and cut our way back into work tomorrow,\" Gude said.\nNot everyone in Florida was hunkering down. About 50 people were in the water with surfboards off Treasure Island to take advantage of the rare 2-3-foot swells breaking in the Gulf's warm waters.\t\n\"It's like man against nature,\" said Derek Wiltison of Atlantic Beach. \"Surfers tend to drop what they're doing -- work, relationships, whatever -- to go out and catch a wave.\"\nOne woman in St. Petersburg, Florida, took advantage of the storm in a mermaid costume. Colin is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches, and forecasters said up to 8 inches are possible across western Florida, eastern Georgia and coastal areas of the Carolinas through Tuesday.\nForecasters also described Colin as a lopsided storm, with tropical storm-force winds extending up to 185 miles east of its center.\nA tropical storm warning was also in effect for the entire Georgia coast and the lower South Carolina coast.\nMeanwhile, Gov. Rick Scott postponed a political meeting with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump scheduled Monday in New York so he can remain in the state capital to monitor the weather.\nScott warned residents not to simply look at the center of the storm, saying the heaviest rain will be to the east and west of it.\n\"I want everyone to be safe. I've talked to utilities and sheriff's departments, but residents have to do their part,\" Scott said.\nColin was expected to pass the Georgia coast before dawn Tuesday, said Dennis Jones, director of the Chatham County Emergency Management Agency.\nJones said flash floods appeared to pose the greatest threat, with the worst flood potential expected late Tuesday.\nAbout 7,600 people were without power in the Tampa Bay area. Duke Energy said Monday afternoon it had 3,600 customers without electricity, while Tampa Electric Company said on its website that 4,022 people were experiencing outages. In Jacksonville on Florida's Atlantic coast, about 2,300 customers were without power as heavy rains hit the area late Monday, according to the Jacksonville Energy Authority.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["Gov. Rick Scott","Gov","Rick Scott","National Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Residents on Florida's Gulf coast","Florida","Gulf coast","Residents","Florida Gulf Coast","residents","About 7,600 people","3,600 customers","4,022 people","2,300 customers"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["north-northeast","north","northeast"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":["285 miles west-southwest of Tampa","TAMPA","Tampa"]},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["16 mph"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Colin"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["50 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2016 A tornado, accompanied by heavy rainfall and hailstones, kills at least 98 people and injures 800 in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu (JSTV). One-hour rainfall reached 102 millimeters (about four inches) in Lianshui County. (Reuters) (China Radio International)","document":"BEIJING (Reuters) - A tornado, hail storms and driving rain killed at least 78 people and injured some 500 in eastern China on Thursday, flattening power lines, overturning cars and ripping roofs off houses in Jiangsu province.\nThe storm struck mid-afternoon near Yancheng city, a few hours’ drive north of China’s commercial capital, Shanghai, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.\nWinds of 125 km per hour (78 mph) battered several townships in Funing county, the official Xinhua news agency said.\n“I heard the gales and ran upstairs to shut the windows,” Funing resident Xie Litian, 62, told Xinhua.\n“I had hardly reached the top of the stairs when I heard a boom and saw the entire wall with the windows on it torn away.” When the storm subsided and Xie escaped, all the neighboring houses were gone.\n“It was like the end of the world,” Xie said.\nOf the roughly 500 hurt about 200 have serious injuries. Power and communications are down in some areas and emergency supplies, including 1,000 tents, have been rushed to the scene, the civil affairs ministry said in a statement.\nPictures posted online showed injured people lying amid destroyed houses, overturned cars, split tree trunks and broken power lines.\nThe summer often brings severe weather to China. Severe floods in the south killed at least 22 people and left 20 missing earlier this week.\nLast June, a freak storm led to the sinking of a Yangtze River cruise ship that killed 442 people, many of them elderly tourists. Only 12 people survived when the Eastern Star capsized in what was China’s worst shipping disaster in seven decades.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["eastern China","several townships in Funing county"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["injured some 500","injured","at least 78 people","roughly 500 hurt"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["125 km per hour (78 mph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2016 Taiwan and China brace for the impact of Typhoon Nepartak, the first major typhoon of 2016. Thousands of people have been evacuated in Taiwan while over 35,000 military personnel have been placed on standby to help with relief efforts. (CNN) (ABC News)","document":"sunrise over Super Typhoon #Nepartak - lashing Taiwan with winds 130 KT, gusts to 160 KT per latest JTWC advisory \nTyphoon Nepartak has hit eastern Taiwan, driving thousands of people from their homes, disrupting power supply and forcing the cancellation of more than 500 flights.\nThe storm was packing sustained winds of 240 kilometres per hour, and gusts at up to 296kph as it rumbled towards the eastern counties of Hualien and Taitung.\nThe \"super-typhoon\" is expected to dump torrential rain on the whole island with mountainous areas forecast to be deluged with up to 600 millimetres, potentially triggering landslides that have in the past claimed hundreds of lives.\n\"The wind is very strong,\" said a resident of Taitung, the eastern Taiwan city where the typhoon hit land.\n\"Many hut roofs and signs on the street have been blown off,\" she told the Reuters news agency.\nOne death and 66 injuries were reported, while bullet train services have been suspended.\nAll fishing boats have been called back to port as waves — as high as 14 metres, according to TV reports — battered the eastern coast.\n\"The typhoon could bring in strong winds and torrential rains ... residents must heighten their vigilance,\" senior forecaster Chen Yi-liang told reporters.\nNepartak leaped from tropical storm to the category-five equivalent of a tropical cyclone on Tuesday, and has been intensifying since.\nJames Reynolds of Earth Uncut TV, based in Taitung City, was hiding in his building's stairwell as the typhoon approached at 7:30am (AEST).\n\"Bedlam continues in Taitung, air filled with flying and crashing debris,\" he tweeted.\nSince Tuesday, more than 3,000 visitors have been evacuated from Green Island and Orchid Island, two popular tourist spots off south-eastern Taitung county, local government officials said.\nTaiwan's Defence Ministry said more than 35,000 soldiers were on standby to help with evacuations and disaster relief, while 90 shelters had been set up. More than 300 international and 254 domestic flights have been cancelled, an emergency services website showed, while schools and offices have also been ordered to shut.\nConditions are expected to deteriorate significantly before the storm hits, the weather bureau said.\n\"Its storm circle is gradually approaching the waters off south-eastern Taiwan, posing a threat to all regions and Penghu,\" it added.\nThe tropical storm had a radius of 200 kilometres and was moving west-northwest at a speed of 13 kph, the bureau added.\nIn the path of the expected storm track are the Okinawa Islands, according to the Weather Network, where the impact could be much greater due to strong winds, heavy precipitation and high surf.\nOnce past Taiwan, Nepartak could take a turn to the north and impact the eastern coast of China near Shanghai, and as it moves up the warm waters of the East China Sea and eventually into the Yellow Sea.\nTyphoon Nepartak marks the first typhoon after a record 199 days of calm, the Weather Network said.\nDuring the same period in 2015, the region had nine typhoons, including three super typhoons of category five or more.\nSuper Typhoon Dujuan killed three people and left more than 300 injured in Taiwan last year after it pounded the island with fierce winds and torrential rains that uprooted trees and triggered multiple landslides.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["up to 600 millimetres"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Taiwan","eastern Taiwan"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["thousands of people","One death","66 injuries"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Nepartak"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["130 KT","240 kilometres per hour","up to 296kph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2016 Typhoon Nepartak hits eastern Taiwan causing three deaths so far, 124 injuries, thousands of people to be evacuated, disrupting transport and power supplies. (Reuters) (CNN)","document":"TAIPEI (Reuters) - Super typhoon Nepartak hit Taiwan on Friday, driving thousands of people from their homes, disrupting power supplies and grounding more than 600 flights, authorities said.\nTelevision showed toppled motorcycles and signboards being ripped from buildings and swept across roads in southeast Taiwan, where the year’s first typhoon made landfall.\nBy afternoon, the typhoon had moved into the Taiwan Strait, weakening as it headed towards China’s southeastern province of Fujian, but flooding and strong winds continued to lash the island’s central and southern areas.\nMore than 17,300 people were evacuated from their homes, and over 517,000 households suffered power outages, emergency officials said.\n“The wind is very strong,” said a resident of Taitung, the eastern Taiwan city where the typhoon landed.\n“Many hut roofs and signs have been blown off.”\nThree deaths and 172 injuries were reported, bullet train services were suspended and over 340 international and 300 domestic flights canceled, an emergency services website showed.\nThe typhoon halted work in most of Taiwan. There were no reports of damage at semiconductor plants in the south.\nTropical Storm Risk had rated the typhoon as category 5, at the top of its ranking, but it was weakening and should be a tropical storm by the time it hits Fujian on Saturday morning.\nMore than 4,000 people working on coastal fish farms in Fujian were evacuated and fishing boats recalled to port, the official China News Service said.\nThe storm is expected to worsen already severe flooding in parts of central and eastern China, particularly in the major city of Wuhan.\nTyphoons are common at this time of year in the South China Sea, picking up strength over warm waters and dissipating over land.\nIn 2009, Typhoon Morakot cut a swathe of destruction through southern Taiwan, killing about 700 people and causing damage of up to $3 billion.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Taiwan","China’s southeastern province of Fujian","Fujian"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["thousands of people","More than 17,300 people","Three deaths","172 injuries","More than 4,000 people working on coastal fish farms"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["category 5"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Nepartak"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"China issued an “orange alert” for Typhoon Nida on Sunday, predicting the storm would hit the southern province of Guangdong on Tuesday","document":"BEIJING (Reuters) - China issued an “orange alert” for Typhoon Nida on Sunday, predicting the storm would hit the southern province of Guangdong on Tuesday, state news agency Xinhua reported.\nThe National Meteorological Center (NMC) raised the threat level to the second-most severe alert on a four-colour scale after issuing a yellow alert earlier in the day.\nIt warned of strong winds and heavy rain along the coast affecting Guangdong, Fujian and Hainan provinces as well as the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.\nThe storm is currently off the coast of the Philippines, and weather reports indicate it will also hit the financial centre of Hong Kong.\nTyphoon Nida will be the fourth typhoon this year to hit China, where natural disasters have killed 800 people since June -- the largest number of casualties since a similar period in 2011.\nNida is expected to pick up speed with winds forecasted to reach 38-45 meters per second by the time it makes landfall, according to the NMC.\nEarlier this month, Typhoon Nepartak drove at least 420,000 Chinese from their homes and caused more than 7.1 billion yuan ($1.07 billion) in losses in Fujian province alone.\n($1 = 6.6371 Chinese yuan renminbi)\n\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["The National Meteorological Center (NMC)","NMC"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the southern province of Guangdong","Guangdong"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Nida"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2019 At least 28 people are killed after the Typhoon Phanfone battered the Philippines. It led to the evacuation of more than 58,000 people. (BBC)","document":"The number of people killed by a typhoon that battered the Philippines over the Christmas period has risen to 28, say officials.\nTyphoon Phanfone, which made landfall on Tuesday, caused severe floods and destroyed homes in several provinces.\nAccording to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, 12 people remain missing. The typhoon led to the evacuation of more than 58,000 people and stranded thousands over the holiday period. Officials said some of the dead were hit by trees, while others were electrocuted or drowned.\n\"The likelihood is present that the casualty count will still increase. We're hoping against it,\" disaster agency spokesman Mark Timbal told news agency AFP. Phanfone struck close to regions hit by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, which killed more than 6,000 people and considered one of the Philippines' deadliest storms.\nTyphoon Phanfone, known locally as Typhoon Ursula, made its way through many islands of central Philippines on 25 December.\nIt reached winds of 200kmph (125 miles per hour), leaving thousands stranded as they tried to make their way home for Christmas.\nWestern parts of Visayas, the central of the three main island groups that make up the Philippines, were among the worst affected. In lloilo province, at least 13 people died.\nAccording to news site Rappler, six people from the same family were killed while visiting the town of Batad for a family funeral.\nThe popular tourist island of Boracay was also damaged by the typhoon, with homes destroyed and mobile phone and internet access cut off. \"Communication lines are down. Electricity is still down,\" Jonathan Pablito, a police chief in Alkan province, an island neighbouring Boracay, told agency AFP on Thursday. Tacloban, a low-lying that was destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan, was also among those affected. However, the city escaped the worst of the damage this time round. The typhoon is said to have eased in strength on Thursday and has headed towards the South China Sea. Philippines counts its dead after Typhoon Phanfone\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Philippines","many islands of central Philippines"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["28","12 people","more than 58,000 people","thousands","at least 13 people died"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Tuesday","25 December"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Phanfone","Haiyan","Ursula"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["200kmph (125 miles per hour)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2005 Typhoon Mawar (11W) makes landfall at Chiba city, just east of Tokyo, having weakened from super–typhoon strength. (BBC)","document":"Typhoon Mawar brought winds of 108km/h (67mph) and heavy rain, triggering flood warnings for the Tokyo region.\nA large number of flights, express trains and ferry services in and out of the capital were cancelled.\nThe prefectures of Chiba and Shizuoka, on the east and west of Tokyo, were worst hit. Thousands of households were left without power.\nSome 27 million people live in Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures.\nA 55-year-old man died after falling from the roof of his house and at least two other men were injured in Shizuoka prefecture, west of Tokyo, police said.\nMore than 3,500 households lost power in Chiba, just east of Tokyo.\nHundreds of families were evacuated as rising water levels flooded homes and trigged seven landslides in the two prefectures.\nFlooding concerns\nTyphoon Mawar hit Chiba city at around 0430 on Friday (1930 GMT Thursday), the Meteorological Agency said.\nThe storm was heading north-east at 25km/h (15mph) and was expected to head back out to the Pacific Ocean, becoming a tropical depression early on Saturday, the agency added.\n \nWinds up to 150 km/h (95mph)\nMoving at 15 km/h\n\n \"Since the typhoon's moving speed is slow, there are concerns that heavy rains and winds might occur in the areas where the typhoon stays,\" a spokesman for the Japan Meteorological Agency told AFP news agency.\nResidents were warned to expect as much as 35cm (14in) of rainfall within 24 hours.\nThe cancellation of dozens of flights affected some 7,000 passengers on Thursday, airlines said.\nJapanese television reports showed fishing boats returning to port as giant waves hit the coastline before the typhoon struck.\nJapan is hit by two to three typhoons each year, but as many as 10 - the last of which alone killed 90 people - struck the country in 2004. ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Chiba and Shizuoka, on the east and west of Tokyo","Tokyo","Shizuoka","west","Chiba","east","Tokyo region","Chiba city"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["A 55-year-old man","year"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["north-east","east"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["around 0430 on Friday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["25km/h (15mph)","15 km/h"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Mawar"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["108km/h (67mph)","up to 150 km/h (95mph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2005 Millions of people living in and around the below sea-level Louisiana city of New Orleans are leaving as Hurricane Katrina approaches. Storm surge is forecasted at 25 ft. The Mayor of New Orleans has issued a mandatory evacuation order, citing fears that the storm will break the levees protecting the city. (BBC), (CNN)","document":"Highways were jammed as people obeyed Mayor Ray Nagin's order to leave the Louisiana city for higher ground.\nThose unable or unwilling to leave spent the night in shelters - including the 77,000-seat Superdome stadium.\nAlthough the storm has been downgraded from category five to four, sustained winds were still reaching 155mph (250km/h) as it made landfall.\nWinds of up to 71mph (114km/h) have already been recorded in New Orleans, while Grand Isle - just off the coast - has seen gusts of 91mph (144km/h).\n\n In the Gulf of Mexico, oil production has been hit, with capacity of over 650,000 barrels per day closed down, along with seven refineries and a huge offshore terminal. In Asian trading on Monday, oil prices jumped nearly $5 a barrel to touch a high of $70.80.\n\nIssuing his unprecedented mandatory evacuation order, Mayor Nagin said the city - which sits some 6ft (2m) below sea level - was at risk of serious flooding.\nThe post-hurricane surge could reach 28ft (8.5m) toppling the barriers that protect the city and its historic French Quarter, he warned.\n\"We are facing the storm that most of us have feared,\" he told the city's 485,000 residents.\n\"This is a once in a lifetime event.\"\n\n A series of barriers and pumps protect the bowl-shaped city from the Mississippi River on one side, and Lake Pontchartrain on the other.\nExperts fear the city's defences could be overwhelmed by floodwaters, inundating New Orleans with chemicals from refineries, and human waste from damaged septic systems.\nThere was some hope though, as the storm approached, that the worst of the hurricane might not directly hit the city. Forecasters said the storm had turned slightly eastward, which would put the weaker side of the hurricane over New Orleans.\nThe BBC's Alistair Leithead in New Orleans says many people have headed to hotels in higher areas. Businesses and homes have been boarded up and sandbags stacked up in doorways.\nThe most frail have been given priority in the Superdome stadium, the home of the NFL's New Orleans Saints and now a makeshift shelter. States of emergency\nThe neighbouring states of Mississippi and Alabama are also braced for the storm.\nUS President George W Bush has issued a state of emergency in Louisiana and Mississippi, freeing the path for federal aid.\nThe storm, which formed in the Bahamas, lashed South Florida on Thursday, killing nine people, uprooting trees, downing power lines and causing extensive flooding.\nKatrina is the sixth hurricane to hit the Florida coastline since last August.\nIf Katrina strengthens again, it could be only the fourth category five storm to hit the US since record-keeping began. The last to strike the Louisiana area was Hurricane Camille in 1969, which killed more than 250 people.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["Mayor Ray Nagin's"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Gulf of Mexico"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["graded from category five to four","category five"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["Winds of up to 71mph (114km/h)","winds","155mph (250km/h)","91mph (144km/h)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2005 Typhoon Talim passes over Taiwan, killing at least one person and injuring 24. (BBC)","document":"At least one person was killed and 24 injured as winds and rain lashed the mountainous, densely-populated island.\nSchools, public buildings and financial markets remained closed, amid warnings that heavy rainfall could still cause landslides and flooding.\nTyphoon Talim is now en route to south-east China, with sustained winds of up to 144 km/h (90 mph).\nMost air and land traffic in Taiwan is expected to return to normal later on Thursday, but weather experts predict that strong winds and rains will continue in central and southern areas.\nSome residents of coastal areas have been evacuated in anticipation of the typhoon, the China Daily newspaper reported.\n\nBy mid-morning local time on Thursday, the storm was centred over the Taiwan Strait, about 60km (37 miles) from the city of Taichung in central Taiwan.\nThe worst of the storm had passed by the time people woke up in the city of Taipei.\n\n A taxi driver told the Reuters news agency that fierce winds and torrential rain had made driving dangerous during the night.\n\"I heard a loud bang and saw scaffolding had crashed into the street right next to my car. It was a close shave,\" he said.\nAn elderly man is reported to have drowned during the storm after slipping into a pond, according to Taiwan's Disaster Relief Centre.\nAn express train from Kaohsiung city to Taipei was cancelled after one of its windows was shattered by a falling signpost.\nNine people - eight prisoners and a policeman - were hurt when the van they were travelling in hit a road barrier.\nTalim had earlier been classed as a category 4 storm out of a five-level ranking, with five being the strongest.\nTyphoons and tropical storms often hit the island between June and September. Last August, an entire village was buried in northern Hsinchu county when Typhoon Aere struck, killing 24 people. ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["south-east China"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["At least one person","24 injured"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":["the Taiwan Strait, about 60km (37 miles) from the city of Taichung in central Taiwan","city"]},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Talim"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 144 km/h (90 mph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2005 The Japan Meteorological Agency announces Category 5 Typhoon Nabi is set to hit Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands and possibly Kyūshū on Monday. (ABC)","document":"A powerful typhoon churning towards Japan's Okinawa islands has strengthened to a category 5 storm, technically the same strength as Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged the US Gulf states.\nAn official at Japan's Meteorological Agency has warned Typhoon Nabi could reach Okinawa by Monday, and could also curve up to threaten Japan's southern-most main island of Kyushu.\nHe says by tomorrow morning, Nabi is expected to increase its wind speed enough to be dubbed violent - the strongest designation Japan uses for typhoons.\nHowever, he also says cooler ocean temperatures near Japan mean Nabi is unlikely to have the same destructive power as Katrina.\nStrong prevailing winds are likely to help dissipate its force relatively rapidly, once it approaches","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["An official at Japan's Meteorological Agency","Japan"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Japan's southern-most main island of Kyushu","Japan","Okinawa","Japan's Okinawa islands"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a category 5 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Nabi","Katrina"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2005 Typhoon Nabi (Category 3) reaches the Japanese coasts. It will make landfall today, and is expected to take 3 days to cross the island of Kyūshū. (Reuters)","document":"TOKYO (Reuters) - A typhoon lashed southwestern Japan on Monday, creating nine-metre high waves, cutting power supplies and disrupting transport and work at oil refineries.\nWeather officials in South Korea also warned of flooding, while eastern China braced for possible effects from Typhoon Nabi after another storm last week killed at least 84 people in the east of the country, newspapers said.\nNabi was 150 km (94 miles) southwest of the tiny southern Japanese island of Yakushima at 6 p.m. (10 a.m. British time), the Meteorological Agency said. Winds were gusting up to 160 kph (100 mph) at the centre of the typhoon, but the storm weakened slightly as it passed over cooler water.\nThe Tropical Storm Risk Web site had classified Nabi as a Category 4 storm on an ascending scale of 1 to 5, the same category as Katrina, which hit the U.S. Gulf Coast last week. But later on Monday, it downgraded the storm to a Category 3.\nTyphoon Nabi, whose name means \"butterfly\" in Korean, was travelling north-northwest at 15 kph (10 mph), heading directly for the densely populated southern island of Kyushu.\nThe Meteorological Agency expects Nabi to swerve to the east over the next 24 hours, putting it on course to batter much of Japan and southern and eastern parts of South Korea.\nTelevision pictures showed coastal areas of Amami Oshima being engulfed by waves that national broadcaster NHK said were up to nine metres high.\nAt least four people were injured on Kyushu as the storm approached the island, police said.\nJapan's top government spokesman, Hiroyuki Hosoda, said the country's military, police, firefighters and coast guard were on standby.\nHundreds of flights in and out of Kyushu were cancelled on Monday, NHK said. Trains were also cancelled and expressways closed in southern parts of the island. Nearly 20,000 households were without electricity on Kyushu, NHK said.\nSouth Korean airlines have cancelled about two dozen domestic flights to its southern cities due to high winds and airline officials said the number of cancellations would likely increase as the typhoon draws near.\nSouth Korean weathermen said the worst of the typhoon would hit from about Tuesday afternoon.\nNabi has sparked thunderstorms in Tokyo, where more than 110 mm (4.3 inches) of rain fell in an hour in some areas late on Sunday. Two men were killed -- one drowned and one was struck by lightning -- in areas close to the capital, police said.\nThousands of households in or near Tokyo were flooded and lost power, while some highways were closed and trains delayed.\n\nJapanese oil refiners suspended waterborne operations at some of their facilities on Monday, refinery spokesmen said.\nIdemitsu Kosan, Japan's third-biggest refiner, said it had halted waterborne shipments of refined products at its terminals in Okinawa and Kagoshima, both located in southern Japan, because of the storm.\nOperations at Idemitsu's refinery facilities, with a total capacity of 640,000 barrels per day, were unaffected, a company spokesman said.\nJapan Energy, the refining unit of Nippon Mining Holdings Inc., also suspended tanker operations at its 200,200 bpd facility in Mizushima, western Japan.\nKyushu Oil suspended waterborne operations at its 155,000-bpd Oita refinery in southwestern Japan, a company spokeswoman said.\nThe large scale of the storm and the low speed at which it was moving meant it would affect Japan for a relatively long time, possibly causing extensive damage, a Meteorological Agency official said.\nChina's Anhui province took the brunt of the region's previous typhoon, Talim, with 95 people killed.\nTwenty-six more were killed in China's eastern Zhejiang province, where Nabi was expected to make landfall as early as Monday night, state television said.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["southwestern Japan","eastern China"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least 84 people","At least four people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["north-northwest"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a Category 4 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["15 kph (10 mph)"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Nabi"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 160 kph (100 mph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2005 Over 800,000 people in the Zhejiang province of China are evacuating as the province is hit by Typhoon Khanun which has a packing center winds of 144 kilometers per hour. (Chinadaily)","document":"Typhoon Khanun slams into East China province (Xinhua) Updated: 2005-09-11 16:58\nKhanun, the No. 15 typhoon of this year has slammed into Taizhou city of East China's Zhejiang Province at 14:50 p.m. Sunday, the provincial source announced. Chinese women struggle with their umbrellas in heavy rains brought about by Typhoon Khanun in Wenling, East China's Zhenjiang Province, Sunday, September 11, 2005. The typhoon, with force exceeding 12, will sweep the cities of Taizhou, Jinhua, Shaoxing, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou and then enter the Taihu Lake. A Chinese pushes his tricycle in the rain against gusts of wind as Typhoon Khanun made landfall in the east coast of China, Sunday, September 11, 2005.The province has so far evacuated 814,267 people to safer places, said sources with the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters, adding that about 35,409 ships and vessels have returned to ports. The headquarters still issued an urgent notice urging local people to prepare for the possible mountain torrents and other geological disasters which might inflicted by typhoon and torrential rains. ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["hou city of East China's Zhejiang Province","East China","East China province","cities of Taizhou, Jinhua, Shaoxing, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou and then enter the Taihu Lake","Taizhou","Wenling, East China's Zhenjiang Province"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["814,267 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["14:50 p.m. Sunday","Sunday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Khanun"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2005 Mandatory emergency evacuation is ordered for Outer Banks in North Carolina as Hurricane Ophelia approaches. (Washington Post), (Reuters)[permanent dead link], (Guardian)","document":"North Carolina's governor pleaded yesterday with the 70,000 people living along the state's coast to flee Hurricane Ophelia, the first major storm to hit the US since Katrina devastated Louisiana and Mississippi two weeks ago.\nOphelia was expected to strike North Carolina with a glancing blow late last night before spinning off into the Atlantic. It was considerably weaker than Katrina, with top sustained wind speeds of 85mph, but the governor, Mike Easley, said it was moving so slowly along the coast it would cause disproportionate flooding.\n\"These floods are going to be worse than anticipated yesterday,\" the governor said. \"We're asking and begging [people to get out] because it's going to be hard to get them out later. Once the high winds come, we cannot get in and get you out - cannot get you by boat, cannot get you by helicopters, cannot get there by plane.\"\nMandatory evacuation orders were issued for the islands off the state's Outer Banks, and for the region's seaside resorts, but there were reports last night that many people had ignored the orders, barricaded their houses and stayed put.\nStung by criticism of its slow response to Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency stationed 250 workers along the North Carolina coast, more than would normally be deployed for a hurricane of Ophelia's magnitude.\nThe main concern was flooding as the hurricane crept northwards up the North Carolina coast. The National Hurricane Centre predicted it would hover over the northern coast for 11 hours, dumping 38cm (15in) of rain and driving storm surges of more than three metres on the shore, and along North Carolina's rivers.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["North Carolina"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["late last night"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Ophelia","Katrina"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["85mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2005 Mandatory emergency evacuation is ordered for Outer Banks in North Carolina as Hurricane Ophelia approaches. (Washington Post), (Reuters)[permanent dead link], (Guardian)","document":"FRISCO, N.C., Sept. 14 -- As slow-moving Hurricane Ophelia hugged the North Carolina coast in a torrential embrace Wednesday, federal, state and local officials were taking no chances of a repeat of the sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina.\nHere on Hatteras Island, which was expected to bear the worst of the storm, emergency officials stockpiled enough water and military rations to last 3,000 people for three days. The National Guard was standing by with all-terrain vehicles and four-wheel-drive ambulances. The National Forest Service had 10 chain-saw teams ready to remove fallen trees.\nGov. Mike Easley (D) urged residents of low-lying coastal areas to evacuate. \"We're asking them and begging them to please do that because it's going to be hard to get them out later,\" he said. \"The storm surge is going to be higher than projected\" Tuesday.\nBut despite a \"mandatory\" evacuation order -- which state officials acknowledged was not really mandatory at all -- many residents stayed behind on Hatteras and neighboring islands along the Outer Banks. They parked dozens of cars, pickup trucks and a fire engine on the lawn of the Cape Hatteras Baptist Church in Frisco, not because it is the holiest ground in town, but because it is the highest.\nThey piled sandbags, stowed boats, bought groceries. And while emergency officials took no chances, some locals did.\n\"Gosh, that was great. Best way to stretch out your back,\" said Jim Bagwell, 52, after a 10-minute swim in the pounding, six-foot ocean surf at the Frisco Fishing Pier, just hours before the eye of the hurricane was forecast to come through. In last year's Hurricane Alex, the 200-foot pier itself was carried away.\nCars pulled in and out of the parking lot as residents came to gawk at the high waves and exchange gossip. Bagwell's Labrador retriever, Gator, started to run after him into the surf, then thought better of it.\n\"They're bringing in truckloads of water. It's paranoia from Katrina,\" said Murray Clark, 77, a retired trawler captain. \"All of us locals are sitting and giggling.\"\nThe Federal Emergency Management Agency placed emergency operations centers on 24-hour alert and readied 50 rescue aircraft, spokeswoman Nicol Andrews said.\nThe agency staged three response teams and stockpiled medical supplies in Raleigh, N.C., and held three more in reserve in Virginia and Maryland in case the storm moved north, a FEMA official said. More than 100 medical personnel were in Raleigh.\nWhile North Carolina had stored enough ice to last two days for 10,000 people, federal authorities staged more food, water and ice in Emporia, Va.; Palmetto and Thomasville, Ga.; Columbia, S.C.; Cumberland, Md.; and Edison, N.J.\nNorth Carolina also activated 200 National Guard members and placed 200 more on standby, a FEMA official said.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["North Carolina coast","Hatteras Island"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["residents"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Katrina","Ophelia"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2005 Hurricane Rita is forecast to become a major storm in the Gulf of Mexico this week. Mayor Ray Nagin has ordered an evacuation of New Orleans. (KHON.com), (BBC), (CTV)","document":"He said that, with a new tropical storm menacing the southern US coast, the \"conditions have changed\". The city's Algiers section has already opened and Mayor Nagin had plans to open three more district shortly.\nBut President Bush and top officials have voiced concern at the stricken city's ability to cope with the influx.\nMayor Nagin told a press conference that \"all re-entry\" to the city was being suspended immediately.\nWhatever population goes into New Orleans... there has to be an evacuation plan to get them out Vice-Admiral Thad Allen\nOil prices rises\n\"The conditions have changed. We have another hurricane approaching us,\" he said.\nTropical Storm Rita is building in strength as it heads towards the Florida Keys and could become a hurricane.\nIts predicted path would take it to Texas - where many of Hurricane Katrina's victims have sought refuge - at the weekend, and some maps suggest it may hit parts of Louisiana.\nOn Monday, the number of confirmed deaths in Louisiana as a result of the storm climbed by 90 to 736, taking the death toll across the region to 973.\n'Matter of timing'\nEarlier, Coast Guard Vice-Admiral Thad Allen, head of the recovery effort, warned that the threat of more storms complicated plans to re-open the city.\n\"Whatever population goes into New Orleans right now, there has to be an evacuation plan on how to get them out in the event of another hurricane,\" he said, speaking on US television station CBS.\n \n Gulf opportunity zone Immediate incentives for job-creating investment\nRecovery accounts Up to $5,000 help for job-seekers, for training, childcare etc\nUrban homesteading act Federal-owned land handed out in a lottery for new homebuilding\nBush fights back\nClinton: Katrina troubles US\nSpeaking after a meeting with his Homeland Security Council, President George W Bush said his administration was \"cautious about encouraging people to return at this moment of history\".\nHe stressed that the city needed to re-emerge, but it was \"a matter of timing\".\n\"The mayor has got this dream about having his city up and running,\" said Mr Bush. \"We share that dream, but we also want to be realistic about some of the hurdles and obstacles.\"\nMayor Nagin had said he wanted to allow residents to return to New Orleans one postcode at a time.\nHe had announced plans for the Uptown neighbourhood, the Garden District and the historic French Quarter to be re-settled over the next week - bringing a third of New Orleans' evacuated inhabitants back to the city.\nResidents of Algiers, a district of 57,000 people which escaped the worst of the damage, became the first to be able to return on Monday. The BBC's Oliver Conway described how they were returning to homes with running water and electricity - although food and water was being supplied by a relief station run by the army and volunteers.\nMayor Nagin has now urged those who returned to Algiers to be ready to evacuate as early as Wednesday.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["hit parts of Louisiana","Louisiana","the southern US coast","Florida Keys","Texas"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["736"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a hurricane","hurricane","Hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Rita"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2005 Up to 60 police cadets have been swept away by powerful Typhoon Longwang in Fujian, south–east China. (BBC)","document":"Cadets were washed away on Sunday when the academy's barracks in the city of Fuzhou collapsed under the pressure of mud crashing down a hill.\nAnother 36 people remain missing in the Fujian province as some 7,000 rescuers continue their search for survivors. The confirmed death toll is now 65, and there are fears the figure will rise.\nPresident Hu Jintao ordered that no effort be spared to search for survivors.\nTyphoon Longwang, or Dragon King, made landfall near Jinjiang on Sunday, with winds of up to 120km/h (73 mph). It destroyed 5,400 homes and 12,500 ha (31,000 acres) of crops in the province, Xinhua said.\nEconomic damage has been estimated by the China Daily newspaper as about $150m (£85m), with the tourism sector the worst affected.\nThis would normally have been one of the busiest times of the year for Fujian's tourist industry, because of the National Day holiday.\nBy Tuesday, the winds had mostly died down, although rain was continuing to fall in some parts of Fujian, reports said.\nBut the bad weather is not over yet. The authorities in the central province of Hubei have evacuated about 24,000 people along the banks of a tributary of the Yangtze River, ahead of expected heavy rain, Xinhua news agency said.\n\"The flood is still under control though it seems still severe,\" Cai Qihua, deputy director of the Yangtze flood control headquarters, is quoted as saying.\nThe typhoon season has brought three powerful storms to the region in recent weeks, killing more than 150 people.\nTyphoons regularly plague Taiwan and eastern China during the summer months. Twelve people were killed by Typhoon Haitang in July.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["near Jinjiang"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Cadets","Another 36 people","65"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Longwang","Dragon King"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 120km/h (73 mph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2004 The Cuban government evacuates between 800,000 and 1.3 million people from coastal cities and developed areas. Cubans have begun calling the hurricane \"Ivan the Terrible\". (Reuters) (New York Times) (NOAA/NHC)","document":"HAVANA, Sept. 12 - Hurricane Ivan hammered the Cayman Islands on Sunday with winds that moved like bulldozers at 155 miles per hour, as thousands of people in Cuba and Florida braced for one of the most powerful storms to boil up out of the Atlantic.\nAhead of the storm, Cuba, the most populated island in the Caribbean, evacuated nearly one million people to shelters and moved truckloads of food into fortified warehouses.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the Cayman Islands"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["thousands of people in Cuba and Florida","Cuba","people","nearly one million people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Ivan"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["155 miles per hour"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2004 2004 Atlantic hurricane season: Massive flooding in Haiti resulting from this weekend's passage of Hurricane Jeanne over the island of Hispaniola leaves large areas submerged and at least 556 people dead, with that number expected to increase. (Reuters) (BBC)","document":"PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) - More than 300 people have died in Haiti from flooding and mudslides triggered by Tropical Storm Jeanne, according to aid workers who said half of the northern city of Gonaives was still underwater.\n\"We have counted 250 bodies at the hospital morgue in Gonaives,\" U.N. spokesman Toussaint Congo-Doudou said after heavy rains sent a wall of muddy water crashing through northern towns over the weekend.\nU.N. peacekeepers had unconfirmed reports of another 150 dead in Gonaives, said U.N. coordinator Adama Guindo.\nThe northern city was the birthplace of Haiti's independence from France 200 years ago and it was where an armed revolt began this year that led to the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.\nForty-seven people were also confirmed killed in the northwest province, around the town of Port-de-Paix, said Henry Max Thelus, a government official. Eight deaths were recorded elsewhere, bringing the total confirmed toll to 305.\nInterim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue declared three days of national mourning.\nHalf of Gonaives remained under water, and 80 percent of its inner urban population of over 100,000 had been affected by the floods, which at one point forced hundreds of people to take cover on the roofs of their homes, said Anne Poulsen, spokeswoman for the U.N.'s World Food Programme in Haiti.\nTwelve trucks carrying 40 metric tons of food would leave the capital Port-au-Prince Monday and head to Gonaives, said Poulsen.\nThe World Health Organisation planned to deliver medicine, and 15 trucks from the Brazilian-led U.N. force had gone to reinforce a detachment of Argentine peacekeepers stationed in the city.\n\"It's not just people's houses, it's also crops and livestock that have been washed away. So it will take quite some months before people will be able to cope by themselves again,\" Poulsen said. \"Nature is tough on Haiti.\"\nHaiti, the poorest country in the Americas, is frequently lashed by flash floods and mudslides because of extensive deforestation. Around 2,000 Haitians died when extensive floods washed away villages near the Dominican-Haitian border in May.\nCongo-Doudou said that at the height of the flooding, the water was 9 feet (3 metres) deep in Gonaives and the current was so strong it swept away heavy military trucks. U.N. helicopters were used to pluck people from their rooftops.\nA woman who was about to give birth in the street as muddy waters swirled around her legs was rescued by U.N. police.\nThe fresh blow from nature came on top of bloody political conflict that saw Aristide flee into exile on February 29. A Brazilian-led U.N. force is trying to keep the peace.\nJeanne, which last Thursday briefly became a hurricane with winds in excess of 75 mph (122 kph), also killed 11 people in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, and two in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.\nThe latest cyclone in an unusually busy Atlantic hurricane season, the storm was moving slowly northward to the east of the Bahamas on Monday, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph).\nIt presented no immediate threat to land, the U.S. National Hurricane Centre said, and was expected to swing to the northeast. That would spare Florida, hit by three big hurricanes in the past five weeks.\nLikewise, powerful Hurricane Karl presented no immediate threat to land as it swirled in the open Atlantic, 1,010 miles (1,620 km) east-northeast of the Lesser Antilles, with winds of 120 mph (195 kph).\nMeanwhile, a new tropical storm formed in the Atlantic on Monday. Tropical Storm Lisa was 810 miles (1,305 km) west of the Cape Verde islands by 11 a.m., with 60 mph (95 kph) as it began to take a westerly track that would move it through the Caribbean toward the Gulf of Mexico.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Haiti","the northwest province, around the town of Port-de-Paix","Port","Around","around","Dominican Republic"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["More than 300 people","250 bodies","another 150","Forty-seven people","11 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Jeanne"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["75 mph (122 kph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2004 2004 Atlantic hurricane season: Hurricane Jeanne strengthens slightly as it passes over the northern Bahamas and makes landfall at 11:50 p.m. local time at Hutchison Island, just east of Stuart, Florida, as a Category Three storm with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). About 3 million people are ordered to evacuate vulnerable areas in Florida. (Reuters)","document":"MIAMI (Reuters) - Deadly Hurricane Jeanne has strengthened rapidly as it strafes the northern Bahamas on its way to deliver a record fourth hurricane strike in one season to densely populated Florida.\nIntermittent squalls from the hurricane's outer fringes pelted the south and central Florida east coast on Saturday with wind gusts and blinding rain.\nThe hurricane's eye was expected to come ashore in the Fort Pierce area late on Saturday or early on Sunday -- a one-two punch for a region slammed by Hurricane Frances three weeks ago.\nThe storm's 115 mph (185 kph) winds, up from 105 mph overnight, and 8-foot (2.4-metre) storm surge lashed Great Abaco island in the Bahamas, a 700-island chain of 300,000 people stretching from Haiti to off the Florida coast.\nUp to 3 million storm-weary Floridians were told to evacuate coastal islands, mobile homes and flood-prone areas. Others battened down the hatches one more time -- stocking up on batteries, water and gasoline and shuttering homes -- or streamed into public shelters.\nMany on the storm-scarred Atlantic coast, emboldened by having survived Frances, vowed to remain at home, an act of defiance that alarmed authorities -- particularly as Jeanne was likely to arrive as a stronger storm.\n\"This is dangerous, ladies and gentlemen, this is not a game,\" Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas said. \"We're all fatigued, we're all exhausted. We don't want to have to go through this drill again but none of us can control Mother Nature.\"\nBy 3 p.m. (8 p.m. British time), the storm, which has already killed up to 2,000 people in Haiti and 31 in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, was about 40 miles north-northeast of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, or 125 miles east-southeast of Vero Beach, Florida, at latitude 27 north and longitude 78.4 west.\nJeanne picked up speed overnight and was travelling west at 14 mph.\nThe U.S. National Hurricane Centre said the storm, now a strong Category 3 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity, could strengthen further over warm water between the Bahamas and the southeastern United States.\nAlong Florida's Atlantic coast, including the densely populated counties of Broward and Miami-Dade, 3 million residents were told to evacuate.\nOfficials urged residents not to be complacent.\n\"People on the barrier islands who think they can ride this storm out should think again,\" Governor Jeb Bush, brother of President George W. Bush, told reporters. \"It is getting bigger and stronger.\"\nState officials said computer models showed 4.7 million of the state's 17 million people were in harm's way, and estimated that 1.2 million buildings could be damaged, leaving around 142,000 families without homes.\nWhen Jeanne comes ashore late Saturday or early Sunday, it will mark the first time since records began in 1851 that Florida has been walloped by four hurricanes in a single season. The season lasts from June to the end of November.\nIn the Bahamas, residents of Grand Bahama and Great Abaco islands, both still recovering from the ravages of Frances, packed into shelters.\nJeanne destroyed one house and tore the roofs off several others in the Fox Town settlement on northern Abaco. Rising water made roads impassable and a dock at the local oil depot was badly damaged, Fox Town resident Wellesley Carey said.\nMeteorologist Donna Duncombe said rainfall had been \"very intense\" and was likely to continue until the storm passed north of Freeport, where most of Grand Bahama's 50,000 residents live.\nIn Florida, Hurricane Charley kicked off a season likely to dent the state's reputation as a tourist destination when it slammed ashore on the southwest Gulf Coast on August 13. It had winds of 145 mph, killed 33 people and caused $7.4 billion (4.1 billion) in insured damages.\nFrances hit the Atlantic coast on September 5, killing 30 and causing $4.4 billion in damages.\nIvan ripped into the Gulf Coast between Florida and Alabama with 130 mph winds on September 16, killing at least 45 people across the United States and causing up to $6 billion in damages.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Florida","the south and central Florida east coast","the northern Bahamas"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Up to 3 million storm-weary Floridians"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Saturday or early on Sunday","Saturday","early Sunday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":["come ashore in the Fort Pierce area"]},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Jeanne"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["115 mph (185 kph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2016 Cyclone Zena, now a category 3 storm, heads for Fiji, where a tropical depression already dumped up to 12 inches of rain on the western and northern parts of Fiji's largest and most populous island, Viti Levu, triggering major flash flooding that's killed at least two people. The archipelago is still recovering from category 5 Cyclone Winston that killed 44 people in February. (Weather.com) (Television New Zealand)","document":"\nTropical Cyclone Zena passed southeast of Fiji, just days after torrential rain triggered major flooding, and just six weeks after parts of the archipelago were slammed by Tropical Cyclone Winston, their strongest tropical cyclone on record.\nOfficials placed the entire country under a curfew Thursday so crews could survey the damage and ensure the safety of all residents, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Damage was not believed to be extensive from this storm, but there were still some reports of structures affected and flooding.\nThe storm then moved on to Tonga, but damage is believed to be minimal, the Australian Broadcasting Company said.\n\nZena peaked in intensity as a Category 2 cyclone Wednesday afternoon with maximum sustained winds estimated by the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center of 105 mph.\nThanks to increasing westerly wind shear by Wednesday, Zena's central core of convection lost organization with an eye no longer discernible in infrared imagery and its core convection was becoming more disorganized. As a result, Zena began to weaken as it pulled away from Fiji.\n\nFiji's National Disaster Management Office urged residents living in flood-prone areas to move to higher ground in advance of Zena.\nAn unnamed tropical disturbance dumped up to 12 inches of rain on the western and northern parts of Fiji's largest and most populous island, Viti Levu, Monday and Tuesday, sending feet of flood water into Nadi, Fiji's third largest city. \nFBC News reported a 70-year old man was found dead in the swollen Sabeto River, and another 19-year-old woman was missing after being swept away. \nFlood water up to shoulder deep prompted evacuations of residents from the Korociri settlement, according to the Fijian Government. Flooding also shut down the town of Rakakiri, in far northern Viti Levu, with reports of flooding in the town's market, according to stuff.co.nz. Almost 11.40 inches of rain had fallen in Rakakiri from Sunday through late Wednesday night.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["11.40 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["southeast of Fiji","Fiji","Tonga"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a Category 2 cyclone"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Zena","Winston"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["105 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2016 A tornado hits the Uruguayan town of Dolores resulting in at least four deaths and seven injuries. (AP via Star Tribune)","document":"MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — A powerful tornado swept over a small city in Uruguay on Friday, ripping up houses, hurling cars into the air and killing at least four people, authorities said. Seven others were seriously injured.\nResidents of Dolores, a city of 20,000 people about 165 miles (265 kilometers) west of Montevideo, shot images of their homes and cars being swept up by the tornado and posted them on social media.\n\"The president has ordered the deployment of all the resources in the state to attend to the situation in Dolores,\" said Juan Andres Roballo, an official with the Uruguayan president's office. The city was declared an emergency zone.\nRoballo said a good part of the population had lost their homes and at least two children were seriously hurt and had been transferred to the capital for treatment.\nFire department spokeswoman Mariela Vivone told Channel 12 television that two of the dead were killed by flying cars carried by the winds.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["a small city in Uruguay","Uruguay"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Residents of Dolores","Dolores","at least four people","Seven others","at least two children"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2016 The Samoan Islands and Wallis and Futuna brace for the impact of Cyclone Amos as the Fiji Meteorological Service upgrades the cyclone to a category three storm, with sustained winds as high as 140 km/h at its centre. (Radio New Zealand)","document":"Tropical Cyclone Amos was upgraded to a category three on Friday night, and was forecast to pass close to Samoa's southern coast this weekend.\nThe current forecast for Cyclone Amos, passing close to Samoa's southern coast as a category three. \nThe cyclone is still more than 600km west of the capital, Apia, slowly moving east at 16km/h.\nOn Friday night, Samoa's Meteorological Service upgraded the system to a category three storm, with sustained winds as high as 140 km/h at its centre.\nIt said the system was intensifying, and was expected to pass close to the country's southern coast late on Saturday and early on Sunday morning.\nIt had already issued heavy rain, strong wind, and flood warnings for the country, and small boats were advised not to go out into very rough seas.\nThe system was already bringing heavy rain and strong winds as it passed close to Wallis Island. The public there were advised to prepare, with schools closed on Friday and a 'yellow alert' declared by authorities in the French territory.\nTo the east, authorities in American Samoa placed the territory under 'hurricane watch', with Amos expected to enter its waters on Sunday.\nOur correspondent in Pago Pago said people had gone home early on Thursday (Friday Samoa, New Zealand time) and stores had reported increased sales of plywood, torches, batteries, water and canned food.\nA meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Pago Pago, Mase Akapo Akapo, said Amos was expected to pass to the territory's south, and there was the potential for severe damage.\nMase said residents should not take chances and prepare for strong winds, heavy rain and flooding.\n\"The system is coming from the west side, and if it passes to the south of us the strongest winds of the system will be right over us,\" he said.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["Samoa's Meteorological Service","Samoa"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["east"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a category three","category three"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["16km/h"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Amos"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["140 km/h"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2020 Tropical Storm Fay makes landfall in New Jersey, US, causing tropical storm force winds over Delaware, New Jersey, and Coastal New York. Flooding closed several roads. (Weather Channel)","document":"\nTropical Storm Fay flooded streets, closed roads and knocked down trees Friday in New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.\nThe storm made landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey, at around 4:45 p.m. EST Friday and was downgraded overnight as it moved over land.\nA New York City police officer was injured while helping clear a tree that fell on a cab, WLNY-TV reported. The police officer was taken to the hospital after she was hit by a limb and briefly lost consciousness.\nFirefighters helped people out from stranded cars in some areas where streets were covered with water.\n\nSeveral roads were closed or lanes blocked late Friday afternoon across the region, including a portion of Interstate 295 on the Throgs Neck Bridge in New York City and an eastbound ramp onto Interstate 80 near Ridgefield Park.\nA flash flood warning that was in effect for the city expired at 5:30 p.m. EST.\nNew York City Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier urged residents to stay vigilant.\n“We expect some pretty heavy winds, and we need people to be ready for that, and some flash flooding in certain parts of the city,” de Blasio said during a briefing Friday morning.\nMajor impacts weren't expected for the city, but officials urged residents to stay home if possible.\n\nWinds up to 49 mph were reported along the Delaware coast.\nThe storm also caused President Donald Trump to cancel a rally he had planned for Saturday in New Hampshire.\nThe police department in Ocean City, Maryland, reported street flooding in the southern end of town.\nMaryland Highway 90 was closed between Old Ocean City Boulevard and U.S. Highway 113 for about half an hour because of flooding, the state Highway Administration said. High water also closed all lanes of Maryland Highway 528 at Somerset Street.\nA fallen tree briefly blocked U.S. Highway 50 East at state Highway 346.\nThe Delaware State Police reported a number of road closures, and portions of Route 1 along Delaware's coast were flooded.\nSubstantial street flooding also was reported in Bethany Beach, Delaware.\nThe National Weather Service said there was a high risk of rip currents Delaware and New Jersey beaches through Friday evening. Lifeguards in Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach temporarily closed the beaches to swimming, according to delaware online. In New Jersey, flash flood warnings were issued for Villas and Cape May to Atlantic City.\nThe George Redding Bridge closed in both directions for more than an hour because of flooding, the Wildwood Police Department reported.\nWPVI reported flooded streets in Wildwood, North Wildwood and Sea Isle City. Social media posts showed flooding in Stone Harbor and Avalon\nMonmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden warned people to stay inside and prepare for high winds.\n“That high tide is hitting Sandy Hook in Monmouth County around 12:44, about the same time we are going to see the height of the storm here. So, I want everyone to be careful,” Golden told WPVI.\nPresident Trump was scheduled to appear outdoors on the tarmac at Portsmouth International Airport on Saturday in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Friday the rally will be delayed by a week or two, Fox News reported.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["near Atlantic City, New Jersey","New Jersey","York, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware","York","Delaware","Maryland","delaware"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["A New York City police officer"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Friday","at around 4:45 p.m. EST Friday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Fay"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["49 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2020 Two tropical storms, one in the Atlantic Ocean (Gonzalo) and the other in the Pacific (Douglas), are expected to become hurricanes Thursday. Gonzalo, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, is east of Barbados in the Windward Islands, moving toward the west near 12 mph (19 km/h), leading Barbados to issue a Hurricane watch. Douglas's maximum sustained winds have increased to near 100 mph (155 km/h), and landfall on Hawaii is expected Sunday. (USA Today) (The Washington Post)","document":"Douglas became a hurricane Wednesday morning, the eastern Pacific’s first hurricane of the 2020 season. The cyclone was located midway between Mexico and Hawaii, whirling over the open ocean about 1,500 miles east of the Hawaiian archipelago. But recent data indicates that Douglas’s track could take it ominously near or directly over Hawaii, bringing wind, rain and high surf over the weekend.\nAlready, meteorologists are concerned that Douglas is in an environment ripe for “rapid intensification,” which occurs when a cyclone’s maximum sustained winds increase by 35 mph or more in 24 hours. With plenty of warm water in its course and calm upper-level winds, Douglas can take advantage of the elements without interruption.\nTropical Storm Gonzalo forms as second tropical disturbance swirls in the Gulf of Mexico\nModels suggest a greater than 50 percent chance that Douglas does undergo rapid intensification sometime late Wednesday or Thursday, with the National Hurricane Center writing that there’s “a significant chance of rapid intensification during that period.”\nBy Thursday night into early Friday, the National Hurricane Center is calling for Douglas to peak at Category 2 strength, with winds in the eyewall sustained at 110 mph. If rapid intensification ensues before then, it’s not out of the question for Douglas to briefly become a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher).\nGradual weakening is forecast beyond Friday as Douglas moves over slightly cooler waters. However, a lack of disruptive “wind shear,” or a change of wind speed and/or direction with height, will allow Douglas to charge on toward Hawaii while maintaining tropical-storm strength.\nThe weather in Hawaii should deteriorate Sunday as Douglas approaches. Sunday into Monday, the storm may cross the island chain or pass close by. At that point, the National Hurricane Center’s forecast is for winds to be in the range of 60 mph.\nIt’s likely that heavy rainfall and localized flooding could accompany Douglas’s passage, as well. Significant rainfall totals are possible where the tropical cyclone’s rain bands interact with topography, the hilly terrain helping to concentrate and focus downpours.\nTropical cyclones routinely produce serious rain totals when they hit Hawaii. In August 2018, Hurricane Lane collapsed upon arriving in the Aloha State, dumping upward of 52 inches on Mountain View, a community 15 miles northwest of Hilo.\nThe staggering rainfall ranked as the second-most to fall from a tropical storm on record for the United States, trailing only Harvey, which dropped 60.58 inches on Nederland, Tex., in 2017.\nDirect landfalls of hurricanes are uncommon in Hawaii, though the island chain is sideswiped by one or two tropical cyclones most years. Warming waters and shifting atmospheric circulation patterns in large part due to human-caused climate change could encourage more tropical cyclones to pass near Hawaii in the future.\nIn barely a month, Lane, Norman and Olivia all affected parts of Hawaii from late August into September 2018. The storms contributed to the eastern Pacific’s most active hurricane season on record.\nThe worst storm to make landfall at hurricane strength in Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki, which tore through Kauai on Sept. 11, 1992. It was a Category 4 storm with winds up to 145 mph.\nThe most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["the National Hurricane Center","National Hurricane Center","meteorologists"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a hurricane","hurricane","Hurricane","Category 2"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Douglas","Douglas’s","Gonzalo"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["110 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2020 Two tropical storms, one in the Atlantic Ocean (Gonzalo) and the other in the Pacific (Douglas), are expected to become hurricanes Thursday. Gonzalo, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, is east of Barbados in the Windward Islands, moving toward the west near 12 mph (19 km/h), leading Barbados to issue a Hurricane watch. Douglas's maximum sustained winds have increased to near 100 mph (155 km/h), and landfall on Hawaii is expected Sunday. (USA Today) (The Washington Post)","document":"Tropical Storm Gonzalo formed Wednesday morning in the Atlantic Ocean, the National Hurricane Center said. It's the earliest \"G\" storm in any Atlantic hurricane season on record.\nThe storm is expected to become a hurricane Thursday, with winds of at least 75 mph.\nThe hurricane center said Gonzalo was far from land: As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, it was about 1,110 miles east of the Southern Windward Islands of the Caribbean. The system had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was moving to the west at 14 mph.\n\"Gonzalo is expected to move near or over the southern Windward Islands this weekend and could bring direct impacts from winds and heavy rainfall,\" the hurricane center said.\nIt is forecast to weaken back to tropical storm strength as it nears the islands. \nWhen Gonzalo became a named storm Wednesday morning, it broke a record set by Tropical Storm Gert, which formed July 24, 2005, during a notorious season. \nAccording to AccuWeather, many storms this year have beat out storms from the 2005 season, known as the most active on record, for the title of earliest to form in the basin. The 2020 season pales in comparison with 2005 in terms of overall intensity. \nBy this point in 2005, the Atlantic basin had spawned three hurricanes and two major hurricanes  – Category 3 or higher – according to Phil Klotzbach, a tropical meteorologist at Colorado State University.\nHurricane season 2020:From Arthur to Wilfred, here's the list of hurricane names this season\nIn addition to Gonzalo, forecasters monitored a system in the Gulf of Mexico, which could spin up into a tropical depression or storm in the next couple of days, the hurricane center said. \n\"Regardless of development, increasing winds and seas across the upper Texas coastal waters should begin on Thursday, and the threat of heavy rainfall spreads into Southeast Texas Friday through Saturday,\" the National Weather Service in Houston said.\nIn the Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Douglas strengthened into a hurricane Wednesday morning. As of 5 p.m. EDT, Hurricane Douglas had winds of 80 mph and was 1,690 miles from Hilo, Hawaii.\nIt could impact Hawaii on Sunday, probably after weakening back to a tropical storm, the hurricane center said. \n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["The hurricane center","Hurricane Center","hurricane center","the National Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Hawaii"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["west"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":["Wednesday morning"]},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a hurricane","Hurricane","hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["14 mph"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Gonzalo","Douglas"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["at least 75 mph","50 mph","80 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2020 Hurricane warnings are issued for the state of Louisiana and parts of Mississippi as it is expected that Tropical Storm Marco will become a hurricane later today. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Laura is also advancing toward the United States after leaving torrential rain in parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards requests a federal emergency declaration; Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves declares a state of emergency. (The Guardian) (ABC News)","document":"Residents in low-lying coastal areas of Louisiana and Cuba were evacuating on Sunday, while roads turned to rivers in Haiti’s capital city, as twin hurricanes threatened the Caribbean and US Gulf Coast.\nMarco, which strengthened to a hurricane and is forecast to hit Louisiana on Monday, will be followed by Tropical Storm Laura, which was over the Dominican Republic on Sunday and is expected to travel across Hispaniola and Cuba and strengthen to a hurricane before striking the US on Thursday.\nAt least three people died, including a mother and her seven-year-old son, in the Dominican Republic due to collapsing walls. Laura left more than a million in the country without electricity, forced more than a thousand to evacuate and caused several homes along the Isabela river to collapse, authorities said.\nLouisiana governor John Bel Edwards warned residents tropical storm-force winds would arrive by Monday morning and they should be ready to ride out both Marco and Laura.\n“Wherever you are at dark tonight is where you need to be prepared to ride out these storms,” he said.\nIn Port-au-Prince, Haiti, videos on social media showed people wading waist-deep in muddy water in some of the worst flooding seen in years. Haiti is especially vulnerable to intense rains due to poor infrastructure and deforestation which increases the likelihood of landslides.\nAuthorities called on residents along the Artibonite river to evacuate, as the Peligre Hydroelectric Dam might fail.\nHaiti was the first to report a death from Laura: a 10-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell on her home in the southern town of Anse-a-Pitres.\nWith hopes dashed that the mountains of Hispaniola would weaken the storm, Cuba scrambled to prepare. Evacuations were under way in eastern parts of the island, where the storm was expected to strike on Sunday evening, bringing flooding.\nBack-to-back hurricanes arriving at the US coast within days “could result in a prolonged period of hazardous weather”, National Hurricane Center forecaster Stacy Stewart warned.\nThe Federal Emergency Management Agency sent teams to emergency operations centers in state capitals in Louisiana and Texas, said spokesman Earl Armstrong. Fema is prepared to handle back-to-back storms, he said, pointing to 2004 when four hurricanes hit Florida in six weeks.\nOfficials in Louisiana’s coastal Lafourche Parish ordered a mandatory evacuation for low-lying areas at noon on Sunday. The US coast guard also raised its warning for the Port of New Orleans, calling for ships to make plans to evacuate some areas.\nThe potential for flooding and evacuations added to worries about the spread of Covid-19. Tulane University, the largest private employer in New Orleans, said it would close its testing center on Monday due to potential flooding and power outages and called on students to maintain social distancing guidelines.\nIn Grand Isle, at the state’s southern tip, authorities were placing sandbags to bolster its protective levy while energy companies continued to pull workers from offshore platforms and shut production in Gulf of Mexico wells.\nLaura could strengthen and become a category 2 or 3 hurricane and move west, closer to the Houston-Galveston area, bringing flooding rains late on Wednesday or Thursday, said Chris Kerr, a meteorologist and director of offshore forecasting for DTN, an energy, agriculture and weather data provider.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Louisiana","across Hispaniola and Cuba","Cuba","over the Dominican Republic","Dominican Republic"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Residents in low-lying coastal areas of Louisiana and Cuba","Louisiana","Cuba","residents","low","At least three people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["west"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Sunday","Monday","Monday morning"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a category 2 or 3 hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Laura","Marco"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2020 Hurricane warnings are issued for the state of Louisiana and parts of Mississippi as it is expected that Tropical Storm Marco will become a hurricane later today. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Laura is also advancing toward the United States after leaving torrential rain in parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards requests a federal emergency declaration; Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves declares a state of emergency. (The Guardian) (ABC News)","document":"Hurricane Marco is expected to move near the Louisiana coast on Monday, followed by Tropical Storm Laura later this week, as warnings have been issued for parts of the Gulf Coast.\nMarco is currently 180 miles Louisiana coast and the storm has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph -- making it a Category 1 hurricane -- while moving north-northwest at 13 mph.\nTropical storm watches and warnings are in effect from southeastern Louisiana to the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines. Hurricane watches and warnings are also in effect along the southeast coast of Louisiana.\nCities such as New Orleans and Biloxi, Mississippi, are under a tropical storm warning and locations right along the coast are also included in the hurricane alerts.\nMarco is expected to gain some strength today and then quickly move into the Gulf Coast -- southeastern Louisiana remains the location where a landfall could occur and depending on the exact track that could be sometime Monday afternoon or evening.\nAs Marco nears the coast, atmospheric conditions will become unfavorable and begin to impact the storm. As of now, Marco could make landfall as a strong tropical storm.\nAs the storm nears the north central Gulf Coast on Monday, areas of rain and gusty winds will begin to impact some areas by Monday morning.\nThe larger impact is likely to be later Monday afternoon and evening across southeastern Louisiana and the Mississippi coast, with heavy rains, strong winds and storm surge. Some areas could see 2 to 4 inches of rain and several feet of storm surge during high tide.\nTropical Storm Laura strengthened Sunday and now has winds of 60 mph and is moving west to northwest at 21 mph. The center of the storm is over eastern Cuba.\nThe storm brought life-threatening flash flooding over portions of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. At least five deaths have been registered in Haiti as a result of Tropical Storm Laura, the Haitian Civil Protection Agency said on Twitter.\nThere are tropical storm watches and warnings for parts of Hispaniola, Cuba, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.\nThere is also a tropical storm watch for the Florida Keys and the waters off southern mainland Florida.\nThe National Hurricane Center is still forecasting that Laura will come ashore along the Gulf Coast as a Category 2 hurricane by later Wednesday and into Thursday.\nAs with all tropical systems, the area to the right of the center is where the greatest impacts will occur. Right now, the center of Marco looks to be coming ashore somewhere on the Gulf Coast from southern Louisiana to southern Mississippi, with the likely region being very close to New Orleans.\nMarco is expected to make landfall on Monday. When the storm comes ashore it could bring a storm surge of 2 to 6 feet, rainfall of up to 6 inches, possible tornadoes and strong winds.\nLaura will move across Cuba overnight into Monday. Locally, over 8 inches of rain, strong winds and dangerous surf is expected from Hispaniola to Cuba over the next 24-30 hours. This will likely cause flash flooding and mudslides.\nThe official forecast track shows Laura possibly reaching the southern Gulf of Mexico as Marco is making landfall on Monday.\nThe forecast after this point remains somewhat uncertain. However, in forecast models, there is increasing agreement in a strengthening storm moving towards the U.S. Gulf Coast later this week.\nIt remains to be seen what the intensity of both storms will be and whether this situation will break any tropical records.\nThe last time there were two tropical cyclones in the Gulf of Mexico was in 2002, where Tropical Storm Fay was off the Texas coast and Tropical Depression Edouard was off the Florida West Coast.\nThe shortest time between two named storms making landfall in Louisiana was five days and that was back in 1885.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["2 to 4 inches","8 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["southeast coast of Louisiana","Louisiana","near the Louisiana coast","Louisiana coast","southeastern Louisiana","New Orleans and Biloxi, Mississippi","Mississippi","New Orleans","southeastern Louisiana to the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines","parts of the Gulf Coast","Gulf Coast","parts","Cuba"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["north-northwest","north","northwest"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a Category 1 hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["13 mph"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Marco","Laura"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["75 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2020 More than 385,000 residents are told to flee the cities of Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur, in Texas saying as much as 13 feet (3.96 meters) of storm surge topped by waves could submerge entire communities. (AP)","document":"GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — In the largest U.S. evacuation of the pandemic, more than half a million people were ordered to flee the Gulf Coast on Tuesday as Laura strengthened into a hurricane that forecasters said could slam Texas and Louisiana with ferocious winds, heavy flooding and the power to push seawater miles inland.\nMore than 385,000 residents were told to flee the Texas cities of Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur, and another 200,000 were ordered to leave low-lying Calcasieu Parish in southwestern Louisiana, where forecasters said as much as 13 feet (4 meters) of storm surge topped by waves could submerge whole communities.\nForecasters Tuesday night expected the storm to increase in strength by 33%, from 90 mph (144 kmh) to 120 mph (193 kmh) in just 24 hours. They project Laura to strike the coast as a major Category 3 hurricane. The strengthening may slow or stop just before landfall, forecasters said.\n“The waters are warm enough everywhere there to support a major hurricane, Category 3 or even higher. The waters are very warm where the storm is now and will be for the entire path up until the Gulf Coast,” National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Ed Rappaport said.\nLouisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Laura is shaping up to look a lot like Hurricane Rita did 15 years ago when it ravaged southwest Louisiana. “We’re going to have significant flooding in places that don’t normally see it,” he said.\nOcean water was expected to push onto land along more than 450 miles (724 kilometers) of coast from Texas to Mississippi. Hurricane warnings were issued from San Luis Pass, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, and storm surge warnings from the Port Arthur, Texas, flood protection system to the mouth of the Mississippi River.\nThe evacuations could get even bigger if the storm’s track veers to the east or west, said Craig Fugate, the former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.\nFearing that people would not evacuate in time, Edwards said those in southwest Louisiana need to be where they intend to ride out Laura by noon Wednesday, when the state will start feeling the storm’s effects.\nOfficials urged people to stay with relatives or in hotel rooms to avoid spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. Buses were stocked with protective equipment and disinfectant, and they would carry fewer passengers to keep people apart, Texas officials said.\nWhitney Frazier, 29, of Beaumont spent Tuesday morning trying to get transportation to a high school where she could board a bus to leave the area.\n“Especially with everything with COVID going on already on top of a mandatory evacuation, it’s very stressful,” Frazier said.\nThe storm also imperiled a center of the U.S. energy industry. The government said 84% of Gulf oil production and an estimated 61% of natural gas production were shut down. Nearly 300 platforms have been evacuated.\nWhile oil prices often spike before a major storm as production slows, consumers are unlikely to see big price changes because the pandemic decimated demand for fuel.\nAs of Tuesday evening, Laura was 435 miles (700 kilometers) southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana, traveling west-northwest at 17 mph (28 kmh). Its peak winds were 85 mph (140 kph).\nLaura passed Cuba after killing nearly two dozen people on the island of Hispaniola, including 20 in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power and caused intense flooding. The deaths reportedly included a 10-year-old girl whose home was hit by a tree and a mother and young son crushed by a collapsing wall.\nAs much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain could fall in some parts of Louisiana, said Donald Jones, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Lake Charles, Louisiana.\nAt Grand Isle, Louisiana, Nicole Fantiny said she planned to ride out the hurricane on the barrier island along with a few dozen other people.\n“It could still change, but we keep on hoping and praying that it keeps on going further west like it’s doing,” said Fantiny, who manages a restaurant.\nIn Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas, mandatory evacuation orders went into effect shortly before daybreak Tuesday. “If you decide to stay, you’re staying on your own,” Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie said.\nShelters opened with cots set farther apart to curb coronavirus infections. People planning to enter shelters were told to bring just one bag of personal belongings each, and a mask to reduce the spread of coronavirus.\n“Hopefully it’s not that threatening to people, to lives, because people are hesitant to go anywhere due to COVID,” Robert Duffy said as he placed sandbags around his home in Morgan City, Louisiana. “Nobody wants to sleep on a gym floor with 200 other people. It’s kind of hard to do social distancing.”\nOfficials in Houston asked residents to prepare supplies in case they lose power for a few days or need to evacuate homes along the coast. Some in the area are still recovering from Hurricane Harvey three years ago.\nLaura’s arrival comes just days before the Aug. 29 anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which breached the levees in New Orleans, flattened much of the Mississippi coast and killed as many as 1,800 people in 2005. Less than a month later, Hurricane Rita struck southwest Louisiana as a Category 3 storm.\nLaura wasn’t much of a concern for Kerry Joe Richard of Stephensville, Louisiana. As the storm approached, he was angling for catfish from a small dock overlooking the bayou that’s behind his elevated wood-frame home.\n“The only thing I’m worried about is if the fish quit biting,” he said.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["Forecasters","forecasters"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["As much as 15 inches","much"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Texas and Louisiana","Texas","Louisiana","the coast","Coast","coast"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["west-northwest","west"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a hurricane","hurricane","Hurricane","a major Category 3 hurricane","Category 3","Category 3 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["17 mph (28 kmh)"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Laura"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["120 mph (193 kmh)","85 mph (140 kph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2020 Hurricane Laura is upgraded to a Category 4 as it nears the Gulf Coast of the United States. (CNBC)","document":"Hurricane Laura, a major Category 4 storm, is set to hit near the Texas-Louisiana border on Thursday morning as local officials scramble to evacuate thousands of residents. \nThe storm’s rapid intensification shocked scientists and prompted forecasters to issue warnings of “unsurvivable storm surge” in Texas and Louisiana.\n“Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, including Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes,” the National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday. “This surge could penetrate up to 30 miles inland from the immediate coastline.” \n\nLaura could bring storm surge of nearly 13 feet to the coastline as well as flash flooding and tornadoes on land. The surge will arrive ahead of Laura’s center late on Wednesday, so if people delay evacuating, the roads could already be flooded.  \nThe storm battered the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Haiti over the weekend, knocking out power for more than 1 million people, collapsing some homes and killing at least 23 people. \n“I’m running out of words. Hurricane Laura is now one of the fastest-intensifying storms in recorded history in the Gulf of Mexico,” climate scientist Eric Holthaus wrote in a tweet. “Laura now poses a catastrophic, potentially historic threat to coastal Louisiana.” \n\nRising ocean temperatures driven by climate change are leading to more intense and destructive hurricanes. As hurricanes such as Laura strengthen more rapidly in warmer waters, states have less time to prepare storm mitigation and evacuate people from dangerous areas.  \n“One thing we’ve seen in particular — with Harvey in 2017, and Florence and Michael in 2018 and now with Laura — is very rapid intensification, wherein the storm strengthens from a tropical storm to major hurricane status in less than a day,” said climate scientist Michael Mann. \n“Such rapid intensification happens over very warm waters like we’ve seen in the tropical Atlantic and Gulf in recent years, and right now large parts of the Gulf are bathtub-level hot,” Mann said. ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["forecasters"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Texas and Louisiana","Texas-Louisiana","Louisiana","near the Texas-Louisiana border","Texas"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["thousands of residents"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Thursday morning"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a major Category 4 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Laura"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2020 Hurricane Laura downgrades from a Category 4 to Category 2 hurricane but remains \"extremely dangerous\" after lashing the coasts of Texas and Louisiana early Thursday. It has killed 30 people thus far. (AP)","document":"LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — One of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the U.S., Laura barreled across Louisiana on Thursday, shearing off roofs and killing at least six people while carving a destructive path hundreds of miles inland.\nA full assessment of the damage wrought by the Category 4 system was likely to take days, and the threat of additional damage loomed as new tornado warnings were issued after dark in Arkansas and Mississippi even as the storm weakened into a depression.\nBut despite a trail of demolished buildings, entire neighborhoods left in ruins and almost 900,000 homes and businesses without power, a sense of relief prevailed that Laura was not the annihilating menace forecasters had feared.\n“It is clear that we did not sustain and suffer the absolute, catastrophic damage that we thought was likely,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “But we have sustained a tremendous amount of damage.”\nHe called Laura the most powerful hurricane to strike Louisiana, meaning it surpassed even Katrina, which was a Category 3 storm when it hit in 2005. The storm toppled trees and damaged structures as far north as central Arkansas.\nLaura’s top wind speed of 150 mph (241 kph) put it among the strongest systems on record in the U.S. Not until 11 hours after landfall did Laura finally lose hurricane status as it plowed north and thrashed Arkansas, and even by Thursday evening, it remained a tropical storm with winds of 40 mph (65 kph).\nThe storm crashed ashore in low-lying Louisiana and clobbered Lake Charles, an industrial and casino city of 80,000 people. On Broad Street, many buildings had partially collapsed. Windows were blown out, awnings ripped away and trees split in eerily misshapen ways. Police spotted a floating casino that came unmoored and hit a bridge. At the local airport, planes were overturned, some on top of each other. Part of a transmission tower toppled into the emptied-out studios of KPLC-TV, whose staff evacuated hours before landfall to broadcast from other locations. In front of the courthouse was a Confederate statue that local officials had voted to keep in place just days earlier. After Laura, it was toppled.\n“It looks like 1,000 tornadoes went through here. It’s just destruction everywhere,” said Brett Geymann, who rode out the storm with three family members in Moss Bluff, near Lake Charles. He described Laura passing over his house with the roar of a jet engine around 2 a.m.\n“There are houses that are totally gone. They were there yesterday, but now gone,” he said.\nFollowing Laura’s passage, a massive plume of smoke visible for miles began rising from a chemical plant. Police said the leak was at a facility run by Biolab, which manufactures chemicals used in household cleaners such as Comet bleach scrub and chlorine powder for pools.\nNearby residents were told to close their doors and windows and turn off air conditioners, and the fire smoldered into the night. State and federal aircraft headed into the skies over the coast to look for signs of any other industrial damage.\nThe fatalities included a 14-year-old girl and a 68-year-old man who died when trees fell on their homes in Louisiana, as well as a 24-year-old man who died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator inside his residence. Another man drowned in a boat that sank during the storm, authorities said.\nNo deaths had been confirmed in Texas, which Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said would amount to “a miracle.”\n Chevellce Dunn considered herself among the fortunate after a night spent huddling on a sofa with her son, daughter and four nieces and nephews as winds rocked their home in Orange, Texas. Left without power in sweltering heat, she didn’t know when electricity might be restored.\n“It ain’t going to be easy. As long as my kids are fine, I’m fine,” Dunn said.\nPresident Donald Trump planned to visit the Gulf Coast this weekend to tour the damage.\nMore than 580,000 coastal residents evacuated under the shadow of a coronavirus pandemic and calls for masks and social distancing to combat its spread. It was the largest evacuation order since the pandemic began and many people followed it, filling hotels and sleeping in cars. Although not everyone fled from the coast, officials credited those who did leave for minimizing the loss of life. Forecasters had warned that the storm surge of 15 to 20 feet would be “unsurvivable” and could push 40 miles inland. Edwards said the storm surge wound up in the range of 9 feet to 12 feet — still bad, but far from the worst forecast. He was hopeful damaged homes could quickly be made habitable. The priority, Edwards said, was search and rescue, followed by efforts to find hotel or motel rooms for those unable to stay in their homes. Officials in Texas and Louisiana have both sought to avoid traditional mass shelters for evacuees over fears of spreading COVID-19, and Edwards was concerned that the storm would inhibit coronavirus testing as schools and universities are reopening.\nBucky Millet, 78, of Lake Arthur, Louisiana, considered evacuating but decided to ride out the storm with family due to concerns about the coronavirus. He said a small tornado blew the cover off the bed of his pickup and made him think the roof on his house was next.\n“You’d hear a crack and a boom and everything shaking,” he said.\nThe force of Laura’s winds blew out every window of the living room in the Lake Charles house where Bethany Agosto survived the storm with her sister and two others. They fled to a closet when the hurricane was at its worst.\n“It was like a jigsaw puzzle in this closet. We were on top of each other, just holding each other and crying,” Agosto said.\nThe storm was so powerful that it could regain strength after turning east and reaching the Atlantic Ocean, potentially threatening the densely populated Northeast.\nLaura hit the U.S. after killing nearly two dozen people on the island of Hispaniola, including 20 in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power and caused intense flooding.\nIt was the seventh named storm to strike the U.S. this year, setting a new record for U.S. landfalls by the end of August. The old record was six in 1886 and 1916, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.\nLaura was tied with five other storms for fifth most powerful U.S. hurricane, behind the 1935’s Labor Day storm, 1969’s Camille, 1992’s Andrew and 2004’s Charley, Klotzbach said.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Louisiana"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["killing at least six people","killing"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["Category 4"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Laura"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["150 mph (241 kph)","40 mph (65 kph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2020 Hurricane warnings are issued on Belize's coast in case hurricane-force winds are present. (The Weather Channel)","document":"Nana made landfall in Belize as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning and weakened as it moved inland. However, heavy rainfall brought the threat of flash flooding and mudslides inland.\n\nNana was upgraded to a tropical storm Tuesday morning, based on observations from a U.S. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter mission, finding a tight, stronger than expected low-level center of circulation.\nAccording to Colorado State University tropical scientist Phil Klotzbach, Nana became the record earliest-in-season 14th storm, four days earlier than the previous record, Nate on September 5, 2005. Nana made landfall at 1 a.m. CDT Thursday as a Category 1 hurricane on the Belize coast between Dangriga and Placencia.\nAs Nana tracked farther inland, the rugged terrain of Guatemala caused the system to weaken.\nFlash flooding and mudslides from Nana's heavy rainfall were the main threats, particularly over any mountainous terrain. This heavy rainfall threat included parts of northern Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and southeastern Mexico. September is the peak month of hurricane season, and the most active day of the year is around Sept. 10, on average. Colorado State University tropical scientist Phil Klotzbach said that roughly three-quarters of Atlantic hurricane seasons since 1966 have had at least one active named storm on Sept. 10. Also, half of all seasons have had at least one active hurricane on this date.\nThis doesn't guarantee every Sept. 10 will have a rash of Atlantic named storms. There's an overlap of favorable factors in early-mid September, including ocean water reaching its highest temperature, the atmosphere's ability to generate thunderstorms hitting its peak, hostile shearing winds declining to a minimum and a parade of disturbances known as tropical waves acting as seeds for development that, while peaking in July, are numerous in September.\nTropical storms and hurricanes can form just about anywhere in the Atlantic Ocean this time of year. The most common source of tropical storms begins to shift from tropical waves in the first half of the month toward cold fronts and other low pressure systems late in the month. With 15 tropical storms on the books already, most forecasting agencies, including IBM, are forecasting 4 to 10 more tropical storms, which may include 3-7 more hurricanes. Now is the time to make sure you have a hurricane plan in case another storm threatens this season.\nHurricane season continues until the end of November.\nThe Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Belize","Belize coast between Dangriga and Placencia"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["1 a.m. CDT Thursday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a Category 1 hurricane","Category 1 hurricane","a tropical storm","Tropical storm","tropical storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Nana","early Thursday morning"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2020 Typhoon Maysak, the strongest typhoon of the season, makes landfall along the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula, southwest of Busan, South Korea. (UPI)","document":"After already causing destruction in Japan's Ryukyu Islands, powerful Typhoon Maysak made landfall along the south coast of the Korean Peninsula on Thursday.\nPortions of western Japan also continue to feel gusty winds and heavy bands of rain spinning around the periphery of Maysak.\nThe storm roared ashore early Thursday just west-southwest of the metropolis of Busan.\nAs of Wednesday evening, local news in Jeju reported over 20,000 homes were without power on the Korean island as the center of Maysak passed just to the east. Local news also reported a wind gust of 110 mph on Jeju Island around 6 p.m. Wednesday.\nThousands were evacuated along the coast of Gyeongnam. According to Yonhap News in Seoul, 40 scheduled trains on the nation's seven rail lines have been canceled or partly suspended.\nThe Korean Meteorological Administration said that Maysak was expected to follow a similar route as Typhoon Maemi in 2003. Maemi left 131 people dead or missing, and caused $3.5 billion in damage.\nThis region has been no stranger to tropical activity this year. Just a week ago some of the same locations were dealing with Bavi, which strengthened to a typhoon on Aug. 24 just north of the Ryukyu Islands before it navigated into the Yellow Sea and made landfall in North Korea on Aug. 27.\n\"Maysak has surpassed Bavi and is now the strongest typhoon of the season with sustained winds reported up to 110 mph,\" said AccuWeather lead international forecaster Jason Nicholls.\nBavi's maximum sustained winds were 100 mph.\nAccording to the Japan Meteorological Agency, a storm of this strength is a very strong typhoon, equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic or East Pacific oceans.\nAfter Maysak became a typhoon Saturday evening, the powerful storm steered toward the island of Okinawa early this week. Maysak's wrath first brought rough seas and wind-swept rain, but it quickly evolved into destructive winds, storm surge and flooding rainfall that lasted into early Wednesday, local time.\nThe city of Nago on Okinawa reported more than 9 inches of rain on Monday and Tuesday alone. On the southern side of the island, the city of Naha reported winds of 82 mph Tuesday.\nOn Tuesday morning, local news outlets reported that more than 33,000 homes in Okinawa were without electricity due to Maysak. This ferocious storm is also referred to as Julian in the Philippines.\nThe typhoon also caused the cancellation of more than 100 flights, which according to FlightAware is more than 40% of the island's air traffic. Maysak further disrupted travel in Okinawa by suspending bus operations throughout the day Tuesday.\nAs Maysak passes western Kyushu of Japan and approaches the southern shores of South Korea, similar, or worse, impacts were expected.\nWidespread wind gusts of 40 mph to 60 mph were expected from Kyushu through the Korean Peninsula and into the Liaoning and Jilin provinces of China.\n\"A concentrated area from western Kyushu through the southern half of South Korea can expect wind gusts over 80 mph on Wednesday and Thursday,\" said Nicholls.\nAn AccuWeather Local StormMax of 140 mph for wind gusts is also possible near landfall along the southern coast of South Korea.\nThe strongest winds will be near the typhoon's center or just to east of the center at the time of landfall.\nCoastal flooding and dangerous storm surge will also be a concern for cities like Busan, which are expected to remain east of the typhoon's eye.\nTremendous amounts of rain are also anticipated across the already flood-weary countries of North Korea and South Korea, and while the storm center has still not made landfall, heavy tropical rain has already spread across much of the Korean Peninsula.\nWidespread rainfall 4 inches to 8 inches is forecast for much of the Korean Peninsula, including in Seoul.\nSouthern and central parts of South Korea are the most likely areas for the AccuWeather Local StormMax for rainfall of 12 inches.\nBeacuse of these anticipated impacts, Maysak is expected to be a 3 on the AccuWeather RealImpact Scale for Tropical Cyclones for South Korea. The RealImpact Scale is a 6-point scale with ratings of less-than-1 and 1 to 5. Maysak is forecast to be a 2 on the AccuWeather RealImpact Scale for Tropical Cyclones in southern Japan.\nThe current forecasts for Maysak could make the typhoon one for the record books.\nMaysak is not alone in the Western Pacific Ocean, as a new tropical system emerged in the basin on Monday. This new system could bring yet another tropical strike to the Korean Peninsula.\nWhat started out as depression late on Monday strengthened into Tropical Storm Haishen on Tuesday evening.\nAs of Wednesday evening Haishen was located about 300 miles south of Iwo, Japan, and was classified as a Strong Tropical Storm by the Japanese Meteorological Agency, with sustained winds of 58 mph.\nAccuWeather meteorologists are also forecasting Haishen to strengthen in the coming days as it continues on a westward to northwestward trajectory throughout the week.\n\"Just as soon as Maysak takes the title of strongest typhoon in the West Pacific so far this year, it looks like Haishen will come right on it's heels and unseat it, becoming even stronger than Maysak,\" said AccuWeather meteorologist Jake Sojda.\n\"Haishen could follow right behind Maysak and aim for southern Japan and the Korean Peninsula as early as this weekend, bringing a second dose of tropical impacts,\" Nicholls explained.\n\"This has the potential to be particularly devastating for some parts of the Ryukyu Islands and South Korea as two strong typhoons, both the equivalent of major hurricanes in the Atlantic, could strike in almost the same spot in less than a week,\" Sojda warned.\n\"Any building or infrastructure that is weakened or only sustains minor damage from Maysak could then be taken out by Haishen. There simply will not be enough time to repair and reinforce things.\"","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["more than 9 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Japan's Ryukyu Islands","Japan","Ryukyu Islands","the south coast of the Korean Peninsula","Korean Peninsula"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Thousands","131 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Thursday","early Thursday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a typhoon","Typhoon","typhoon"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Maysak"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["110 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2020 Two people in Vernon Parish, Louisiana and five in Texas die during Hurricane Laura, bringing the national death toll to 27. The two people in Louisiana died due to heat-related illness while removing debris. (KLFY) (NBC News)","document":"\t\t\tby: KLFY Staff This aerial view shows damage to a neighborhood by Hurricane Laura outside of Lake Charles, Louisiana, on August 27. – Hurricane Laura slammed into the southern US state of Louisiana Thursday and the monster category 4 storm prompted warnings of “unsurvivable” ocean surges and evacuation orders for hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast residents. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said “extremely dangerous” Laura would bring winds of 150 miles per hour (240 kilometers per hour) and “destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage” to Louisiana and Texas.\nBATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — The Louisiana Department of Health on Friday verifies two additional deaths tied to Hurricane Laura, bringing the state’s current death toll to 22.A 41-year-old man and a 47-year-old man died due to heat-related illnesses while removing debris following the storm. Both deaths were in Vernon Parish. \nA 59-year-old male in Calcasieu Parish died after being struck on the head by a falling tree limb.Below are details on the 22 deaths LDH has verified to date:\nIn an effort to ensure the most accurate reporting of deaths that are attributable to Hurricane Laura, the Louisiana Department of Health will only report a death after it has been confirmed as storm-related by the parish coroner.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the southern US state of Louisiana","Louisiana","outside of Lake Charles, Louisiana"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["August","Thursday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["category 4 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Laura"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["150 miles per hour (240 kilometers per hour)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2020 Two people in Vernon Parish, Louisiana and five in Texas die during Hurricane Laura, bringing the national death toll to 27. The two people in Louisiana died due to heat-related illness while removing debris. (KLFY) (NBC News)","document":" Follow NBC News Two men in their 40s died in Louisiana from what health officials said was heat-related illness while clearing debris from Hurricane Laura, bringing the number of deaths blamed on the storm in the state to at 22.\nThe Louisiana Department of Health said Friday that the men, 41 and 47, died in Vernon Parish, which is in the western part of the state north of Lake Charles. The area suffered major damage in the storm that made landfall near Cameron early Aug. 27.\nFive deaths blamed on the storm have also been reported in Texas, bringing the total number of deaths linked to the hurricane or its aftermath to 27.\nSix of Louisiana's 22 deaths have been classified by the health department as heat-related.\nThe storm knocked out power to more than 600,000 customers, and as of Friday, more than 183,000 remained without, according to the Louisiana Public Service Commission's website.\nOther deaths in Louisiana and Texas were blamed on carbon monoxide poisoning from generators.\nOn Thursday, a man in Louisiana who had been in the hospital for several days suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning died. He was the fifth person in a single home to die from that, Gov. John Bel Edwards said.\n\"It's important to remember that just because the storm passed, that doesn't mean that the threat has passed,\" Edwards said.\nHeat indexes in Louisiana have averaged more than 100 degrees all week, the governor said. Heat advisories covered the western and southwestern parts of the state Friday, according to the National Weather Service.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Louisiana","Texas"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Two men","22","Five deaths","27"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Laura"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2020 Typhoon Haishen approaches Japan, threatening the coasts of Okinawa and the island of Kyushu. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says the government is setting up a crisis response team and urges people to take precautions. Officials compare the typhoon to Typhoon Vera, which in 1959 killed more than 5,000 people. (ABC News)","document":"Japan is bracing for a dangerously powerful typhoon approaching its southern regions this weekend on the heels of an earlier storm that injured dozens of people in the country and on the Korean Peninsula\nTOKYO -- Japan is bracing for a dangerously powerful typhoon approaching its southern regions this weekend on the heels of an earlier storm that injured dozens of people in the country and on the Korean Peninsula.\nTyphoon Haishen, or Sea God in Chinese, could bring nearly unprecedentedly severe rain, rough waves and high tides to Okinawa and Kyushu by early Sunday, Japan Meteorological Agency officials said.\nAgency weather forecaster Yoshihisa Nakamoto, in a televised news conference, urged people in the typhoon's path to take precautions and secure extra stocks of water, food and other necessities.\nThe typhoon was moving north in the Pacific Ocean at a speed of 15 kilometers (9 miles) per hour. By Sunday it is projected to have winds of up to 198 kph (122 mph).\nOfficials said Haishen is comparable to a September 1959 typhoon that killed more than 5,000 people in central Japan.\nChief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government is setting up a crisis response team and urged people to take precautions “to protect your own lives.”\nHe said water was being released from nine dams in Nagasaki, Kagoshima and other southwestern prefectures to lower the risk of flooding. More than 22,000 military troops, coast guard personnel, police and firefighters have been placed on standby.\nHundreds of residents of a cluster of southern islands were airlifted by military helicopters to Kagoshima city on the nearby main island as a precaution.\nTyphoon Maysak hit the region earlier this week, injuring dozens of people, cutting power to thousands of homes and causing other damage. A search continued Friday for a livestock cargo ship carrying 43 crew members and 5,800 cows from New Zealand that capsized during the typhoon. Rescuers have found only two survivors.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["Japan Meteorological Agency officials"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Japan","southern regions","Okinawa and Kyushu"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["injured dozens of people","injured dozens","people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["north"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["15 kilometers (9 miles) per hour"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Haishen"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 198 kph (122 mph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2020 Winter Storm Jacob makes landfall over the Pacific Northwest, bringing high winds and up to 22 inches (56 cm) of snow to the Olympic Peninsula and forcing widespread road closures and transport cancellations. (The Weather Channel)","document":"A winter storm brought snow and ice to the West, Midwest and Northeast in mid-January 2020.\nThe Weather Channel named this system Winter Storm Jacob. Below is a recap of Jacob's impacts.\nWednesday, Jan. 15\nThe low-pressure system underwent bombogenesis while it was off the Pacific Northwest coast. This is a term for a low-pressure center that intensifies rapidly. In this case, it went from a weak low Tuesday, Jan. 14 to a 979-millibar powerhouse less than 24 hours later.\nJoyce, Washington, near the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the Olympic Peninsula, reported up 22 inches of snow.\nBlowing snow from strong winds ahead of this storm prompted a shutdown of a stretch of Interstate 84 in eastern Oregon on Jan. 15.\nThursday, Jan. 16\nSnow fell from western Montana to Idaho, Utah and California's Sierra Nevada as the jet-stream energy associated with Winter Storm Jacob dropped southward into California. The heaviest snow pounded the Sierra Nevada, where as much as 26 inches of snow fell. Two feet of snow was reported along Interstate 80. Chain controls were put in place across many roads in the Tahoe Valley, and icy roads were reported in downtown Reno. Wind gusts over 80 mph along with 1 to 2 feet of snow were reported in the central Sierra in a 24-hour period from early Jan. 16 to early Jan. 17.\nThe snow and strong winds likely contributed to a deadly avalanche at Squaw Valley - Alpine Meadows in California's Sierra Nevada.\nFriday, Jan. 17\nJacob's jet stream energy pushed across the central Rockies and into the central Plains where a low-pressure system developed and strengthened.\nOvernight freezing rain lead to widespread reports of icy roads in the Texas Panhandle, including in parts of the Amarillo metro area. Snow accumulated on roads in Omaha, Nebraska, making for a tricky morning commute. Ice accumulations of at least 0.1 inch on vehicles was reported in Wichita, Russell and Great Bend, Kansas.\nIce also accumulated on vehicles as far east as Harrison and Mountain Home, Arkansas, early in the day. After a brief period of light snow, precipitation changed quickly to freezing rain in the Kansas City metro area. A plane slid off a slick taxiway at Kansas City International Airport shortly after the precipitation arrived, prompting a closing of the airport. More than a quarter inch of ice accreted from eastern Kansas to western Missouri, including in Jefferson City, Missouri, and Lawrence, Kansas. Up to 0.5 inch ice accumulation was measured near Ridgely, Missouri. Pittsburgh picked up a quick inch of snow overnight, before precipitation changed over to freezing rain.\nSaturday, Jan. 18\nJacob's low pressure system pivoted into the Great Lakes while its snow shield expanded from the Dakotas into the Northeast. Parts of the mid-Atlantic picked up ice before warm air surged northward turning the freezing rain into plain rain in spots like Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Strong winds lofted snow and created hours of ground blizzard conditions from the Dakotas to Minnesota and Iowa. Blowing snow continued in the Great Lakes. Wind gusts above 40 mph were clocked in several locations in the eastern Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. Huron and Yankton, South Dakota, as well as Imperial, Nebraska, gusted to near 60 mph. Wind chills were as low as the 40s below zero in parts of the Dakotas.\nWhiteout conditions forced closures of over 500 miles of interstate highways in the eastern Dakotas, including Interstates 29, 90 and 94. According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, rescues of stranded motorists had been undertaken near Jamestown, North Dakota. To the east, Chicagoland picked up 2 to 5 inches of snow before precipitation changed to light freezing rain, then ended. The Detroit metro area picked up 5 to 7 inches of snow before precipitation changed to rain Saturday morning. Cleveland also picked up 2 to 5 inches of snow prior to the rain changeover, including a burst of 2 inches of snow in just one hour at the National Weather Service office in Cleveland.\nA few tenths of an inch of snow were measured at both Dulles and Reagan National Airports in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Numerous accidents were reported in Erie, Pennsylvania, from ice accumulation on roads. Light icing on vehicles was reported in parts of West Virginia. Snow arrives in New York City, Hartford and Boston during the afternoon hours, mainly bringing light snow to the major East Coast cities. ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["up 2 to 5 inches","5 inches","22 inches","26 inches","up 5 to 7 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the Pacific Northwest coast","eastern Oregon"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Jan. 15","Jan","15"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Jacob"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["40 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2020 Winter Storm Jacob makes landfall over the Pacific Northwest, bringing high winds and up to 22 inches (56 cm) of snow to the Olympic Peninsula and forcing widespread road closures and transport cancellations. (The Weather Channel)","document":"A winter storm brought snow and ice to the West, Midwest and Northeast in mid-January 2020.\nThe Weather Channel named this system Winter Storm Jacob. Below is a recap of Jacob's impacts.\nWednesday, Jan. 15\nThe low-pressure system underwent bombogenesis while it was off the Pacific Northwest coast. This is a term for a low-pressure center that intensifies rapidly. In this case, it went from a weak low Tuesday, Jan. 14 to a 979-millibar powerhouse less than 24 hours later.\nJoyce, Washington, near the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the Olympic Peninsula, reported up 22 inches of snow.\nBlowing snow from strong winds ahead of this storm prompted a shutdown of a stretch of Interstate 84 in eastern Oregon on Jan. 15.\nThursday, Jan. 16\nSnow fell from western Montana to Idaho, Utah and California's Sierra Nevada as the jet-stream energy associated with Winter Storm Jacob dropped southward into California. The heaviest snow pounded the Sierra Nevada, where as much as 26 inches of snow fell. Two feet of snow was reported along Interstate 80. Chain controls were put in place across many roads in the Tahoe Valley, and icy roads were reported in downtown Reno. Wind gusts over 80 mph along with 1 to 2 feet of snow were reported in the central Sierra in a 24-hour period from early Jan. 16 to early Jan. 17.\nThe snow and strong winds likely contributed to a deadly avalanche at Squaw Valley - Alpine Meadows in California's Sierra Nevada.\nFriday, Jan. 17\nJacob's jet stream energy pushed across the central Rockies and into the central Plains where a low-pressure system developed and strengthened.\nOvernight freezing rain lead to widespread reports of icy roads in the Texas Panhandle, including in parts of the Amarillo metro area. Snow accumulated on roads in Omaha, Nebraska, making for a tricky morning commute. Ice accumulations of at least 0.1 inch on vehicles was reported in Wichita, Russell and Great Bend, Kansas.\nIce also accumulated on vehicles as far east as Harrison and Mountain Home, Arkansas, early in the day. After a brief period of light snow, precipitation changed quickly to freezing rain in the Kansas City metro area. A plane slid off a slick taxiway at Kansas City International Airport shortly after the precipitation arrived, prompting a closing of the airport. More than a quarter inch of ice accreted from eastern Kansas to western Missouri, including in Jefferson City, Missouri, and Lawrence, Kansas. Up to 0.5 inch ice accumulation was measured near Ridgely, Missouri. Pittsburgh picked up a quick inch of snow overnight, before precipitation changed over to freezing rain.\nSaturday, Jan. 18\nJacob's low pressure system pivoted into the Great Lakes while its snow shield expanded from the Dakotas into the Northeast. Parts of the mid-Atlantic picked up ice before warm air surged northward turning the freezing rain into plain rain in spots like Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Strong winds lofted snow and created hours of ground blizzard conditions from the Dakotas to Minnesota and Iowa. Blowing snow continued in the Great Lakes. Wind gusts above 40 mph were clocked in several locations in the eastern Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. Huron and Yankton, South Dakota, as well as Imperial, Nebraska, gusted to near 60 mph. Wind chills were as low as the 40s below zero in parts of the Dakotas.\nWhiteout conditions forced closures of over 500 miles of interstate highways in the eastern Dakotas, including Interstates 29, 90 and 94. According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, rescues of stranded motorists had been undertaken near Jamestown, North Dakota. To the east, Chicagoland picked up 2 to 5 inches of snow before precipitation changed to light freezing rain, then ended. The Detroit metro area picked up 5 to 7 inches of snow before precipitation changed to rain Saturday morning. Cleveland also picked up 2 to 5 inches of snow prior to the rain changeover, including a burst of 2 inches of snow in just one hour at the National Weather Service office in Cleveland.\nA few tenths of an inch of snow were measured at both Dulles and Reagan National Airports in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Numerous accidents were reported in Erie, Pennsylvania, from ice accumulation on roads. Light icing on vehicles was reported in parts of West Virginia. Snow arrives in New York City, Hartford and Boston during the afternoon hours, mainly bringing light snow to the major East Coast cities. The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["1 to 2 feet of snow","snow","Snow","2 inches","up 22 inches","26 inches","up 2 to 5 inches","up 5 to 7 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the Sierra Nevada","Sierra Nevada","West, Midwest and Northeast","Northeast"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["mid-January 2020","mid"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Jacob"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["over 80 mph","above 40 mph","near 60 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2020 A historic blizzard strikes Atlantic Canada, with St. John's in Newfoundland worst affected – over 30 inches (76 cm) of snow fell during the day, breaking the city's all-time daily snowfall record. 21,000 homes are without power and one person is missing. (The Weather Channel)","document":"Parts of Newfoundland were buried in feet of snow from a crippling blizzard Friday and Saturday, smashing an all-time calendar-day snowfall record in a storm-prone part of Atlantic Canada. St. John's Airport measured 76.2 centimeters - 30 inches - of snowfall Friday, their record snowiest single day dating to 1942, topping the previous record of 68.4 centimeters on April 5, 1999, according to Environment Canada. The epic snow and wind gusts up to 97 mph whipped snow into massive drifts, burying vehicles, blocking roads, garages and doors of homes and filling backyards. A 26-year-old man was reported missing in the blizzard conditions after he failed to return from a walk near his home in Conception Bay Friday afternoon.\nA state of emergency was declared Friday in St. John's, which banned all but emergency travel and ordered businesses to close in the capital and largest city of Newfoundland and Labrador. Some 21,000 people were without power overnight, according to the Associated Press.\nDuring the height of the storm, snowplow escorts were required for fire crews to reach emergency calls.\n\"We're getting roofs blowing off houses, people trapped in their cars - an assortment of everything, I'll say,\" Dean Foley, platoon chief of the St. John's Regional Fire Department told the CBC. Roads were so clogged with snow at least one resident was transported by snowmobile to the hospital. Some drifts were reported as high as 15 feet on Pitts Memorial Drive Saturday morning, according to the province's Department of Transportation and Works. A small avalanche in The Battery, a neighborhood on the rocky slopes of Signal Hill northeast of downtown St. John's, punched through the kitchen and living room of one home, prompting the brief evacuation of a few dozen homes Friday evening, the CBC reported. St. John's International Airport was shut down, with flight operations expected to be suspended until at least Sunday morning while crews worked to remove snow. Photos Saturday morning showed giant drifts in the airport's parking lots. NTV chief meteorologist and southeast Newfoundland resident Eddie Sheerr tweeted, \"This is the worst winter storm I have ever seen. Period.\"\nThe system responsible for this historic Newfoundland blizzard moved off the coast of New England Thursday after dumping modest snow in upstate New York and northern New England.\nThe system then underwent a process known as bombogenesis where winds rapidly spreading apart at jet-stream level lead to a rapid intensification of the surface low. According to analyses from NOAA's Ocean Prediction Center, the central pressure of the storm bottomed out at 954 millibars before sunrise Saturday morning, a 54 millibar pressure plunge in 42 hours from when it was a relatively pedestrian low over southern Vermont Thursday morning. Atlantic Canada is no stranger to intense storms, which often plaster New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, then Newfoundland and Labrador after impacting the eastern U.S. The extremity of the snowfall in such a short period of time, coupled with the ferocity of winds, made this is a storm residents in southeast Newfoundland won't soon forget. The one-day snow total in St. John's was just shy of their average snowfall for an entire January - 88.7 centimeters.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["30 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Parts of Newfoundland","Newfoundland"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["A 26-year-old man","Some 21,000 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Friday and Saturday","Friday","Saturday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 97 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2020 Winter Storm Jacob makes landfall over the Pacific Northwest, bringing high winds and up to 22 inches (56 cm) of snow to the Olympic Peninsula and forcing widespread road closures and transport cancellations. (The Weather Channel)","document":"\nA winter storm brought snow and ice to the West, Midwest and Northeast in mid-January 2020.\nThe Weather Channel named this system Winter Storm Jacob. Below is a recap of Jacob's impacts.\nWednesday, Jan. 15\nThe low-pressure system underwent bombogenesis while it was off the Pacific Northwest coast. This is a term for a low-pressure center that intensifies rapidly. In this case, it went from a weak low Tuesday, Jan. 14 to a 979-millibar powerhouse less than 24 hours later.\nJoyce, Washington, near the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the Olympic Peninsula, reported up 22 inches of snow.\nBlowing snow from strong winds ahead of this storm prompted a shutdown of a stretch of Interstate 84 in eastern Oregon on Jan. 15.\nThursday, Jan. 16\nSnow fell from western Montana to Idaho, Utah and California's Sierra Nevada as the jet-stream energy associated with Winter Storm Jacob dropped southward into California. The heaviest snow pounded the Sierra Nevada, where as much as 26 inches of snow fell. Two feet of snow was reported along Interstate 80. Chain controls were put in place across many roads in the Tahoe Valley, and icy roads were reported in downtown Reno. Wind gusts over 80 mph along with 1 to 2 feet of snow were reported in the central Sierra in a 24-hour period from early Jan. 16 to early Jan. 17.\nThe snow and strong winds likely contributed to a deadly avalanche at Squaw Valley - Alpine Meadows in California's Sierra Nevada.\nFriday, Jan. 17\nJacob's jet stream energy pushed across the central Rockies and into the central Plains where a low-pressure system developed and strengthened.\nOvernight freezing rain lead to widespread reports of icy roads in the Texas Panhandle, including in parts of the Amarillo metro area. Snow accumulated on roads in Omaha, Nebraska, making for a tricky morning commute. Ice accumulations of at least 0.1 inch on vehicles was reported in Wichita, Russell and Great Bend, Kansas.\nIce also accumulated on vehicles as far east as Harrison and Mountain Home, Arkansas, early in the day. After a brief period of light snow, precipitation changed quickly to freezing rain in the Kansas City metro area. A plane slid off a slick taxiway at Kansas City International Airport shortly after the precipitation arrived, prompting a closing of the airport. More than a quarter inch of ice accreted from eastern Kansas to western Missouri, including in Jefferson City, Missouri, and Lawrence, Kansas. Up to 0.5 inch ice accumulation was measured near Ridgely, Missouri. Pittsburgh picked up a quick inch of snow overnight, before precipitation changed over to freezing rain.\nSaturday, Jan. 18\nJacob's low pressure system pivoted into the Great Lakes while its snow shield expanded from the Dakotas into the Northeast. Parts of the mid-Atlantic picked up ice before warm air surged northward turning the freezing rain into plain rain in spots like Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Strong winds lofted snow and created hours of ground blizzard conditions from the Dakotas to Minnesota and Iowa. Blowing snow continued in the Great Lakes. Wind gusts above 40 mph were clocked in several locations in the eastern Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. Huron and Yankton, South Dakota, as well as Imperial, Nebraska, gusted to near 60 mph. Wind chills were as low as the 40s below zero in parts of the Dakotas.\nWhiteout conditions forced closures of over 500 miles of interstate highways in the eastern Dakotas, including Interstates 29, 90 and 94. According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, rescues of stranded motorists had been undertaken near Jamestown, North Dakota. To the east, Chicagoland picked up 2 to 5 inches of snow before precipitation changed to light freezing rain, then ended. The Detroit metro area picked up 5 to 7 inches of snow before precipitation changed to rain Saturday morning. Cleveland also picked up 2 to 5 inches of snow prior to the rain changeover, including a burst of 2 inches of snow in just one hour at the National Weather Service office in Cleveland.\nA few tenths of an inch of snow were measured at both Dulles and Reagan National Airports in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Numerous accidents were reported in Erie, Pennsylvania, from ice accumulation on roads. Light icing on vehicles was reported in parts of West Virginia. Snow arrives in New York City, Hartford and Boston during the afternoon hours, mainly bringing light snow to the major East Coast cities. The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["2 inches","up 22 inches","up 2 to 5 inches","5 inches","26 inches","1 to 2 feet","up 5 to 7 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["southward into California","California","the West, Midwest and Northeast","Northeast"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["mid-January 2020"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Jacob"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["near 60 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2020 Several people have died from hypothermia after heavy snowfall and high winds combined to bring historic blizzards over higher ground of mainland Spain. Local meteorologists have described Gloria as the worst storm to impact the region in 38 years. (BBC News)","document":"A storm surge on the east coast of Spain has swept 3km (two miles) inland, devastating rice paddies in the Ebro river delta south of Barcelona.\nStorm Gloria began wreaking havoc on Monday and five people have died. The storm has wrecked beach facilities, blocked roads and caused power cuts. Seawater has caused major damage to beaches around Barcelona, Valencia and on the Balearic Islands. The Ebro, lying between Barcelona and Valencia, is Spain's longest river. The mayor of the delta region, Lluís Soler, said \"we've never had anything like this before\". Seawater has flooded about 30sq km (12sq miles) of rice plants. The beach resorts of Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar, just north of Barcelona, are also witnessing extraordinary scenes. A carpet of foam engulfed streets in Tossa de Mar.\nThe Barcelona port authorities say it is too dangerous for boats to venture out to sea. The waves there have reached as high as 7m (23ft), crashing over a dyke protecting boats moored in the Port Olímpic marina. One anchored boat there has sunk.\nResidents have been told to avoid the beachfront areas in Catalonia.\nMeanwhile, there has been heavy snow in Ávila, northwest of Madrid, and Alicante, just south of Valencia. The snow forced the closure of Alicante airport on Monday.\nA 63-year-old man in Ávila province was killed by flying roof tiles in the storm. The freezing cold was also blamed for the death of a 54-year-old homeless woman near Valencia. The storm is now moving across the Pyrenees, bringing heavy snow to the mountains.\nStorm Gloria has arrived in Pyrénées-Orientales, France's southernmost Mediterranean department, which has been placed on high alert.\nDozens of extra police and firefighters have been deployed in the region.\nThe A9 motorway on the French side of the border was closed as a precautionary measure.\nGloria was the worst storm to have hit the region in the winter period since January 1982, Météo France forecaster Olivier Proust told Franceinfo.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Ávila, northwest of Madrid, and Alicante, just south of Valencia","south","Valencia","Alicante","Ávila","east coast of Spain","Spain"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["five people","A 63-year-old man"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Gloria"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2020 Heavy rainfall causes severe flooding in southern states, particularly western South Carolina and western Virginia, where several flash flood emergencies have been declared. (Weather.com)","document":"Winter Storm Kade swept from the Pacific Northwest through the southern Plains and into the Northeast with bands of heavy snow and heavy, flooding rainfall. The storm packed a quick punch as it entered the Northeast. Several tornadoes touched down in the mid-Atlantic, then gusts as high as 90 mph battered southern New England as a stripe of heavy snow was laid down in northern New England. Winter Storm Kade dumped heavy snow in the West, then took aim on parts of the Southern Plains.\nThe snow began on Feb. 2 in the Northwest as a band of snow dropped through the region. The snow pushed southeastward along the western side of the Rockies and the Great Basin through Feb. 4. A low pressure system developed in the southern Rockies and southern Plains, which intensified snow from New Mexico to Iowa on Feb. 4. Up to 5 inches of snow has been reported in the Oklahoma City metro area, causing several dozen accidents during the city's first significant snowfall of the season. Wednesday was the heaviest calendar-day snow in Oklahoma City in almost nine years, according to the National Weather Service. In Texas, 14 inches of snow fell in Jayton, Texas, some 80 miles southeast of Lubbock. Thundersnow was observed in Big Spring, Texas, early Wednesday morning.\nMidland, Texas, had their heaviest snowstorm in over eight years, picking up 7.9 inches of snow. Snow dusted grass and vehicle tops late Wednesday night in Austin, Texas. Snow and sleet mixed for a time in San Antonio. Sleet mixed with rain in Houston, and a combination of sleet and graupel was reported as far south as Victoria and the north side of Corpus Christi Bay. Just an inch or two of snow in central Missouri caused roads and bridges to become slick. Several crashes occurred on snow-covered Interstate 70 west of Columbia, Missouri, Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 5. Meanwhile heavy rain flooded much of the South, especially from eastern Tennessee and northern Georgia into the Carolinas, from Feb. 5-6. Rivers surged out of their banks and caused several flash flood emergencies in western South Carolina and in western Virginia. Several tornadoes touched down in Mississippi, Alabama and North Carolina each, and severe wind and hail was reported from Louisiana to Florida and up into the Carolinas.\nWinter Storm Kade quickly intensified on the morning of Feb. 7, bringing a surge of cold air over the Great Lakes and warm air into the mid-Atlantic. A squall line was produced through the morning hours from northern Virginia to southern New York, producing more than 200 reports of damaging winds and even a few rare February tornadoes. \nHeavy snow came in two waves across the Northeast, one quick burst for many on Feb. 5-6, then another burst of snow on Feb. 7 as Kade intensified near the Northeast coast. In some spots, this led to more than a foot of snow, especially from northern New York to northern New England. One location in Vermont got close to two feet of snow. Ice accumulations up to about one-third of an inch have been reported in parts of Upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Two trees were downed from a combination of ice accumulation and wind in Stillwater, New York. Here are select snowfall reports from this storm:\nCalifornia: 2 inches near Homewood (Sierra Nevada)\nColorado: 21.3 inches in Eldorado Springs; 13.1 inches at the National Weather Service in Boulder; 2.8 inches at Denver International Airport\nIdaho: 16 inches at Pebble Creek Ski Area; 8 inches near Pocatello\nIllinois: 5.6 inches at Homewood; 2.4 inches at Chicago O'Hare\nIndiana: 4.9 inches near Goshen; 2 inches near Ft. Wayne\nKansas: 2.5 inches in Caney and Parsons\nKentucky: 4.5 inches near RIbolt; 1 to 2 inches in Louisville\nMaine: 17.8 inches in Madawaska; 16.2 inches in Caribou; 4.8 inches near Portland\nMichigan: 6 inches in Hastings; 2.4 inches in Detroit\nMissouri: 6 inches near Morrison; 5 inches in Jefferson City\nMontana: 18 inches in Pony; 8 inches near Bozeman\nNebraska: 8 inches south of Gering\nNew Mexico: 18 inches in Angel Fire; 6 inches in Taos; 2 inches in Santa Fe\nNevada: 13 inches near McGill; 2.4 inches in Ely\nNew Hampshire: 12 inches in Pittsburg; 3.2 inches in Concord\nNew York: 19.8 inches in Duane Center; 13 inches in East Ithaca\nOhio: 6.3 inches near Monroe Center; about 0.2 inch ice in Dayton\nOklahoma: 7.5 inches in Frederick; 5 inches in Chickasha and Lawton; 2.4 inches in Tulsa\nPennsylvania: 9 inches near Litchfield; 4.8 inches near Pittsburgh Int'l Airport\nSouth Dakota: 7 inches near Deerfield; 3.6 inches near Rapid City\nTexas: 14 inches in Jayton; 3.3 inches in Wichita Falls\nUtah: 21.5 inches near Sandy; 9 inches at Salt Lake City International Airport (up to 19 inches in the metro area)\nVermont: 23.5 inches in Warren; 13.2 inches in Milton\nWest Virginia: 4.2 inches in Williamstown; 1 inch in Charleston\nWyoming: 22.5 inches near Story; 15.7 inches in Casper\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["2.5 inches","5 inches","4.5 inches","7.5 inches","21.5 inches","23.5 inches","22.5 inches","2.4 inches","4 inches","1 to 2 inches","2 inches","16.2 inches","12 inches","3.2 inches","13.2 inches","4.2 inches","2.8 inches","8 inches","17.8 inches","4.8 inches","19.8 inches","5.6 inches","6 inches","16 inches","3.6 inches","Up to 5 inches","18 inches","13 inches","21.3 inches","up 7.9 inches","9 inches","4.9 inches","up to 19 inches","15.7 inches","7 inches","14 inches","13.1 inches","1 inch","6.3 inches","about 0.2 inch","3.3 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the Northwest","Northwest","the Northeast","Northeast","the Pacific Northwest through the southern Plains and into the Northeast","Southern Plains","southern Plains","northern New England","southern New England"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Kade"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["as 90 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2020 Three tornadoes, two at least EF 3 in strength, rip through downtown Nashville and surrounding towns, killing 25 people. (WKRN) (USA Today)","document":"NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tornadoes killed at least 24 people, including several children, and shredded at least 140 buildings as violent storms roared through the state early Tuesday, part of a sprawling system that threatened more severe weather this week all the way from Texas to North Carolina.\nTuesday was the USA's deadliest day for tornadoes since March 2, 2012, when 40 people died in twisters that hit portions of the Midwest and South. Twenty-three people died in Alabama exactly one year ago, on March 3, 2019, according to the Storm Prediction Center.\nA powerful and deadly storm moving through the middle of Tennessee spawned a tornado that touched down in Nashville early Tuesday morning, cutting a swath of destruction that stretched through the city for miles.\nGov. Bill Lee said \"a number of people\" were missing and many were injured. The governor, who declared a state of emergency, said 30 rescue workers suffered injuries. The number of dead has been difficult for officials to keep up with, and on Tuesday night, they revised the death toll from 25 to 24 after authorities said they miscounted one fatality that was later determined to be not storm-related.\n\"It is heartbreaking,\" Lee said at a news conference. “We have had loss of life all across the state. Four different counties, as of this morning, had confirmed fatalities.”\n\n\nLee said he was in touch with the White House \"to ask for assistance.\" A number of missing people remained unaccounted for by early evening.\nSchools, courts, transit lines and an airport were closed.\nPresident Donald Trump tweeted his support Tuesday morning: \"Prayers for all of those affected by the devastating tornadoes in Tennessee. We will continue to monitor the developments. The Federal Government is with you all of the way during this difficult time.\"\nThe president said he will travel to Tennessee on Friday to tour the damage. \nIsolated tornadoes, damaging winds and flash flooding are possible across the southern USA through Thursday, Accuweather said.\nThe disaster affected voting in Tennessee, one of 14 Super Tuesday states. Some polling sites in Nashville were moved, and sites across Davidson and Wilson counties opened an hour late but closed at the scheduled time, Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. \nThe Nashville tornado \"appeared to be quite large, although storm surveys will be conducted on Tuesday to determine the official intensity of the storm,\" AccuWeather said. \nA preliminary survey indicated the tornado just east of Nashville was an EF-3 on the Fujita Scale, meaning it had winds of about 160 mph.\nThe tornado was the third to tear through downtown Nashville. Twisters ripped through the city in 1933 and 1998, the National Weather Service said.\nIn Putnam County, the number of deaths rose to 16. Three deaths were confirmed in Wilson County, two in Davidson County (where Nashville is) and one in Benton County.\nSeveral children were reported among the dead in Putnam County, which includes the town of Cookeville. “This is an absolutely tragic and devastating day for our city and county,” Cookeville Mayor Ricky Shelton said. \n\nThe extent of the storm's physical damage was jarring.\nAt least 48 structures collapsed around Nashville, according to the Fire Department. Windows were blown out, and power lines were torn down in an area that stretched from the Germantown neighborhood, north of downtown, into the Five Points area of east Nashville and more than 20 miles to the east in Mount Juliet.\nDrinking a Smirnoff Ice around 8 a.m. Tuesday, Nashville resident Domonique Hodge said he heard the roof come off his duplex that morning.\n“That’s the roof right there,\" Hodge said, pointing to a massive pile of shingles and roofing material in the front yard.\nHe got in the closet, caught off guard by what was going on outside.\nA tornado warning was in effect when the storm hit, according to Weather Channel meteorologist Greg Diamond, who tweeted that \"the heart of Nashville had approximately a 5-10 minute lead time from when warning was issued to when tornado hit.\"\nOfficials scrambled to open emergency shelters around the metro area as sirens wailed and the smell of natural gas lingered. \nNashville Electric tweeted that four of its substations were damaged in the tornado. Power outages affected more than 47,000 customers Tuesday morning, the utility company said.\nIn east Nashville, Main Street was closed after the storm and covered in half-fallen trees and other debris. \nResidents of Stacks On Main, near Nissan Stadium, reported their windows burst during the heavy winds, sending glass shards throughout their apartment, as well as minor flooding. \nApartment complexes off Main Street had siding, slabs of concrete and other material ripped away. \nThe storm also caused damage in Wilson County. \nEmergency personnel assessed the damage, said Tyler Chandler, spokesman for the Mount Juliet Police Department. \nGas lines leaked and power lines were down, Chandler said.\n\"We have people missing, there are several homes flattened, so right now we are trying to establish a command post,\" Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris said.\nThe sheriff said all of his deputies were going house to house to check on residents as county and state crews worked to clear roads of debris and fallen power lines.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Putnam County","portions of the Midwest and South"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least 24 people","40 people","30 rescue workers","16"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Tuesday","early Tuesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2020 The National Weather Service confirms 13 tornadoes occurred. (USA Today)","document":"Recovery efforts continue Wednesday in Tennessee after a powerful and fast-moving storm cut across Middle Tennessee in the early hours of Tuesday morning, dropping tornadoes that roared up to 165 mph. At least two dozen are confirmed dead, including five children under the age of 13.\nOn Wednesday night, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said 24 storm-related deaths were confirmed. Earlier in the day, police in Wilson County confirmed an adult male was found dead in an area reeling from storm damage, which would increase the death toll to 25.\nThe overnight disaster injured scores of people and damaged or destroyed homes, businesses, schools and churches across four counties. Tens of thousands of people and businesses remained without power Wednesday.\nAmong the dead are at least five children in Putnam County, which suffered the greatest human toll. At least 18 people died in the county and 88 were injured – two of whom were flown out – in a 2-mile stretch west of Cookeville. Another 3 are still missing. \n\"We're thankful for the sun shining today and we're anxious to move this along and for our community to bounce back,\" said Cookeville Mayor Ricky Shelton in a Wednesday press conference.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Tennessee","across Middle Tennessee","Putnam County"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["88 were injured","injured","At least two dozen","25","Tens of thousands of people","at least five children","At least 18 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["early hours of Tuesday morning"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 165 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2020 The tornado in Putnam County, Tennessee, is upgraded to an EF4, becoming the strongest tornado of the outbreak. (NBC News)","document":" Follow NBC News The deadly tornado that hit a Tennessee county early Tuesday was an EF-4 storm with 175 mph winds, the National Weather Service said Wednesday, and officials lowered the number of missing from 20 to three.\nTwo tornadoes hit the region: One took aim at parts of Nashville and Wilson and Smith counties, and the second EF-4 was in Putnam county, the weather service said Thursday.\nEighteen of the 24 deaths from the tornado outbreak happened in Putnam County, which is about 60 miles east of Nashville, officials said.\nThree people remain unaccounted for, Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter said Wednesday evening.\n\"The good news is, our death count has not risen, we still remain at 18,\" Porter said at a news conference late Wednesday afternoon.\nA second search of damaged areas was expected to be completed by noon Thursday.\nDuring the search Wednesday, skeletal remains were found but they are not believed to be related to the severe weather, Porter said. The remains appear to have been there for around a year.\nAll of the 18 dead in Putnam County have been identified, Porter said.\nAround 150 to 200 structures in Putnam County suffered damage in Tuesday’s tornado, officials said.\nSix other tornado deaths were reported: three in Wilson County, two in Davidson County where Nashville is located, and one in Benton County, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.\nThe tornado that hit Davidson, Wilson and Smith counties was an EF-3 with 165 mph winds and had had a path of around 53 miles.\n\nIt began in western Davidson County and intensified into an EF-2 as it went across North Nashville and the Germantown area as it moved east, and then strengthened to an EF-3 as it went into East Nashville, the weather service said.\nIt weakened and then intensified again before dissipating near Gordonsville in Smith County.\nThe tornado was the first violent twister to hit the Nashville area since April 10, 2009, the weather service’s Nashville office tweeted.\nThe \"Good Friday Tornado Outbreak,\" on April 10, 2009, involved 10 tornadoes that swept across parts of Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, according to the weather service.\nThe most violent of those storms was also an EF-4 tornado that hit in and near Murfreesboro, a city southeast of Nashville, which killed two people and injured 58. The deaths were a mother and her infant daughter.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["near Murfreesboro, a city southeast of Nashville","Nashville","Putnam county","Putnam County","parts of Nashville and Wilson and Smith counties","Wilson","Smith counties","parts","Tennessee county"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Eighteen of the 24 deaths","All of the 18 dead","two people","injured 58"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["early Tuesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["EF-4 was","EF-4","an EF-4 storm","EF-3","an EF-3"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["175 mph winds","165 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2020 The EF3 tornado that went through Davidson, Wilson, and Smith counties was confirmed on the ground for 53.4 miles (85.9 km), becoming the second longest path a tornado has taken in Tennessee. (Washington Post)","document":"Two days after violent tornadoes laid siege to a large swath of Middle Tennessee, National Weather Service storm surveys are offering new details on their path and intensity. The staggering twisters achieved rare feats of strength and longevity during their devastating overnight assault Tuesday.\nThe death toll from the tornadoes stands at 24, with no new fatalities reported since Wednesday. CNN reports that at least five children were killed, and the victims ranged in age from 2 to 67.\nGov. Bill Lee announced early Thursday that the missing had been accounted for.\nEighteen people were killed when an EF-4 tornado struck Cookeville in Putnam County, 80 miles east of Nashville. It was the first “violent” tornado (rated EF-4 or higher on the enhanced Fujita scale) in the National Weather Service Nashville’s forecast area since April 10, 2009.\nIt was also the strongest-rated tornado nationwide in nearly three years.\nThe tornadoes all occurred within the same family, originating in a lone supercell thunderstorm that tracked more than 275 miles across the state. Reports of tornadoes and damage emerged at 11:07 p.m. to the west in Benton County on Monday, when the storm was at least 90 minutes away from Nashville. That storm produced an EF-2 tornado that killed one person in Camden.\nThe same storm, which was unusually compact but fierce, approached the state capital shortly after 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, where it spawned a larger tornado.\nThe tornado that hit Nashville was rated a strong EF-3 with maximum winds estimated at 165 mph. It’s worth noting that is 1 mph shy of the threshold for EF-4, highlighting the storm’s formidable strength.\nBased on preliminary estimates, the twister’s 53.4-mile path would rank among the top six among tornadoes observed in Tennessee. According to records from the Tornado History Project, only one tornado has covered more ground in Tennessee — which occurred April 16, 1998, and was nearly 70 miles long.\nThe Nashville tornado touched down sometime between 12:30 and 12:33 a.m. west of the city and quickly began carving a path of damage as it plowed east. John C. Tune Airport suffered incredible damage, estimated at more than $90 million, not including aircraft.\nOver the next hour, the tornado ravaged sections of Davidson, Wilson and Smith counties. Weaving its way through the heart of Nashville, the tornado “rapidly intensified” to EF-3 strength as it ripped up eastern sections of the city. Two fatalities occurred in the Five Points neighborhood.\nThe tornado caused EF-1 and EF-2 damage before intensifying again to EF-3 force as it leveled structures near the Stanford Estates subdivision in Donelson. The National Weather Service found that the tornado caused primarily EF-2 damage over much of the community of Hermitage and the remainder of Davidson County.\nRemarkably, EF-3 damage again was found near Mt. Juliet, where three deaths occurred.\nThe tornado largely paralleled Interstate 40 to the north, crossing it occasionally south and southwest of Lebanon before disappearing west of Gordonsville.\nBased on radar data, the tornado looks to have lifted between 1:30 and 1:35 a.m., meaning the funnel was in contact with the ground for about an hour. In addition, its forward speed approached 50 mph as it raced east.\nA more calamitous tornado emerged from the same supercell thunderstorm as it drifted into Putnam County. After a brief pause in the fury, the rotating thunderstorm produced another tornado that resulted in devastating damage in Cookeville.\nThe tornado appears to have touched down around 1:52 or 1:53 a.m., rapidly intensifying as it roughly moved down Route 70N into Cookeville. It engulfed the city at 1:57 a.m.\nMeanwhile, a second tornado may have developed to the southwest, causing additional damage southeast of Baxter several miles south of Interstate 40. Doppler radar revealed an additional plume of debris lofted by an apparent vortex. There has been no word on this likelihood as of yet from the National Weather Service.\nThe Weather Service rated the main Cookeville tornado as an EF-4 with 175 mph winds. That appears to be the strongest tornado nationwide since the Canton, Tex., twin EF-4 tornadoes of April 29, 2017. Those tornadoes killed five people and featured winds up to 180 mph.\nMeteorologists will continue to survey the damage from Tuesday’s storms and release more information in the coming days. In the meantime, recovery and cleanup efforts may be hampered by isolated showers late Thursday before temperatures plummet into the upper 20s on Friday night.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Nashville","Cookeville in Putnam County","Putnam County","Cookeville","Middle Tennessee"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["24","at least five children","Eighteen people","one person"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["an EF-2 tornado","EF","a strong EF-3","an EF-4 tornado","EF-4","EF-3","EF-2","EF-4 tornado"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["165 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2020 Cyclone Harold hits Fiji. (UPI)","document":"April 8 -- Despite being spared a direct hit from Tropical Cyclone Harold, the island of Fiji has suffered extensive damage from high winds, rain and a battering storm surge, officials said.\nThe monster storm lashed the Vanuatu Islands on Tuesday as it charged eastward, battering the small islands, which are situated about 1,500 miles east of Australia's northeast coast, with fierce winds and heavy rains as it made landfall.\nHarold, which AccuWeather meteorologists have been monitoring for over a week, formed a week ago in the Coral Sea before heading east toward the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The Solomon Islands were the first to be blasted by the strengthening cyclone over the weekend.\nThe Solomon Island Herald reported Monday that at least six people were killed, and their bodies recovered, after a ferry with 27 people on board encountered dangerous seas stirred by the cyclone.\nThe Royal Solomon Island Police Force was urging that all small craft remain out of the water as the dangerous seas persisted on Monday.\nOn Monday, Harold reached its peak intensity with wind speeds of 165 mph as it crossed the northern islands of Vanuatu. Winds of this speed made Harold a Category 5 cyclone on the Fiji scale and equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic and East Pacific oceans.\nHarold was downgraded to a Category 4 cyclone on Tuesday, but remained a dangerous storm.\n\"Communications to Santo and Malekula [Vanuatu's two largest islands] are cut now, so we don't know what's happening,\" said Eric Durpaire, the chief of Vanuatu's field office for UNICEF Pacific, over the phone from the country's capital of Port Vila. He added that the roof of the municipality building on Santo collapsed, and there was also flooding damage.\nNo deaths have been reported so far from Harold in Vanuatu. However, with communication down in some of the hardest hit areas, it may be days before the public is made aware of the extent of the damage.\nFarther away from the eye of the cyclone, outer rain bands pounded the southern islands of Vanuatu. Rainfall on the island of Aneityum reached 6.5 inches on Monday night.\nThe International Federation of the Red Cross shared \"devastating images\" from parts of Vanuatu that were walloped by Harold.\nThe Guardian reported that Vanuatu is one of the few countries in the world that still had no confirmed cases of COVID-19 early this week. The country, however, is closed to international travelers and has also enacted curfews and banned gatherings of more than five people. In order for residents to evacuate and receive help following Harold, some of these restrictions have been temporarily lifted.\nOn Tuesday, Vanuatu revoked their domestic travel ban, and Air Vanuatu announced that domestic passenger flights would resume on Friday.\nAfter battering Vanuatu, Harold passed just south of Fiji at midweek. Ahead of the cyclone, Fiji Airways moved several aircraft overseas to avoid damage, according to the Fijian Broadcasting Corporation.\nFiji's National Disaster Management Office announced evacuation orders on Tuesday afternoon, asking those in low-lying areas to move to higher ground ahead of Harold.\nPopular tourist destinations on the island have suffered heavy damage from the cyclone's storm surge and high winds and power outages and road closures have also been reported.\nThe Fiji National Disaster Management Office is urging residents to stay indoors for their own safety. The Fiji Times reported that around nine homes were damaged by a possible tornado within the cyclone's rain bands.\nThe National Disaster Management Office in Fiji activated more than 250 evacuation centers in preparation of the cyclone, Radio New Zealand reported.\nConditions will rapidly improve across Fiji into late week as Harold tracks to the southeast toward Tonga, where the government declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm's arrival.\nThese islands in the South Pacific are no stranger to influences from tropical cyclones, with a cyclone season that runs from November to April each year. The 2015-2016 season was the deadliest on record, with 50 deaths attributed to cyclones that impacted islands of the region, including Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.\nTropical Cyclone Pam was the last Severe Tropical Cyclone to hit Vanuatu, in 2015, according to Steven Bowen, a meteorologist who works for risk management firm Aon. The storm caused more than $380 million in damage.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":["the Coral Sea"]},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["AccuWeather meteorologists"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["6.5 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["The Solomon Islands","Solomon Islands","the island of Fiji","Island","Fiji","island","Vanuatu Islands"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least six people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["eastward"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a Category 4 cyclone","4","Category 4 hurricane","a Category 5 cyclone"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Harold"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["165 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2020 A tornado outbreak occurs in the Southeastern United States. Mississippi declares a tornado emergency. (Weather)","document":"\nAn Easter tornado outbreak spawned a swarm of tornadoes and widespread damaging thunderstorm winds from Texas to the Carolinas and Maryland on April 12-13, 2020.\nNational Weather Service damage surveys confirmed at least 140 tornadoes touched down from early morning on Easter Sunday, April 12, through early afternoon on April 13, one of the nation's most prolific April two-day outbreaks in the modern era, according to Steve Bowen, meteorologist and head of catastrophe insight at Aon. It was the fifth highest Alabama tornado count from a single outbreak - at least 27 tornadoes confirmed - dating to 1950, according to the National Weather Service. The outbreak also produced over 600 reports of damaging thunderstorm winds in just 24 hours from Easter Sunday morning through the following Monday morning, more than any other 24-hour period since the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic derecho of June 2012, according to The Weather Channel senior meteorologist, Stu Ostro. The storms claimed at least 37 lives. \nThe National Weather Service issued 141 separate tornado warnings from 7 a.m. CDT Sunday, April 12, to 7 a.m. CDT Monday, April 13, according to Greg Diamond, a weather producer at The Weather Channel. This was the most within the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 24-hour period since the March 2-3, 2012 tornado outbreak, according to Daryl Herzmann of the Iowa Environmental Mesonet.\nA pair of EF4 tornadoes carved through parts of southern Mississippi on Easter Sunday. The first of these touched down in Walthall County, Mississippi, leveling two homes near the Lawrence County line, leaving only the slab foundation remaining of one of the homes, according to the NWS damage survey. The NWS found nearly every tree in its path in this part of northeast Walthall County was either snapped or uprooted. A second EF4 tornado grew to over 2-miles in width, the largest documented tornado on record in Mississippi as it tore a 68-mile long path from Jefferson Davis County to Clarke County, devastating areas near the towns of Bassfield, Soso and Moss.\nThe scar from this tornado could be seen from satellite images taken on April 14. Soso, Mississippi, was simultaneously under a National Weather Service tornado emergency for both tornadoes. The first tornado was striking the town when the National Weather Service issued the second tornado emergency for the tornado following behind it. Between the two, tornado emergencies spanned 75 miles across southern Mississippi at 5:30 p.m. CDT Sunday, April 12. Just 24 minutes after this second EF4 tornado first touched down, the longest-track tornado of the outbreak, rated EF3, began an 84-mile long siege in about 90 minutes from Lawrence to Jasper Counties, Mississippi. This tornado was also just over a mile-wide at one time. An EF3 tornado tore through parts of Monroe, Louisiana, just before noon on Easter Sunday, missing the city's downtown by about a mile, but damaging the roof of the Masur Museum of Art. A pair of tornadoes, rated EF1 and EF2, touched down just north of the city near Sterlington. Ouachita Parish authorities estimated 23 homes were destroyed and another 108 suffered major damage. In east Tennessee, an EF3 tornado tore a 15-mile long path through parts of the Chattanooga metro area, including East Ridge and Ooltewah, leveling an auto parts store. In Georgia, one severe thunderstorm spawned a pair of EF3 tornadoes which carved through Upson, Lamar and Monroe Counties, just northwest of Macon. The Southern Crescent Technical College and Raintree Golf and Country Club near Thomaston each took a direct hit, and one unoccupied home was shifted onto a road. National Weather Service radar detected debris from the Upson County tornado was lofted as high as 25,000 feet. At least 25 tornadoes tore through South Carolina, a number of them on the stronger end of the scale.\nParticularly hard hit was Barnwell County, where the NWS confirmed four separate tornadoes - three rated EF3, the other an EF2 - tore distinct path through parts of the county. One home anchored to the ground was tossed and destroyed, according to the NWS damage survey. As the squall line roared into neighboring Orangeburg County, a weird interaction of two tornadoes appears to have taken place, as documented in detail by The Washington Post's Matthew Cappucci. Another large tornado, at least a half mile wide, carved a 16-mile path through Oconee and Pickens counties just north of Clemson around 3:20 a.m. EDT, causing at least one fatality. Top winds were estimated at 160 mph in this tornado, which was rated EF3.\nAt around 6 a.m. EDT Monday, a long-track tornado produced EF4 damage in Hampton County, South Carolina, the first F/EF4 rated tornado on record in South Carolina's Lowcountry and first anywhere in the state in over 24 years. This tornado caused least five fatalities and 60 injuries, according to the NWS.\nSixteen tornadoes, most of them weaker tornadoes, were spawned in North Carolina on April 13. Early in the afternoon, a couple of weak tornadoes - one rated EF0, the other EF1 - touched down briefly in Maryland near Baltimore Corner and Frizzzellburg, respectively. The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["The National Weather Service","National Weather Service"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["parts of southern Mississippi","southern Mississippi","parts","Texas to the Carolinas and Maryland","Maryland"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least 37 lives"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["early morning on Easter Sunday, April 12","April 12","Easter Sunday","April 12-13, 2020"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["A pair of EF4 tornadoes","4","pair"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2020 Fiji declares a 30–day state of natural disaster in areas affected by Cyclone Harold. (RNZ)","document":"Fiji's government has declared a State of Natural Disaster in areas affected by last week's Cyclone Harold.\nThe Disaster Management Minister, Jone Usamate, made the announcement this afternoon, saying it would enable the government to exercise certain powers to deal with the aftermath of the category four storm which killed at least one person and damaged homes and crops across the country.\nDisaster Management Minister, Jone Usamate Photo: Fiji Govt\nMr Usamate said the declaration was for certain parts of the Eastern, Central and Western Divisions of the country.\nIn the Eastern Division it was for Kadavu and the Southern Lau group, which were particularly hard hit.\nIn the Central Division the areas included Tailevu North, Korovou, Nausori, Nakasi, Beqa and Yanuca.\nFor the Western division, the declaration has been made for the districts of Nadarivatu, Vatulele, Mamanuca Group, the Yasawa Group, coastal communities in the Coral Coast and along the Sigatoka River in the Nadroga/Navosa province.\nFour government boats were being sent out with assessment teams, aid and food.\nMr Usamate confirmed the distribution of food supplies had begun in the Central Division, and would begin in the Western Division on Tuesday, while personnel were being deployed to the Eastern Division.\nHe also thanked the governments of New Zealand and Australia for their assistance at this time.\nThe minister said assessments were still being completed but the Northern Division had been cleared and the priority for that region was now on minimising the spread of Covid-19, of which the country had 16 cases.\nMr Usamate said it was a challenge to deal simultaneously with the cyclone aftermath and the coronavirus.\nBut he insisted Covid-19 protocols were being adhered to in evacuation centres across the country, of which 66 were still open.\nAs of this morning 1800 people were still in the centres.\nThe government said although final assessments were still pending, the cost of the damage to property and crops from the cyclone would run into the millions of dollars.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Kadavu and the Southern Lau group","included Tailevu North, Korovou, Nausori, Nakasi, Beqa and Yanuca","Nadarivatu, Vatulele, Mamanuca Group, the Yasawa Group, coastal communities in the Coral Coast and along the Sigatoka River in the Nadroga/Navosa province"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least one person"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["category four storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Harold"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2020 The death toll in a tornado outbreak that devastated the Southeastern United States on April 12–13 rises to 35. (WHSV-TV)","document":"Tornado warnings, 150 issued between Easter Sunday and Monday, this across 11 states. The death toll has now risen to 35. The National Weather Service in Jackson Mississippi released new details on the strongest rated tornado from storms over Easter weekend. The tornado that left a scar visible on satellite imagery, rated an EF-4 with winds at 170 mph. NWS says the patch was \"at least 2 miles wide.\"\nThat incredibly wide tornado traveled about 68 miles. Almost unbelievable, another tornado, rated an EF-3 traveled 82 miles almost parallel to the EF-4 tornado. The distance between paths was less than 10 miles. For perspective, the widest tornado on record happened in El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013. That tornado was 2.6 miles wide at it's widest point. A side note about tornado ratings: Tornadoes are rated based on the worst damage found. So if along a path of destruction, NWS finds damage consistent with an EF-1 tornado, and a small area consistent with EF-3 tornado damage- the storm is rated an EF-3. The width of the tornado path is given at the widest point. Tornadoes do not keep consistent paths that are the same through the whole length of the tornado. So far, NWS has confirmed 77 tornadoes","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":["35"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Easter Sunday and Monday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["an EF-3","EF","an EF-4","EF-4","EF-3"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["170 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2020 Marco becomes a hurricane and is expected to make landfall in Louisiana on Monday or early Tuesday. Laura is expected to become a hurricane as well by Wednesday. (USA Today)","document":"MONROE, La. — Tropical Storm Marco briefly grew to hurricane strength Sunday before weakening again, but is still one of two powerful storms marching toward the Gulf Coast.\nMarco is likely to make landfall late Monday in Louisiana, where a hurricane warning is still in effect. And, then, Tropical Storm Laura is expected to reach hurricane status before it roars into the state Wednesday, threatening a historic double slam of landfalls within miles of each other.\nNational Weather Service Meteorologist Benjamin Schott said such a confluence of storms hasn't happened in the Gulf of Mexico in recorded history. Isolated areas could see 15 inches of rain from the two storms, he said.\nCould hurricanes collide? Here's what may happen if Laura and Marco meet up in the Gulf\n\"We have a very unique situation with two storms that unfortunately are headed to Louisiana,\" Gov. John Bel Edwards said Sunday. \"They pose a challenge we have quite frankly not seen before.\"\nEdwards said the \"one-two punch\" of hurricanes will blanket the state's coastline with storm surge as high as 10 feet in some areas and prompt flash flooding in others. He said residents should be ready to shelter in place for at least 72 hours, warning that it may not be possible to deploy rescue helicopters and high-water vehicles after Marco's storm surge if Laura comes in right behind.\nBecause of the COVID-19 threat, Edwards said, the state plans to activate large shelters with congregate settings only \"as a last resort.\" Instead, the governor said, he's working with the federal government to use hotels and motels if large evacuations become necessary.\nOfficials in LaPlace, 30 miles upriver from New Orleans, distributed sandbags in low-lying areas and urged residents to seek cover and prepare. \nSt. John the Baptist Parish, which includes LaPlace, has had one of the highest COVID-19 death rates in the nation. \n“People are still in shock with so many people lost to this virus,” said Larry Soraparu, a former parish councilman. “Now, we have two hurricanes in the Gulf and no one’s sure what’s going to happen.” \nHe added: “Tensions are rising.” \nOn Grand Isle, south of New Orleans, Starfish Restaurant manager Nicole Fantiny watched a long line of people driving off the barrier island.\n“They are all packing up and leaving,” she said. “My house was built in 1938, so I think we’re good.”\nLouisiana State University canceled all classes, activities and COVID-19 testing centers on campus Monday due to Hurricane Marco, the university announced Sunday.\nAs of 11 p.m. EDT, Marco was about 185 miles south-southeast of the Mississippi River, powering maximum sustained winds of 70 mph as it slid to the north-northwest at 12 mph. Marco continued on a track for landfall on Monday, when it will blast parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama with storm surge, heavy rainfall and strong winds.\nThe storm is expected to hook westward and possibly reach Texas as a tropical depression Tuesday.\nMeanwhile, Laura strengthened near eastern Cuba on Sunday night after killing at least seven people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The storm was traveling west-northwest at 21 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center's 11 p.m. EDT advisory.\nPuerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez declared a state of emergency, and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Pete Gaynor said his teams were \"on the ground and ready to support.\" Downpours and gusty winds drenched the island, and nearly six inches of rain fell in some areas, prompting flood warnings.\nLaura was forecast to sweep over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico late Monday into Tuesday.\n\"Environmental conditions will be more favorable for strengthening, and Laura is expected to become a hurricane prior to reaching the Gulf Coast,\" Accuweather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller warned. Landfall could come Wednesday.\nMississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency.\n\"We are in unprecedented times,\" Reeves said. \"We are dealing with not only two potential storms in the next few hours, we are also dealing with COVID-19.\"\nCay Wiser of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, lost her home to a Category 4 hurricane in 2005. She said she's not overly concerned about Hurricane Marco, which is expected to make landfall as a Category 1, but she's preparing.\n\"I've got food, I've got cases of water, my generator is working, I think I've got everything,\" she said. \"I don't get nervous until it's a high (Category) 2. If they were talking about a high 2 or a 3, I'd think about leaving my house.\"\nThe storms could keep coming as tropical waves emerge off the coast of Africa, according to Accuweather Meteorologist Bernie Rayno. The heart of the 2020 hurricane season, which is just getting underway, is expected to be extremely active, he said.\nThe Atlantic hurricane season already has been a record-breaker. Laura is the earliest L-named storm in the Atlantic Basin, breaking a record held by Luis, which formed Aug. 29, 1995. This season has had 13 named storms, well above normal activity.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["15 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Louisiana","the Gulf Coast","Gulf Coast"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["late Monday","Wednesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Marco","Laura"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2020 The South's Defenders Monument, a Confederate monument located in Lake Charles, is damaged by Laura. (The Hill)","document":"A Louisiana city voted this month to keep the controversial statue standing. Hurricane Laura had other plans. Story at a glance\nJust two weeks after the city of Lake Charles, La., voted to keep a Confederate monument standing, Hurricane Laura brought it down on Thursday with 150 mph winds as it made landfall along the state’s coast.\nThe Daily Advertiser reports that the statue, The South’s Defenders Monument, was the subject of a contentious debate, which ended in a vote on Aug. 13. The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury ultimately voted 10-4 to keep the statue in place, even as a national reckoning — sparked by police killings of Black Americans, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor — pushed other states and municipalities to take down their Confederate monuments and statues. \nWhile The South’s Defenders Monument was expected to stay in front of a Lake Charles courthouse, Hurricane Laura toppled the statue after making landfall as one of the strongest storms to hit Louisiana on record. The hurricane barreled into the state as a Category 4 hurricane, eventually dwindling to a Category 2 storm. \n\nAfter Laura tore through the parish and further inland, images of the destruction were captured online. Pictures show a Confederate soldier holding a flag lying at the base of the monument. \n \nLake Charles and Calcasieu Parish has been filled with controversy and tension after our parish government by a vote of 10-5 refused to take down the Confederate South’s Defenders Monument. Hurricane Laura had other plans and brought it down herself. \n \nThe statue was erected in 1915 to honor fallen Confederate soldiers that hailed from Lake Charles and other parts of the South. Calcasieu Parish officials noted that they had received 945 responses from the community in regards to the decision to remove it.\n“Of the total responses, 878 were against relocating the monument and 67 were for relocating the monument,” Calcasieu Parish Administrator Bryan Beam told reporters.\nThe base of The South’s Defenders Monument remains, with no word of what will happen to the broken top portion of the statue.\nMultiple states across the South have decided to remove Confederate monuments, as renewed Black Lives Matter protests call for an end to systemic and institutional racism in the U.S. \nHurricane Laura has been downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane, but the National Hurricane Center issued a weather advisory on Thursday for coastal parts of Texas and Louisiana. The center warned that dangerous winds and flooding rainfall are also spreading inland.\n\n\"She knew what happened. She was sad, and she was hurt.\" \n\"We looked for women who had a track record of accomplishment but also a multidimensional aspect to who they are and how they show up in the world.\"","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["the National Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the state’s coast"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a Category 2 storm","a Category 2 hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Laura"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["150 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2020 At least 57 people are killed and others are missing after avalanches in Pakistan–controlled Kashmir over the last 24 hours, senior government officials say. In Indian–administered Kashmir, at least 10 are killed. (Reuters)","document":"ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - At least 59 people were killed and many more were missing after avalanches in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir over the last 24 hours, senior government officials said on Tuesday.\nAvalanches in Kashmir kill dozens\n\nIn neighbouring India, at least 10 people were killed after several avalanches hit the northern-part of Indian-administered Kashmir.\nTwo Pakistani officials said many villagers were still stranded by the avalanches in the Neelum Valley area following heavy rain that also triggered landslides. Many people were reported missing and feared dead as rescue efforts got under way, one of the officials said.\nRescuers had managed to extract more than 50 people from the snow and airlifted them out of the area for treatment. Authorities also scrambled to provide relief to local people with another spell of heavy snow expected on Friday.\nAt least 53 houses had been completely destroyed by avalanches in the Pakistani administered region known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), officials said.\n“I have asked the National Disaster Management Authority, the military and all our federal ministers to immediately provide all humanitarian assistance on an emergency footing to the affected people in AJK,” Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted.\nA senior Indian police official said five soldiers were among the 10 killed near the border between India and Pakistan.\nThe area is one of the world’s most militarily tense frontiers, where the neighbouring armies have confronted each other over disputed territory for decades. Kashmir has been divided between Indian and Pakistan since their independence in 1947.\nIn 2012, an avalanche engulfed a Pakistani army battalion headquarters near the Indian border, killing at least 124 soldiers and 11 civilians.\nMeanwhile in western Pakistan, heavy snowfall in southwestern Balochistan destroyed several houses in the mountainous region, killing 17 people.\nThe disaster management authority declared an emergency in seven districts of the mineral-rich province and sought the army’s help for relief and rescue operations.\nKey highways connecting Pakistan and Afghanistan were blocked due to heavy snow, forcing officials to suspend transportation of essential goods into Afghanistan.\nSevere cold and heavy snow led to the death of 39 people in six provinces of Afghanistan in the past two weeks said Tamim Azimi, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Natural Disaster Management Authority in Kabul.\n“We are distributing emergency assistance, including cash to families of the victims,” said Azimi, adding that heavy rain and snow have hampered for rescuers.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Pakistan-controlled Kashmir","Pakistan","northern-part of Indian-administered Kashmir","Indian"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["At least 59 people","dozens","at least 10 people","more than 50 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2020 Avalanches in Van Province, eastern Turkey, kill at least 38 people, leaving more trapped. (BBC)","document":"Rescue efforts have been put on hold after two avalanches killed at least 39 people in eastern Turkey.\nMost of the dead were hit by an avalanche on Wednesday while trying to recover the victims of another downslide which happened a day earlier.\nFurther rescue work continued but was paused because of concerns about a possible third avalanche.\nThe operation, involving more than 700 personnel, is expected to continue on Thursday after inspections.\nImages from Wednesday showed dozens of people using shovels and sticks to dig people out from under the snow.\nThe recovery is being led by Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (Afad). But conditions hampered the recovery, with one rescue vehicle having to be pulled out from under 5m (16ft) of snow.\nVan province governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez said police officers, firefighters and volunteer rescuers were among the dead. There are fears the death toll may rise further.\nA further 75 people have also been injured, according to Health Minister Fahrettin Kocaaso. The head of Afad's Van office, Osman Ucar, was one of those hospitalised after the second avalanche.\n\"I was halfway buried,\" he told Ihlas News Agency. \"I got out by my own means.\"\nOfficials were alerted to the first avalanche by a man who escaped after his snow-clearing vehicle was buried under snow.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["eastern Turkey"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least 39","A further 75 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2020 Twenty-seven people died in Solomon Islands after their boat capsized during the Cyclone Harold. (BBC)","document":"Cyclone Harold is a category five storm - the most severe - and has already killed 27 people in the neighbouring Solomon Islands.\nThe victims were swept off a ferry that defied cyclone warnings.\nVanuatu, home to around 300,000 people, is already in a state of emergency because of the coronavirus - and is awaiting general election results. The storm is particularly affecting Sanma province, home to the country's second biggest city, Luganville.\nAlthough there have been no injuries reported, photos showed roofs blown off buildings and power lines brought down. Some people took shelter in caves.\n\"There is lots of damage in Sanma, they lost lots of buildings,\" Jacqueline de Gaillande, chief executive of Vanuatu Red Cross, told Reuters.\nThe Vanuatu meteorology department recorded winds of 135mph in Sanma but said gusts - which are less sustained - were reaching 145mph (235km/h).\nA major international effort was needed after the last category five storm - Cyclone Pam - hit Vanuatu in 2015.\nAlthough Vanuatu has no confirmed Covid-19 cases, it declared a state of emergency last month, soon after the country voted in a general election.\nThe counting of the votes was live-streamed, as social distancing rules made it difficult to have enough observers in one room.\nUnofficial results have been published, with official results due soon.\nOn Sunday, police in the Solomon Islands said five of the 27 bodies lost in the ferry disaster had been recovered.\nThe MV Taimareho set sail in strong winds with more than 700 people on board, reportedly as part of a virus evacuation programme.\nThe ship was initially thought to have just 60 people on board.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Sanma","the neighbouring Solomon Islands"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["27 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a category five storm","category five storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Harold"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["135mph","145mph (235km/h)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2017 Hurricane and storm surge watches are issued for Texas and Louisiana as the tropical system Harvey strengthens into a tropical depression and is predicted to bring both heavy rainfall and storm surge. (The Weather Channel)","document":"Tropical Storm Harvey is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before bringing a extremely dangerous combination of rainfall and storm-surge flooding to areas near the Texas and Louisiana coasts into the weekend or early next week.\n\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["near the Texas and Louisiana coasts"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["weekend or early next week"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Harvey"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2017 At least 12 people die in the southern Chinese city of Macau as a result of flooding caused by Typhoon Hato. Four more people die in neighbouring Guangdong province. (AP)","document":"HONG KONG (AP) — The most powerful typhoon to hit the southern Chinese region in more than half a century left dead as a sudden deluge swamped the gambling hub of Macau, submerging streets and stranding residents.\nMacau said Thursday that eight people were killed in the former Portuguese colony, including two men found overnight in a submerged parking garage. Another 153 were injured amid extensive flooding, power outages, and the smashing of doors and windows by high winds and driving rain.\n“It’s a calamity, the losses are high and a lot of buildings need repair,” said Macau lawmaker Jose Pereira Coutinho, adding that he heard from many people who still had no water or electricity a day after Typhoon Hato tore across the 30-square kilometer (19-square mile) territory.\nCoutinho said the flooding was at its worst in the older parts of the city’s downtown, where narrow lanes date back from Macau’s time as a Portuguese colony for more than four centuries.\n“People were just swimming, they cried for help. There were no boats. The water came so suddenly,” said Coutinho, who slammed the city government for having “reacted so slowly and so badly.”\nCasinos downtown “were either closed or barely operating,” while some resorts in the newer Cotai district were in better shape but operating without air conditioning, Union Gaming Research analyst Grant Govertsen said in a report.\nThe chief executive of Macau’s local government, Chui Sai On, ordered measures to “further the relief efforts,” the Government Information Bureau said in a statement Thursday.\nResidents waded in waist-high murky water and rows of city buses sat half-submerged on city streets, according to photos circulating among residents. Fallen trees blocked roads, causing traffic snarls, and residents lined up with buckets to collect water from public standpipes, television video showed.\nMacau, which is surrounded by water, is vulnerable to high tides and has few options for draining storm runoff. The territory took almost a direct hit from the storm as it churned toward mainland China.\nIts reliance on the mainland for electricity compounded problems. Power cuts in neighboring Guangdong province, which supplies nearly 90 percent of Macau’s electricity, cascaded into outages across the city, forcing casino operators, a hospital, and the city’s mobile phone company, CTM, to switch to backup generators.\nCTM also said two equipment rooms were seriously damaged by flooding, affecting telecommunications service in the area. Power utility CEM said Thursday it was restoring service but about 40,000 customers remained in the dark because of damaged power supply facilities.\nChina’s official Xinhua News Agency said eight more people were killed in Guangdong and one person remained missing. Typhoon Hato roared into the area Wednesday with winds of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour. It weakened into a tropical storm Thursday as it moved farther west inland.\nXinhua said almost 27,000 people were evacuated to emergency shelters, while extensive damage to farmland due to the heavy rain and high tides was also reported. Almost 2 million households lost power temporarily, while fishing boats were called back to port and train services and flights suspended, Xinhua said.\n“Compared to other typhoons, Hato moved fast, quickly grew more powerful and caused massive amounts of rainfall,” Wu Zhifang, chief weather forecaster at the Guangdong meteorological bureau, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.\nBy Thursday, a weaker Hato was moving into China’s Guangxi region.\nFlooding and injuries were also reported in Hong Kong, which lies across the water 64 kilometers (40 miles) from Macau, but there were no reports of deaths. Hato’s fierce gales blew out windows on skyscrapers in the Asian financial capital, raining shattered glass onto the eerily quiet streets below. Hong Kong’s weather authorities had raised the hurricane signal to the highest level for the first time in five years.\nThree of the earlier deaths in Macau were men, aged 30, 45 and 62. One fell from the 11th floor of a building, one was hit by a truck and another was killed when the wind blew down a wall. Two others, a man aged 48 and a woman, 44, died from drowning, according to a press statement. No information was given for the remaining victim.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the southern Chinese region"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["eight people","Another 153 were injured","almost 27,000 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Hato"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2017 Oil prices rise in anticipation of Harvey's impact on production in the Gulf of Mexico. (Reuters)","document":"NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose nearly 1 percent on Friday as the dollar fell and the U.S. Gulf Coast braced for Hurricane Harvey, on track to become the biggest storm to hit the United States mainland in more than a decade.\nThe dollar .DXY, in which oil is priced, fell after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen made no reference to U.S. monetary policy in her speech at the annual central bank research conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.\nHarvey strengthened into a powerful Category 3 storm, last located about 75 miles (120 km) east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico and packing top sustained winds of 120 miles per hour (195 kph), the National Hurricane Center said.\nRefineries, terminals, onshore and offshore production operations and other infrastructure have shut or begun storm preparations with Harvey set to make landfall on the Texas coast on Friday night or early on Saturday.\nThe NHC, which has warned that catastrophic flooding was expected across portions of southern and southeastern Texas, expects Harvey to move slowly and linger over Texas for days.\nSome tracking models show the storm could circle back out over Gulf waters after making landfall, and then take aim at Houston midweek, giving the nation’s four most populous city a double dose of rain and wind.\nU.S. crude futures CLc1 settled up 44 cents, or 0.9 percent, at $47.87 a barrel but down 1.3 percent on the week.\nBrent crude LCOc1 ended 37 cents, or 0.7 percent, higher at $52.41 and down 0.6 percent on the week.\nU.S. gasoline futures RBc1 pared gains and ended a shade firmer after hitting their strongest levels in four months and the highest in three years for this time of year as traders booked profits and worries over supply shortages have already been priced in, market participants said.\nGasoline crack spreads RBc1-CLc1, an indicator of refining profits, plunged 6 percent after it had surged about 12 percent on Thursday and hit the highest level seasonally in five years earlier on Friday. Gulf Coast conventional cash gasoline prices RU-DIFF-USG for shipment on the Colonial Pipeline were seen hitting a near three-year high. “The initial loss of refining capacity would tighten the availability of petroleum products, consistent with the rally in product prices, cracks, timespreads and differentials observed this week and historically,” Goldman Sachs said in a note.\n“On the demand side, gasoline typically suffers most during and after a hurricane with distillate demand supported instead by rebuilding activity.”\nThe U.S. Department of Energy said it was ready to release crude oil from the nation’s emergency stockpile if needed due to the impacts of Harvey.\nEnergy companies have pulled workers from offshore oil platforms and halted onshore drilling in south Texas.\nA little less than 10 percent of offshore U.S. Gulf of Mexico crude output capacity and nearly 15 percent of natural gas production had been halted by midday on Thursday, government data showed.\nThree refineries in Corpus Christi and one farther inland at Three Rivers were shutting down ahead of the storm. Two others reduced output as ports were closed.\nTexas is home to 5.6 million barrels per day of refining capacity, and Louisiana has 3.3 million barrels.\nBeyond the storm’s potential impact on the oil industry, crude remains in ample supply globally despite efforts led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to hold back production to prop up prices.\nA joint OPEC and non-OPEC monitoring committee said an extension to the supply pact beyond March was possible, though not yet decided.\nPart of the reason for the crude glut has been a 13 percent jump in U.S. output since mid-2016 to 9.53 million bpd, close to the record 9.61 million bpd hit in June 2015.C-OUT-T-EIA\nU.S. energy firms cut oil rigs for a second week in a row according to Friday data from Baker Hughes. Drillers cut four oil rigs in the week to Aug. 25, bringing the total count down to 759.\nHedge funds and money managers, meanwhile, trimmed their bullish bets on U.S. crude futures and options positions for the third straight week in the week to Aug. 22, data showed. [CFTC/]\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["the National Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Texas","across portions of southern and southeastern Texas","the U.S. Gulf Coast","Gulf Coast","the United States mainland"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a powerful Category 3 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Harvey"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["120 miles per hour (195 kph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2017 Harvey is now a tropical storm with sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kmh). It made landfall on Texas's eastern coast, the eye striking the town of Rockport, as a Category 4 hurricane. It's the strongest storm to hit the state since 1961. Harvey is expected to maintain tropical storm strength, with heavy rains and flooding, for at least four days. (National Hurricane Center) (The New York Times) (BBC) (Houston Chronicle)","document":"• Hurricane Harvey, powered by the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters, made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane at about 9:45 p.m. Friday, earlier than expected. It came ashore just northeast of Corpus Christi, Tex., packing 130 m.p.h. winds.\n• By midnight, the authorities had reported two deaths that appeared to be related to the storm, one in Houston and one in Rockport, Tex. But search and rescue operations were just getting underway.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["northeast of Corpus Christi, Tex","Tex"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["two deaths"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["about 9:45 p.m. Friday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a Category 4 hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Harvey"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["130 m.p.h"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2017 Harvey is now a tropical storm with sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kmh). It made landfall on Texas's eastern coast, the eye striking the town of Rockport, as a Category 4 hurricane. It's the strongest storm to hit the state since 1961. Harvey is expected to maintain tropical storm strength, with heavy rains and flooding, for at least four days. (National Hurricane Center) (The New York Times) (BBC) (Houston Chronicle)","document":"Texas will be hit by \"catastrophic and life-threatening flooding\", the US National Hurricane Center has warned, as Tropical Storm Harvey moves inland.\nHarvey battered the coast as a category four hurricane - the biggest to strike the US mainland in 13 years. It has now been downgraded.\nSome residents are feared to be trapped in collapsed buildings and there have been widespread power outages.\nTorrential rains are expected for days. One person has died in a house fire.\nThe victim, in the city of Rockport, was found after the storm moved inland, officials said.\nUp to 40in (101cm) of rain could fall in some areas of the middle and upper Texas coast, the hurricane center (NHC) warned.\nSeveral places are already reported to have received well over 10in.\nCoastal areas will also be flooded by storm surges during high tide, the NHC said.\n\nEarlier, Harvey made a double landfall: north-east of the city of Corpus Christi initially late on Friday local time, then just north of Rockport a few hours later.\nWhen the storm struck close to Corpus Christi it had winds of up to 130mph (215km/h), but by 18:00 GMT its sustained winds had dropped to 70mph - therefore becoming a tropical storm.\nIt was moving at an extremely low speed - 2mph.\nTexas Governor Greg Abbott told a news conference that there had been 20in of rain in Corpus Christi and 16in in Houston - but another 20-30in was expected on top of that. Utility companies say nearly 300,000 customers are without electricity.\nThe BBC's James Cook was in Corpus Christi when the hurricane hit. Although the wind was screeching all night, he says, in the morning there was no sign of any serious structural damage there.\nPresident Donald Trump has freed up federal aid for the worst-affected areas and Governor Abbott praised the administration for \"stepping up\".\nIn a teleconference with cabinet members Mr Trump \"emphasised his expectations that all departments and agencies stay fully engaged and positioned to support his number one priority of saving lives\", the White House said.\nAt least 18 people have been rescued from vessels in distress by Coast Guard helicopters, the Associated Press reports. ABC News has tweeted a video of four people being rescued off the coast of Port Aransas.\nRockport, normally home to about 10,000 people, appears to have been the hardest hit town.\nThe roof of a housing centre for elderly people there collapsed, trapping people, 10 of whom were later taken to a county jail for treatment, according to local TV station KIII.\nEmergency services said a school, a hotel and other buildings had also suffered structural damage.\nBefore the storm arrived, Mayor Patrick Rios had a stark warning for anyone who refused to leave town: \"We're suggesting if people are going to stay here, mark their arm with a Sharpie pen with their name and Social Security number.\"\nWhen the storm struck near Rockport, wind speeds were 125mph.\nAuthorities have not been able to inspect the full extent of the damage.\nTravis Pettis, a reporter with the Caller Times newspaper in Corpus Christi, told the BBC that strong winds when the storm arrived made the rain feel like \"needles\".\n\"It was pretty crazy out there. The winds, I don't know what [speed] they topped at but you could barely even walk,\" he said.\nTrees came down in the city and power supplies were cut, but thousands of residents had heeded warnings and boarded up their homes before fleeing.\nPort Aransas, a city on Mustang Island, near Corpus Christi, is also reported to have extensive damage. Local media reports say a search and rescue operation is under way at a trailer park.\nMr Abbott said it was obvious Texas was confronting a \"very major disaster\" and more than 1,800 military personnel will help with the clean-up.\nHarvey is the first major storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. It is forecast to meander across south-east Texas until Wednesday.\nOil-rich Houston, the fourth biggest city in the US, could face up to 20in of rain over the coming days.\nResidents there should \"not be complacent\" and should stay at home and \"ride out the storm\", Francisco Sanchez, a spokesman for Harris County's emergency management office, told the BBC.\n\"The most severe weather is yet to come\" in the Houston area, he said.\nThe little town of Rockport has suffered severe damage from #HurricaneHarvey. pic.twitter.com/fBZFMABaKZ\nAbout 4,500 inmates from prisons south of Houston are being evacuated to other prisons in east Texas because the Brazos River nearby is rising significantly, officials say.\nMr Trump is likely to visit Texas early next week, the White House said.\nThe storm is the strongest to hit the US since Charley in August 2004 and the most powerful to hit Texas since Hurricane Carla in 1961, which killed 34 people, according to the Houston Chronicle.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["the US National Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["Up to 40in (101cm)","10in"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["north-east of the city of Corpus Christi","city","north","Corpus Christi","east Texas","Texas"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a category four hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Harvey"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 130mph (215km/h)","70mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2017 Hurricane Irma, now a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (175 kilometers per hour), is expected to resume strengthening this weekend increasing the danger when it nears the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean next Thursday. (Weather Channel) (CNN) (National Hurricane Center)","document":" September 2, 2017 (CNN)While much attention remains on Texas and the destruction left by Hurricane Harvey and its historic rainfall, powerful Hurricane Irma is rapidly intensifying in the open Atlantic and poses a major threat to the Caribbean and potentially to the United States next week.\nGood bet at a casino is an intense Hurricane Irma at Cat 4 or 5. But it's still red or black on U.S. impacts. Hope it's a \"fish storm\" ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Texas","the Caribbean","the United States"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["at Cat 4 or 5"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Irma","Harvey"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2017 At least eight people are killed and 137 injured after a strong storm hits western and central Romania. (Washington Post) (Reuters)","document":"BUCHAREST (Reuters) - A strong storm killed eight people and injured at least 67 in western Romania on Sunday as winds of up to 100 kph (over 60 mph) also brought destruction to parts of Serbia and Croatia, officials said.\nRoad and rail traffic in parts of Romania was halted by fallen trees. Several hospitals, schools and apartment buildings had roofs damaged and dozens of towns and villages were left without electricity.\nSome of the casualties were people strolling outside or coming out of supermarkets, the emergency services said. A group of tourists was stranded for an hour in a chairlift in the northern county of Maramures.\nIn Serbia, a man went missing on his boat on the Danube river near Belgrade and six people, including a five-year-old child, were injured by falling trees. Arcing from power lines, caused by the high winds, triggered several wildfires.\nIn Croatia, flooding brought traffic to a standstill in several coastal towns.\n“We can’t fight the weather,” Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose told Antena3 TV. “The entire medical sector is focused on the injured.”\nHe said the government would help support the communities hit by the storm.\nNicolae Robu, mayor of the Romanian city of Timisoara spoke to local TV station Digi24 as he was surveying the scene outside.\n“There are dozens of trees on the ground, roads blocked, we are out of electricity and water. There are roofs torn off houses, apartment buildings. There are overturned trucks. I’ve never seen anything like this.”\nRomania’s national weather agency has issued warnings of strong winds and rainstorms for western areas.\nEmergency responders have urged people to take shelter indoors, unplug household appliances and park in areas not close to trees or power lines.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["parts of Serbia and Croatia","Serbia","Croatia","western Romania"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["eight people","at least 67"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 100 kph (over 60 mph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2017 Tens of thousands of people in northern Puerto Rico are ordered to evacuate after floodwaters from Hurricane Maria damage the Guajataca Dam. (The Washington Post)","document":"SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — Tens of thousands of residents in northwestern Puerto Rico were ordered to evacuate Friday amid fears that a dam holding back a large inland lake was in imminent danger of failing because of damage from Hurricane Maria’s floodwaters.\nOfficials worried that as many as 70,000 people could be in the path of a massive amount of rushing water in the event the Guajataca Dam releases into the Guajataca River, which flows north through low-lying coastal communities and empties into the ocean.\nThe dam suffered a “fissure,” Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said in a news conference Friday afternoon. Residents in the municipalities of Quebradillas, Isabela and part of San Sebastian could be affected if the dam collapses, he said, and it could be a catastrophic event.\n“To those citizens … who are listening: Please evacuate,” Rosselló said. Buses were sent to ferry residents out of harm’s way. “We want your life to be protected … Please, if you’re listening, the time to evacuate is now.”\nAbner Gomez, executive director of Puerto Rico’s emergency management agency, said in an interview late Friday night that the dam’s gates suffered mechanical damage during the storm, making it impossible for them to open and let out normal water currents. Officials worry that could cause the dam to spill over.\nGomez said that under current conditions, with water rising after the hurricane, “there is no way to fix it” right now. Additional water flowing into the lake could create sudden dangers, so emergency evacuation was the only option, he said. If the dam tops over or fails structurally, he said, “thousands of people could die.”\nThe urgent situation Friday came more than 48 hours after Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico’s southeastern coast as the most powerful storm to strike the island in more than 80 years. It was a reminder that Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico is far from over; officials still have little sense of the scope of the damage the island sustained as a communications and power blackout continued to affect nearly everyone in the U.S. territory.\nGomez characterized Maria as “one of the greatest natural disasters” in recent U.S. history, comparing it to Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. The destruction in some parts of the island “looked more like a tornado than a hurricane,” he said. Rescue and recovery could take months, he said, and a “return to normalcy” could take at least a year.\nAuthorities on Friday reported six deaths across the island. Three of the fatalities occurred in the municipality of Utuado as a result of mud slides, Puerto Rico’s public safety department said in a statement. Two others died in flooding in Toa Baja, and one other person died in Bayamón when a panel struck him in the head. More deaths are likely to be reported in coming days as search and rescue crews reach previously inaccessible areas, officials said.\n“We are aware of other reports of fatalities that have transpired by unofficial means but we cannot confirm them,” said Héctor M. Pesquera, secretary of the public safety department.\nThough damage assessments have been nearly impossible, early reports reveal an island ravaged by Maria’s high winds and torrential rains, with roofs peeled open like tin cans, neighborhoods waterlogged, and trees that were lush just days ago now completely stripped bare of leaves. The hurricane plowed through the entire 100-mile island, with the eye tracking diagonally from the southeast to the northwest.\n“Every vulnerable house here made out of wood was completely or partially destroyed during the path of the eye of the hurricane,” Rossello said of an island where many homes are constructed of wood foundations and zinc roofs. “Puerto Rico has endured an horrific ordeal.”\nThe lack of communications has isolated rural areas of the island. Just 15 percent of the island’s communication towers are working, and some of the island’s transmission towers have collapsed. Up to 85 percent of its fiber cables are damaged.\nPower remains completely out on the island, and just 25 percent of it has water service.\nShock has given way to frayed nerves as officials warned that it could be months before power is restored to some areas, and there is no indication of when communications infrastructure will be fixed. In the capital, streets were choked with traffic as people tried to find loved ones and spent hours waiting in line for gas.\nThe De La Cruz family could not find fuel on Thursday. On Friday morning they waited in line for six hours at one of the open stations here, and there were still 20 cars in front of them. Gabriel De La Cruz and his wife, Luisa, took turns fanning their 1-year-old son, Ismael, who sat sweating in the hot car, wearing only a diaper.\n“This is all we have,” De La Cruz, a 30-year-old restaurant cook, said of the car. They lost their home and all their belongings in the storm.\nResidents searching for loved ones in remote areas met downed trees, power lines and other debris. News was particularly scarce from the southern and central parts of the island, as well the tiny island of Vieques to the east.\n“Even worse than not having power or water, which we’ve unfortunately become accustomed to, a communications blackout was the real anxiety-inducing feature … we haven’t really dealt with it before,” said Miguel A. Soto-Class, president of the Center for a New Economy, a San Juan-based think tank. “Are people dead and suffering or are people like we are, bruised but fine? The not knowing part is just terrible.”\nSoto-Class stood on the roof of his home, the only place where he could get a cellphone signal, as Coast Guard helicopters buzzed overhead. He has not been able to get in touch with family on the island’s west coast and considered driving to find them. He abandoned the plan after realizing he does not know the condition of the roads.\nPuerto Rico, with 3.5 million U.S. citizens, also is facing a crisis because of its geography: It is an island dependent on air and sea for supplies and volunteers. The immediate response that occurred after Hurricane Harvey in Houston, where volunteers from Louisiana headed in during the storm, or during Hurricane Irma in Florida, where utility trucks were pre-positioned to turn on power, is impossible here.\n“It’s not like you can just drive a tractor-trailer,” said Melissa Mark-Viverito, the Puerto Rican-born president of the New York City Council. “That adds a whole other layer of logistical challenge to it.”\nNew York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and U.S. Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.) flew here Friday, bringing 34,000 bottles of water and nearly 10,000 Meals Ready to Eat.\nHurricane Maria passed, but for two women in Puerto Rico, the terror was only just beginning\nPhotos taken from a helicopter surveying the damage in the southeast part of the island, encompassing an area that on a good day would be a two-hour drive from the capital of San Juan, show entire neighborhoods blanketed in murky water. Tops of buildings were sliced open, their rooms visible like dollhouses.\nA building on a coastal luxury resort, once with enviable ocean views, is now partially floating over open air as rocks and mud crumbled under one corner and fell into the sea. Windmills broke and shattered, and solar panels shone like mirrors.\nThe enormity of what they had just been through — and what was yet to come — appeared to be sinking in for many people, including those who considered themselves hurricane-hardened.\n“This storm was something,” said Geraldo Ramirez, 36, a resident of San Juan’s La Perla neighborhood. “I was here for Hurricane Georges back in ’98, and that was hard to believe, how badly it affected the island. But this, Maria, was something altogether different.”\nRamirez lives in a small three-story purple house near the waterfront on Calle San Miguel with his sister, her husband and their two children. His house, a sturdy cinder-block structure, was built 17 years ago and did not suffer much structural damage. But rain and ocean water managed to find its way into every room.\nAsked when the power would likely return to his small neighborhood, he answered, without hesitating, “Three or four months, at least. Maybe six.”\n“But it’s okay, we will make do,” he said. “We are used to it and it’s always the same. Georges, Hugo, we lose power and we lose water. But we know how to survive.”\n‘I just need my mother’: The frantic quest to contact loved ones in Puerto Rico\nLeaning against the wall of his carport in his light blue one-story home in coastal Loiza, Jorge Diaz, 72, had only one thing on his mind: his brothers and his sister, and how one day soon he would be with them in Orlando.\n“There’s only one thing I’m waiting for,” he said. “The airport to open.”\n“I just heard on the radio, eight months without electricity and water?” Diaz said. “That’s unreasonable. You can’t live like this … It’s a dark time now. A dark time for Puerto Rico.”\nOne block down and across the street, Lizmarie Bultron, 39, trudged through calf-high water to exit her home, about a block away from the beach.\n“Everything I had is gone. I lost my whole house, the only thing left is the floor,” Bultron said. She looked at her feet, still ankle-deep in water. “And this, this water won’t be gone for at least a month. All we can do is wait. Wait for help to come. That’s the only choice. But no one has come yet. Not FEMA, not anyone.”\nCassady reported from Loiza, Puerto Rico; Somashekhar and Zezima reported from Washington. Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo in San Juan and Jesse Mesner-Hage in Washington contributed to this report.\nThe most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Tens of thousands","thousands","as many as 70,000 people","six deaths"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Maria","Maria’s"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2017 Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló's office reports that the number of deaths related to Hurricane Maria has risen to 34. (Reuters)","document":"(Reuters) - The death toll in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria has more than doubled to 34, a spokesman for Governor Ricardo Rosello said on Tuesday.\nThe worst hurricane to hit the U.S. territory in more than 90 years directly killed 19 people, said Pedro Cerame, the governor’s director of communications in Washington.\nJust hours earlier when President Donald Trump visited the island to survey the damage the official death toll remained as it has for days at 16 dead.\n; ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Puerto Rico"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["34","killed 19 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Maria"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2017 Storm Brian, the third windstorm of the season, causes severe flash flooding in Ireland and coastal flooding in parts of England and Wales, although disruption is not as severe as initially expected. (BBC)","document":"Storm Brian has eased after the UK saw gale-force winds and high seas, although disruption was not as bad as had been feared. Gusts of 78mph were recorded in Capel Curig and Aberdaron, north Wales, with 84mph recorded on the Isle of Wight.\nThe Environment Agency said three properties had been flooded in the upper Calder Valley in West Yorkshire.\nThere are Red and amber flood warnings in much of northern England and people are urged to \"take immediate action\".\nThere are also flood warnings in place in the South West and Wales, while the south of England and London were under yellow wind warnings.\nThe storm comes after three people were killed and hundreds of thousands of people - mostly in the Irish Republic - were left without power after the remnants of Storm Ophelia battered the British Isles after weakening from its earlier hurricane force.\nStrong winds and high seas first reached the western coast of Ireland overnight on Friday.\nGusts hit 80mph (130km/h) in the country, said Irish weather agency Met Éireann, and there was flash flooding in several Irish cities, including Limerick.\nA race meeting at Fairyhouse was cancelled and the Cliffs of Moher tourist attraction in County Clare was closed.\nIn Wales, trains and ferries were cancelled and seafront roads closed as a result of the weather. Natural Resources Wales said the coastline was likely to be \"extremely dangerous this weekend\".\nA lifeboat was sent to help a person in difficulty at Skrinkle, while Porthcawl RNLI warned people to watch the storm waves on its live feed, after people were spotted taking photographs from the harbour wall.\nCeredigion council also warned people to \"keep away\" from seafronts and \"be careful\" on low-lying land where coastal flooding was possible.\nThe Environment Agency has issued 30 flood warnings - meaning flooding is expected - in the north-west and south-west of England.\nFlood barriers have been put in place in areas including Fowey in Cornwall, but Frank Newell, from the Environment Agency, said the surge had been lower than forecast. \"In terms of impact, we've had spray overtopping quaysides, but we don't have at the moment any reported property flooding,\" he said. In Wales and southern England, fallen trees and other debris on railway tracks caused cancellations and disruption on some lines. The Environment Agency's national flood duty manager, Ben Lukey, warned people against posing for photos during the hazardous conditions.\nHe said: \"We urge people to stay safe along the coast and warn against putting yourself in unnecessary danger by taking 'storm selfies' or driving through flood water - just 30cm (11in) is enough to move your car.\"\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Capel Curig and Aberdaron, north Wales","Isle of Wight"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["three people","hundreds of thousands of people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Brian","Ophelia"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["78mph","84mph","80mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2017 Tropical storm warnings are issued for western Cuba and the northwestern Bahamas, and tropical storm warnings are announced for coastal South Florida in the U.S., as a strengthening Tropical Storm Philippe treks north-northeast with maximum sustained winds at 35 mph (55 km/h). (The Weather Channel) (National Hurricane Center)","document":"\nTropical Depression Eighteen has developed in the northwestern Caribbean, and it is expected to contribute to heavy rain in South Florida this weekend and provide an injection of moisture to an East Coast storm system early next week.\nData from an Air Force Reserve Reconnaissance aircraft found that this system had formed into a tropical depression Saturday morning. \nTropical storm warnings have been issued for the Cuban provinces of Isla de la Juventud, La Habana, Ciudad de la Habana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, and Villa Clara and for the northwestern Bahamas. Tropical storm conditions are expected within these areas within the next on Saturday. \nA tropical storm watch has been issued for portions of southeastern Florida, the Upper Florida Keys and the central Bahamas. The strongest winds are expected to remain to the east of its center, but a slight deviation in its track or an increase in the size of the wind field could bring tropical-storm force winds to the areas in the watch. \nConditions are conducive for additional development, and there is a chance that this tropical depression may become a tropical storm later this weekend. If this system becomes a tropical storm, it will attain the name \"Philippe.\" \nOcean temperatures continue to run 1 to 3 degrees above average, or in the mid-80s, across the majority of the Caribbean Sea, which is plenty supportive for tropical growth and development.\nLand interaction and increasing wind shear, however, should hinder any quick intensification. Slow intensification is expected.\n\nTropical Depression Eighteen is expected to track northeastward and cross western and central Cuba on Saturday afternoon, and move through the northwestern Bahamas Sunday morning.\nIn the near-term, will bring the threat of heavy rain over the Cayman Islands and portions of Cuba Saturday. The downpours could eventually lead to flooding and mudslides.\nFour to eight inches of rainfall is likely in the Cayman Islands, western and central Cuba and the northern Bahamas, with isolated totals as high as 10 inches through Sunday. \nThe main impact from this system in southern Florida at this time appears to be heavy rainfall Saturday into early Sunday. Some gusty winds are also possible, particularly in the coastal waters. \nUp to four inches of rain is possible in southern Florida, with isolated totals up to six inches. Localized flash flooding is possible, especially in urban areas such as Miami and West Palm Beach.\nThis has prompted the National Weather Service to issued flood watches for much of southeastern Florida into early Sunday morning. \nThere is also the risk of a few tornadoes in far South Florida and the Florida Keys midday Saturday into the evening.\nThe moisture from Tropical Depression Eighteen will first get drawn north and then northeastward by a southward dip in the jet stream that will sweep through the central and eastern states late this week into the weekend.\nBy Sunday, the area of enhanced moisture associated with Tropical Depression Eighteen will be in the western Atlantic Ocean, just off the southeast U.S. coastline.\nThis moisture will then get pulled into a storm system advancing through the eastern states, providing additional fuel for heavy rain in parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions Sunday into Monday. The heavy rain may cause some flooding problems in the Northeast region.\nFor more on this story, click the link below.\n(MORE: Powerful Coastal Storm Could Bring Damaging Winds, Flooding Rainfall to the Northeast Starting This Weekend)\nYou'll note in the chart below that there is a strong clustering of dots in the southwestern and northwestern Caribbean Sea. This is a hotbed of tropical origins that we'll be watching through the end of October and into November.\nAs the season begins to wind down, the warmest waters – 80 degrees and above – in the Atlantic Basin will recede to the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and far western Atlantic while wind shear and dry air generally increase across the basin. \nNovember sees one more tropical storm or hurricane, on average, according to the National Hurricane Center. More than 7 percent of the season's activity is yet to come in terms of average Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE), a metric used to measure wind energy produced by tropical cyclones. \nThese cyclones typically move northeastward from the Caribbean or western Atlantic ahead of sweeping cold fronts from North America. These systems can threaten Florida, Cuba, the Bahamas and Bermuda, but can occasionally threaten areas closer to the U.S. East Coast, especially in October and early November. \nWe recognize our responsibility to use data and technology for good. Take control of your data.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["Four to eight inches","10 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the Cuban provinces of Isla de la Juventud, La Habana, Ciudad de la Habana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, and Villa Clara and for the northwestern Bahamas","northwestern Bahamas","portions of southeastern Florida, the Upper Florida Keys and the central Bahamas","portions","southeastern Florida"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Saturday","early next week"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Eighteen"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2017 Typhoon Damrey kills at least 19 people in Vietnam, a week before the country is set to host APEC Vietnam 2017. (ABC Australia)","document":"Typhoon Damrey has killed at least 27 people after pummelling central and southern Vietnam, just days before Donald Trump heads to the country for the APEC summit of Asia-Pacific leaders.\nDamrey reached land at 4am (local time) with winds gusting at up to 90 kilometres per hour that damaged more than 40,000 homes, knocked down hundreds of electricity poles and uprooted trees.\nThe communist state's search and rescue committee said 22 people are missing after the storm, while 626 houses had been collapsed entirely. More than 33,000 people had been evacuated.\nThe storm made landfall near the city of Nha Trang, which is about 500 kilometres south of the coastal city of Danang, where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is taking place next week.\nDanang itself also suffered. A gateway proclaiming \"Welcome to Danang\" collapsed in the storm, state media said.\nAuthorities in the area called on citizens to volunteer to help clean up.\nThe city will host US President Donald Trump from November 10 as well as China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and counterparts from other APEC members.\nNha Trang, a coastal resort city, faced the brunt of Damrey's impact, with fierce rain and extreme winds knocking over scooters and flooding roads.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["central and southern Vietnam"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least 27 people","22 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["4am (local time)"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Damrey"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 90 kilometres per hour"]}]} {"event_trigger":"A rare Mediterranean storm has caused deadly flooding in Greece, and it’s going to continue through at least Saturday","document":"A rare Mediterranean storm has caused deadly flooding in Greece, and it’s going to continue through at least Saturday. The large area of low pressure was centered over Sicily on Wednesday, but Greece was bearing the brunt of the storm.\nAt least 37 people have been taken to the hospital, according to the BBC, and 15 people are dead.\n“The industrial towns of Mandra, Nea Peramos and Megara, west of the capital Athens, were the most affected,” the BBC reported on Thursday. “Many of the dead were elderly people whose bodies were found inside their homes, reports say.”\nThe storm, named Numa in Europe, has been moving slowly, which has exacerbated the rain and flooding. Another 8 to 16 inches of rain is possible in Greece through Saturday.\nWeather Underground’s Bob Henson explains the origin of this storm, and its potential to evolve into something even more uncommon:\nThe last time a medicane formed was around this time last year, and it was named Trixie. The storm maxed out with 50 mph sustained winds.\nThe most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["8 to 16 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Greece","Sicily"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["At least 37 people","15 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2020 Former Hurricane Eta, now a tropical depression, leaves more than 50 people dead in Guatemala after causing flooding and landslides. It is expected to regain strength and head to Cuba and the coast of Florida this weekend. (BBC) (Orlando Sentinel)","document":" Tropical Storm Iota is expected to become a major Category 3 hurricane and bring dangerous storm surge, strong winds and heavy rainfall to Central America over the weekend and early next week, the NHC said.\n Iota formed in the Caribbean on Friday afternoon, becoming the 30th storm of a record-breaking hurricane season, according to the National Hurricane Center. It grew from a tropical depression earlier Friday.\n As of 4 a.m. Saturday, Iota was located 340 miles south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, with 40 mph winds. It was moving west-southwestward at a slow 5 mph.\n “On the forecast track, Iota will move across the central Caribbean Sea during the next day or so, and approach the coasts of Nicaragua and northeastern Honduras on Monday,” forecasters said.\n Iota poses no threat to Florida.\n Iota is expected to produce 8 to 16 inches of rain, with isolated 20 inch totals, across portions of Honduras and northern Nicaragua, the NHC said.\n As the storm reaches Central America, it’s expected to become a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph winds. It would be the 13th hurricane of the season.\n “Steady to rapid strengthening is likely over the weekend, and Iota is forecast to be a major hurricane when it approaches Central America,” forecasters said.\n The earlier tropical depression tied 2005′s 31 tropical systems. The previous record for named storms was 29, also set in 2005, which was surpassed earlier this week with the formation of Tropical Storm Theta.\n Meanwhile, the NHC stopped tracking the former Tropical Storm Eta, which wreaked havoc in south and west Florida this week.\n Forecasters predict Eta to accelerate in speed and sprint northeast away from the U.S.\n Farther east, Tropical Storm Theta is continuing its eastbound journey and is 540 miles southeast of the Azores. The storm has weakened to 40 mph maximum sustained winds and is moving at 8 mph with outward tropical-storm-force winds reaching up to 90 miles away from its center.\n The NHC expects Theta to slow in forward speed and turn north over the weekend. The storm is expected to begin losing strength and become a remnant low by late Saturday.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["8 to 16 inches","20 inch"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Central America"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["west"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["over the weekend and early next week","weekend"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":["Friday afternoon"]},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a Category 3 hurricane","Category 3 hurricane","Category 3","a major Category 3 hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["5 mph","8 mph"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Iota"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["40 mph","40 mph winds","120 mph winds"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2020 Hurricane Eta makes landfall as a tropical storm near Cedar Key, Florida. (ABC News)","document":"In Charlotte, flooding led to evacuations at a charter school. Relentless rainfall is pummeling North Carolina, sparking deadly flash flooding.\nFlooding in Alexander County has four people dead and two others -- one adult and one child -- missing, officials said.\nRainfall totals have reached 8.6 inches in Rocky Mount and 7.66 inches in Wilson.\nIn Charlotte, where over 4.5 inches of rain fell in less than six hours, flooding led to evacuations at a charter school. At least 143 people have been rescued, fire crews said.\nFlash flood warnings remain in effect across a large portion of North Carolina with flash flood watches in effect along the mid-Atlantic coast, from South Carolina to Virginia.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["8.6 inches","7.66 inches","4.5 inches"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["North Carolina"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["four people","two others","At least 143 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2020 Typhoon Vamco makes landfall in Luzon in the Philippines and causes flooding in Metro Manila killing at least seven people. In Marikina alone, around 40,000 homes were fully or partially submerged. (Reuters)","document":"MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday ordered government agencies to hasten relief efforts after a powerful typhoon killed at least seven people and unleashed some of the worst flooding in years in the capital Manila.\nTyphoon Vamco lashes the Philippines\n\nDuterte cut short his attendance of a virtual meeting of Southeast Asian leaders to inspect the damage from Typhoon Vamco, moments after a speech during which he urged his counterparts to urgently combat the effects of climate change.\nThe typhoon, the eighth to hit the Philippines in the past two months and 21st of the year, forced residents to scramble onto rooftops to await rescue after tens of thousands of homes were submerged.\nThose killed across the main island of Luzon, home to half of the country’s 108 million population, included people who drowned, an elderly man hit by a tree and three workers crushed when a warehouse collapsed.\nIt struck areas still reeling from Goni, the most powerful typhoon in the world this year, which killed 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes earlier this month.\n“Rest assured, the government will not leave anybody behind,” Duterte said in a national address, pledging shelter, relief goods, financial aid and counselling.\nNearly 200,000 people were evacuated before Vamco arrived late on Wednesday packing winds of 155 kilometres (96 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 255 kph (158 mph). It has since weakened and exited the mainland.\nDuterte told Southeast Asian leaders the devastation of recent weeks was “a stark reminder of the urgency of collective action to combat the effects of climate change”.\n\nNearly three million households in and around Manila were without power as people waded through waist-high floods, carrying valuables and pets.\nCoastguard swam through brown floodwater as high as electricity poles in some areas, while rescue workers used rubber boats and makeshift floats to move children and the elderly to safety.\nIn some suburbs east of Manila, residents took refuge atop flooded homes.\n“The flood reached the entire second floor of our house. For more than eight hours, we stayed at our neighbour’s house,” call center worker Albert Rano, 35, told Reuters.\n“Aside from some clothes and laptops, nothing is left.”\nThe typhoons have battered the Philippines as it faces an uphill struggle to breathe life into its withering economy while keeping coronavirus infections under control.\nRoughly 40,000 homes had either been fully or partially submerged in the Marikina area, a situation its mayor, Marcelino Teodoro, said was “overwhelming” and the worst since a typhoon flooded large swathes of the capital in 2009.\n“The local government cannot handle this,” Teodoro told DZMM radio, requesting motorised boats and airlifts.\nResidents posted images on social media of flooded homes and the disaster agency said parts of 36 cities and towns were inundated.\nFlights and mass transit in Manila were suspended and port operations stopped. Government work was halted and financial markets shut.\nVamco was headed towards Vietnam, where devastating floods and mudslides over the past month have killed at least 160 people in central areas.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the capital Manila"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least seven people","Nearly 200,000 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Vamco"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2020 The death toll from the landfall of Typhoon Vamco in the Philippines rises to 53, according to the national police, with at least 22 still missing. The provinces of Cagayan and Isabela in northern Luzon are the most affected, mainly caused by floodwaters from the Magat Dam. (Xinhua)","document":"Residents walk in knee-deep mud as they retrieve their belongings from damaged homes after the flood brought by Typhoon Vamco in Rizal Province, the Philippines, on Nov. 14, 2020. The death toll from Typhoon Vamco that battered the Philippines this week has climbed to 53, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Saturday.Typhoon Vamco lashed a big part of Luzon, home to approximately half of the country's 110 million population and 70 percent of economic activity. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)\nMANILA, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from Typhoon Vamco that battered the Philippines this week has climbed to 53, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Saturday.\nThe PNP said 22 people were still missing in the flash floods and landslides triggered by the typhoon which tore through the main island of Luzon from Wednesday to Thursday.\nThe toll is likely to rise as rescuers continue to search for the missing.\nThe focus now is on rescuing the victims in the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela in the northern Philippines. Using rubber boats, rescuers scramble to pluck residents stranded on rooftops of submerged houses in Cagayan and Isabela.\nPhilippine Coast Guard footage showed a big swath of the provinces submerged in brown floodwaters triggered by the spilling water from Magat Dam, a large rock-fill dam on the Magat River in the main island of Luzon.\nCagayan Governor Manuel Mamba said in an interview with radio DZBB on Saturday that one rescuer was electrocuted on Friday night.\nMamba, who described the flooding as the worst in memory, appealed for helicopters, adding that some of the flooded areas cannot be accessed by land.\nEvacuation centers are full, he said, adding some victims were moving in with neighbors amid COVID-19 concerns.\nTyphoon Vamco lashed a big part of Luzon, home to approximately half of the country's 110 million population and 70 percent of economic activity.\nNon-stop torrential rains have been dumped by Vamco and the cyclones before it forced operators of dams in Luzon to open the floodgates to release water, as the reservoir's levels breached the spilling marks.  ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Rizal Province, the Philippines","Philippines","a big part of Luzon","Luzon","big part"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Residents","residents","53","22 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Nov. 14, 2020","Nov","14"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Vamco"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2020 Tropical Storm Krovanh (Vicky) makes landfall in the Philippines, resulting in the deaths of at least eight people and forcing the evacuation of nearly 10,000 others. (AFP via New Straits Times)","document":"MANILA: Nearly 10,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the northeastern Philippines as heavy rain across the country left at least eight people dead, authorities said on Sunday.\nThe storm – which has inundated villages and destroyed scores of houses in recent days – is the latest to batter the disaster-prone archipelago. Floodwaters reached waist-deep in 14 towns in the Cagayan Valley in the northeast of the main island of Luzon – which saw the worst flooding in decades last month – regional civil defence officer Francis Joseph Reyes said.\nThat forced nearly 10,000 people to seek shelter in emergency centres. The rain, which was intensified by the northeast monsoon, has filled Magat dam near to its critical level and the release of water threatens to aggravate the flooding, Reyes said.\nAuthorities said at least six people drowned in two provinces on the major southern island of Mindanao, which was also hit by torrential rain in recent days. Two elderly women were also killed in a rain-induced landslide on Saturday in the central province of Leyte.\nThe Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons every year, which typically wipe out harvests, homes and infrastructure in already impoverished areas.\nAt least 148 people were killed in a succession of typhoons in recent months that destroyed hundreds of thousands of houses. - AFP","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the northeastern Philippines"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["nearly 10,000 people","Nearly 10,000 people","at least eight people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2021 Storm Filomena causes the death of two people from heavy rains in the province of Málaga and another two from hypothermia after a blizzard hits central Spain. The Mayor of Madrid requests the assistance of the Army as he considers the situation in the capital to be of \"extreme gravity\". (BBC) (Europa Press)","document":"Storm Filomena has blanketed parts of Spain in heavy snow, with half of the country on red alert for more on Saturday. Road, rail and air travel has been disrupted and interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the country was facing \"the most intense storm in the last 50 years\". Madrid, one of the worst affected areas, is set to see up to 20cm (eight inches) of snow in the next 24 hours. Further south the storm caused rivers to burst their banks. Four deaths have been reported so far as a result of Filomena. Officials said two people had been found frozen to death - one in the town of Zarzalejo, north-west of Madrid, and the other in the eastern city of Calatayud. Two people travelling in a car were swept away by floods near the southern city of Malaga.\nAs snow fell on Madrid on Friday evening, a number of vehicles became stranded on a motorway near the capital.\nThe city's Barajas airport has closed, along with a number of roads, and all trains to and from Madrid have been cancelled. Firefighters were called in to assist drivers who had become stuck. In some areas the military were called in to help clear roads. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged people to stay at home and to follow the instructions of emergency services. King Felipe and Queen Letizia took to Twitter to urge \"extreme caution against the risks of accumulation of ice and snow\".\nThe country's AEMET weather agency said the snowfall was \"exceptional and most likely historic\". A number of people were seen making the most of the snowy scenery, walking through Madrid's Puerta del Sol square.\nLarge parks in Madrid have since been closed as a precaution, AFP news agency reports. One man was pictured skiing along the Gran Via, the capital's famous shopping street. In Cañada Real, the largest shanty town in western Europe, residents were seen creating a bonfire to keep warm. The cold weather is set to continue beyond the weekend with temperatures in Madrid predicted to hit -12C on Thursday. ","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["up to 20cm (eight inches)"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["parts of Spain"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["Two people","two people","Four deaths"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Filomena","Madrid"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2010 Hurricane Danielle strengthens to Category 4, becoming the first major hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. (MSNBC) (CNN) (CBC)","document":"(CNN) -- Hurricane Danielle, a Category 4 storm, will bring large waves to Bermuda and will likely cause rip currents along the East Coast of the United States, the National Hurricane Center said on Friday.\nMaximum sustained winds were near 135 mph, with higher gusts, it said. A tropical storm watch was issued for Bermuda.\nEven though the center of the storm is expected to pass well to the east of Bermuda on Saturday night, \"large waves and dangerous surf conditions will affect Bermuda over the next few days,\" the center said.\nIt also indicated swells from Danielle will arrive on the East Coast of the United States on Saturday, and will likely cause dangerous rip currents through the weekend.\n\"A turn toward the north-northwest is expected by tonight followed by a turn toward the north on Saturday,\" the latest hurricane advisory said.\nFriday evening, Danielle was about 410 miles southeast of Bermuda.\nTraveling behind Danielle, also far from land, Tropical Storm Earl's winds swirled near 45 mph Friday evening, with higher gusts. The hurricane center forecast that Earl, which was moving toward the west, could become a hurricane by Sunday.\nIf so, Earl would be the third hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic season, following Danielle and Hurricane Alex.\nEarl is expected to strengthen and will be closer to the United States and probably create larger waves, said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.\nAlthough it is not currently predicted to strike the United States, a move that way can't be ruled out over the next seven days, Myers said.\nA tropical storm watch was in effect for the French islands of St. Martin and St. Barthelemy in the Caribbean.\nResidents in the northern Leeward Islands, about 1,080 miles west of Earl, were urged to monitor Earl's progress.\nEarl is expected to follow a path similar to Danielle's, although likely farther south and west, which could mean more of an impact on Bermuda.\nA third weather system also is being watched. A low-pressure system 175 miles south of the Cape Verde Islands could become a tropical depression during the next couple of days, the Hurricane Center said. It added there is an 80 percent chance of this system becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.\nAlex was a Category 2 system that caused widespread damage and some deaths in northern Mexico after it made landfall on June 30 near the border between Mexico and Texas, according to the Mexican government news agency.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["the National Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["the East Coast of the United States","East Coast","United States"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["a Category 4 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Danielle"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["near 135 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2010 Hurricane Earl moves away from the Leeward Islands towards the east coast of the United States with a hurricane watch issued for most of the North Carolina coast. (Reuters) (MSNBC)","document":"MIAMI (Reuters) - Powerful Hurricane Earl churned toward the eastern seaboard on Tuesday and looked to sideswipe the densely populated coast from North Carolina to New England, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.\nEarl slams Caribbean, eyes U.S.\n\nForecasters expected the main core of the Category 4 hurricane to stay offshore as Earl moved parallel to the coast during the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend that traditionally marks the end of summer.\nA hurricane watch was issued for most of the North Carolina coastline as officials warned any westward deviation from the forecast track could prompt coastal evacuations or even bring the storm ashore.\n“A small error of 100 miles in the wrong direction could be a huge impact difference,” National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read told a conference call with journalists.\n“Even a minor shift back to the west could bring impacts to portions of the coastline from the mid-Atlantic northwards.”\nThe hurricane watch, issued by the Miami-based hurricane center, alerts residents that hurricane conditions -- sustained winds of 74 mph -- are possible within 48 hours. It covered the North Carolina coastline from Surf City to Duck, including the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds.\nEarl, the second major hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic season, was moving west-northwest in the open Atlantic on Tuesday, keeping well east of the Turks and Caicos Islands.\nAt 5 p.m. (2100 GMT), it was centered about 1,000 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.\nEarl was forecast to clip the barrier islands of North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Thursday night and bring drenching rain, rough seas, pounding surf and gusting wind to the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina to New England and Atlantic Canada.\n\nEvacuations were ordered, or expected, for Wednesday for the most vulnerable spots on the Outer Banks, including the Cape Lookout National Seashore and Ocracoke Island, which has about 800 year-round residents and is accessible only by boat. It is one of the barrier islands where the pirate Blackbeard once roamed.\nEarl had top sustained winds of 135 miles per hour, making it a Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson intensity scale. It was expected to stay just shy of a maximum Category 5.\nIt was too early to predict how close the hurricane would come to New York when it churned offshore east of the city during the weekend.\n“We’re just telling everybody to keep their eyes on the track and just keep checking back,” hurricane center meteorologist Barry Baxter said.\nThe hurricane center said Earl’s forecast track in the coming days shifted slightly to the west, which could bring its outer fringes closer to the U.S. coast.\nU.S. and Canadian East Coast oil refiners said they were monitoring Earl but that it was too early to begin to take any precautionary measures.\nHurricane Earl posed no threat to major U.S. oil and gas installations in the Gulf of Mexico.\nHurricane Earl and Tropical Storm Fiona in a satellite image taken August 31, 2010. REUTERS/NOAA\nTropical storm warnings and watches were in effect for the Turks and Caicos, where flights were suspended, and for the sparsely populated southeast Bahamas.\nOn Monday, Earl battered the northeastern Caribbean islands and Puerto Rico, downing power lines, blowing off roofs, toppling trees and causing some flooding. There were no immediate reports of casualties.\n“We have been quite fortunate. We did not take a direct hit ... it was not as serious as it could have been,” Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuno told CNN.\nTropical Storm Fiona followed in Earl’s wake on a similar path, though farther east.\nAt 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT), Fiona was 270 miles east of the Caribbean Leeward Islands on a course that was expected to take it northeast of those islands on Wednesday. Most forecast models kept Fiona far away from the Gulf of Mexico.\nWith sustained winds of 40 mph, Fiona was just barely a tropical storm and the much more powerful Earl was hindering Fiona’s development. Earl churned up the seas and brought cold water to the surface, starving Fiona of the warm water needed for rapid strengthening.\nThe storms were far apart but Fiona was moving much faster. If Fiona closes the gap, high-level winds spiraling from the top of Earl could shear off and weaken Fiona, the hurricane center’s Baxter said.\n“If it gets really close, Earl could actually chew it up and just kind of kill it,” he said.\nElsewhere in the Atlantic, a broad area of low pressure about 425 miles southwest of the Cape Verde Islands in the eastern Atlantic had only a 10 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone within 48 hours, the hurricane center said.\nEarly computer models showed that system moving mostly west in the Atlantic but toward South America.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["National Hurricane Center","Forecasters"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["North Carolina to New England, the U.S","North Carolina","New England","most of the North Carolina coastline","North Carolina coastline","the barrier islands of North Carolina’s Outer Banks","Outer Banks","barrier islands"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Thursday night"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["Category 4","Category 4 hurricane","a Category 4 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Earl"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["135 miles per hour"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2010 Severe Tropical Storm Lionrock lands in China's Fujian province with warnings of strong winds and torrential rains. (Straits Times)","document":"* In Taiwan, nervous authorities have cancelled classes, called off work and set up evacuation space for 19,000 people to avoid any repeat of an August 2009 typhoon that triggered mudslides and killed about 700 people.\n* That typhoon, the worst in 50 years, prompted a cabinet reshuffle amid accusations that officials responded too slowly.\nTaiwan's largest port, in the southern city Kaohsiung, closed on Wednesday due to high winds, the harbour master said.\n* Typhoons regularly hit China, Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan in the second half of the year, gathering strength from the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean or South China Sea before weakening over land. -- REUTERS\n BEIJING - A TROPICAL storm hit China's east coast on Thursday, bringing heavy rains and disrupting shipping along the busy coast, while a typhoon shied away from China and ploughed into the Korean peninsula. Tropical storm Lionrock landed in Fujian, the Chinese province facing island Taiwan, the Xinhua news agency said. China's national weather forecaster warned residents to shelter from strong winds and torrential rains as Lionrock bore down on Xiamen, Quanzhou and other coastal cities, and to expect mudslides and land slips. Ships and fishing boats in the area were ordered to stay onshore or skirt around the storm, which hit Taiwan on Wednesday bringing downpours and lashing winds. Shanghai cancelled elementary school classes as Typhoon Kompasu threatened. The storm drenched the city and then turned its attention to South Korea, where domestic flights and school classes were cancelled on Thursday. Kompasu was whipping up winds of up to 139 kph, but was likely to weaken to a tropical storm by Friday, said forecaster Tropical Storm Risk (www.tropicalstormrisk.com). Lionrock was likely to weaken to a tropical depression, said the forecaster. -- REUTERS","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["China's east coast","China","into the Korean peninsula","Fujian"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Lionrock","Xiamen, Quanzhou and other coastal cities"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 139 kph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2010 A tropical storm warning is issued for the coast of Long Island in New York as Hurricane Earl approaches the east coast of the United States. (AP via Washington Post) (Reuters)","document":"HATTERAS ISLAND, North Carolina (Reuters) - Hurricane Earl began to strafe North Carolina’s barrier islands with dangerous winds and surf on Thursday as it spun parallel to the U.S. East Coast on a northward trek toward New England and Canada.\nEarl was a massive Category 3 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity and had top sustained winds of 115 mph after weakening from its expected peak on Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.\nAs oil refineries, exploration and drilling platforms, and nuclear power plants along the Atlantic seaboard monitored Earl’s path, EnCana Corp said it suspended drilling and pulled personnel from a Nova Scotia rig in Canada.\nExxon Mobil said it had pulled nonessential staff from its Sable field in offshore Nova Scotia.\nAt least 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate from North Carolina’s Outer Banks islands as Earl bore down on the Atlantic shore. It was about 185 miles south of Cape Hatteras at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT).\nIt was due to pass near the Outer Banks overnight, making its closest approach near Cape Hatteras around 2 a.m. EDT (0600 GMT) on Friday, before turning gradually northeast to sweep up the East Coast on Friday and into Canada on Saturday.\n“Even if the center of Earl remains offshore, hurricane-force winds are expected to occur in the Outer Banks by tonight,” the hurricane center forecasters said. “Tropical-storm-force winds will likely reach the coast from Virginia northward to Massachusetts on Friday.”\nThe U.S. Census Bureau estimated 26 million people in coastal counties from North Carolina to Maine could feel Earl’s effects in the next two days.\nWhile a direct U.S. landfall was not forecast, Earl was due to deliver a stinging blow to the North Carolina coastline and farther northward before the Labor Day holiday weekend marking the end of the summer vacation season.\nRelated Coverage\nForecasters warned that hurricane-force winds from Earl extended out 70 miles from its center, so it would not need a direct landfall to inflict damage from strong wind and high seas.\nThe U.S. Energy Information Administration said about 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil refining capacity lies in the likely U.S. affected area.\nBreaking waves 15 feet or higher were expected along North Carolina’s Outer Banks, picturesque barrier islands that jut out into the Atlantic and are frequently smacked by hurricanes and storms. Earl was one of the biggest storms to menace the state since Hurricane Floyd killed more than 50 people in North Carolina in 1999.\n\nOn Ocracoke Island, charter boat captain Ryan O’Neal, 31, said he was staying put with his dog despite an evacuation order. He spoke as the last ferry off the island, accessible only by boat, left on Thursday morning.\n“I’ve been here for every hurricane since I was born. This one may be bad, but I’m sure we’ve had worse. I’ve got to watch out for my house and boat,” O’Neal said.\nWatches and warnings were posted along the Atlantic coast for North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine and parts of Canada’s Nova Scotia and New Brunswick provinces, alerting residents hurricane and tropical storm conditions were possible in the next day or so.\nDavid Rauch, check-in office manager at a 146-unit time-shared resort near Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, said the establishment was nearly full on Thursday morning when employees started notifying residents of an evacuation order.\n“We’ve never had a bad hurricane in all the years I’ve been here. But the fact is that this one is the closest I’ve seen to having that opportunity to very easily wobble over to the west and hit us real good,” said Rauch.\nForecasters said Earl’s center was expected to be very near southeastern New England on Friday night.\n“Nantucket, the (Martha’s) Vineyard and the eastern half of the Cape (Cod) will experience hurricane-force winds,” National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read said.\nFew vacationers were visible along Main Street in Hyannis, normally one of the busiest towns in the beach community of Cape Cod, which is expected to feel the storm on Friday.\n“We were tempted to leave, but I think we’ll stick it out,” said John Tracy, 58, of Newport, New York, who was in town to visit his daughter.\n\nFederal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate urged coastal residents to stay alert and heed evacuation orders.\n“People need to be rapidly completing their preparedness now,” Fugate said. “Don’t wait for the forecast every six hours and think it’s going to get better.”\nMassachusetts Governor Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency, an administrative step that speeds storm relief.\nCars lined up to get off the island resort of Nantucket off Cape Cod and hundreds of boats were removed from its main harbor. Smaller ferry line back-ups were seem on Martha’s Vineyard, the island that recently hosted the Obama family’s summer vacation and is home to many celebrities.\nNo storm has threatened such a broad swath of the U.S. shoreline -- the densely populated coast from North Carolina to New England -- since Hurricane Bob in 1991.\nBehind Earl, Tropical Storm Gaston dissipated in the central Atlantic. There was still a chance it could regenerate as it moved west toward the Caribbean Sea, but it was too early to tell whether it would enter the energy-rich Gulf of Mexico.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["North Carolina’s barrier islands","barrier islands"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["At least 100,000 people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["Category 3 storm"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Earl"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2010 2010 Atlantic hurricane season: Tropical Storm Hermine slams into northern Mexico near the border with Texas. (Reuters via Swiss Info)","document":"\t\tBy Cyntia BarreraMEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Hermine slammed into northeastern Mexico near the Texas border on Monday, dumping heavy rain on a region still recovering from Hurricane Alex's visit in June.Hermine, the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, was expected to weaken as it moved ashore but could trigger deadly flooding and tornadoes, the U.S. National Hurricane Centre said.Authorities in Tamaulipas state where the storm made landfall evacuated 3,000 people from high-risk areas but had no immediate reports of damage or injuries.The storm's forecast path kept it away from major oil and natural gas installations in the Gulf of Mexico, and energy companies said there had been no affect on their operations.The Miami-based hurricane centre warned the storm could dump heavy rain on the coastal region and would pack a 2-to-4-foot (0.75-to-1.25-metre) storm surge that could cause deadly flash flooding and mudslides.Hermine made landfall at about 8:30 p.m. CDT (9:30 p.m. British time) around 40 miles (65 km) south of the Texas border city of Brownsville. After moving inland, its winds diminished to 60 mph (95 kph). The storm was forecast to weaken further on Tuesday as it kept moving over land.Hurricane Alex hit northeastern Mexico in July, killing 12 people and causing heavy flooding in the business capital of Monterrey. Damage from the storm was estimated at $700 million.Hermine was expected to dump 4 to 8 inches (10 cm to 20 cm) of rain over northeastern Mexico and south Texas, with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches (30 cm) possible, the hurricane centre said.In the Mexican coastal city of Matamoros, residents braced for flooding as authorities remained on high alert. The drainage system is often clogged with garbage and prone to overflow during heavy rains.\"Every time there is a hurricane or a storm, we have problems,\" said Rene Polanco, 48, who works in a supermarket in Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville. \"It's because of poor drainage in the city.\"At least 30 residential areas could be in danger from floods, although no evacuations had started yet, an official for the city's civil protection said.In the Atlantic, the remnant of Tropical Storm Gaston continued to move westward and had a medium chance of reforming as a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.Storm models predicted Gaston would travel almost due west, which would take it very close to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.Energy traders keep a close eye on potentially violent storms approaching the Gulf because it is home to about 30 percent of U.S. oil production, 11 percent of natural gas production and more than 43 percent of U.S. refinery capacity.The hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30 and is currently in its peak period.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["4 to 8 inches (10 cm to 20 cm)"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["northeastern Mexico near the Texas border","Texas border"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["3,000 people","residents"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Hermine"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["60 mph (95 kph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2010 Hurricane Julia becomes the fifth hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. (Reuters)","document":"MIAMI, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Julia grew to hurricane strength over the far eastern Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.\nJulia, the fifth hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season, reached hurricane status with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) located some 330 miles (535 km) west of the Cape Verde Islands, the center said.\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":["hurricane","Hurricane"]},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Julia"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["75 mph (120 kph)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2010 Mexico and Belize issue warnings about Tropical Storm Karl which is threatening the Yucatán Peninsula. (CNN)","document":"Miami, Florida (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Karl picked up speed Tuesday night in the northwest Caribbean Sea, prompting coastal warnings by the Mexican government, the National Hurricane Center said.\nAt 8 p.m. ET, Karl was 230 miles (370 kilometers) east of Chetumal, Mexico. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and it was traveling west-northwest at 15 mph (24 kph).\nThe warning was in effect for the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Chetumal to Cabo Catoche. A tropical storm watch was called for northern Belize.\nKarl, a small storm, will move over the Yucatan on Wednesday, the hurricane center said, and bring a storm surge and 3-5 inches of rainfall. It should weaken after landfall, forecasters say.\nThe Atlantic Ocean, meanwhile, gained a second hurricane overnight, as Tropical Storm Julia strengthened into a Category 1 storm, the National Hurricane Center reported.\nJulia joins Hurricane Igor, which weakened early Tuesday but showed signs of getting stronger later in the day. Igor still maintained its status as a powerful Category 4 storm as it churned far from land.\nAt 5 p.m. ET, Igor had top sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph) and was moving to the west-northwest at 8 mph (13 kph), according to forecasters. The storm's center was about 655 miles (1,055 km) east of the northern Leeward Islands.\nIgor, which started as a tropical storm on Saturday, rapidly intensified from a Category 2 to a Category 4 storm Sunday. \"Some fluctuations in intensity are possible during the next couple of days, but Igor is expected to remain a dangerous hurricane through Thursday,\" the center said, and it could have some effect on Bermuda.\nHurricane-force winds extended up to 45 miles (75 km) from Igor's center, and tropical storm-force winds could be felt up to 205 miles (335 km) outward, according to the center.\nWhile the storm is expected to stay north of the Caribbean islands, the islands are expected to experience dangerous surf conditions, along with some wind and rain because of Igor's size, forecasters said.\nMeanwhile, in the far eastern Atlantic, Julia kept pace, becoming the fifth hurricane of the Atlantic season. As of 5 p.m. ET, Julia's center was about 405 miles (655 km) west-northwest of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands. The storm's maximum sustained winds increased from 75 mph early Tuesday to 85 mph (140 kph), and it was moving west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph). Tracking maps show Julia have showing little change in strength into Wednesday, but it is expected to see slow weakening by Thursday. It is not expected to threaten land.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["the National Hurricane Center","National Hurricane Center"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Chetumal to Cabo Catoche","Chetumal"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":null},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["west-northwest","northwest"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["15 mph (24 kph)"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Karl"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["45 mph (75 kph)","45 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2010 A storm in New York City kills one person and leaves 25,000 people without power. This includes a Tornado which touched down in Flushing and a Macroburst.(CNN)","document":"New York (CNN) -- A fast-moving storm ripped through New York City Thursday afternoon, with strong winds and torrential rain toppling trees and leaving more than 25,000 customers without power.\nOne person died reportedly when a tree fell on a car in Queens, the New York Fire Department said.\nAccording to power company Con Edison's website, 24,391 customers in Queens and 4,919 customers in Staten Island were experiencing power outages about 7 p.m. Brooklyn had 545 customers without power.\nBoth New York City's La Guardia and New Jersey's Newark airports were experiencing two-hour outbound delays, while John F. Kennedy airport was reporting three-hour outbound delays.\nAll Long Island Railroad service going east out of Manhattan was suspended after the storm, as was service on certain subway lines running from Manhattan into Queens and Brooklyn.\nThe Long Island Railroad warned commuters that they would have limited access to Penn Station due to overcrowding. Tornado warnings had been posted by the National Weather service for Brooklyn and Queens.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["New York City"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["more than 25,000 customers","One person died","24,391 customers","4,919 customers"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Thursday afternoon"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2010 Typhoon Fanapi (Inday) hits Taiwan with at least three people killed and dozens of people injured. The Peoples Republic of China steps up its emergency response in preparation for an impact on Monday. (Bloomberg), (UPI)","document":"TAIPEI, Taiwan, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Typhoon Fanapi punished Taiwan with 125 mph winds Sunday, downing trees and power lines, and killing at least three people and injuring dozens, officials said.\nThe storm cleared the island about 6 p.m. and was head toward mainland China.\nThe China Meteorological Administration raised the storm alert to the second-highest level and warned coastal areas between Guangdong and Fujian provinces that Fanapi would make landfall Monday morning.\nChina's Xinhua news agency said shipping lanes between China and Taiwan were closed by the government.\nPolice said a woman was killed when she fell into a river while doing last-minute harvesting ahead of the storm. Two students drowned in a flooded canal when a girl slipped and fell and two friends jumped in after her, CNN said.\nThe Taipei Times reported Fanapi had crippled transportation nationwide and blew down power lines as it made landfall at 8:40 a.m. Sunday. Severe flooding was reported in southern Taiwan where several inches of rain had fallen, the newspaper said.\nThe Times said TV footage from Hualien showed lines of fallen trees, several houses with their roofs ripped off, an overturned truck and several parked cars crushed by fallen trees in Taipei City.\nThe Central Emergency Operation Center had reported two people missing and 75 people slightly injured by the storm.\nElectrical power was cut off to about 314,000 households nationwide. Power had been restored to 140,000 of those households by noon, and was expected to be restored to the rest by the end of the day, Taiwan Power Co. said.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":["The China Meteorological Administration"]},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Taiwan","China"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least three people","injuring dozens"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Sunday","Monday morning"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Fanapi"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["125 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2010 The death toll in China from Typhoon Fanapi reaches 54 with dozens more people missing. (AP via SignOn SanDiego) (China Daily)","document":"GUANGZHOU - Floods, landslides and heavy downpours brought by typhoon Fanapi had claimed 54 lives in South China's Guangdong province, while another 42 were missing, local authorities said Thursday.\nMeanwhile, more than 1.16 million people were affected and 79,400 in low-lying areas were forced to be evacuated, the provincial flood control headquarters said in a statement.\n Typhoon Fanapi ravages South China Typhoon Fanapi leaves 33 dead, 42 missing in south China Typhoon Fanapi hits Fujian province Typhoon Fanapi lands on Fujian Province\nRainstorms and and geological disasters had destroyed more than 3,637 homes and inundated more than 35,900 hectares of cropland, the headquarters said.\nDirect economic losses were estimated at about 2.11 billion yuan ($315 million).\nThe Ministry of Civil Affairs said Thursday that 2,000 tents, and 1,000 folding beds had been sent to Guangdong.\nTyphoon Fanapi, the 11th and strongest typhoon that hit China this year, landed in Fujian province at 7 am Monday, but wreaked most havoc in Guangdong, which neighbors Fujian on the south.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["South China","south China","South China's Guangdong province","Fujian Province","Fujian province"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["54 lives","another 42","more than 1.16 million people","33 dead","42 missing"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Fanapi"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2010 Heavy rain from former Tropical Storm Nicole causes flooding the US states of North Carolina and Virginia and delays in airline flights on the east coast. (CNN)","document":"(CNN) -- Parts of the Eastern Seaboard were battered by rain from a weakening tropical depression on Thursday, with more flood-causing precipitation expected as the storm moves north.\nRain from the tropical depression, which was downgraded from Tropical Storm Nicole on Wednesday, has left city streets under water, stranded vehicles, sent scores of people to shelters and caused major delays at airports along the East Coast.\nWilmington, North Carolina, has received 20.47 inches (520 mm) of rain this week -- a new record for rain in a three-day period for the city -- while flood watches and warnings extend northward into Maine.\nIn Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia, many streets are flooded, as are stretches of Interstate 264, according to CNN Virginia affiliate WAVY 10. Some in the area are without power because of downed lines.\nBeaufort County, North Carolina, is under a curfew until 6 a.m. Friday because of the flooding, mostly to keep traffic off roads.\n\"Every major transportation route in the county suffers a nearly impassable condition at specific locations,\" said County Manager Paul Spruill, who said the rain there was expected to stop soon.\nThe county had seen about 11 inches of rain from Sunday till midday Thursday, then got hit with 4 to 6 more inches Thursday afternoon. Fifty people are in a county shelter, Spruill said.\nIn Onslow County, North Carolina, there have been four water rescues and about 40 people are in a temporary shelter, according to Deputy Director of Emergency Services Norman Bryson.\nIn Carolina Beach, North Carolina, a lake overflowed and flooded downtown, with video from CNN affiliate WRAL showing one person kayaking through the streets.\nThe American Red Cross has opened seven shelters in North Carolina for those displaced by floods, the group said Thursday.\nThe weather caused airport delays in Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states Thursday evening, with flights to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport delayed an average of nearly five hours, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.\nThe FAA said rain, wind, and low visibility were to blame for delays of more than an hour-and-a-half for planes bound for New York's La Guardia Airport, New Jersey's Newark International Airport and Boston, Massachusetts' Logan International Airport.\nFlood watches and warnings were in effect for Thursday night into Friday for all or major parts of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, according to the National Weather Service.\nWind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour are expected in parts of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, the National Weather Service said.\nThe rain will move out of the Mid-Atlantic Thursday night and out of the Northeast throughout Friday, but not before dropping an additional 4-6 inches (100-150 mm), according to CNN Meteorologist Taylor Ward.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":["20.47 inches (520 mm)","about 11 inches","4-6 inches (100-150 mm)"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":null},{"role":"Influence People","values":["scores of people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Thursday","Wednesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Nicole"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["up to 50 miles per hour"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2010 Tornadoes hit Bellemont, Arizona in the southwest of the United States resulting in at least seven people being injured. (CNN)","document":"(CNN) -- At least two tornadoes struck Wednesday near Flagstaff, Arizona, injuring seven people, derailing a train and damaging more than 100 homes, authorities said.\nOne tornado caused \"about a mile of destruction,\" said Sheriff Bill Pribil of Coconino County. It damaged at least 30 mobile homes, blew the windows out of about 100 homes and caused a train derailment, he said.\nAt least seven people were injured, the National Weather Service's Flagstaff office said. None of the injuries in Coconino County were believed to be serious, Pribil said.\nBoth tornadoes touched down in the town of Bellemont, the National Weather Service reported.\n\nLena Kent, spokeswoman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, said 28 train cars were derailed and that the track itself suffered minor damages. \"It was stopped (in Bellemont) because of the tornado warning, but unfortunately, the tornado came through and actually hit the train, derailing 28 cars,\" she said. No one was injured in the derailment, she said. The company hoped to get the rail lines reopened by midnight. Radar continued to show several thunderstorms in central and north-central Arizona capable of producing tornadoes with little or no advance notice, CNN Meteorologist Sean Morris said. A tornado watch continues for central and north-central Arizona until 5 p.m. (8 p.m. ET).","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["near Flagstaff, Arizona","Arizona"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["injuring seven people","At least seven people"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2011 More than 270,000 people in the US city of Chicago, Illinois, are left without power due to thunder storms with some reports of funnel clouds. (Chicago Tribune), (NBC Chicago)","document":"Though no official tornadoes developed, several funnel clouds were reported throughout northeastern Illinois, including Naperville, Grayslake and Sugar Grove. Tornado sirens sounded throughout the western suburbs.\nThe storm left 271,407 Commonwealth Edison customers without power, said company spokesman Tony Hernandez. In Chicago, 62,085 customers were in the dark.\nThe northern suburbs were hit the hardest, where 151,783 customers lost power, Hernandez said. In the south suburbs, about 47,500 customers are without power, while the western suburbs have about 10,000 customers in the dark.\nAt O'Hare International Airport, about 340 flights were canceled by 9 p.m. as heavy rains pounded the facility.  Several planes stood on the tarmac.  Inside the terminal, gates were evacuated and travelers headed for the underground connecting tunnel between concourses B and C.\nOn the city's south side, thousands of baseball fans were stuck outdoors as rain pummeled U.S. Cellular Field, which was hosting the BP Crosstown Cup.  The game was delayed in the sixth inning at about 9 p.m., but groundskeepers weren't able to pull the tarps out onto the field because of the fierce winds.  On the rails, several Metra trains were delayed.  Travelers should check MetraRail.com for updated information.  The Chicago Transit Authority seemed to easily weather the storm, with no significant issues or delays reported.\nDamage reports throughout the area included a countless number of trees down, including a large tree on Route 53 just north of Roosevelt Road.  In Bolingbrook, the walls of aluminum structures were blown in.  Several inches of standing water was reported in Marseilles.  A chance for rain and storms persists through the week.  A reprieve is on the way Friday, according to the National Weather Service. But don't expect summer heat just yet. Temperatures hover around 70 through the weekend.  \n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["western suburbs","The northern suburbs","south suburbs"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["271,407 Commonwealth Edison customers","151,783 customers","about 47,500 customers","about 10,000 customers"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2011 More than 270,000 people in the US city of Chicago, Illinois, are left without power due to thunder storms with some reports of funnel clouds. (Chicago Tribune), (NBC Chicago)","document":" Commonwealth Edison expects to restore power to most of its customers by Thursday night, two days after a violent wave of storms that spawned at least two tornadoes and packed 80 mph winds at one point left about 440,000 customers without electricity throughout the Chicago area. As of 7 p.m., 160,000 customers remained without power, down from a peak of about 430,000. The majority of the outages were in the northern suburbs hardest hit by the storms, with about 116,000 customers without power. About 27,000 customers were without electricity in the near western suburbs, 15,000 in the south suburbs and 1,300 in Chicago. Some 274,000 have had their electrical service restored, and the utility expects to have 90 percent of all customers' power restored by midnight Thursday, said ComEd spokeswoman Alicia Zatkowski. ComEd has 700 crews, including some 300 from utilities in neighboring states, working to restore power. More crews are expected to arrive from ComEd's sister utility Pico in Pennsylvania tomorrow morning, Zatkowski said. The outage is the worst since a year ago, when storms knocked out power to 310,000 ComEd customers on June 23. Tuesday night's storms spawned funnel clouds and tornado warnings. Based on damage patterns, tornadoes appears to have touched down in Downers Grove and Mount Prospect, according to the National Weather Service. Mount Prospect was hit by winds estimated at 90 to 100 mph. The Mount Prospect tornado cut a 200-yard swatch from Golf Road to Kensington Road a few miles away, the weather service said. \"The damage found consisted of large hardwood trees snapped and large soft and hardwood uprooted trees, along with roof damage to area buildings,\" the weather service said in a statement. The winds also knocked out power to most of the downtown. The storms forced the closing of some two dozen schools, most of them in west suburban Elmhurst, because of power outages (check HERE for updates). The Maywood courthouse also was closed for lack of electricity. At Northwestern University's Evanston campus, 42 buildings were without power this morning, according to an alert on the university website. School officials said they weren't sure when power would be restored, though they said ComEd crews were working to restore service. The rough weather also forced the cancellation of about 330 flights Tuesday night stalled Metra trains on their tracks and left streets littered with tree limbs and debris. There were lingering transportation problems this morning. As of mid-afternoon, airlines atO'Hare International Airport had canceled about 500 flights, and incoming and outgoing flights were experiencing 20 minute delays, according to the city's Department of Aviation. At Midway, there were about two dozen flights experiencing delays of up to 40 minutes, with minor cancellations. The CTA suspended service on its Yellow Line and briefly did the same on the Purple Line due to ComEd issues affecting crossing gates. Metra experienced delays of at least 5 to 10 minutes on inbound trains on the Union Pacific Northwest, Union Pacific West, Milwaukee District North and Milwaukee District West lines due to signal problems in the vicinity of Western Avenue. North Central Service line trains were 10-20 minutes behind. (For continual weather updates, check the Chicago Weather Center.) Two people were taken in serious to critical condition to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston after their car  was crushed by a fallen tree near Farragut and Leavitt avenues in the Bomanville neighborhood on the North Side. Chainsaw crews were out in force. Large limbs were downed — and some trees uprooted — in Deerfield, Des Plaines, Elmhurst, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Norridge and Skokie, among other suburbs. A Niles apartment building lost its roof, as did a building in Elk Grove Village. Funnel clouds were spotted in Naperville, Aurora, about 5 miles west ofGrayslake in Lake County and four miles north-northwest ofSugar Grove in Kane County. Winds were recorded at 60 to 75 mph, with an 81 mph gust in Wheeling. But damage was still heavy, with roofs ripped off and tree branches and power lines left strewn across streets and yards. A truck driver on the Illinois tollway a quarter mile east of the Des Plaines plaza reported that strong winds blew the back of a billboard onto the highway. InNaperville, a City Council meeting was stopped and everyone in attendance was evacuated to the City Hall basement because of \"tornadic activity.\"  People attending a book signing in downtownNaperville similarly were ushered into the basement. Joliet was deluged with nearly an inch of rainfall in only 16 minutes. Tuesday night, more than 300 flights were canceled at O'Hare International Airport and another 30 at Midway. Incoming and outgoing travelers also encountered delays of an hour and more. One of those delayed getting out of town was Vice President Joe Biden, who had been here for a couple of fundraisers. The severe weather also delayed numerous Metra trains and forced the cancellation of others. One outbound commuter train was stuck for about five hours when the storm knocked down a power line onto the rail, said Metra spokesman Michael Gillis. After 2 a.m., the train was headed back downtown, and passengers were being asked to find alternative transportation or wait even longer for another train. For updated schedules check the Metra website. Today's weather outlook is much tamer. The National Weather Service forecasts a 40 percent chance of showers in the late morning and afternoon, with southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph. The high will be in the mid 70s. Before last night's storm, June already had shaped up as one of the wettest on record. Through Monday, 6.94 inches of rain had been recorded at Midway Airport, making this the third wettest start to June since observations started at the airport in 1928, according to WGN-TV meteorologist Tom Skilling.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["Downers Grove and Mount Prospect","Mount Prospect","Chicago area","the northern suburbs"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["about 440,000 customers","160,000 customers","about 116,000 customers","About 27,000 customers","15,000","1,300"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["80 mph","90 to 100 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2011 More than 114,000 people in the city of Knoxville, Tennessee, are without power due to storms. (Knox News)","document":"KNOXVILLE — An evening thunderstorm has left nearly 114,000 Knoxville-area addresses in the dark, along with dozens of downed trees, damaged power lines and several blocked roadways throughout Knox County tonight.\nNorth Knoxville is particularly affected, with blocked roadways include North Broadway, Washington Pike, Atlantic Avenue, Oglewood Avenue, Merchants Drive and Tillery Lane at Clinton Highway.\nKnox County emergency dispatchers also have received numerous calls of downed trees into houses, although no injuries have been confirmed.\nThe Knoxville Utilities Board reported widespread power outages, with 113,159 customers without power as of 9 p.m.\nA severe thunderstorm warning remains in effect until 9:45 p.m. for eastern Knox County, as well as Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson and Union counties, according to the National Weather Service office in Morristown.\nThe weather service is tracking a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph moving northeast at 40 mph.\nThe southbound lane of Broadway is blocked in North Knoxville at Kenyon Street, near Rose Mortuary.\nFurther north of Broadway, at Walker Boulevard, another tree has completely blocked Broadway.\nAmong the areas hit hardest was a section of North Knoxville, east of Broadway and north of Cecil Avenue.\nBlock after block of homes and businesses sat in the dark after high winds downed trees and power lines. An emergency vehicle sat across Washington Pike at Belle Morris School to prevent drivers from hitting debris and damage in the road. Yards away stood the Washington Pike United Methodist Church, which suffered roof damage in a similar flash storm in late April.\nMost of Fountain City is without power. Trees are down along Tazewell Pike.\nMany roads are blocked in Fountain City. A tree has taken down a power pole on Tazewell Pike at Kesterwood Drive, causing downed lines to block traffic on the pike.\nA tree has reportedly fallen into a home at Kesterwood and Robin Drive.\nAt 9 p.m., power was out in scattered ares around Lenoir City, Loudon County, Farragut and West Knox County, according to Lenoir City Utilities Board General Manager Shannon Littleton.\nLCUB was in the process of restoring power to about 2,500 customers in Lenoir City and about 500 in Farragut and West Knox, he said.\n“We were lucky that we were ahead of the game,” Littleton said. “We already had our crews out.”\n","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["a section of North Knoxville, east of Broadway and north of Cecil Avenue","North Knoxville","North Broadway","Broadway","north"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["113,159 customers"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":["northeast"]},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":["40 mph"]},{"role":"Storm Name","values":null},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":["60 mph"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2011 Tropical Storm Meari leaves at least nine people dead and three missing as it strikes the west coast of South Korea, with heavy rains and strong winds causing flooding and the suspension of sea traffic around the Korean Peninsula.(CNN)","document":"Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Meari raked the west coast of South Korea over the weekend, leaving at least nine people dead and three missing, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said Monday.\nAmong the missing is a three-year-old toddler who was swept away by strong currents along the coast, the agency said.\nThe heavy rains and strong winds flooded fields and suspended dozens of sea routes around the peninsula, emergency officials said.\nMeari has since moved over North Korea where it is expected to dissipate. The powerful storm pounded the cities of Kaesong and Haeju, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday.\nRegional governments in South Korea have begun to tackle the clean-up effort, according to NEMA. The agency said Monday that most public facilities had been restored across the country.","event_type":"Storm","arguments":[{"role":"Storm Formation Location","values":null},{"role":"People/Organization who predicted the disaster","values":null},{"role":"Amount of Precipitation","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Location","values":["west coast of South Korea","South Korea","Kaesong and Haeju"]},{"role":"Influence People","values":["at least nine people","three"]},{"role":"Storm Direction","values":null},{"role":"Storm Hit Time","values":["over the weekend"]},{"role":"Storm Formation Time","values":null},{"role":"Storm Center Location","values":null},{"role":"Storm Warning Level","values":null},{"role":"Storm Movement Speed","values":null},{"role":"Storm Name","values":["Meari"]},{"role":"Maximum Wind Speed","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2018 Door-to-door sales firm Kleeneze, which employs around 5,000 people, collapses into administration after 95 years. (BBC)","document":"One of Britain's oldest home shopping companies has gone into administration. Kleeneze, best known for selling household and beauty products through its network of door-to-door sellers, said it had ceased trading on Thursday and 140 jobs are at risk. But there is also a question mark over the future of 5,000 independent distributors who sell the products. Administrators FRP Advisory is seeking a buyer in a last ditch attempt to save the 95-year old firm.\nJoint administrator David Acland said: \"Kleeneze has performed well over the years and has a strong network of independent sales distributors.\n\"Unfortunately, tough trading conditions have resulted in the business entering administration.\n\"The business suffered from operational issues after its move to the Heywood distribution site earlier in 2017. \"There were logistics challenges and IT issues that took six months to resolve, which resulted in significant lost sales,\" Mr Acland said.\nKleeneze's self-employed distributors deliver catalogues throughout in the UK and Ireland, earning cash or rewards for every sale they make - either at the doorstep or through their own online shop.\nThese sellers are a mixture of self-employed sole traders and partnerships, and many work for Kleeneze alongside other jobs. The company employs 69 permanent staff at its head office in Accrington, Lancashire, and a further 71 at its warehouse in Heywood, Greater Manchester.\nUsdaw, the trade union for Kleeneze staff, said it was seeking urgent meetings with the administrators in a bid to protect jobs.\nAnnette Bott, an Usdaw area organiser, said: \"This is clearly a difficult and upsetting time for the 140 staff based in Accrington and Heywood. \"We are pressing the administrators to find a buyer for the company who will protect jobs and keep the business going. In the meantime, we are providing our members with the support, advice and representation they need.\"\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Kleeneze"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Britain"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["There were logistics challenges and IT issues that took six months to resolve, which resulted in significant lost sales"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2018 Basque separatist group ETA announces its dissolution in May. (EFE)","document":"Alleged ex leader of an elite unit of the Basque separatist band ETA Eneko Gogeaskoetxea testifies during his trial at the National Court in Madrid, Spain, on Sept. 26, 2017. EPA-EFE/FILE/Ballesteros /POOL\nArnaldo Otegi (C), the General Coordinator of the EH Bildu (short for 'Euskal Herria Bildu', or 'Basque Country Gather') far-left, Basque nationalist and pro-independence party, raises his voting card during a rally of the party held in Vitoria, northern Spain, Oct. 07, 2017. EPA-EFE/FILE/David Aguilar\nBasque separatist group ETA is set to announce its dissolution in the first week of May at an event in the French city of Bayonne, sources told EFE.\nDetails of the event, set to take place on May 5 and expected to be attended by representatives of the Basque government, political parties and trade unions, will be announced at a press conference on Friday.\nSources from the Basque autonomous government had refused to comment on what they called speculations and said that as and when there is a decision by the ETA, they would evaluate it.\nBasque public television station ETB had reported on Wednesday that ETA was planning to announce its dissolution on the first weekend of May.\nIn Bayonne, on April 8 - the first anniversary of the disarmament of ETA - Arnaldo Otegi, leader of the EH Bildu political party, had announced that the militant group would be taking new steps in the coming weeks and months.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Basque separatist group ETA"]},{"role":"Date","values":["May 5"]},{"role":"Location","values":["French city of Bayonne","Bayonne"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2018 Erin Energy, a Texas company specialising in African offshore oil deposits with licences to explore off Nigeria, The Gambia, Ghana, and Kenya, files for bankruptcy protection. (Splash 24/7)","document":"Houston-based Erin Energy Corporation, which mainly focuses on offshore oil developments in Africa, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.\nUnder the filing, made in the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, Erin and some of its subsidiaries are asking the court to approve a reorganization plan as it seeks to restructure its debt.\nErin and the subsidiaries will continue to operate under the jurisdiction of the court.\nCourt documents show the company listing assets of nearly $247.54 million and total debts exceeding $628.72 million.\nErin has exploration licences for offshore Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia and Kenya but the oil sector in Africa has been struggling.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Houston-based Erin Energy Corporation","Houston"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Southern District of Texas, Houston"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["seeks to restructure its debt"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2018 Following the cancellation of the Williams & Glyn bank formation, the Royal Bank of Scotland announces the closure of 162 RBS and subsidiary NatWest branches across the United Kingdom. (BBC)","document":"Royal Bank of Scotland has announced it is closing 162 branches across England and Wales. The bank said that 792 jobs would go as a result and staff would be offered voluntary redundancy. RBS branches in England and Wales, and the NatWest business in Scotland, had been earmarked for a new \"challenger bank\" under the name Williams & Glyn.\nHowever, that project is now not going ahead and the bank has reviewed its branch network.\nSome 109 branches will close in late July and August 2018, while a further 53 branches will close in November 2018.\nYou can see a full list of the branches that will be closing here.\nAn RBS spokesman said: \"We are no longer launching Williams & Glyn as a challenger bank, and we now have two branch networks operating in close proximity to each other; NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland, in England and Wales. \"As a result, we have had to review our overall branch footprint in England and Wales and we've made the difficult decision to close a number of Royal Bank of Scotland branches. \"Customers of Royal Bank of Scotland in England & Wales will be able to use NatWest branches instead for their everyday banking needs.\"\nThe latest branch closures follow existing plans to close 52 bank branches in Scotland that serve rural communities, and 197 NatWest branches.\nThe Unite union has calculated that in the case of 71 of the 162 branches closing, customers will be forced to make return journeys of about 25 miles to reach another one. Rob MacGregor, Unite's national officer, said: \"The Williams & Glyn saga rolls on as Royal Bank of Scotland continues with its shambolically poor management of this business. \"How does a taxpayer-funded institution spend £1.8bn on a failed IT project and in the next breath demolish the much-needed local bank branches?\n\"Today nearly 1,000 employees have finally been told of their dark futures because the bank has been calamitously managed for too long.\" In February, following a campaign by local communities, RBS decided to keep 10 branches threatened with closure open till the end of the year. Nicky Morgan, who chairs Parliament's Treasury Committee, said there was \"a risk of increased levels of financial exclusion\" as a result of the branch closures, since bank branches were still vital for many people.\n\"It's important for the government to monitor this trend. If financial exclusion is increasing, the government may be required to intervene,\" she said.\nStaff were braced for something like this, though the scale of the closures and job losses is a shock.\nLast year the European Commission said RBS could forget about trying to hive off part of its business and, instead, set up a fund to support new rivals.\nEver since then the writing was on the wall for most of the people and branches which RBS had shoved into Williams & Glyn, a Frankenstein bank which no one seemed to want.\nThat was the trigger, but it's also a fact that big banks have been looking for excuses to close as many branches as they can.\nAnd they would have you believe it is partly your fault, if you've joined the legions who bank on computers and mobile phones.\nFor customers wondering where it will all end, it seems inevitable that we will end up with even fewer branches.\nThose that survive may be dedicated to selling complicated products like investments and pensions, and sorting out tricky complaints.\nUnite is calling on RBS \"not to abandon their responsibilities\" to the communities that depend on the affected bank branches. RBS chief executive Ross McEwan recently defended the bank's closure of its Scottish branches, saying that mobile banks are serving 440 communities.\nHowever, the bank has faced criticism from customers that the mobile banks do not stop in each location for long enough.\nRBS has also tried to persuade customers to start using online banking and its companion smartphone mobile banking app. But the bank has had to recognise that not everyone wants to handle their banking digitally.\nTo this end, today it announced that it had created a special taskforce to help customers learn digital skills so they could use online banking in future.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Royal Bank of Scotland","Scotland","Royal Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["109 branches will close in late July and August 2018, while a further 53 branches will close in November 2018","close"]},{"role":"Location","values":["England and Wales","England","Wales"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["no longer launching Williams & Glyn as a challenger bank, and we now have two branch networks operating in close proximity to each other; NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland, in England and Wales","Royal Bank","Scotland","England","Wales","NatWest","Glyn"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2010 Mexicana de Aviación, Mexico's biggest airline, files for bankruptcy. (BBC) (Los Angeles Times)","document":"Mexico's biggest airline, Mexicana de Aviacion, has filed for bankruptcy protection after failing to reach a deal with trade unions on cost cutting. The heavily-indebted airline said flights would continue while it restructured its finances.\nMexicana had proposed deep pay cuts for pilots and crew, as well as a 40% reduction in the workforce. The firm suffered heavy losses during Mexico's recession in 2009, as well an outbreak of swine flu the same year. The outbreak caused a sharp fall in tourism in the country. Mexicana said it had filed for bankruptcy in a Mexico City court \"to restructure its costs and ensure the viability of the company\".\nIt has also filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in New York to fend off legal action from creditors. The 89-year-old airline has debts of about $800m (£500m). Managers said on Monday that wages for pilots and crew as well as staff numbers would have to be cut by about 40% to keep the company running. Workers, who gave up a range of benefits in 2006, have refused to accept the cuts, but have also ruled out a strike. \"We don't have any other option than to continue negotiating,\" Fernando Perfecto, the head of the pilot's union, told Reuters news agency. Mexicana has flights to 65 national and international destinations, including the US, Canada, South America and Europe. The company says it carried 1.1 million passengers in 2009. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Mexicana de Aviacion"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Mexico City court"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["failing to reach a deal with trade unions on cost cutting"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2010 Mexicana de Aviación, Mexico's biggest airline, files for bankruptcy. (BBC) (Los Angeles Times)","document":"Mexicana Airlines, the busiest foreign carrier at Los Angeles International Airport, announced Tuesday that it had filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. and Mexico, blaming much of its financial trouble on high labor costs.\nThe debt-ridden airline made the announcement one day after suspending a total of 31 flights in Mexico and across the U.S., including some of its departures from Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Jose, Sacramento, San Francisco and Oakland.\nAt LAX, the airline put a hold on four of 15 daily flights to Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and Mexico City.\nThe Mexico City-based airline promised to contact passengers with tickets on canceled flights for a refund or to rebook them on another Mexicana flight or with another carrier.\nMexicana also blames its financial woes on the global financial crisis and the H1N1 (swine flu) epidemic in Mexico that has devastated the travel and tourism industry in the country.\nMexicana flies to more than 65 national and international destinations, including the U.S., Canada, Central and South America and Europe. It operates nearly 70 planes and carried 11.1 million passengers in 2009, according to the company website.\nThe airline’s parent company, Nuevo Grupo Aeronautico, also operates two low-cost domestic airlines, Click and Link, which will continue to operate without interruption, according to the airline.\nIn a statement, the airline said the bankruptcy protection would allow it to restructure its liabilities and “bring its cost structure, particularly labor costs, into line with market conditions.”\nMexicana has put most of the blame for its financial crisis on pilot and flight attendant salaries, which the airline says are up to 185% higher than the pay of their counterparts at Mexican airlines like Volaris or Interjet.\nThe airline has been calling for new contracts that would cut wages for pilots by 41% and impose a 39% wage cut for flight attendants. Mexicana also proposed reducing its overall workforce of pilots and attendants by 40%.\nAmong other ideas, the airline’s management has suggested the unions buy Mexicana for one peso on the condition that the labor groups take responsibility for the airline’s debt, an idea the unions rejected.\nLizette Clavel Sanchez, the secretary general of Mexicana’s flight attendants union, said Tuesday that the airline’s employees were willing to keep negotiating with Mexicana, but only in “transparency and without abuse.”\nClavel said the airline’s contention that Mexicana workers are paid significantly more than those at other airlines in Mexico is like “comparing pears and apples.”\n“Those are low-cost airlines that don’t have the same service, technology and flight times we do. Airlines like Volaris or Interjet don’t make flights longer than four hours. We have flights that are as long as 16 hours,” Clavel said. “It is wrong to quantify our salaries that way.”\nhugo.martin@latimes.com\nTimes staff writer Daniel Hernandez in Mexico City contributed to this report. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Lizette Clavel Sanchez, the secretary general of Mexicana’s flight attendants union"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Mexicana Airlines"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the U.S. and Mexico","Mexico"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["financial trouble on high labor costs"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2019 American retailer Bed Bath & Beyond announces it will close 60 stores by the end of the year due to declining profits. (USA Today)","document":"Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. is increasing the number of stores it expects to shutter in the fiscal year.\nThe New Jersey-based home goods retailer, which also operates buybuy Baby, Harmon Face Values and World Market, says it will close 60 stores in the fiscal year across the company, up 20 from the April estimate of 40 stores.\nMost of the closings are expected after the holiday shopping season in early 2020, company officials said during a quarterly earnings call Wednesday. The company's fiscal year typically ends in early March.\nForty of the stores closing will be Bed Bath & Beyond stores and 20 will be stores in the company's other concepts, interim CEO Mary Winston said during the call.\n“With this action we are increasing the profitability of our remaining portfolio and believe that our remaining fleet will benefit from our renewed focus on driving traffic and operating efficiency,” Winston said, adding the \"fleet optimization\" will “create a better balance between our physical and digital presence within the markets we serve.”\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Mary Winston"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Bed Bath & Beyond Inc"]},{"role":"Date","values":["early 2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["With this action we are increasing the profitability of our remaining portfolio and believe that our remaining fleet will benefit from our renewed focus on driving traffic and operating efficiency"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2019 UK clothing retailer Bonmarché collapses into administration. The chain employs 2,900 people and operates 318 stores. (iNews)","document":"Clothing retailer Bonmarché has become the latest high street casualty after it appointed administrators, putting 2,900 jobs at risk. \nThe collapse is the culmination of a long saga over the chain’s ownership and will now see the Wakefield-based business looking for a new buyer.\nAdministrators at FRP Advisory said it will continue trading from its 318 stores for the time being while it is put up for sale. No redundancies have been made yet.\nIt comes a few months after Philip Day, the owner of Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group, took control of the company with an offer that took it off the stock market.\nMr Day’s stake, which is thought to be around 95 per cent held by his vehicle Spectre, has now been wiped out.\nHelen Connolly, chief executive of the brand, said it was with “deep regret and sadness” that administrators had been appointed.\nShe added that Bonmarché’s management team believed “that if we had had an opportunity to work with the Spectre team closely at an earlier stage, another outcome would have been possible”.\nShe blamed the prolonged uncertainty over Brexit and the “historic difficulty” facing the high street for the company’s woes.\nBonmarche previously considered refinancing or a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), which would have allowed it to close stores and cut rents, but the options were considered insufficient to keep the business going.\n“Our first priority is to our colleagues and their families in the face of this difficult news,” Ms Connelly said. \n“This is not the outcome we had hoped for and we will work with the administrators to do all it possibly can to protect as many jobs as possible and work towards finding a buyer for the business that can secure its future going forward.”\nTony Wright, joint administrator and partner at FRP Advisory, said there were likely to be buyers keen to bid on it.\n“There is every sign that we can continue trading while we market Bonmarché for sale and believe that there will be interest to take on the business,” he said.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Helen Connolly, chief executive of the brand"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Bonmarché"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["prolonged uncertainty over Brexit and the “historic difficulty”"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2019 U.S. company Purdue Pharma files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Agreeing to contribute more than US$3 billion from the sale of a daughter company, the owners propose to settle thousands of lawsuits related to the risk of addiction to their narcotic painkiller Oxycontin. (The Guardian)","document":"US drug-maker Purdue Pharma has filed for bankruptcy and announced a $10bn (£8bn) plan to settle thousands of lawsuits that accuse the company’s prescription painkiller, OxyContin, of fuelling the deadly opioids crisis.\nThe company, owned by the billionaire Sackler family, faces more than 2,000 lawsuits, including actions from nearly all US states and many local governments, which allege Purdue falsely promoted OxyContin by downplaying the risk of addiction. The public health crisis claimed the lives of nearly 400,000 people between 1999 and 2017, according to the latest US data.\nThe chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, made on Sunday night in White Plains, New York, is designed to halt the lawsuits. Under the proposed settlement, which is backed by about half the states and thousands of local governments that are suing Purdue, the Sacklers will hand the firm’s assets over to a trust. It will operate a reformed company, whose board will be selected by the claimants and approved by the bankruptcy court. Money generated by the new firm could be used for drug treatment.\nThe settlement is worth less than the $12bn originally envisaged. The company listed assets of up to $10bn and debts of $1bn in its chapter 11 filing. The bankruptcy court will decide how the money is allocated among the states, cities and counties.\nThe Sacklers have agreed to contribute at least $3bn as part of the settlement, from funds generated by selling Purdue’s UK-based subsidiary Mundipharma. Their contribution became a sticking point during the discussions.\nSteve Miller, the chairman of Purdue’s board of directors, which met on Sunday night to approve the long-expected bankruptcy filing, said: “This unique framework for a comprehensive resolution will dedicate all of the assets and resources of Purdue for the benefit of the American public.\n“This settlement framework avoids wasting hundreds of millions of dollars and years on protracted litigation, and instead will provide billions of dollars and critical resources to communities across the country trying to cope with the opioid crisis. We will continue to work with state attorneys general and other plaintiff representatives to finalise and implement this agreement as quickly as possible.”\nPurdue said the deal was backed by 24 states and five US territories, as well as lead lawyers for more than 2,000 cities, counties and other plaintiffs.\nHowever, two dozen states remain opposed or uncommitted to the proposed settlement. Opposing states, including Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut, want the Sacklers to contribute more of their own money towards the settlement. Their opposition could complicate the bankruptcy process.\nMembers of the Sackler family also face lawsuits, seeking billions of dollars in damages, that claim the company and family aggressively marketed prescription painkillers while misleading doctors and patients about their addiction and overdose risks.\nPurdue and the Sacklers have denied the allegations.\nThe Delaware attorney general Kathy Jennings said in a statement: “Irrespective of Purdue’s actions or evasion, we will continue to pursue justice on behalf of those harmed by the Sacklers’ greed, callousness and fraud.”\nMembers of the Sackler family said they hoped those opposing the current settlement offer would change their minds. “We are hopeful that in time, those parties who are not yet supportive will ultimately shift their focus to the critical resources that the settlement provides to people and problems that need them.”\nMiller said the company had not admitted wrongdoing and does not intend to. “The alternative is to not settle but instead to resume the litigation,” he told reporters. “The resumption of litigation would rapidly diminish all the resources of the company and would be lose-lose-lose all the way around. Whatever people might wish for is not on the table now.”","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["the billionaire Sackler family"]},{"role":"Organization","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday night"]},{"role":"Location","values":["White Plains, New York","New York"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Purdue falsely promoted OxyContin by downplaying the risk of addiction"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2019 German airline Condor, a subsidiary of the now insolvent Thomas Cook Group, files for bankruptcy. (BBC)","document":"Thomas Cook's German subsidiary has announced it is filing for insolvency in an attempt to save its national brands after the collapse of the UK parent company on Monday.\nAlmost 100,000 holidaymakers are travelling with the German affiliates and it is not clear what the bankruptcy proceedings will mean for them.\nThe German government has already granted a €380m (£335m; $420m) bridging loan to the holiday airline Condor.\nCondor is 49% owned by Thomas Cook.\nThe central state of Hesse, where Condor is based, also stepped in to rescue the airline, arguing that it was profitable. The company said it was \"operationally healthy\" and the six-month loan was aimed at preventing any \"bottlenecks\" resulting from its British parent company. The funding will be paid out pending an agreement with the European Commission.\nThomas Cook Germany is also based in Hesse and state premier Volker Bouffier said it was in principle willing to step in to help that company too.\nIt said that it had long been burdened by the weak Thomas Cook business in Great Britain and by Brexit.\nA total of 600,00 holidaymakers have been caught up in the collapse of the UK company. Many have travelled from the UK but Thomas Cook's empire stretches across Europe and tens of thousands have travelled with its subsidiaries.\nUnder EU package holiday rules, holidaymakers are protected financially from a company's insolvency as well as having the right to repatriation.\nThe UK's Civil Aviation Authority has had the task of bringing back more than 150,000 holidaymakers. It repatriated more than 14,000 passengers on Tuesday and was expecting to bring back another 16,500 on Wednesday.\nThousands of Dutch, Belgian and Polish tourists are still abroad, but the biggest group affected outside the UK is from Germany. A spokeswoman said on Wednesday that 97,000 people were currently travelling with the company.\nThomas Cook Germany employs some 2,000 people and has several national brands, including Neckermann, Öger Tours, Air Marin and Bucher Reisen. A thousand people are employed by the company near Frankfurt.\nIt said it was talking to the German foreign ministry as well as the travel bankruptcy insurer, Zurich, about repatriating customers. Like Condor, it has asked the Hesse state government and the federal government for a bridging loan.\nThe German subsidiary believes its brands have a future and is in negotiations with investors and hotel operators to continue in business.\nThomas Cook GmbH said it had been forced to seek insolvency to extricate itself from its (UK) parent company's \"financial tie-ups and related liabilities\".\n\"We owe this to our long-standing customers, committed employees and other partners who have supported us so much over the years and in the last difficult weeks,\" said chief executive Stefanie Berk.\nThomas Cook businesses in several other European countries are also trying to survive:\nFounded in 1841, parent company Thomas Cook filed for bankruptcy after failing to secure emergency funding of £200m from the UK government.\nIn the UK, anyone who has bought a package holiday covered by the Air Travel Organiser's Licence scheme (Atol) will have the cost refunded.\nHowever, some customers whose future holidays have been cancelled have seen the price of replacement deals spiral.\nThere is also concern that local businesses will be badly affected in countries where Thomas Cook operates","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["chief executive Stefanie Berk"]},{"role":"Organization","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["failing to secure emergency funding of £200m from the UK government"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2019 Northern Irish bus manufacturer Wrightbus collapses into administration after buyout talks fail, with 1,200 jobs lost. Local politicians urge action from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who commissioned the so–called \"Boris Bus\" from the company when he was Mayor of London and previously promised to \"do everything we can to ensure the future of\" Wrightbus. (Sky News)","document":"Model bus fan Boris Johnson is urged to help prevent the loss of skilled manufacturing jobs amid union anger at the failure.\nWednesday 25 September 2019 14:00, UK\nWrightbus, the Northern Ireland maker of the so-called Boris bus, has fallen into administration with 1,200 jobs lost.\nHours after a story by Sky News that an announcement was imminent, employees and their union representatives were told at a meeting a buyer or new investment could not be found.\nIt followed the breakdown of talks with a number of interested parties including Chinese industrial group Weichai and Jo Bamford - a member of the JCB-founding family.\nAbout 50 workers have been kept on - for now.\nMany of those made redundant left the staff briefing to express their disbelief that a deal - believed to have been close only last week - had not been completed.\nOne, Gordon Mairs, told reporters: \"Officially we were made redundant this morning, we have no jobs. Twenty-two years I have been an employee.\"\nMichael Magnay, joint administrator at insolvency specialists Deloitte, said: \"It is bitterly disappointing for all concerned that despite extensive efforts over recent months it has not been possible to find a buyer who wanted to maintain the business as a going concern.\n\"We recognise the companies are crucially important employers in Ballymena, and this will be devastating news for those who worked there, their families and the town, which has already suffered from a number of manufacturing closures in recent years.\n\"We will continue to support employees through this difficult time. The joint administrators will explore all remaining options for the business and assets, and would encourage any parties with an interest to contact them.\"\nThe Unite union said the collapse of the 73-year old Balymena firm threatened \"devastating consequences\" for the economy in County Antrim and beyond as it built on the closures of Michelin Tyres and Gallaher's Tobacco operations.\nRegional secretary, Jackie Pollock, said: \"This is a workforce at the cutting edge of technological advancements in the design and supply of green public transport.\n\"We cannot afford to lose any more jobs or skills in this area.\n\"Just three months ago Boris Johnson gave assurances that he 'will do everything we can to ensure the future of that great UK company'.\n\"He has a chance today to do something decent.\"\nUnite said 4,700 jobs were now at risk across the company's operations and in its supply chain.\nThe company is best-known for its double-decker Routemasters - with lower-emission vehicles commissioned for use in London while PM Boris Johnson was London mayor.\nHis successor at City Hall, Sadiq Khan, has shied away from them amid a wider fall in orders in recent years that has coincided with bus services drying up.\nThe company made two rounds of redundancies in 2018.\nWrightbus owner William Wright was the first prominent businessperson in Northern Ireland to declare support for Brexit.\nThe company has stopped short of blaming the decision to leave the EU for some of its financial troubles.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Wrightbus owner William Wright"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Wrightbus"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Northern Ireland"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["financial troubles"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2019 The American clothing retailer Forever 21 files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announces it will close up to 178 stores. (NPR)","document":"Forever 21 — the ubiquitous mall-based fashion retailer aimed at teens, tweens and young adults — filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, joining a growing list of apparel outlets to fall victim to competitive online market pressures. The California-based company may close up to 178 U.S. stores, according to court records.\nIn a statement to customers Sunday night, Forever 21 said the bankruptcy move was necessary so it could take \"positive steps to reorganize the business so we can return to profitability.\"\n\"This was an important and necessary step to secure the future of our Company, which will enable us to reorganize our business and reposition Forever 21,\" Linda Chang, the company's executive vice president, said in a statement. The company stressed it's not going out of business, adding that people who come into its stores will have a shopping experience that \"will continue to feel like a normal day.\"\nIn the records filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, the company detailed possible store closures but emphasized that it does not expect to fully exit any major U.S. market.\nThe company's leaders also plan to keep operations in Mexico and Latin America, while shutting down stores in Asia and Europe.\n\"Forever 21's restructuring will focus on maximizing the value of our U.S. footprint and shuttering certain international locations,\" the company said in a separate statement to the media.\n\"As such, and as part of our filing, we have requested approval to close up to 178 stores across the U.S.,\" it said. \"The decisions as to which domestic stores will be closing are ongoing, pending the outcome of continued conversations with landlords.\" The company reports it has secured $350 million in financing, which includes $275 million from JPMorgan Chase. An additional $75 million in new capital from TPG Sixth Street Partners will allow the company to continue daily business such as processing gift cards, exchanges and reimbursements. Forever 21 will continue to operate hundreds of stores, according to court records. Many of its current 549 U.S. stores are anchors in malls across the country.\nHowever, the Forever 21 website makes up just 16% of its sales.\nThe chain, founded in 1984, is a major player in fast fashion but has seen its growth stall in recent years as foot traffic in traditional malls continues to dwindle and rent for retailers continues to climb. The chain saw its biggest boom in the 2000s, when Forever 21 would offer en vogue stylings for bargain prices. Forever 21 bet big on the mall-based business model, going for bigger and better store footprints in nearly 800 locations. Forever 21 now joins other troubled stores of the mall-going teen culture of the 1990s and 2000s such as Wet Seal, Aéropostale and American Apparel. But several, like American Apparel, have found a way back.\nForever 21 received approval to continue employee benefits alongside pay and reimbursable expenses, according to the documents. The chain has around 28,500 employees, 23,500 of which are part-time and seasonal. During the upcoming holiday season, the company is expecting to hire 4,000 more employees and 700 temporary staffers. NPR's Alina Selyukh and Peter Talbot contributed to this report.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Linda Chang, the company's executive vice president","company"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Forever 21"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["competitive online market pressures"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2019 Slovenian airline Adria Airways cancels all flights and files for bankruptcy. (Reuters)","document":"LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Slovenian airline Adria Airways has filed for bankruptcy and canceled all flights, it said in a statement on Monday, after financial problems forced it to ground most of its planes over the last week.\n“Bankruptcy proceedings were initiated by the management of the company because of the company’s insolvency,” Adria, which is owned by German investment firm 4K Invest, said.\nAdria is the latest in a long line of small European airlines to run into financial trouble amid industry overcapacity, cut-throat competition and high fuel prices.\nSince last Tuesday Adria has canceled more than 400 flights affecting more than 15,000 passengers.\nSlovenia’s Economy Minister Zdravko Pocivalsek said earlier on Monday the government was considering establishing a new airline company to improve the country’s international connections. Adria’s collapse was very damaging to Slovenia’s economy and tourism industry, the minister said.\nOfficials were talking to Germany's Lufthansa LHAG.DE and Fraport FRAG.DE, which owns Ljubljana airport, about transferring half of Adria's flights, Pocivalsek said.\nA Lufthansa spokesman said it was too early to say how Adria’s flights would be replaced in the long-term. Lufthansa is currently organizing flights to cover connections Adria was flying for the German group, either exclusively or via code share, he added.\nSlovenia’s Civil Aviation Agency last week gave Adria until Oct. 2 to present a financial plan in order to keep its operating license.\nSlovenia sold Adria to 4K Invest in 2016. The company has since sold all of its planes and has been flying to several European destinations on leased aircraft. According to TV Slovenia and other media, Adria has debt of around 90 million euros ($98.30 million).\nGovernment officials have said European Union rules on state aid prevented the government helping Adria, adding it would also not help the company under its current ownership, which they called “irresponsible”.\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Adria Airways"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Slovenia"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["financial problems forced it to ground most of its planes over the last week"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2011 The New Zealand Press Association closes down after over 130 years in operation with 42 job losses. (3 News)","document":"The New Zealand Press Association, the organisation that services newspapers with news, is to close down after more than 130 years.\nThe organisation will wind up its operations within the next four to six months and 42 staff are set to lose their jobs.\nThe NZPA called a meeting at its Wellington headquarters this afternoon to discuss the future of the media outlet.\nEPMU national secretary Andrew Little said he had been told last week that there would be some job losses at NZPA.\n“APN sources tell me it is Fairfax who want out of NZPA,” 3 News political reporter Patrick Gower tweeted this afternoon.\nFor as long as newspapers have been rolling off the presses in New Zealand, NZPA has been providing content for them.\nIt was set up in 1879 and on the companies website today it boasts of sending out a thousand pieces of information every 24 hours from stock exchange reports to news pieces to international news wires.\nKip Brook worked as the chief foreign correspondent for NZPA in London during the 1980s.\n“We did a lot and there were big teams and we covered big events and we covered the news not just for the media but for all the New Zealand public because this was before internet came in and people didn't know what was going on,” he says. At one point NZPA had journalists stationed in Singapore, Washington, London and Sydney.\nOnly the Sydney office remains now and staff numbers have been slashed.\nToday's announcement that NZPA is to disappear altogether was not unexpected but Mr Brook says it's a sad day for New Zealand media.\nWith the expansion of digital media it seems the time of the news agency is over.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The New Zealand Press Association"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the next four to six months"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New Zealand","New Zealand"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2011 Four banks, with total assets of $2.7 billion, are ordered closed in the U.S.; 157 American banks failed last year.(Reuters)","document":"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities closed four banks -- one in Denver and three in the U.S. Southeast -- on Friday with total assets of $2.7 billion, bringing the number of failures in 2011 so far to seven.\nThe pace of bank failures is expected to decrease in 2011 as the economy recovers and the impact of the 2007-2009 financial crisis fades. In 2010, 157 banks failed, following 140 failures in 2009.\nFDIC Chairman Sheila Bair has said the agency expects the number of failures to drop in 2011.\n“You will still have elevated bank failures in 2011 but based on our current projections it will be significantly lower than what we had last year,” she said on January 13.\nSmaller banks, those with less than a billion dollars in assets, continue to struggle and have made up the bulk of recent closures. Many are having trouble dealing with the sluggish real estate market, particularly its effect on loans they made for commercial property.\nThe FDIC announced the following closures on Friday:\n* United Western Bank UWB.BO, of Denver. It had assets of $2.05 billion. First Citizens Bank & Trust Company FCNCA.O, of Raleigh, North Carolina, will assume the deposits. United Western Bank had eight branches, including in Boulder and Fort Collins.\nFirst Citizens already had three branches in the Denver area operated by its IronStone Bank division. First Citizens has purchased assets of four other banks, in Florida, California and Washington state, in the past 18 months.\n* CommunitySouth Bank and Trust, of Easley, South Carolina. Had $440.6 million in assets. CertusBank, National Association, of Easley, South Carolina, a newly-chartered bank subsidiary of Blue Ridge Holdings Inc, Charlotte, North Carolina, assumed the deposits.\n* Bank of Asheville, North Carolina. It had assets of $195.1 million. First Bank, Troy, North Carolina, to assume the deposits.\n* Enterprise Banking Company, of McDonough, Georgia. It had assets of $100.9 million. FDIC created Deposit Insurance National Bank of McDonough, which will remain open until January 28, to allow depositors access to insured deposits and time to open accounts elsewhere.\nOn November 23 the FDIC released its latest quarterly report on the state of the banking industry. It showed that the industry overall continues to recover from the financial crisis but that large banks are doing better than smaller institutions.\nThe net income for the banking industry was $14.5 billion for the third quarter, which compares to $21.4 billion in the second quarter and $2 billion in the third quarter of 2009, according to the FDIC.\nThe agency said that third-quarter earnings would have reached a three-year high had it not been for a $10.4 billion goodwill charge taken by Bank of America BAC.N during the quarter for its card business.\nThe banking industry has been setting aside less money to guard against losses, helping to boost earnings in recent quarters.\nBair has cautioned against banks reducing these reserves too quickly given the state of the economy.\nDespite the improving revenue numbers for the industry as a whole, community banks continue to be hit hard by the weak economy and the amount of bad loans on their books, particularly in the commercial real estate sector.\nFor instance, the number of banks on the agency’s “problem list” grew to 860 from 829, to reach the highest number since March of 1993 when there were 928 institutions on the list. Most of these institutions will not fail but the list provides an indication of how many banks are struggling.\nReporting by Charles Abbott; Editing by Tim Dobbyn, Bernard Orr\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Bank of Asheville","bank","Bank","United Western Bank UWB.BO","Enterprise Banking Company","CommunitySouth Bank and Trust","Trust"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Denver","U.S. Southeast"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["bank failures"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2015 Clothing manufacturer and retailer American Apparel files for bankruptcy. The company says that its 200+ retail stores will continue to operate without any interruptions. (The New York Times), (Forbes)","document":"Nearly a year after the ouster of founder and CEO Dov Charney, American Apparel has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.\nThis comes as little surprise to investors of the LA-based clothing retailer, who were warned in August that the company had \"substantial doubt\" it could remain in business and investors could incur big losses. In its latest quarter, the company reported a loss of $19.4 million.\nBy declaring bankruptcy, American Apparel plans to restructure its debt in the next six months. The company said it will be business as usual for its 200+ retail stores, which will continue to operate without any interruptions.\n\"This restructuring will enable American Apparel to become a stronger, more vibrant company,\" said CEO Paula Schneider\n in a statement. \"By improving our financial footing, we will be able to refocus our business efforts on the execution of our turnaround strategy.\"\nIn an attempt to shore up its finances, American Apparel will convert over $200 million in debt into equity stakes in the reorganized company. Lenders will also provide some $90 million in debtor-in-possession financing, plus $70 million in new financing.\nThe result will be a reduction in American Apparel's debt from $300 million to no more than $135 million, the company said.\nThe iconic brand, known for its raunchy ads, has been shuttering stores and laying off employees under a turnaround plan meant to cut costs and revive a steep drop in sales. The company hasn't left its drama with controversial former CEO Dov Charney behind yet, either. In recent months, the company has amassed huge legal bills from lawsuits with Charney, who was fired amid allegations involving sexual harassment and misuse of corporate funds.\nAmerican Apparel's stock, which has devolved into penny stock status amid the company's ongoing troubles, dropped another three cents on Monday and was trading at just nine cents per share.\n\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["CEO Paula Schneider"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["American Apparel"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["bankruptcy"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2015 Clothing manufacturer and retailer American Apparel files for bankruptcy. The company says that its 200+ retail stores will continue to operate without any interruptions. (The New York Times), (Forbes)","document":"American Apparel, the onetime arbiter of made-in-America cool, filed for bankruptcy protection early Monday, its business crippled by huge debts, a precipitous fall in sales, employee strife and a drawn-out legal battle with the retailer’s ousted founder, Dov Charney.\nThe Chapter 11 petition, approved by the board, was filed in federal bankruptcy court in Delaware. The filing followed a deal struck with most of American Apparel’s secured lenders to reduce the retailer’s debt through a process known as a debt-for-equity conversion, where bondholders swap their debt for shares in the company.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["American Apparel"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["bankruptcy","crippled by huge debts, a precipitous fall in sales, employee strife and a drawn-out legal battle with the retailer’s ousted founder, Dov Charney"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2015 Tunisia announces plans to close down 80 \"propagandist\" mosques following yesterday's attacks in which 39 people died. (BBC)","document":"Tunisia's Prime Minister Habib Essid has announced a clampdown on security after an attack on a holiday resort in which 38 people were killed.\nHe said army reservists would be deployed to archaeological sites and resorts.\nAbout 80 mosques accused of \"spreading venom\" will close within a week, he said.\nFifteen of the victims in Friday's attack near Sousse were Britons. The gunman was shot dead.\nHe was identified as Seifeddine Rezgui, a student not previously known to authorities, officials said.\nOne Belgian and one German have so far been identified among the dead, the health ministry said. One citizen of the Irish Republic is also confirmed dead.\nThere were also thought to be Tunisians and French killed in the attack, which was claimed by Islamic State (IS). At least 36 people are injured, some seriously.\nIt was the second major attack on tourists in Tunisia since March, when militants killed 22 people, mainly foreigners, at Bardo museum in Tunis.\nMany of the tourists in hotels affected by Friday's attack have left the country or are waiting for specially arranged flights, but correspondents noted a few were back by the hotel pool on Saturday, vowing they would continue their holidays as scheduled.\nSpeaking at a news conference in Tunis, Mr Essid said some mosques outside government control were spreading \"venom\" and would be shut down.\nMr Essid also vowed to act against parties and groups \"acting outside the constitution\".\n\"The country is under threat; the government is under threat,\" Mr Essid said. At the scene: Mark Lowen, BBC News, Sousse\nThe clinics of Sousse aren't used to dealing with gunshot wounds. A quiet, tourist town, it's been severely shaken by this tragedy. At the Sahloul University hospital, they're taking in the victims. More than 20 are being treated here. One is in intensive care, others are waiting for operations on limbs punctured by bullets.\nTony Callaghan, from Norfolk in eastern England, was at the Imperial Hotel with his wife - it was their third time there. The attack sent him running from the beach into the hotel, crying out for his wife to take cover. One bullet hit his knee. He ended up with a group in one room, barricading themselves in. He could hear his wife outside crying for help. Welling up with tears, he tells me he didn't know if he'd see her alive.\nBut then he holds up her bag, with her glasses case inside. Both bear bullet holes, the lens of the glasses shattered. The bag took the impact of the bullet which then hit her leg. And she too waits, being treated upstairs at the Sahloul hospital, not knowing when she and her husband will get home.\nWho were the British victims?\n\"Without the co-operation of everyone and a show of unity, we cannot win this war.\" However, many Tunisians are asking why stricter security measures had not already been put in place following March's attack, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Tunis.\nSecurity officials said the attacker, who posed as a swimmer but was carrying a rifle under a parasol, started shooting on the beach before entering the Hotel Imperial Marhaba, continuing to shoot.\nA British holidaymaker, Steve Johnson, told the BBC: \"We were just lying on the beach as usual and... we heard what we thought at first was fireworks. \"But it was soon pretty obvious... that it was firearms that were being discharged and people were screaming and starting to run.\"\nAnother holidaymaker, named only as Danny, said he and his wife had sought refuge in an office when the shooting started.\n\"We hid in there for about forty-five minutes to an hour, I think,\" he told the BBC. \"We could hear guns and grenades and explosions and all sorts of things... \"I hid under a table and kissed my wife goodbye thinking that that was going to be the end.\"\nIS said it was behind Friday's attack on what it called a \"den of vice\".\nIt identified the gunman by the nom de guerre of Abu Yahya al-Qayrawani. Social media accounts close to the group showed pictures of him.\nOne survivor told how her fiance, a Welsh tourist, was shot three times as he used his body as a shield to protect her.\n\"He took a bullet for me,\" said Saera Wilson. \"I owe him my life because he threw himself in front of me when the shooting started.\n\"It was the bravest thing I've ever known. But I just had to leave him under the sunbed because the shooting just kept on coming.\n\"I ran back, past bodies on the beach to reach our hotel. It was chaos - there was a body in the hotel pool and it was just full of blood.\nWelsh tourist was human shield\nFifteen Britons among the dead\nLocal media reported a second suspected attacker had been arrested, but this has not been confirmed.\nIS had urged followers to step up assaults during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. Friday's attack was the deadliest in Tunisia's recent history. The country has seen militant Islamists gain strength since the overthrow of long-serving ruler Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in in 2011.\nDemocratic elections after Ben Ali's removal saw the moderate Islamist Ennahda party take power before the secularist Nidaa Tounes government won a parliamentary poll in October.\nHowever, neither party has been able effectively to combat Islamist violence - which has been made worse by conflict in neighbouring Libya and by Tunisian fighters returning home after joining Islamist campaigns in Iraq and Syria.\n6.1 million\nthe number of tourist arrivals to Tunisia in 2014\n15.2% the total contribution of travel and tourism to Tunisia's GDP 473,000 the number of jobs supported by travel and tourism (13.8% of total employment) The shooting in Tunisia came on the same day as:","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["mosques"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Tunisia"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["some mosques outside government control were spreading \"venom\""]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2005 In India, the state of Maharashtra closes its dance bars outside the city of Mumbai as breeding grounds for prostitution (Hindustan Times) (Rediff) (BBC)","document":"Dance bars all over Maharashtra, barring Mumbai, will be closed with immediate effect, Maharashtra government informed the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. A committee will finalise norms for bars in the state capital, it said.\nReplying to a calling attention motion, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R R Patil said dance bars, which had flourished in various parts of the state, had adverse effect on the youth, 'damaging' the cultural texture of the state. \"Many of these bars do not have entertainment licences and are flouting the norms laid down under the eatery and liquor licence issued to them,\" Patil said. The home minister said the government will also take a decision on not issuing fresh licences for dance bars. Members Vivek Patil, Ramchandra Sale and Tukaram Birkad had tabled the motion in the lower house drawing the attention of the government to the spurt in dancing bars in Raigad district. The Peasants and Workers Party held several agitations to protest against the bar culture and even submitted a memorandum to the Thane rural police chief asking him to cancel licences of dance bars within 15 days, the members said. However, instead of controlling these bars, the authorities had allowed their numbers to increase, they said. The recent raid on 'Baywatch' dance bar in Khalapur has endorsed that such bars are centres of flesh trade, the members added.\nMeanwhile, the dance bars in Mumbai have decided to remain closed from April one to protest against the government decision's.\n\"The dance bars in the city will remain closed to show their solidarity with the bars in rest of the state, which have been ordered to close down,\" Bar Association of Mumbai President Manjit Sethi told PTI.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Dance bars","dance bars"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Maharashtra, barring Mumbai","Maharashtra"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["do not have entertainment licences and are flouting the norms laid down under the eatery and liquor licence"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2019 Canada temporarily closes its embassy in Venezuela after Canadian diplomats were no longer able to get diplomatic accreditation under Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government according to a statement released by the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland. (Global Affairs Canada) (CBC News)","document":"“As Venezuela slides deeper into dictatorship, and as Venezuelans continue to suffer at the hands of the illegitimate Maduro regime, the regime has taken steps to limit the ability of foreign embassies to function in Venezuela, particularly those advocating for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.\n“Unfortunately, at the end of this month, Canadian diplomats in Venezuela will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime, and their visas will expire. Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operations at the Embassy of Canada to Venezuela, effective immediately.\n“We are also evaluating the status of Venezuelan diplomats appointed by the Maduro regime to Canada.\n“Notwithstanding this temporary suspension, Canada, together with its partners in the Lima Group and the international community, will continue to stand up for the rights of the Venezuelan people and for a full return to democracy in Venezuela.\n“Canada continues to provide consular assistance to Canadians in Venezuela through the Embassy of Canada to Colombia, in Bogotá.  For several months, we have advised Canadians to avoid all travel to Venezuela.  \n“Canadians in need of consular assistance in Venezuela should send an email to sos@international.gc.ca or contact the Embassy of Canada to Colombia, in Bogotá, at +57 (1) 657-9800. Canadians can also contact Global Affairs Canada’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa by calling collect +1 613 996 8885. For Travel Advice and Advisories for Venezuela, visit travel.gc.ca.”\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Embassy of Canada to Venezuela","Venezuela","Canada","Embassy"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Venezuela"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Canadian diplomats in Venezuela will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime, and their visas will expire","Venezuela","Maduro regime"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2019 Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms the closure of five of its embassies, the ones in Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis and Dominica. Former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had opened more than 65 embassies in countries throughout the Global South in a bid to enhance political and economic ties with Brazil. (teleSUR)","document":"Brazil retreats from its South-South cooperation policy by closing five of its embassies in the Caribbean.\nBrazil confirmed the closure Wednesday of five Caribbean embassies to include those in Dominica,  Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry is also considering more embassy closures in two African countries.\n Bolsonaro\nBrazil’s Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo made the official confirmation Wednesday through a press release to the media. His stated justification for the closures was based on “adjusting foreign policy needs to the realities of our resources, both human and financial.”\nAccording to the Itamaraty, the name for the headquarters of the foreign ministry, the closures “will not diminish bilateral relations,” assuring that Brazil’s interests “will be covered by other diplomatic missions in the region that are already prepared or can be optimized to take over new duties.”\nThese closures represent a departure from the policies backed by former President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and his Workers Party, which opened at least 67 embassies in countries throughout the Global South in a bid to enhance political and economic ties with Brazil and as part of a larger strategy of South-South cooperation.\nDespite the insistence that the move is related to costs and available personnel, Brazil's former Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim, told a local media outlet that “the costs of those embassies is minimal. This just shows a lack of interest.”\nAraujo was appointed as head of Brazil’s Foreign Ministry by President Jair Bolsonaro in November 2018. His appointment came as a surprise since the relatively young top diplomat was low on the foreign service hierarchy.\nSome media reports have speculated that Araujo’s appointment was made in part thanks to a pro-Trump essay he wrote back in 2017 which praised U.S. President Donald Trump, lambasted the United Nations and globalism, and advocated for a Trump-Brazil alliance.\nTwo other embassies are being assessed for possible closure, both in Africa. Brazil’s Liberian embassy in the capital of Monrovia and Sierra Leone’s embassy in Freetown. Another embassy in Africa, that of Libya, is technically active, but has no staff appointed to it.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Bolsonaro\nBrazil’s Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Caribbean embassies"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Dominica,  Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["adjusting foreign policy needs to the realities of our resources, both human and financial"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2013 Southern California Edison announces it will permanently close its San Onofre nuclear power plant near San Diego. (Christian Science Monitor)","document":"Southern California Edison is shutting the remaining two reactors at San Onofre, citing high repair costs and an NRC ruling that the utility says would delay reactor restarts.\nJune 7, 2013\nThe San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), a nuclear power plant set into the seaside bluffs in northern San Diego County, is closing after the high cost of repairs and a Nuclear Regulatory Commission board ruling prompted its owner, Southern California Edison, to pull the plug on the 45-year-old facility.\nThe announcement Friday that San Onofre’s two functioning reactors were being shut down brings to four the number of reactors that nuclear utilities have slated for closure since last November. Meanwhile, nuclear utilities have three new reactors on the drawing boards.\nAt least for now, \"we're losing them faster than we're building them,\" quips David Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer by training who focuses on nuclear-energy issues at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington.\nIn February, Duke Energy announced it was shutting down the reactor at its Crystal River power station in Florida after workers discovered a crack in the containment dome. The crack was created during efforts to replace a critical component of the reactor system that transfers heat to water in order to generate steam for the plant's turbines.\nIn early May, the utility Dominion shuttered its single-reactor Kewaunee nuclear plant in Carleton, Wis., a casualty of cheaper sources of electricity and an inability to build additional reactors to take advantage of what the company called economies of scale.\n\"Nuclear economics is tenuous at best,\" Mr. Lochbaum says. \"If you do everything right, you can make money at this. But if you stumble, there's a big price to pay, and not just from a Fukushima-type tragedy.\"\nFinancial setbacks can take their toll as well, he says, whether a setback comes from lost business or from hardware failures or human error that sets the stage for costly repairs.\nIn announcing San Onofre's closure Friday, Ted Craver, Southern California Edison's chairman and chief executive officer, noted that the station has been generating electricity for more than 40 years, \"but we have concluded that the continuing uncertainty about when or if SONGS might return to service was not good for our customers, our investors, or the need to plan for our region's long-term electricity needs.\"\nThe utility first broke ground on SONGS in 1964. The plant initially hosted one nuclear reactor. Two more were added and came on line in 1983 and '84. Since then, the plant's first reactor was decomissioned, leaving units 2 and 3 to help power southern California's voracious demand for energy.\nBoth units sported relatively new sets of steam generators – components that along with the reactor sit inside a concrete containment building. The steam generator houses bundles of tubes through which high-pressure, superheated steam from the nuclear reactor flows. Pumps force water past the searingly hot tubes to produce the steam that drives the plant's generators.\nIn early January 2012, the utility took Unit 2 down for a routine refueling outage. At the end of the month, operators running Unit 3 detected a small leak in a steam generator tube that allowed radioactive steam to mix with the steam sent outside the containment building to the generators.\nThe utility shut down Unit 3 and began an exhaustive inspection of the steam generators for both reactors. The inspections revealed unexpected wear and tear on a significant proportion of the tubes.\nThe ultimate cause of the excessive damage to the tubes came from an attempt to make the tubes more resistant to cracking than were the tubes in the original designs, Lochbaum says. In the past, tubes have been subject to damage because they were too vulnerable to vibrations caused by instabilities in the superheated steam flowing through them. These instabilities cause the tightly packed tubes to vibrate and knock into one another.\nThe new tubes were stiffer. But tubes can vibrate in two directions, Lochbaum explains. The computer simulations designed to model the performance of the new design failed to take into account one of those two directions. The modelers assumed that the supports for the tubes that dampened one set of vibrations would dampen the other as well – which also happened to be the mode that inflicts the most damage.\nEngineering studies indicated that the company could restart Unit 2, but it would have to run at 70 percent of its rated output, at least for the first five months, according to the company's statement. Lochbaum adds that the assessments also indicated that the plant would have to shut down every 15 months, rather than every 18, to perform the inspections needed to ensure tubes were not being damaged.\nWhat looked to the utility to be a sensible $780 million investment in 2009 and '10 to extend the lifetime of the two reactors turned into an economic albatross, Lochbaum suggests.\nIn addition, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Atomic Reactor Safety and Licensing Board recently ruled that prior to any reactor restart, groups that have opposed restarting SONGS were entitled to present their case against restart.\nSouthern California Edison's announcement noted that the additional delays this process would impose could last more than a year.\nOpposition has been fueled by increased NRC scrutiny the plant reportedly has received in recent years over safety concerns. Meanwhile, in April, the ABC News affiliate in San Diego reported that an unnamed nuclear-safety engineer at the plant had come forward to highlight the danger from the defective steam-generator tubes.\nEnvironmental groups that had opposed restart were quick to applaud the decision.\n“Shutting down San Onofre is the right thing to do,” said Michelle Kinman, with Environment California, in a prepared statement. “Shutting down this nuclear plant will best protect public safety and the environment.”\nThe announcement also drew support from Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) of California.\n\"I am greatly relieved that the San Onofre nuclear plant will be closed permanently. This nuclear plant had a defective redesign and could no longer operate as intended. Modifications to the San Onofre nuclear plant were unsafe and posed a danger to the eight million people living within 50 miles of the plant,\" she said in a statement released Friday.\nWith SONGS not only down, but now out, California still has enough generating capacity to get it through the summer, according to the California Independent System Operator, a group that runs much of the state's electrical grid.\nGet the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox.\nThe two SONGS reactors represent a combined generating capacity of about 2,200 megawatts. Over the past year, the state has added generating capacity of about 2,500 megawatts, with another 891 megawatt expected to have come on line between April and June, according to the group.\nStill, managing the loads during the summer will remain challenging, the group says, especially if high-voltage lines fail due to a fire or some other event, some localized blackouts could occur. In addition, population growth in the L.A. basin could lead to \"marginally more challenging\" conditions than last summer in ensuring that Orange and San Diego Counties receive reliable service.\nAlready a subscriber? Login\nMonitor journalism changes lives because we open that too-small box that most people think they live in. We believe news can and should expand a sense of identity and possibility beyond narrow conventional expectations.\nOur work isn't possible without your support.\nAlready a subscriber? Login\nDear Reader,\nAbout a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:\n“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”\nIf you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.\nBut you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.\nThe Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.\nWe have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Ted Craver"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS)","SONGS"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["northern San Diego"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["after the high cost of repairs and a Nuclear Regulatory Commission board ruling prompted its owner","repairs"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2013 The government of Greece shuts down the public radio and television broadcaster ERT, calling it a \"haven of waste\". (The Guardian)","document":"Greek state TV and radio were gradually pulled off the air late on Tuesday, hours after the government said it would temporarily close all state-run broadcasts and lay off about 2,500 workers as part of a cost-cutting drive demanded by the bailed-out country's international creditors.\nTV and radio stations of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, or ERT, were pulled off the air in several parts of the country from about 11pm (9pm BST), about an hour before the government said all signals would go dead, although satellite broadcasts continued.\nThe conservative-led government said ERT would reopen \"as soon as possible\" with a new, smaller workforce. It wasn't immediately clear how long that would take, and whether all stations would reopen.\n\"Congratulations to the Greek government,\" newscaster Antonis Alafogiorgos said toward the end of ERT's main TV live broadcast. \"This is a blow to democracy.\" \"I was hoping up until the last minute that the reports were not true. It's unbelievable,\" news reader Stavroula Christofilea said moments after the move was announced.\nA Finance Ministry statement said ERT has been formally disbanded, and authorities would \"secure\" the corporation's facilities. Riot police deployed outside ERT buildings in several parts of Greece, but no clashes were reported.\nThousands of media workers and supporters protested against the closure outside the company's headquarters in the Athens suburb of Aghia Paraskevi. Unions representing ERT workers at three terrestrial TV stations, one satellite station and its national and regional radio network said they would keep the stations on air. Protesting employees were joined by opposition politicians and union leaders. Both minority government partners of the ruling conservative coalition condemned the suspension.\nGovernment spokesman Simos Kedikoglou – a former state TV journalist – described ERT as a \"haven of waste\". He said its employees would be compensated.\nKedikoglou said in a televised statement aired on the state broadcaster: \"At a time when the Greek people are enduring sacrifices, there is no room for delay, hesitation or tolerance for sacred cows.\n\"ERT is a typical example of unique lack of transparency and incredible waste. And that ends today,\" Kedikoglou said. \"It costs three to seven times as much as other TV stations and four to six times the personnel – for a very small viewership, about half that of an average private station.\"\nERT has long been seen as a bastion of quality programming in a media landscape dominated by commercial stations. But it was also used by successive governments to provide safe jobs for political favourites, and, while nominally independent, devoted considerable time and effort to showcasing administration policies.\nThe broadcaster is largely state-funded, with every Greek household paying a fee through its electricity bills whether they have a TV set or not.\nIt is the first case of mass public sector layoffs in Greece , which has pledged to cut 15,000 state jobs by 2015 as part of its bailout commitments.\nDebt-stifled Greece has depended on rescue loans from its European partners and the International Monetary Fund since May 2010. In exchange, it imposed deeply resented income cuts and tax hikes, which exacerbated a crippling recession and forced tens of thousands of businesses to close, sending unemployment to a record 27%.\nGreece's POESY media union accused the government of sacrificing the broadcaster to appease its creditors.\n\"Bailout creditors are demanding civil service layoffs and the government, in order to meet its obligations toward foreign monitors, is prepared to sacrifice the public broadcasting corporation,\" a union statement said.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["TV and radio stations of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation","TV"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Greek"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["\"ERT is a typical example of unique lack of transparency and incredible waste. And that ends today,\" Kedikoglou said.","ERT"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2009 China's Sanlu Group declares bankruptcy, due to the country's 2008 milk scandal. (BBC)","document":"A Chinese food group at the centre of a contaminated milk scandal which killed six babies has been declared bankrupt with debts of $160m (£113m).\nSanlu, which had been one of China's most trusted brands, was the first of 22 firms found to have sold the milk.\nMore than 300,000 children were made ill by the milk, to which melamine had been added to boost protein readings.\nThe chairwoman of the Sanlu Group, Tian Wenhua, has already been sentenced to life imprisonment.\nOther Sanlu executives received sentences of five to 15 years. Two other men were sentenced to death.\nBut anger among the Chinese population was not only directed at Sanlu. As the scale of the deadly scam became known, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao gave a rare public apology for failing to prevent the crisis.\nChinese product safety regulators have now announced they are investigating whether a unit of the French Danone group also used the toxic chemical.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Tian Wenhua"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Sanlu Group"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["declared bankrupt with debts of $160m (£113m)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2009 Kyrgyzstan's Supreme Council approves the closure of the U.S. Air Force's Manas Air Base. (Reuters)","document":"BISHKEK (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan’s parliament voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to close the last remaining U.S. air base in Central Asia, which serves as a transit point for U.S. troops fighting in nearby Afghanistan.\nKyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev attends a parliament session on a proposal to close a U.S. air base in Bishkek February 19, 2009. REUTERS/Vladimir Pirogov\nThe planned closure of the Manas air base poses a challenge to new President Barack Obama who plans to send more troops to Afghanistan to boost efforts to defeat Taliban insurgents.\nIt also comes at a time of heightened rivalry between Moscow and Washington for control of Central Asia, a vast former Soviet region still seen by Russia as part of its sphere of interest.\nThe 90-seat parliament, dominated by the ruling party, voted by 78 to one to approve a government proposal on closing the base. One lawmaker voted against and two abstained. The rest were absent.\n“Once all the procedures are over, an official eviction vote will be sent and after that the United States will be given 180 days to wrap up operations at the air base,” Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Kadyrbek Sarbayev said after the vote.\nPresident Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s press service said the Kyrgyz leader was due to sign the approved decision into law some time within the next month under Kyrgyz law, but gave no details.\nU.S. forces at the base, nestling in the bare steppes outside the capital Bishkek, said its operations would continue as normal in the meantime.\n“We are saddened by the decision made today. We have enjoyed our ability to serve here in Kyrgyzstan,” Major Damien Pickart, the air base spokesman, said by telephone.\n“We will await official notification but it remains to be seen what the final decision would be.”\nRelated Coverage\nBakiyev announced the closure plans this month after accepting more than $2 billion in aid and credit from traditional ally Russia. He has accused Washington of refusing to pay a higher rent for use of the base.\nRussia has an air base of its own in Kyrgyzstan. It pays no rent as its use is part of a joint security pact.\nThe United States and its allies already fly troops and supplies to Afghanistan from bases in Europe and the Gulf and could increase this traffic to make up for the loss of Manas.\nThe United States is also looking at other land routes through Central Asia as alternatives to Pakistan, where supply convoys have been attacked by Taliban militants.\nU.S. regional military chief General David Petraeus visited Uzbekistan this week as part of these efforts.\nOne of the routes, through Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, will soon be tested when a first shipment of non-military goods leaves NATO member Latvia for Afghanistan.\nKyrgyzstan’s opposition has accused Bakiyev of selling out to Russia. Moscow and Kyrgyzstan have denied any connection between the Russian financial package and Bakiyev’s decision.\nSome critics said closing the base could breed instability in Kyrgyzstan when the threat of radical Islam is on the rise in Central Asia, a vast region wedged between Russia in the north, Iran and Afghanistan in the south and China in the east.\n“At this difficult time, the weakening of the regional security system paves the way for extremism and terrorism,” said Bakyt Beshimov, an opposition politician. “Therefore, we believe the decision (to close the U.S. base) is premature.”\nAdditional reporting by Olga Dzyubenko, Dmitry Solovyov and Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Andrew Roche\nOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.\nAll quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Manas air base"]},{"role":"Date","values":["February 19, 2009"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Bishkek"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2008 General Motors announces it will close 4 pickup truck and sports utility vehicle factories in Janesville, Wisconsin, Oshawa, Ontario, Moraine, Ohio, and Toluca, State of Mexico, eliminating 10,000 jobs; it also announces plans for a small car that will achieve 45 miles per gallon in response to rising fuel prices. (AP via Google News)","document":"GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner arrives at a news conference prior to attending the annual shareholders meeting Tuesday, June 3, 2008 in Wilmington, Del. Wagoner said Tuesday before the automaker's annual meeting the plants to be closed are in Oshawa, Ontario; Moraine, Ohio; Janesville, Wis.; and Toluca, Mexico. He also said the Hummer brand may be discontinued. (AP Photo/Bradley C Bower)\nBy TOM KRISHER – 6 days ago WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — General Motors Corp. officially blew up its old business model Tuesday, closing four pickup truck and sport utility vehicle factories, announcing a new small car that could get 45 miles per gallon and shedding 10,000 jobs in the process.\nBut it remains to be seen whether the world's largest automaker by sales can sell enough cars to make money in a shrinking U.S. market and stay ahead of the bill collectors.\nThe automaker said it would idle pickup and SUV factories in Janesville, Wis.; Oshawa, Ontario; Moraine, Ohio; and Toluca, Mexico, as it tries to deal with a shift to smaller vehicles brought on by $4 per gallon gasoline.\nGM said the truck plant cuts, which will reduce capacity to produce pickups and large SUVs by about 35 percent, will save the company $1 billion per year, and when combined with earlier measures, by 2011 will save $15 billion over 2005 costs.\nGM's moves, which come after a series of restructuring measures since 2005, are the result of a huge shift in U.S. consumer preferences for small cars and crossovers during the past two months.\n\"We at GM don't think this is a spike or temporary shift,\" Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said. \"We believe that it is, by and large, permanent.\"\nThe automaker now will have to parlay its strong overseas sales and the lower North American costs into a profit by selling cars in the $15,000 to $20,000 range, half the price of its high-profit SUVs and pickup trucks.\n\"The new cars, they tend to price those accordingly,\" said Pete Hastings, senior analyst with Memphis, Tenn.-based Morgan Keegan & Co. \"They tend to make money, just not as much money compared to the nice margins on the SUVs and large trucks.\"\nHastings is confident GM can pay bills and make money with its new North American cars, but that will be hard unless the U.S. economy recovers.\n\"I don't think they can get to profitability quickly if the economy stays where it is,\" he said.\nGM lost $3.3 billion in the first quarter and burned through $3.4 billion in cash from January through March. Its May sales were down 28 percent compared with last May.\nThe pace of the cash burn may force GM back to the capital markets for more borrowing, Hastings said, although the company has said it has sufficient cash to withstand a downturn.\n\"They've got a lot of liquidity now,\" Hastings said. \"They are burning through it faster than they thought they would earlier in the year.\"\nGM ended the quarter with $23.9 billion in cash and $7 billion in credit facilities.\nJust before the company's annual shareholders' meeting in Wilmington, Del., Wagoner also announced the automaker will build a new generation small car starting in mid-2010 at a factory in Lordstown, Ohio, that now makes the Chevrolet Cobalt.\nIn the past, costs generally were too high for Detroit automakers to turn a profit on small U.S.-built cars. But Wagoner said GM has lowered costs enough with new labor contracts and other measures to turn a profit.\n\"The direct answer is we need to,\" Wagoner told reporters. \"We believe we can build a car there profitably.\"\nIn addition to costs, GM will have to make sure it has a competitive car that consumers will buy.\n\"I can assure you that is getting a tremendous amount of attention,\" he said.\nThe new car likely would be priced higher than the Cobalt, which runs in the mid-teens depending on how it's equipped. It would hit showrooms in the second half of 2010 and be powered by a 1-liter to 1.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine to be built at a factory in Flint. GM said that with a manual transmission it would get nine miles per gallon more than the current Cobalt, which gets up to 36 mpg on the highway.\nWagoner also announced that the board of directors has approved production of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric car, which GM plans to bring to showrooms by the end of 2010.\nFully charged, the Volt could drive about 40 miles without using any gasoline, and a small conventional engine would recharge the vehicle, extending its range and allowing it to get the equivalent of 150 miles per gallon.\nWagoner also said the iconic Hummer brand will be reviewed and potentially sold or revamped due to high fuel prices.\nNews of the job cuts was devastating to communities that house the factories, but hourly workers likely will move to other plants to replace 19,000 who will leave the company this year under early retirement and buyout offers.\nHowever, the misery isn't over. Wagoner said GM is working on consolidating engine, transmission and other parts operations to go with the assembly plant cuts.\nThe actions add to a string of plant closures by the Big Three in the last several years. GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC have announced the shutdown of 35 plants since 2005, according to Sean McAlinden, chief economist with the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor. Along with 35 additional closures at GM and Ford's chief suppliers, Delphi Corp. and Automotive Components Holdings LLC, he said the total hourly and salaried jobs eliminated comes to 149,000.\nIn that same period, foreign automakers have built or announced plans to build five U.S. assembly plants, he said. In 2007, foreign auto companies employed 113,000 people in the U.S., a number McAlinden projects will rise to 152,000 by 2011.\nThe Oshawa truck plant, which builds the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, likely will be shuttered next year. The Moraine plant near Dayton will stop making Chevy TrailBlazer and other mid-size SUVs in 2010 \"or sooner if demand dictates,\" Wagoner said.\nIn Janesville, the plant that builds medium-duty trucks and big SUVs like the Chevrolet Tahoe, will cease production starting at the end of 2009, finishing in 2010 or sooner if demand stays weak. In Toluca, production of medium-duty trucks will end by the end of 2008, Wagoner said.\nThe announcement was an economic blow to Janesville, which has long been entwined with auto making.\n\"There were some tears and a lot of people were kind of ticked off, but it's part of the business,\" said Scott Lambert, 39, who has worked at the plant for 13 years.\nHe said he was headed to buy an atlas to figure where other GM plants were that might be hiring.\nCanadian Auto Workers President Buzz Hargrove said GM's decision to close its Oshawa truck plant betrays the labor agreement reached two weeks ago. He said the union will consider all options, including a strike.\nGM committed to keep the plant of 2,600 people open throughout the three-year agreement, Hargrove said.\nGM President and Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson said GM is planning for gasoline prices to stay around $4 per gallon for the foreseeable future, \"with a bias upwards.\"\nWhen asked if GM should have moved more quickly to smaller vehicles, Henderson said he doesn't spend time looking in the rearview mirror.\n\"There's not much I can do about what I didn't do in the past,\" he said.\nShares of GM rose 14 cents to $17.58 in trading Tuesday.\nAP Business Writers Emily Fredrix in Janesville, Wis., and Jeff Karoub in Detroit, AP Auto Writer Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit and Associated Press Writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Rick Wagoner"]},{"role":"Organization","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Oshawa, Ontario; Moraine, Ohio; Janesville, Wis.; and Toluca, Mexico","Oshawa","Ontario","Moraine","Ohio","Toluca","Mexico","Janesville"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["GM said the truck plant cuts, which will reduce capacity to produce pickups and large SUVs by about 35 percent, will save the company $1 billion per year, and when combined with earlier measures, by 2011 will save $15 billion over 2005 costs","company","GM said"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2008 Lehman Brothers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after British bank Barclays and Bank of America pull out of emergency talks on a buyout. (AFP via Google News) (The New York Times)","document":"WASHINGTON (AFP) — A last-ditch effort to find a buyer for troubled Wall Street investment bank Lehman Brothers appeared near collapse in a turbulent weekend for the finance sector.\nAs emergency weekend talks on Lehman's woes were being held in New York, a London source at British bank Barclays, who requested anonymity, said it walked away from negotiations because of concerns it would have to guarantee the 158-year-old US firm's trading commitments.\nThe news came as US Treasury and Federal Reserve officials scrambled to head off a collapse of Lehman Brothers which some say could send shockwaves through the global financial system.\nSeparately, reports swirled about a possible buyout of another troubled Wall Street giant, Merrill Lynch. And American International Group, the insurance giant, was set to unveil restructuring plans in the face of a massive share price drop.\n\"Clearly things are changing quickly and are very fluid,\" said David Kotok, chief investment officer at Cumberland Investments.\n\"The Fed and the Treasury are trying to get a deal done before the markets open on Monday. It now appears that this original effort to merge Lehman with one party has failed.\"\nMeanwhile specter of liquidation loomed: the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, a group of market dealers, said it was holding a special trading session Sunday \"to reduce risk associated with a potential Lehman Brothers Holding Inc. bankruptcy filing.\"\nIt said any trades were contingent on a bankruptcy filing Sunday.\n\"I think the most likely option for Lehman is a bankruptcy filing by the end of the day today,\" said Peter Cohan of the consulting firm Peter Cohan & Associates.\nBarry Ritholtz of the research firm FusionIQ said a bankruptcy could mean further financial market turmoil.\n\"We are now on bankruptcy watch, with the midnight hour as the key line in the sand.\" he said. \"The Wall Street open Monday in the event of a Lehman failure will be wild.\"\nAccording to some analysts, the talks on Lehman Brothers were snagged over whether the Federal Reserve would guarantee a deal with Lehman's troubled mortgage securities as was done to avert a meltdown earlier this year of Bear Stearns, bought by JPMorgan Chase.\n\"We infer that the problem at Lehman is bigger or worse than at Bear Stearns or both,\" Kotok said.\nPeter Morici, economist at the University of Maryland, said finding a buyer for Lehman Brothers may be difficult because of its \"toxic\" holdings in soured real estate assets.\n\"No other large firm should buy Lehman whole -- its toxic real estate and securities are too difficult to value,\" he said. \"Only a fool would think he could fairly assess their value, unless those are assigned them a value of zero.\"\nBut Morici said Lehman's demise may hasten needed reforms on Wall Street.\n\"Sooner or later after enough dominos fall, compensation structures and business practices will return to more conservative norms of 10 and 20 years ago,\" Morici said. \"Only then will the credit crisis resolve and the economy have a decent shot at full recovery.\"\nMeanwhile Bank of America, described in recent days as a leading takeover candidate for Lehman Brothers, was now in advanced discussions to buy Merrill Lynch, another Wall Street giant ravaged by the subprime real estate crisis and credit crunch.\nThe New York Times said the talks centered around a buyout of Merrill at 25 to 30 dollars a share in stock, making the deal worth some 38 billion dollars. Merrill ended Friday at 17.05 dollars.\nThe Wall Street Journal reported that AIG, which has also been slammed by real estate losses, planned a comprehensive restructuring by early Monday morning that is likely to include the disposal of major assets including its aircraft-leasing business and other holdings.\nLehman shares have tumbled more than 90 percent this year and failed to recover on plans announced Wednesday to sell off key assets to shore up its finances.\nThe beleaguered Wall Street firm, seen as in desperate need for a capital injection, lost an estimated 3.9 billion dollars in its fiscal third quarter amid fresh writedowns on mortgage assets.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Lehman Brothers"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["New York"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Lehman shares have tumbled more than 90 percent this year and failed to recover on plans announced Wednesday to sell off key assets to shore up its finances","failed","bankruptcy"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2009 Eddie Bauer, the well–known retailer of outdoor apparel, filed for bankruptcy in a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. (Reuters)","document":"NEW YORK (Reuters) - Outdoor apparel retailer Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc filed for bankruptcy for the second time in six years and said it would seek court approval to sell its assets to private equity firm CCMP Capital for $202 million.\nA shopper walks into an Eddie Bauer retail store at the Glendale Galleria shopping mall in Glendale, California in this November 28, 2008 file photo. REUTERS/Fred Prouser\nThe company, which also sought relief under Canada’s bankruptcy laws, filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.\nCCMP is the “stalking horse” bidder, which submits a starting bid to set a floor under other possible offers.\nCCMP managing director Jonathan Lynch said that Eddie Bauer was in the classic “good company, bad balance sheet” situation.\nHe said CCMP was attracted to the strength of Eddie Bauer’s brand and its ability to sell its products through various channels, such as on the Internet, by mail order and in stores.\n“We view Eddie Bauer as a legendary brand,” Lynch said in an interview with Reuters. “What you need to do is fix the balance sheet in a way that allows this company to reach its full potential.”\nEddie Bauer, which started as a sport shop in 1920 in Seattle, expects that the sale would transform the business “into a financially stronger entity with substantially less debt and a better position for the future,” the company said in a statement. It also said that CCMP planned to keep most stores open.\nRetailers have struggled in the U.S. recession.\nRecent retail bankruptcies have included apparel retailer Filene’s Basement and jewelry and housewares chain Fortunoff.\n“The retail environment is a function of the overall economy and people are spending less and making smarter choices. The question is, do they need an Eddie Bauer?” said James Bromley, a partner in the restructuring group for law firm Cleary Gottlieb.\nRelated Coverage\nEddie Bauer said it had secured $100 million in “debtor-in-possession” bankruptcy financing from a group led by Bank of America Corp and CIT Group Inc as it reorganizes, and anticipates its sale will be completed within 60 days.\nIn its filing, the company blamed its debt load, saying it might not be able to comply with conditions attached to its $225 million senior term loan facility.\nBank of New York Mellon Corp, as bond indenture trustee, is the company’s largest unsecured creditor, with a $75 million claim, and Eddie Bauer listed $476 million in assets and $427 million in debts as of May 30, according to court papers.\nEddie Bauer has been posting losses on falling sales this year. The company said in January it hired investment banking firm Peter J. Solomon Co for restructuring advice and it has been working to cut costs and preserve cash.\nThe retailer emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2005 after former owner Spiegel Catalog sought bankruptcy protection in 2003.\nAt the time of its emergence, the company had more than 400 stores in the United States and Canada. It now has about 370 stores in North America and 10,000 employees worldwide, according to its website.\nThe company said last month its first-quarter revenue fell 16 percent to $179.8 million. It has more than $300 million in outstanding debt, according to SEC filings.\nEddie Bauer’s shares closed down 21.7 percent, or 5 cents, at 18 cents on the Nasdaq.\nIn re Eddie Bauer Holdings, Inc., U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware, No. 09-12099.\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["North America"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["bankruptcy","Bankruptcy"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2009 Russia announces that they will shut down every legal casino in the state by Wednesday, July 1. (The New York Times)","document":"MOSCOW — One of the largest mass layoffs in recent Russian history is to occur on Wednesday, and the Kremlin itself is decreeing it, economic crisis or not. The government is shutting down every last legal casino and slot-machine parlor across the land, under an antivice plan promoted by Vladimir V. Putin that just a few months ago was widely perceived as far-fetched. But the result will be hundreds of thousands of people thrown out of work. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["legal casino"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Russia"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2006 International demands grow that the United States close Guantanamo Bay prison camp. The European Parliament votes overwhelmingly for a resolution urging that the prison be closed and inmates given a fair trial. (The Age) UK Prime Minister Tony Blair calls Guantanamo an \"anomaly\" (Guardian). UN General Secretary Kofi Annan calls for the camp to be closed \"as soon as possible\" (Toronto Star) (BBC). Former Irish President and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson urges the US to act on the findings of the UN report (RTÉ), while Northern Ireland Secretary of State Peter Hain also calls for its closure. (Scotsman) This follows a United Nations report which calls for it to be closed.","document":"The United States owes it to itself to uphold its own standards, close its prison camp and grant alleged terrorists fair trials.\nGulag. The word has particularly ugly connotations. Having been first used to describe repressive prisons or forced-labour camps in the former Soviet Union, it brings to mind the worst breaches of human rights in Stalinist Russia - detention without trial, torture, executions. Until recently it was a term associated only with the least democratic of political regimes. Yet it is the word Amnesty International used in its annual report last year to describe the Guantanamo Bay prison camp at the US Naval Base in Cuba. That report accused the US of being responsible for an upsurge in global human rights violations and called for the camp to be closed. President Bush dismissed the report as absurd and his Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, called the label \"reprehensible\".\nNow the United Nations, in a 54-page report produced by independent experts for the UN Human Rights Commission, has repeated the call for closure and has strongly condemned the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. It points to cases of \"excessive violence\" during transportation of prisoners and force-feeding of hunger strikers, which it says \"must be assessed as amounting to torture\", and has paid particular attention to the lack of a recognised legal process. It found that the US military acted as judge, prosecutor and defence in the special trials because they regard the detainees as \"enemy combatants\" who were not entitled to the rights accorded by the Geneva Conventions to prisoners of war at the conclusion of a war. The UN report maintains that the war on terror \"does not constitute an armed conflict for the purposes of the applicability of international humanitarian law\" and so US authorities must \"expeditiously bring all Guantanamo Bay detainees to trial\" under international law \"or release them without further delay\".\nAdding to the pressure on the US, the European Parliament this week voted overwhelmingly for a resolution urging that the prison be closed and inmates given a fair trial, and a British High Court judge called for the repatriation of three British residents. He observed: \"America's idea of what is torture is not the same as ours and does not appear to coincide with that of most civilised nations.\"\nThis is in stark contrast to the line taken by the Australian Government, which has not only failed to condemn US treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay but has abrogated its responsibility to ensure that its own citizens are treated justly. Although Mamdouh Habib gained his freedom last year, 30-year-old David Hicks remains in detention, having been held since his capture with Taliban forces in Afghanistan in December 2001. For more than two years no charges were laid, a delay that clearly showed US contempt for the rule of law. Yet the Australian Government did worse than fail to protest at this; it has almost gleefully supported the actions of the Bush Administration in denying Hicks a prompt and fair trial.\nWhile the Howard Government has been obsequious in its dealings with the Americans, Britain has managed to secure freedom for its nine citizens held at Guantanamo, without damaging its alliance with the US.\nBritain's success highlights the randomness of the American approach. Presumably little marked the nine Britons out from the other detainees, yet they have been released without a trial and with no repercussions. Nor was Guantanamo Bay considered appropriate for US citizens charged with terrorist activities - they have been accorded their rights according to the US justice system. Yet the President's spokesman continues to claim that the Guantanamo detainees are \"dangerous terrorists\" who must be held indefinitely and have no entitlement to the rights accorded by international treaties. These men seem to be considered more dangerous and less deserving of legal protection than the vanquished Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who has used his trial in Baghdad to berate the presiding judge and shout support for Iraqi insurgents.\nWinston Churchill once said: \"The power of the executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgement of his peers, is in the highest degree odious, and the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist.\" If the US is to be true to its mission as \"the land of the free\", it must act on the UN recommendations and close this sorry chapter in its history without delay.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Guantanamo Bay prison camp"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["US Naval Base in Cuba"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["global human rights violations"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2006 International demands grow that the United States close Guantanamo Bay prison camp. The European Parliament votes overwhelmingly for a resolution urging that the prison be closed and inmates given a fair trial. (The Age) UK Prime Minister Tony Blair calls Guantanamo an \"anomaly\" (Guardian). UN General Secretary Kofi Annan calls for the camp to be closed \"as soon as possible\" (Toronto Star) (BBC). Former Irish President and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson urges the US to act on the findings of the UN report (RTÉ), while Northern Ireland Secretary of State Peter Hain also calls for its closure. (Scotsman) This follows a United Nations report which calls for it to be closed.","document":"Mr Annan backed a UN report calling for the closure of the camp where some 500 \"enemy combatants\" have been held without trial for up to four years. He said he did not agree with all findings, but said detainees could not be held \"in perpetuity\" without charge.\nThe White House has dismissed the report as \"a discredit to the UN\".\n HAVE YOUR SAY\n Charge them and try them or release them\n Matt Prather, San Francisco, USA Send us your comments\n The UN says the US should try the approximately 500 inmates, or free them \"without further delay\".\nMr Annan said bringing the detainees to trial would allow them to explain themselves. Only a handful of detainees have been tried so far.\nCivil liberties\nWhile he did not agree with all the findings of the report, Mr Annan said it was crucial to strike a balance.\n\"The basic premise, that we need to be careful to have a balance between effective action against terrorism and individual liberties and civil rights, I think is valid,\" Mr Annan told reporters.\n \nMr McClellan said the military treated all detainees humanely. \"These are dangerous terrorists that we're talking about,\" he added.\n\"They are people that are determined to harm innocent civilians, or harm innocent Americans. They were enemy combatants picked up on the battlefield in the war on terrorism.\"\nA senior British minister also called for the camp to be closed.\nSpeaking on the BBC television Question Time programme, Peter Hain said he would prefer to see Guantanamo Bay close.\n GUANTANAMO TIMELINE\n Jan 2002: First \"illegal combatants\" arrive at Camp X-ray. Transferred to Camp Delta in April\nFeb 2002: More than 100 out of nearly 600 detainees stage first of many hunger strikes\nOct 2002: First releases include four men returned to Afghanistan and Pakistan\nFeb 2004: US officials announce the first charges against two detainees\nMar-May 2004: Dozens of detainees released\nJuly 2004: First military tribunal\nJan 2005: US announces investigation into allegations of abuse\nMay 2005: US magazine report - later retracted - alleges copies of the Koran mishandled by guards, sparking worldwide protests. US later confirms five cases of mishandling\nGuantanamo in spotlight\nHe also indicated that the UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, agreed with him.\nRejections\nThe US has dismissed most of the findings of the report which include allegations of torture. It said most of the allegations were \"largely without merit\" as the five investigators never actually visited Guantanamo Bay.\nThe investigators say they rejected an offer to go to Guantanamo, as they would not have been allowed to meet the prisoners. The report will be presented to the UN Commission of Human Rights, which authorised the report, at its next session in Geneva on 13 March.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Guantanamo Bay"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["US","us"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["allegations of torture","allegations"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2006 The President of Singapore, Sellapan Ramanathan, \"on the advice of the prime minister (Lee Hsien Loong), has dissolved parliament\" to prepare for the 2006 general election, to be held on May 6. (BBC)","document":"This will be the first electoral test for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who was appointed in August 2004.\nHis People's Action Party (PAP), which has ruled the country for four decades, currently controls all but two of the 84 elected seats in the parliament.\nThe tiny opposition has vowed to campaign for more than half the seats in a bid to upset PAP's dominance.\nPresident SR Nathan, \"on the advice of the prime minister, has dissolved parliament\", the government said in a statement.\nMr Lee, who is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, did not have to call an election until June 2007.\nBut speculation had been rife in recent weeks that he would call the ballot early to take advantage of the country's strong economy.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["parliament"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Singapore"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["on the advice of the prime minister","Prime Minister"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2017 The clothing retailer Wet Seal announces the closing of all 148 of its brick–and–mortar stores after filing for bankruptcy in 2015. The news comes on the heels of recent announcements of the closings of other major clothing chains, such as The Limited. (WHIO–TV)","document":"Teen clothing retailer Wet Seal will abruptly close all of its 148 brick-and-mortar stores.\nAccording to a letter obtained by The Wall Street Journal, the retailer is permanently shutting down and will lay off all of its workers. The company is headquartered in California.\n\nBack in 2015, Wet Seal closed 338 of its 511 stores and filed for bankruptcy protection. Versa Capital then acquired the brand for $7.5 million in April 2015.\nLocal stores at the Dayton Mall and the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek shut down in January 2015. The only store in Ohio that remained open was the location at Easton Town Center in Columbus.\nWet Seal isn’t the only retailer closing locations and laying off employees this month.\n\nOn Wednesday, Abercrombie & Fitch eliminated 150 positions at the corporate level. The clothing retail chain is headquartered in New Albany, just outside of Columbus. In August, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. announced 60 stores in the U.S. would shut down.\n\nThere is one store location at the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek, and another location at Kenwood Towne Center in Cincinnati. A location at the Dayton Mall also closed several years ago.\nSeveral retailers — including The Limited, Macy’s, Sears and Kmart — have already announced layoffs or store closures in recent months, and experts predict more businesses will continue to downsize.\n\n“All retailers see a bump in sales during the holiday season. Announcements of store closings would have hurt their sales during the holiday shopping season because it would have sent the wrong message to customers,” said Serdar Durmusoglu, marketing professor at the University of Dayton. “So, even if they might have made a closing decision months in advance, they might have held of announcing after the New Year.”\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBy: \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\nTom Gnau\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t-\n\t\t\t\t\t\tStaff Writer\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Wet Seal"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["California"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["bankruptcy"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2017 Retail chain JC Penney announces plans to close between 130 and 140 stores, as well as 2 distribution centers, amid sagging store sales. (CNBC)","document":"J.C. Penney finally lifted the lid on its plans to downsize its fleet, telling investors on Friday that it would close between 130 and 140 of its stores over the next few months.\nThe retailer made its comments while reporting fiscal fourth-quarter earnings that topped Wall Street’s expectations, though revenue and same-store sales fell shy of expectations.\nThe company’s shares slipped roughly 9 percent in early trading amid doubts that the store closure plan would be enough to reinvigorate sluggish sales. Fueling that concern was the company’s 2017 outlook, which came up short of its previously announced three-year plan.\nHere’s how Penney’s did during the quarter:— EPS: 64 cents a share, adjusted, versus 61 cents expected, according to Thomson Reuters’ consensus— Revenue: $3.96 billion, versus an expectation of $3.98 billion, according to Reuters— Same-store sales growth: down 0.7 percent, versus 0.3 percent drop expected, according to FactSet’s consensus\nIn last year’s fourth quarter, J.C. Penney reported earnings of 39 cents per share on $4 billion in revenue.\n“Although JCP ended its fiscal year with a shrink in sales, it can take some comfort from the fact that the decreases are modest and that it managed to outperform its main department store rivals,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, in an email.\nSaunders added that the company’s bottom line was also encouraging. “In our view, this alone serves as evidence that Marvin Ellison’s turnaround plan is delivering and that JCP is finally getting its house in order,” he said. Along with the stores Penney’s plans to close, it will shutter two distribution centers. The combined closures will help the retailer invest in its better stores, and “raise the overall brand standard of the company,” Ellison said.\nThe list of impacted stores will be released next month, once sales associates and other staff have been notified. Most of the closures will occur in the second quarter.\n“We believe closing stores will allow us to adjust our business to effectively compete against the growing threat of online retailers,” Ellison said.\n“During the year, it became evident the stores that could fully execute the company’s growth initiatives of beauty, home refresh and special sizes generated significantly higher sales, and a more vibrant in-store shopping environment,” the CEO said.\nThe locations Penney’s will shutter represent 13 to 14 percent of its store portfolio but generate less than 5 percent of annual sales. They would either require “significant capital” to meet the company’s brand standard or are minimally cash flow positive, the company said. Comparable sales in these locations were “significantly below” the remaining store base and operate at a “much higher” expense rate.\nThe retailer expects to save roughly $200 million a year by closing these stores. It will take a pretax charge of roughly $225 million related to the closures in the first half of fiscal 2017.\nPenney’s will provide roughly 6,000 employees with a “voluntary early retirement program” for workers of a certain age and tenure. As a result, the company expects a net increase in hiring as the number of full-time employees expected to accept the package will “far exceed” the number of full-time positions affected by the store closures.\nEllison warned in January that the department store chain was getting ready to downsize its fleet. The news came on the heels of store closure announcements by Macy’s and Sears.\nYet even as he announced the company’s closures, Ellison reiterated the importance of bricks-and-mortar locations to its long-term strategy.\n“Maintaining a large store base gives us a competitive advantage in the evolving retail landscape since our physical stores are a destination,” Ellison said. “It is essential to retain those locations that present the best expression of the J.C. Penney brand.”\nFor the year, Penney’s achieved its well-publicized goal of reaching $1 billion in EBITDA, marking a $477 million improvement. It was the first time the retailer achieved positive net income since 2010, Ellison said.\nYet revenue fell short in the holiday quarter. Sales at Penney’s established stores declined 0.7 percent, and heavier promotions weighed on its margins. The company had previously announced that comparable sales fell 0.8 percent in November and December.\nUnder Ellison’s leadership, J.C. Penney has been making strides in its efforts to recover the sales profitability it lost during a failed turnaround strategy. Since taking the helm in August 2015, the soft-spoken executive has taken expenses out of the business and refreshed the stores’ assortment. That includes the company’s return to appliances last year and a push into plus sizes.\nFor fiscal 2017, J.C. Penney expects comparable sales to fall within a range of negative 1 percent to positive 1 percent, and to earn between 40 cents and 65 cents a share, adjusted. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were predicting earnings of 56 cents a share for the fiscal year.\nBack in August, Ellison laid out a three-year plan for Penney’s starting in fiscal 2017. He told investors that compounded annual comparable sales would grow 3 percent, and that earnings per share would hit $1.40 to $1.55 by 2019.\nThe company also dialed back Friday its conviction that EBITDA would hit $1.2 billion in fiscal 2017, as was previously outlined. While that is “not off the table,” the middle point of Penney’s outlook projects EBITDA of $1.1 billion, CFO Ed Record said. The retailer would need to generate comparable sales growth slightly north of 2 percent to reach its previously stated goal, Record said.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Ellison"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["J.C. Penney","Penney"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the next few months","next"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["We believe closing stores will allow us to adjust our business to effectively compete against the growing threat of online retailers","business"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2018 Video game developer Telltale Games announces the closure of most of its studio via public statement. 225 employees are laid off, leaving only 25 left in order to fulfill obligations. (Game Informer)","document":"Update #4, 9/25: Telltale has posted an update on Twitter announcing it is currently investigating offers from \"multiple potential partners\" to finish episodes three and four of The Walking Dead's final season. \"While we can't make any promises today, we are actively working towards a solution that will allow episodes 3 and 4 to be completed and released in some form,\" the company's statement says. \"In the meantime, episode 2 will release tomorrow across all platforms as planned. We hope to have answers for your other questions soon.\" \nUpdate #3: Telltale employees have suggested publicly and privately that the remaining employees are not working on The Walking Dead, as originally thought, but instead the Netflix deal for Minecraft Story Mode. USGamer has heard something similar from their sources.\nIf true, then The Walking Dead story that put Telltale on the map is doomed to go unfinished, two episodes short of its stated goal. It would also likely be the most prominent example of a season pass going unfulfilled, raising the question of what happens to people who purchased the full season, especially from a company that is seemingly filing for bankruptcy.\nUpdate #2: Telltale has confirmed that they have reduced their staff from 250 employees to 25 to \"fulfill the company's obligations to its board and partners.\"\nConfirmation of the further announced projects and their status will be announced in the coming weeks. CEO Peter Hawley blamed poor sales as the primary reason for closure in the following statement.\n\nUpdate: Sources tell us that all projects planned after The Walking Dead have been cancelled.\nThe original story is as follows:\nA number of Telltale Games' employees have posted on social media today indicating that they are looking for work, with many sharing both publicly and privately that Telltale has either closed its doors or is suffering its largest layoff so far.\nWe have reached out to Telltale for clarification, but did not receive anything back by the time of writing. It appears from the sheer number of developers that are seeking employment, however, that the company will have to make a public statement sooner rather than later. \nLess than a year ago, the studio laid off over a quarter of its workforce under the auspices of a necessary restructuring plan while a drama-filled game of musical chairs for the company's leadership played out in the background. Telltale has been saying in the time since that they hope to focus on quality over quantity and released the first episode of the final season of The Walking Dead just a short while ago.\nTelltale had announced several other projects that might not see the light of day now, such as The Wolf Among Us season 2, Stranger Things, and Game of Thrones season 2. A skeleton crew of 25 employees reportedly remain to finish The Walking Dead, but new projects are unlikely to continue after. The remaining 225 employees have been let go.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Peter Hawley"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Telltale"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["poor sales"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2018 Google announces that it is shutting down its Google+ network for consumers after seven years due to \"very low usage\" and a software error, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, that potentially exposed the data of 500,000 users. Google+ will fully shut down in August 2019. (Sky News)","document":"Google will \"sunset\" the social network, which saw \"very low usage\" and failed to truly challenge market leader Facebook.\nBy Ajay Nair, news reporter Monday 8 October 2018 22:27, UK\nGoogle is pulling the plug on its flagship social network Google+ after data from up to 500,000 users was left exposed by a bug.\nThe tech giant said it would shut down the consumer version of the platform after it revealed users' data may have been exposed by a bug that was present for more than two years.\nIn a blog post, the company revealed it discovered the leak and patched it in March. It said it had no evidence that the data was misused or that any developer was aware of it or had exploited the leak.\nA Google spokesperson said there were \"significant challenges in creating and maintaining a successful Google+ that meets consumers' expectations\".\nThey said the firm would now \"sunset\" the app, which failed to truly challenge market leader Facebook, citing \"very low usage\".\nGoogle said it would \"wind-down\" the consumer version of the website over the next 10 months, with 90% of users accessing the site for less than five seconds.\nThe case was unusual in that it was brought on behalf of four million iPhone users in a so-called representative action\nHowever, it is planning to keep the platform alive for \"enterprise users\" in the workplace.\n\"Our review showed that Google+ is better suited as an enterprise product where co-workers can engage in internal discussions on a secure corporate social network,\" Google said.\n\"Enterprise customers can set common access rules, and use central controls, for their entire organisation. We've decided to focus on our enterprise efforts and will be launching new features purpose-built for businesses. We will share more information in the coming days.\"\nFollowing the announcement, shares in Google's parent company Alphabet Inc were down 1.5% in response to the privacy issues.\nAccording to The Wall Street Journal, Google had decided not to disclose the issue with its application programming interfaces (API) due to fears of increased regulatory scrutiny.\nBut the company said it reviewed the issue and looked at the type of data involved, if it could correctly identify the users affected to inform them, if there was any evidence of misuse, and if there was any action a user or developer could take.\n\"None of these thresholds were met in this instance,\" the firm said in its blog post. \"We found no evidence that any developer was aware of this bug, or abusing the API, and we found no evidence that any profile data was misused.\"\nCompanies have to inform a supervisory authority within 72 hours of a personal data breach under the EU's general data protection regulation (GDPR) - unless the breach is not likely to risk the rights and freedom of affected users.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Google"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["very low usage","low usage","data from up to 500,000 users was left exposed by a bug","data","bug"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2018 Cobalt Air suddenly announces its dissolution, cancelling all future operations and leaving many passengers stranded in Cyprus. (BBC)","document":"Low-cost airline Cobalt has cancelled all flights from midnight Wednesday according to a statement on its website.\nThe carrier, which has operated flights in and out of Cyprus since 2016 - including flying UK holiday-makers to the island - has suspended operations.\nLocal media said Cobalt had failed to reach a deal with a potential new investor.\nThe Cyprus Mail said the airline's main backer is China's Avic Joy Air.\nThe airline's statement said future flights would not operate due to \"indefinite suspension of Cobalt's operations\", and advised passengers not to go to the airport.\nThey should contact their credit card provider or travel agent instead, it added.\nIt is not yet clear how many passengers have been affected, but nine flights had been scheduled to arrive and nine to depart from Larnaca airport on Thursday. It flew to 23 destinations in Europe - including Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick and Manchester in the UK - as well as Russia and the Middle East. Passengers reacted with concern on Twitter.\nCypriot Transport Minister Vassiliki Anastassiadou said the government would pay for tickets to help travellers get back to where they started from, but stressed it would only cover return tickets.\nShe said telephone numbers would be announced soon to help passengers stranded either in Cyprus or overseas.\nThe fate of Cobalt's 200 staff is unclear. Last year, Cobalt said it had carried 740,000 passengers in its first 16 months of operation. By contrast, Europe's biggest airline Lufthansa carried about 130 million people last year. Before 2016, short-haul flights out of Cyprus were dominated by state-controlled Cyprus Airways. But it collapsed, which left room for the new operator.\nDanish budget carrier Primera Air ceased trading earlier this month after 14 years of operation.\nPassengers stranded as airline collapses\n\nBut the drug-maker faces hefty fines if it fails to supply doses of Covid-19 vaccine over the summer.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Cobalt"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["failed to reach a deal with a potential new investor"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2018 The Donald J. Trump Foundation agrees to dissolve under judicial supervision while a lawsuit in the state of New York is ongoing. (CNN) (The Daily Beast)","document":"New York Attorney General announced on Tuesday that the foundation will cease to exist after an alleged pattern of using its ‘charity’ for campaign purposes.\nPolitical Reporter\nThe Donald J. Trump Foundation agreed to be dissolved on Tuesday after it was accused of acting “in a persistently illegal manner” by the New York Attorney General’s Office. The foundation is accused by the attorney general in a lawsuit—and in multiple news stories—of using charity funds to settle private business matters, coordinating between the foundation and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, and making an illegal and undisclosed contribution to a political action committee. “Our petition detailed a shocking pattern of illegality involving the Trump Foundation – including unlawful coordination with the Trump presidential campaign, repeated and willful self-dealing, and much more. This amounted to the Trump Foundation functioning as little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump’s business and political interests,” Attorney General Barbara Underwood said in a statement. “This is an important victory for the rule of law, making clear that there is one set of rules for everyone.”\nIn a stipulation signed by foundation attorney Alan Futerfas, the foundation agreed to dissolve and within 30 days submit to the court a list of not-for-profit organizations to receive its remaining assets. The stipulation follows a decision last month to allow for Underwood’s suit against the Trump Foundation to proceed. The lawsuit seeks $2.8 million in restitution plus penalties, as well as a ban on Trump from future service as a director of a New York not-for-profit for ten years. It also seeks the same ban for a year for Trump’s children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric, who all are foundation board members. The lawsuit filed in June alleged that the foundation had illegally intervened “in Mr. Trump's campaign for president in 2016 by, among other things, making expenditures during the first five months of 2016 that were intended to influence his election for president.”\nThe A.G.’s office documented coordination between the campaign and the foundation, including an instance in which then-Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski requested that an official with the foundation give out grant money in Iowa in order to help the campaign win the state’s caucus. Additionally, the lawsuit discusses a widely publicized veterans fundraiser in Des Moines held by the Trump Foundation, but allegedly staffed by the campaign, which “planned, organized, financed, and directed\" it. “The Fundraiser, which solicited donations from members of the public, including New York residents, reaped approximately $5.6 million in tax free donations,” the suit reads. “Of that total, $2.823 million was contributed to the Foundation.”\nThe complaint also said that in 2013, the Trump Foundation illegally donated $25,000 to a political action committee supporting the campaign of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. In its tax filing, it left out the contribution and instead listed a fictitious contribution to a similarly named non-profit outfit in Kansas. The suit followed reporting throughout 2016 by the Washington Post and other outlets detailing how the foundation was used as Trump’s personal piggybank. Political Reporter","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Trump"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Donald J. Trump Foundation","Trump Foundation","Donald"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["alleged pattern of using its ‘charity’ for campaign purposes"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2018 Ten years after the collapse of Belgian financial group Fortis in the financial crisis of 2007–2008, the prosecutor in Brussels decides to drop the case against seven former directors. The prosecution argues that it found insufficient evidence that they knowingly misled shareholders with over–optimistic company information. (Reuters)","document":"BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian prosecutors have dropped their case against former directors of Fortis, 10 years after the Belgian-Dutch bank’s collapse during the global financial crisis.\nBrussels prosecutors said that they had decided not to pursue charges against seven ex-directors because it had not found sufficient proof that they had wilfully given over-optimistic information to shareholders.\n“If we want to prove fraud then we need to show they knowingly attached too low a risk to the sub-primes, in other words were too positive... It is difficult to say that they should have known better,” said prosecutor Ine Van Wymersch.\nShe noted that Belgian insurer Ageas AGES.BR, the legal successor to Fortis, was set to pay shareholders 1.3 billion euros by way of compensation.\nPart of the reason for the pursuit of the ex-directors was to secure damages for Fortis shareholders who had lost their money.\nSeven ex-directors, including former chairman Maurice Lippens and former CEO Jean-Paul Votron, were accused in 2013 of misleading investors during Fortis’s purchase of part of Dutch lender ABN AMRO and before its 2008 collapse.\nAllegations by the prosecutors revolved around whether communications to investors about Fortis’s exposure to U.S. sub-prime assets were insufficient or too late, such as at the time of a capital increase when Fortis bought part of ABN AMRO.\nThe seven would have been the first in Belgium to face trial over banking failures during the crisis, which also forced bailouts for Franco-Belgian group Dexia DEXI.BR and Belgian company KBC KBC.BR.\nFortis, once one of Europe’s largest banks, got into trouble after paying a top-of-the-market 24 billion euros ($27.4 billion) to buy the Dutch operations of ABN AMRO just before the credit crunch struck.\nShareholder groups have complained that Lippens and Votron repeatedly assured markets that Fortis’s balance sheet was strong and that it would not be changing its dividend policy.\nIn June, 2008, Fortis scrapped its interim dividend and sold new shares to prop itself up before it collapsed and was broken up in October 2008.\nReporting by Philip Blenkinsop\n.\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Maurice Lippens"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Belgian-Dutch bank","Belgian"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["the global financial crisis"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2019 German airline Germania declares bankruptcy and ceases operations, cancelling all flights immediately. (Reuters)","document":"BERLIN (Reuters) - Holiday airline Germania collapsed on Tuesday and canceled all flights immediately, the latest to succumb to turbulence in the European airline industry as it failed to secure financing to navigate a short-term cash squeeze.\nThe insolvency of the German company, which carried about 4 million passengers a year, followed the failure of Germany’s second-biggest carrier, Air Berlin, in 2017.\nBritain’s Monarch Airlines and Alitalia also filed for insolvency in 2017. German charter carrier Small Planet Airlines hit financial trouble last year after an expansion drive.\nGermania cited rising fuel prices, a stronger dollar, delays in integrating new aircraft into its fleet and high maintenance costs.\n“Unfortunately, we were ultimately unable to bring our financing efforts to cover a short-term liquidity need to a positive conclusion,” Chief Executive Officer Karsten Balke said in a statement.\nThe carrier’s 37 aircraft mainly flew German sun-seekers to more than 60 destinations in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The Berlin-based company, founded in 1986, also offered flights to less conventional destinations including Iran, Iraq and Armenia.\nIt said all flights had been halted overnight after it filed for bankruptcy late on Monday.\nA spokesman for the airline’s administrators said it was unclear whether operations could resume and whether the company could continue.\nCEO Balke thanked Germania’s staff and apologized to passengers who had booked directly and would not be entitled to alternative flights. A Germania spokesman declined to comment on the number of passengers or staff affected.\n“I have no idea whether we are going to be put on another flight or whether we can book our own new flight through another carrier. No idea,” passenger Iris Fenske told Reuters TV at Duesseldorf airport.\nThe Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry said other airlines, including Condor, Tui Group’s TUIfly and those belonging to the Lufthansa Group, would offer stranded Germania passengers special rates to return to Germany.\nTour operators will organize alternative travel arrangements for holidaymakers who have booked package deals, the German Travel Association (DRV) said.\nGermany’s Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, a conservative, said he had no specific plans to offer help to Germania, adding the government would watch the situation closely.\nThe Social Democrats, junior partners in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition, vowed to push for creation of a European system to protect passengers in the event of bankruptcies, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported late Tuesday.\n“The new EU commission and the new European parliament must tackle this urgent problem,” it quoted the party’s legal spokesman, Johannes Fechner, as saying.\n“The horror for German air travelers continues,” Klaus Mueller, head of the Federation of German Consumer Organisations, said of the airline’s demise.\nOn Monday, Europe’s largest budget airline Ryanair, posted its first quarterly loss since 2014 and said it expects further consolidation over the next 12-18 months because of overcapacity.\nIt predicted a further rise in oil prices would hit smaller airlines that cannot afford to increase their oil price hedging.\nIn a video message on Twitter, Ryanair’s chief operating officer on Tuesday said the airline will offer Germania pilots, engineers and cabin crew “immediate” starts if they apply for vacancies in Germany, Austria and across Europe.\nGermania’s financial problems emerged at the start of January when it said it was examining several financing options to secure short-term liquidity.\nOn Jan. 19 it said it had a commitment for 15 million euros ($17 million) in funding that would secure its medium- and long-term future, but at the end of last week it confirmed media reports that it had delayed paying wages.\n \n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Karsten Balke"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Germania"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Berlin"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["failed to secure financing to navigate a short-term cash squeeze","short"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2019 Dollar Tree announces it will close 390 Family Dollar stores, and rebrand a further 200 Family Dollar stores as Dollar Tree. (CNBC)","document":"Discount retailer Dollar Tree plans to close 390 Family Dollar stores this year while renovating 1,000 other locations, the company said in releasing its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday.\n“We are confident we are taking the appropriate steps to reposition our Family Dollar brand for increasing profitability as business initiatives gain traction in the back half of fiscal 2019,” CEO Gary Philbin said in announcing the results.\nIts renovated Family Dollar locations will sell alcohol and include a $1 Dollar Tree merchandise section. About 400 stores will get expanded freezer and cooler sections, and it will also rebrand about 200 Family Dollar stores to the Dollar Tree brand. It had 7,001 Dollar Tree locations and 8,236 Family Dollar stores as of Feb. 2.\nThe company’s earnings beat Wall Street estimates, which were heavily adjusted to exclude a $2.73 billion write-down against its Family Dollar business, among other charges.\nOn an adjusted basis, the Dollar Tree reported a profit of $1.93 per share during the 13 weeks ended Feb. 2 compared with average estimates of $1.92 a share compiled by Refinitiv. Sales at stores open for at least a year rose 2.4 percent versus an estimate of 1.5 percent. It generated $6.21 billion in revenue, better than the $6.19 billion expected by Wall Street but down slightly from $6.36 billion a year earlier.\nOn an unadjusted basis, the company had a loss of $2.31 billion, or a loss of $9.66 a share, compared with a profit of $1.04 billion, or $4.37 a share, during the same quarter last year, which included an extra week.\nShares of the company rose more than 4 percent in intraday trading Wednesday.\nThe report comes after activist investor Starboard Value, which has a 1.7 percent stake in the company, pressured Dollar Tree this January to change its pricing and sell the store.\nThe company opened 143 stores in the fourth quarter, closed 84 Family Dollar stores and 10 Dollar Tree stores and expanded or relocated 14 stores. It currently operates 15,237 stores across the U.S. and Canada.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Gary Philbin"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Family Dollar"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this year","year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S. and Canada"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["reposition our Family Dollar brand for increasing profitability"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2019 Debenhams, one of the largest department stores in the United Kingdom which employs 25,000 people, collapses into administration. (The Guardian)","document":"Founder of Sports Direct had ploughed at least £150m into department store group Last modified on Mon 3 Feb 2020 17.49 GMT\nDebenhams has been taken over by its lenders after the department store group fell into administration, wiping out shareholders including Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct and paving the way for store closures that will put thousands of jobs at risk.\nThe retailer’s 165 UK outlets will continue to trade under the pre-pack administration deal that affects its listed holding company only. Cost-cutting plans under consideration by the retailer’s new owners mean about 50 stores are under threat, although no sites are expected to shut until after Christmas.\nDebenhams entered administration on Tuesday morning and the group’s two principal operating companies were sold immediately to a new company owned by its lenders.\nTerry Duddy, the chairman of Debenhams, which employs 25,000 people in the UK, said it was “disappointing” shareholders in the business had been wiped out. The investors included Sports Direct group, of which Ashley is chief executive and founder. The group has taken a hit of at least £150m on its near 30% stake in Debenhams.\n“This transaction will allow Debenhams to continue trading as normal, access the funding we need and proceed with executing our turnaround plans,” Duddy said.\n“We remain focused on protecting as many stores and jobs as possible, consistent with establishing a sustainable store portfolio ...\n“In the meantime, our customers, colleagues, pension holders, suppliers and landlords can be reassured that Debenhams will now be able to move forward on a stable footing. I would like to thank them all for their recent and continuing support.”\nThe pre-pack administration – under which a sale is lined up in advance – paves the way for the lenders to pump another £100m of urgently needed funds into the business.\nBut the banks and hedge funds that now own the group also want to close about 50 stores via an insolvency process known as a company voluntary arrangement. Details of the plan, which landlords must approve, are expected to be announced within weeks. Debenhams has struggled to adapt to the switch to online shopping and has spent millions of pounds on servicing its heavy debts. The company’s large stores are also on long leases, making it difficult to cut rents or move to better locations.\nHMV, Maplin, Poundworld and LK Bennett are among the high street names that have called in administrators since 2018.\nTens of thousands of retail jobs have been lost since last year and even retail stalwarts such as Marks & Spencer have announced wide-ranging store closure plans.\nRichard Lim, the chief executive of industry analysts Retail Economics, said Debenhams was the latest victim of a rapidly changing industry. “We should not understate the significance of this collapse, given the vast property portfolio, number of jobs impacted and the reverberations felt across many high streets,” he said.\n“Debenhams has fallen victim to crippling levels of debt, which has paralysed its ability to pivot towards a more digital and experience-led retail model.\n“Put simply, the business has been outmanoeuvred by more nimble competitors, failed to embrace change and was left with a tiring proposition. The industry is evolving fast and it paid the ultimate price.”\nSports Direct lost out on Debenhams after the company and its lenders rejected a last-ditch offer of a £200m cash injection, mainly because it was conditional on Ashley becoming chief executive of the department store chain.\nThe proposal made in the early hours of Tuesday morning came after an offer of £150m on Monday was rejected for the same reason. Sports Direct said on Tuesday it had ditched plans for a potential £61m takeover bid for Debenhams.\nIn a stock market statement issued on Tuesday, Sports Direct called for the administration of Debenhams to be reversed, claiming it had been stalled and misled during rescue talks.\n“This is nothing short of a national scandal and one that could so easily have been avoided if Debenhams had chosen to engage with its largest shareholders constructively,” the company said.\nThe note flagged up the threat of potential legal action, saying it would “not stop in its quest to get to the bottom of this appallingly managed process”.\nAshley said: “As normal, politicians and regulators fiddled while Rome burned. These politicians and regulators have proven to be as effective as a chocolate teapot.\n“I will go to the ends of the earth to save as many Debenhams stores and jobs as I can, similar to the promise I made with regards to House of Fraser.”\nThe Sports Direct chief executive was keen to put Debenhams together with House of Fraser, the struggling department store group he bought out of administration for £90m last year.\nAshley had wanted to protect his investment in Debenhams, which had a market value of more than £300m less than a year ago but was valued at less than £23m on Tuesday morning. There is virtually no chance of shareholders getting anything back.\nDocuments published on Tuesday showed Debenhams’ lenders paid £101.8m for the group and also took on £520m of debts and its pension obligations, taking the total cost of the deal to £621.81m. But that sum is in line with the total value of Debenhams’ debts at the time it fell into administration, leaving no spare cash for shareholders.\nThe letter said the business had been “sold for a price which in our opinion is the best price reasonably obtainable at the time of sale”.\n… as you’re joining us today from Korea, we have a small favour to ask. Tens of millions have placed their trust in the Guardian’s high-impact journalism since we started publishing 200 years ago, turning to us in moments of crisis, uncertainty, solidarity and hope. More than 1.5 million readers, from 180 countries, have recently taken the step to support us financially – keeping us open to all, and fiercely independent.\nWith no shareholders or billionaire owner, we can set our own agenda and provide trustworthy journalism that’s free from commercial and political influence, offering a counterweight to the spread of misinformation. When it’s never mattered more, we can investigate and challenge without fear or favour.\nUnlike many others, Guardian journalism is available for everyone to read, regardless of what they can afford to pay. We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of global events, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action.\nWe aim to offer readers a comprehensive, international perspective on critical events shaping our world – from the Black Lives Matter movement, to the new American administration, Brexit, and the world's slow emergence from a global pandemic. We are committed to upholding our reputation for urgent, powerful reporting on the climate emergency, and made the decision to reject advertising from fossil fuel companies, divest from the oil and gas industries, and set a course to achieve net zero emissions by 2030.\nIf there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our journalism and sustains our future. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – it only takes a minute. If you can, please consider supporting us with a regular amount each month. Thank you.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Terry Duddy"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Debenhams"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["UK"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["shareholders in the business had been wiped out","business","shareholders"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2019 The Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group, owned by British restaurateur Jamie Oliver, collapses into administration, resulting in 1,000 job losses. (BBC)","document":"Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has said he is \"devastated\" after his restaurant group went into administration, with 1,000 jobs being lost.\nThe group, which includes the Jamie's Italian chain, Barbecoa and Fifteen, has appointed KPMG as administrators.\nTwenty two of the 25 restaurants in Jamie Oliver's restaurant group have now closed.\nMr Oliver, who put in £4m cash this year, said: \"I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected.\"\nTwo Jamie's Italian restaurants and Jamie Oliver's Diner at Gatwick Airport will continue to trade in the short term while the administrators explore options for the outlets.\n\"The group had recently undertaken a process to secure additional investment into the business and, since the beginning of this year, Jamie Oliver has made available additional funds of £4m to support the fundraising,\" said the administrators in a statement.\n\"However, with no suitable investment forthcoming and in light of the very difficult current trading environment, the directors resolved to appoint administrators.\"\nJamie Oliver's Fifteen Cornwall at Watergate Bay, which operates under a franchise, is unaffected. The international restaurants trading as Jamie's Italian, Jamie's Pizzeria and Jamie's Deli will also continue to trade as normal.\nMr Oliver tweeted that: \"I'm devastated that our much-loved UK restaurants have gone into administration.\"\nAnd in a statement he added: \"I would also like to thank all the customers who have enjoyed and supported us over the last decade, it's been a real pleasure serving you.\n\"We launched Jamie's Italian in 2008 with the intention of positively disrupting mid-market dining in the UK High Street, with great value and much higher quality ingredients, best-in-class animal welfare standards and an amazing team who shared my passion for great food and service. And we did exactly that.\"\nNotices have appeared in the windows of the 22 branches which have already closed.\nThe Unite union said the development was a \"devastating blow for the chain's hardworking and loyal workforce\".\n\"Restaurants are not being helped by the current economic uncertainty, although those businesses like Jamie Oliver's that dashed for expansion in recent years seem particularly precarious. As ever, it is the workers at the restaurant and in the supply chain who bear the heavy cost of boardroom decisions.\"\nThe union also asked for assurances that staff will be \"protected and paid all the money they're owed, including wages, holiday and redundancy\". One Jamie's Italian worker in Birmingham, Valentine Balbinot, said: \"It was just so devastating, we were not expecting this... it is really brutal.\"\nMr Oliver is known for his Naked Chef books and TV shows, broadcast in dozens of countries, after first being shown in the UK 20 years ago.\nHe has also campaigned for healthier eating, including in school meals.\nHis chain is the latest victim of a tough trading environment on the UK High Street.\nEarlier this year, cafe chain Patisserie Valerie fell into administration, and 70 outlets closed, with the loss of 920 jobs, although 96 shops were saved.\nOther mid-market chains that have struggled in recent years have included Byron Burger, Prezzo and Carluccio's.\nMr Oliver's business has faced difficulties over the past two years, with a number of Jamie's Italian and Barbecoa restaurants shutting.\nIn 2017, he closed the last of his Union Jacks restaurants and also shut his magazine Jamie, which had been running for almost 10 years.\nIn December of that year the chef also put £3m of his own money into his restaurant businesses.\nSimon Mydlowski, a partner at law firm Gordons and an expert in the hospitality industry, said Jamie's had failed to keep up with changing trends.\n\"To be successful in this sector you have to be constantly evolving - from the menus and the drinks choice, to the way you engage with customers.\"\n\"Faced with higher rent, rising food prices and increased competition, restaurants need a point of difference - it's no coincidence that smaller brands with the freedom and flexibility to keep things fresh are currently the ones performing well.\"\nJamie's Italian worker 'devastated'\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Jamie Oliver"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Jamie Oliver's restaurant group","Jamie Oliver","restaurant group"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["UK"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["with no suitable investment forthcoming and in light of the very difficult current trading environment, the directors resolved to appoint administrators"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2017 New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announces that he is developing a plan to close the Rikers Island prison within 10 years. (BBC)","document":"Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced his support to close New York City's notorious prison on Rikers Island. Mr de Blasio said closing Rikers would be \"long and arduous\", but that local officials and stakeholders had a \"moral obligation\" to do so. The mayor said on Friday he was developing a plan to close the prison within 10 years.\nHe had previously said that replacing the massive jail complex would be too expensive. \"It will take many years. It will take many tough decisions along the way, but it will happen,\" he said at a press conference on Friday. Mr de Blasio said that closing the prison, which houses about 10,000 inmates, would require cutting the jail population roughly in half. \"The length of this process will also require continued investment in the facilities and conditions on Rikers Island that remain key to rehabilitation efforts for thousands of New Yorkers in the years ahead,\" he added in a statement. Details of the plan to close the prison have yet to be released. An independent commission, led by the state's former chief judge, has been reviewing options to close Rikers as part of a larger probe into the city's criminal justice system.\nThe commission was created following a series of brutality cases revealing questionable practices and corruption at the prison complex. One of the recommendations included moving inmates into a system of smaller jails across the New York City boroughs at a cost of $10.6bn (£8.4bn), according to US media reports. The mayor, who is up for re-election this year, has previously said that shutting the prison was a \"noble idea\" but would cost the city billions of dollars and take years to close.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Rikers"]},{"role":"Date","values":["within 10 years"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New York"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2017 Ciudad Juárez–based newspaper Norte closes its print edition, citing a lack of security in Mexico. (AP via ABC) (Guardian)","document":"Norte editor tells readers the paper is closing because the safety of reporters cannot be guaranteed\nLast modified on Thu 5 Oct 2017 16.52 BST\nA newspaper in the Mexican border city of Juárez has announced that it is shutting down because the unpunished killings of journalists in the country have made it too dangerous to go on.\nOscar Cantu Murguia, the editor of Norte, informed readers of his decision in a farewell letter titled “Adios!” that was published on the paper’s front page and online.\nHe cited the recent murder of journalist Miroslava Breach in the city of Chihuahua, which like Juárez is in Chihuahua state. Breach was a reporter for the national newspaper La Jornada and had also collaborated with Norte.\nBreach was shot eight times in her car. One of her children was in the vehicle at the time but was not hurt. The gunmen left a note saying: “For being a loud-mouth.”\nAnnouncing the decision to close the paper, Cantu wrote: “On this day, esteemed reader, I address you to report that I have made the decision to close this newspaper due to the fact that, among other things, there are neither the guarantees nor the security to exercise critical, counterbalanced journalism.\n“In these 27 years ... we fought against the tide, receiving attacks and punishments from individuals and governments for having exposed their bad practices and corrupt acts that only played to the detriment of our city and the people who live in it.\n“Everything in life has a beginning and an end, a price to pay,” he went on. “And if this is life, I am not prepared for any more of my collaborators to pay it, nor with my own person.”\nCantu also mentioned ambiguous financial concerns that he blamed on authorities – “the arrogant refusal to pay debts contracted for the provision of services”.\nHe vowed to continue “fighting from other trenches, always contributing and being loyal to my ideals and my city”. A spokesman for Norte told the Guardian that the organisation’s news website would continue to operate. Juárez, which has a population of 1.3 million people, currently has five local newspapers: El Diario, El Norte, El Mexicano, El PM and Hoy. Norte’s print run was 30,000 copies from Monday to Thursday and 35,000 from Friday to Sunday.\nIn Mexico, government advertising is a major source of revenue for many news outlets, and media critics say reliance on that often leads to tame coverage and self-censorship.\nAt least 38 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992 for motives confirmed as related to their work, according the Committee to Protect Journalists. The New York-based media advocacy group says 50 more were slain during the same period for reasons that remain unclear.\n“Mexico is clearly going through a deep, full-blown freedom of expression crisis,” said Carlos Lauria, senior program coordinator for the Americas at CPJ. “It’s affecting Mexicans, not only journalists, because the fact that a newspaper closes is depriving people of information that they need in order to take informed decisions.”\nThe country saw a spate of attacks on journalists in March.\nIn addition to Breach, who was gunned down as she left home 23 March, two other journalists were killed in Guerrero and Veracruz, both states that are hotspots of drug cartel violence.\nAnother journalist was shot in Poza Rica, Veracruz on 29 March, leaving him in a critical condition. And an armed attack on a journalist in San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, left his bodyguard dead.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Norte"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Juárez"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["the safety of reporters cannot be guaranteed"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2017 Ciudad Juárez–based newspaper Norte closes its print edition, citing a lack of security in Mexico. (AP via ABC) (Guardian)","document":"A newspaper in the Mexican border city of Juarez announced Sunday that it is shutting down because the rampant, unpunished killings of journalists in the country have made it too dangerous to go on.\nNorte executive Oscar Cantu Murguia informed readers of his decision in a farewell letter titled \"Adios!\" that was published on the paper's front page and online.\nHe cited the recent murder of journalist Miroslava Breach in the city of Chihuahua, which like Juarez is in Chihuahua state. Breach was a reporter for the national newspaper La Jornada and had also collaborated with Norte.\n\"On this day, esteemed reader, I address you to report that I have made the decision to close this newspaper due to the fact that, among other things, there are neither the guarantees nor the security to exercise critical, counterbalance journalism,\" Cantu wrote.\n\"Everything in life has a beginning and an end, a price to pay,\" he continued. \"And if this is life, I am not prepared for any more of my collaborators to pay it, nor with my own person.\"\nCantu also mentioned ambiguous financial concerns that he blamed on authorities: \"the arrogant refusal to pay debts contracted for the provision of services.\"\nIn Mexico, government advertising is a major source of revenue for many news outlets, and media critics say reliance on that often leads to tame coverage and self-censorship.\nAt least 38 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992 for motives confirmed as related to their work, according the Committee to Protect Journalists. The New York-based media advocacy group says 50 more were slain during the same period for reasons that remain unclear.\n\"Mexico is clearly going through a deep, full-blown freedom of expression crisis,\" said Carlos Lauria, senior program coordinator for the Americas at CPJ. \"It's affecting Mexicans, not only journalists, because the fact that a newspaper closes is depriving people of information that they need in order to take informed decisions.\"\nThe country saw a spate of attacks on journalists in March.\nIn addition to Breach, who was gunned down as she left home March 23, two other journalists were killed in Guerrero and Veracruz, both states that are hotspots of drug cartel violence.\nAnother journalist was shot in Poza Rica, Veracruz, March 29, leaving him in critical condition. And an armed attack on a journalist in San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, left his bodyguard dead.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Oscar Cantu Murguia"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Norte"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Juarez"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["the rampant, unpunished killings of journalists in the country have made it too dangerous to go on","journalists","Journalists"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2017 The militant Basque separatist group ETA begins handing over its remaining weapons during a ceremony in Bayonne, France, in which the group turned over to authorities an inventory of weapons and their locations. (BBC)","document":"Basque militant group Eta has begun handing over its remaining weapons, ending the last insurgency in Western Europe. At a ceremony in the southern French city of Bayonne, an inventory of weapons, and their locations, was passed to the judicial authorities. French Interior Minister Matthias Fekl hailed the move as a \"major step\".\nEta killed more than 800 people in some 40 years of violence as it sought to carve out an independent country straddling Spain and France. It declared a ceasefire in 2011 but did not disarm.\nMr Fekl said the inventory included eight sites, and a police operation was under way to secure them. The caches contain 120 firearms, three tonnes of explosives and several thousand rounds of ammunition, according to a spokesman for the group which mediated between Eta and the French authorities. The group was set up more than 50 years ago in the era of Spanish dictator General Franco. Its goal was to create an independent Basque state out of territory in south-west France and northern Spain.\nIts first known killing was in 1968, when a secret police chief was shot dead in the Basque city of San Sebastian.\nFrance and Spain refuse to negotiate with Eta, which is on the EU blacklist of terrorist organisations. It has taken years to convince Eta members to disarm without getting anything in return, says the BBC's Lyse Doucet, in Bayonne. She says she has been told about 100 hardline fighters still oppose the move. French police have begun checking the list of sites handed over on Saturday. There is also the International Verification Commission (IVC), set up in 2011 to monitor Eta's progress towards disarmament. It is not recognised by the French and Spanish governments, but it does have the backing of the regional Basque government in Spain. In 2014, the IVC reported that Eta had taken some of its weapons out of action, but the Spanish government dismissed the move as \"theatrical\".\nThe Spanish government does not believe Eta will hand over all its weapons, Reuters quoted a government source as saying.\nSlowly, and with many false starts. Eta's first ceasefire was in 1998, but collapsed the following year. In 2006, it made another pledge to lay down arms that, too, proved to be illusory. In December of that year, it bombed an airport car park in Madrid, killing two people. Four years later, in 2010, Eta announced it would not carry out further attacks and in January 2011, it declared a permanent and \"internationally verifiable\" ceasefire but refused to disarm.\nIn recent years, police in France and Spain have put Eta under severe pressure, arresting hundreds of militants, including leadership figures, and seizing many of its weapons.\nEta's political wing, Herri Batasuna, was banned by the Spanish government, which argued that the two groups were inextricably linked. A simple ceremony in a city hall ended Eta's bloody campaign for independence. In an elegant high-ceilinged room, five people sat around a plain square table as early-morning light filtered through heavy drapes. Bayonne Mayor Jean-Rene Etchegaray welcomed them to a \"moment we have all been waiting for\". After a few short speeches, French Basque environmentalist Txetx Etcheverry approached the table with a bulky black file, with a dozen blue folders. From where I sat, I could see it included photographs as well as text. The dossier was handed to international witnesses including Italian Archbishop Matteo Zuppi and the Reverend Harold Good, who played a role in the Northern Ireland peace process. French security forces discreetly secured the area and the Spanish government raised no objections to the ceremony going ahead. Ram Manikkalingam of the IVC called it a \"new model of disarmament and verification which emerged from Basque society\".","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Basque militant group Eta"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["French"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["ending the last insurgency in Western Europe"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2017 After 146 years, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus comes to a close. (The New York Times)","document":"UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The lights went up on the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus on Sunday evening to reveal 14 lions and tigers sitting in a circle, surrounding a man in a sparkling suit. It was a sight too implausible to seem real yet such an iconic piece of Americana that it was impossible to believe the show would not go on.\nAfter 146 years, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey is closing for good, responding to a prolonged slump in ticket sales that has rendered the business unsustainable, according to its operator, Feld Entertainment. On Sunday, the circus glittered, thundered and awed beneath the booms and klieg lights of Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. That there was no tent over the final show, no striped eaves from which the daring young man on the flying trapeze could hang, felt fitting. The big top was packed up, this time forever.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus","Ringling Brothers","Barnum"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday evening"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["a prolonged slump in ticket sales that has rendered the business unsustainable"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2017 Ansar al-Sharia announces it is formally dissolving amid heavy losses that have wiped out its leadership and decimated its fighters. The group was responsible for the 2012 Benghazi attack. (Reuters)","document":"CAIRO (Reuters) - Libyan Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia, a group linked to Al-Qaeda, is formally dissolving itself, it said in a statement on Saturday.\nThe group, which Washington says was behind the 2012 Benghazi attack that killed the U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens, had been at war with Khalifa Haftar’s eastern-based Libyan National Army.\nThe group said its decision came on the back of heavy losses that have wiped out its leadership and decimated its fighters, according to the statement.\nForces aligned with the Libyan National Army have skirmished since late last year with opponents aligned with a U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli.\nGroups such as Ansar al-Sharia, which had tried to maintain a stronghold in the country’s east, have inserted themselves into the larger war, creating a fractious battleground overlaid by a multitude of militias.\nThe group’s statement called on revolutionary forces and shoura councils in Benghazi to unite in order to form a united front.\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Libyan Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia","Sharia"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["heavy losses that have wiped out its leadership and decimated its fighters"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2017 Bahrain bans the independent Al-Wasat newspaper on grounds that it \"sows division\" in the Shia-majority kingdom. (AFP via Yahoo!)","document":"Dubai (AFP) - The government in Sunni-ruled Bahrain announced Sunday an indefinite ban on the independent Al-Wasat newspaper on accusations that it publishes \"what sows division\" in the Shiite-majority Gulf kingdom.\nThe ministry of information affairs said it had decided to bar the publication and stop its circulation \"until further notice\", according BNA state news agency, without specifying if the ban affects the electronic edition.\nThe order was due to Al-Wasat's \"violation of the law and repeatedly publishing what sows division in the society and affects Bahrain's relations with other states,\" BNA said.\nThe decision came after the paper published an article on Sunday that was \"offensive to a sisterly Arab state,\" BNA said, in an apparent reference to an article that praised protests in Morocco.\nThe London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy criticised the decision, saying it was \"the latest in an escalated crackdown on independent civil society\".\n\"They are trying to silence the only independent paper,\" BIRD's advocacy chief Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei said in a statement.\n\"Bahrain feels it can get away with any action because its key international allies the US and UK have shown they don't prioritise human rights. This attack on the press must be condemned by London and Washington,\" he added.\nBIRD said an unnamed source at the newspaper said Al-Wasat was suspended due to the publication of an \"opinion article\" about widespread protests in Morocco.\nDemonstrations and a strike have rocked the northern port of Al-Hoceima, in Morocco's neglected Rif region, where authorities arrested the leader of a popular protest movement and others on May 26.\nThe protesters have been demanding more development and railing against corruption, repression and unemployment.\nAl-Hoceima has been shaken by social unrest since the death in October of a fishmonger who was crushed in a rubbish truck as he protested against the seizure of swordfish caught out of season.\n- Authorities intensify crackdown -\nAuthorities in Bahrain had suspended the electronic edition of Al-Wasat for few days in January over accusations of sowing sedition and harming national unity.\nThe newspaper was also suspended for two days in August 2015 on similar charges.\nBahrain has been rocked by sporadic unrest since March 2011 when security forces brutally crushed an Arab Spring-inspired uprising.\nAt the height of the 2011 uprising, Al-Wasat was suspended and its chief editor Mansoor al-Jamri tried and fined for publishing false information.\nThe latest ban comes as authorities intensify a crackdown on the opposition, with police shooting dead five demonstrators last month as security forces dismantled a months-long sit-in.\nAnd last week a Bahrain court dissolved the secular opposition party Waed, months after the main party representing the kingdom's Shiite majority, Al-Wefaq, was also banned.\nTiny but strategic Bahrain, which lies just across the Gulf from Iran, is a key regional ally of the United States and home to its Fifth Fleet.\nIt has come under frequent criticism from international human rights groups and the administration of Barack Obama often criticised the Manama authorities for not doing more to reconcile with the opposition.\nHowever President Donald Trump made a clear break from that policy during a visit to the region earlier this month, telling Bahrain's King Hamad in neighbouring Saudi Arabia \"there won't be strain with this administration\".\nAbout 84 million years ago, Earth's crust and the mantle below it rotated around the planet's inner core - causing the Earth to tip over.\nHart said in an interview with Romper that his children are aware of the \"gift and a curse\" that celebrity brings.\nIn an interview with McClatchy, Anthony Fauci discusses the Delta variant and his plans to eventually return to research.\nThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may possibly relocate or euthanize a female grizzly bear and her cubs if 10-14 days of hazing does not work.\nRumours abounded on Friday night that China's top spycatcher had defected to the US, amid a growing focus in Washington on the theory that Covid-19 escaped from a Wuhan laboratory. Dong Jingwei, vice minister of state security, was reported to have flown from Hong Kong to the US in February with his daughter. There was no confirmation of the rumoured development from either the US or China. Dr Han Lianchao, a former Chinese foreign ministry official who is now a pro-democracy activist in the US,\nThe urine test could help detect brain cancer earlier than traditional scans, improving patient survival.\nThe group of tubers passed over the approximately eight-foot-high Duke Energy dam along the Dan river while on a floating trip in North Carolina.\nA Tory MP is facing trial accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008, it can now be revealed. Imran Ahmad Khan, 47, the Conservative MP for Wakefield, West Yorkshire, is alleged to have groped the teenager in Staffordshire. Mr Ahmad Khan, who was elected at the 2019 general election, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday by video-link from his lawyers' office. He was named on Friday after reporting restrictions were lifted. Mr Ahmad Khan has had the Tory whip suspe\nTeachers should drop the terms boys and girls in favour of “learners”, and mix up the sexes in PE classes, Stonewall has told schools. The controversial LGBT charity is urging teachers to ditch all gendered language and gendered uniforms and suggests that children should compete against the opposite sex in sport. A series of guidance documents state that uniform policies should \"give the option to wear a skirt as well as the option to wear trousers\". One of Stonewall’s guides said that its work\nDaredevil Alex Harvill, 28, crashed his motorcycle while practicing to perform a 351-foot jump at an airshow in Washington state on June 17.\nFormer White House doctor Rep. Ronny Jackson and 13 other Republicans want President Joe Biden to take a mental cognition test and share the results.\nThe \"Daily Show\" correspondent Jordan Klepper confronted Mike Lindell about his conspiracy theories during the Frank Free Speech Rally in Wisconsin.\nWhile working her job at Starbucks, the daughter of Miami Gardens’ police chief was allegedly threatened with a gun over an order mix-up — the gunman was given his bagel without cream cheese, police say.\nIt wasn’t the Emancipation Proclamation, but rather “General Order No. 3”\nTrump's former Vice President Mike Pence was booed at what should've been a friendly crowd at the Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Orlando.\nDisneyland and Disney California Adventure have lifted rules about crowds and distancing. Fireworks are coming back. But some changes will stick.\nStepp and his wife spent 19 days in the hospital with Alli.\nMuch to the surprise of a puzzled pundit corps, history may well conclude that, while President Joe Biden and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin produced no big-deal breaking news headline, their summit may prove to be one of the 21st century’s pivotal events.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["the independent Al-Wasat newspaper"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Bahrain"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["it publishes \"what sows division\" in the Shiite-majority Gulf kingdom","Shiite"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2017 Sears, Roebuck & Co. announces it will be closing eight more of its namesake department stores, as well as thirty five Kmart locations in addition to the hundred and fifty stores that they had announced in January would be shuttered. (Reuters)","document":"CHICAGO (Reuters) - Sears Holdings Corp SHLD.O is closing eight of its namesake department stores and 35 Kmart locations to cut costs and square footage in an effort to return to profitability, Chief Executive Officer Eddie Lampert said on Friday.\nThe store closings are in addition to 150 the company announced in January. Once the largest U.S. retailer, Sears has struggled with years of losses and declining sales as shoppers have shifted from the mall to the web. The company said in February it would cut costs this year by at least $1 billion.\nShares of Sears fell as much as 4.8 percent in afternoon trading.\n\"This is part of a strategy both to address losses from unprofitable stores and to reduce the square footage of other stores because many of them are simply too big for our current needs,\" Lampert wrote in a blog post. (bit.ly/2u03gDc)\nA Sears spokesman declined to say how many jobs would be lost from these store closures. He said employees who are eligible would receive severance and be able to apply for open positions at area Sears or Kmart stores.\nLampert added that Sears expects to open more smaller-format stores while shrinking its large, less-competitive ones. He said Sears was on track to meet its cost-cutting targets.\n“We reached the point in the past 12 months where some of our vendors have reduced their support, thereby placing additional pressure on our business,” Lampert said.\nSears suppliers told Reuters in March they were doubling down on defensive measures, such as reducing shipments and seeking better payment terms, to protect against the risk of nonpayment.\nLampert, in a version of the blog post updated on Friday afternoon, added that Sears had amended its second lien credit facility to provide up to $500 million in additional borrowing capacity and had sold over $200 million in real estate, helping Sears pay down part of its real estate loan.\nSears said in a separate statement that Lampert’s hedge fund, ESL Investments Inc, controls one of the entities that has loaned money under the facility, and that ESL is considering participating in the facility as a lender.\nAs well as owning over 48 percent of Sears, Lampert and ESL - through its affiliates - have provided debt funding to the company several times since he was appointed CEO in 2013.\nReporting by Richa Naidu; Editing by David Gregorio and Cynthia Osterman\nOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.\nMore From Reuters\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Eddie Lampert"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Sears Holdings Corp SHLD.O"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["cut costs and square footage in an effort to return to profitability"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2006 Côte d'Ivoire Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny dissolves his Cabinet after toxic waste was dumped in the city of Abidjan, making over 1,500 people ill and killing three. (BBC)","document":"Three people have died and more than 1,500 have been treated after inhaling fumes from waste apparently dumped at sites in the city two weeks ago. Mr Banny, who will remain in office, was asked by Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo to form a new cabinet at a meeting scheduled for Thursday.\nIt is unclear who dumped the waste but local papers are alleging corruption.\nThe BBC's James Copnall in Abidjan says the government's resignation is unprecedented and follows mounting anger at its failure to act more decisively.\nSpecial fund\nThe government is a power-sharing administration, including rebels who control the north of the country.\nOur correspondent says some feel that the decision to resign could be intended to deflect from the failure of Tuesday's summit of political leaders to break a deadlock in the peace process.\nI'm feeling very bad in the throat and I have headaches and I cannot breathe properly\n Abidjan resident\nWaste adds to Ivorian woes\n\nThe out-going administration's last act was to set up a special fund to pay for the medical treatment for the victims of the toxic waste.\nForeign experts have been asked to help clear up the waste from seven locations around Ivory Coast's biggest city.\nHundreds of youths have set up roadblocks around the city to draw attention to the problem.\nIvorian television on Wednesday interrupted its regular programmes to urge hundreds of protesters to give doctors access to sites where toxic waste was dumped.\n\nIt said people faced serious health threats because of the toxic material.\nThe waste was dumped by a ship several weeks ago in unclear circumstances. Trafigura Beheer BV, the company that chartered the ship Probo Koala, said it was very concerned by reports that \"residue from the petrol cargo\" had been disposed of inappropriately.\nThose affected are being treated for stomach problems, nosebleeds and respiratory illnesses.\nA senior aide to the prime minister told the BBC that Mr Konan Banny felt that people at the highest level should face the consequences. Breathing problems\n\"I'm feeling very bad in the throat and I have headaches and I cannot breathe properly,\" Eric, a patient seeking treatment at Abidjan's university teaching hospital city, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.\nThe hospital has set up a specialist unit to deal with those suffering from similar symptoms.\n\"We don't know what we're treating. When they have stinging eyes or noses we give them drops. We want to know what it is so we know how to treat it,\" the manager of a local hospital told Reuters news agency.\nHe added the hospital was running low on some medicines and X-ray film.\nIn a statement, Trafigura Beheer BV said it told Ivorian authorities of the nature of the waste including \"a written request that it should be safely disposed of, according to country laws\".\n\"Trafigura can confirm that the residue (slops) were a mixture of gasoline, water and caustic washings,\" the statement continued.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Laurent Gbagbo"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["the government"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Ivory Coast"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["its failure to act more decisively"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2018 Wonga, the largest payday lender in the United Kingdom, collapses into administration. (BBC)","document":"Payday lender Wonga has announced its intention to go into administration after losing its battle to stay afloat.\nThe company said in a statement that it had assessed all options and had decided that administration was the appropriate route.\nIt had already stopped accepting new loan applications as it fought to stave off collapse.\nIts demise in the UK follows a surge in compensation claims amid a government clampdown on payday lenders.\nGrant Thornton will be acting as administrators.\nIn a statement Wonga said: \"Customers can continue to use Wonga services to manage their existing loans but the UK business will not be accepting any new loan applications. Customers can find further information on the website.\nUnfortunately for you, the repayments will still have to be made. Although this will be overseen by the administrators - in the short-term at least - there is no practical difference in the way that these payments are made.\nA service will continue for anyone who needs help, and anyone struggling to repay can still get in touch, and can also contact debt charities such as Citizens Advice or StepChange for free advice.\nRead more answers to your questions here\n\"Wonga's overseas businesses continue to trade and are not part of this announcement.\"\nThe City regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), said: \"The FCA will continue to supervise Wonga once it is in administration and is in close contact with the proposed administrators with regard to the fair treatment of customers.\n\"Customers should continue to make any outstanding payments in the normal way. All existing agreements remain in place and will not be affected by the proposed administration. However, the firm is no longer able to issue new loans.\"\nWonga, which was the UK's biggest payday lender, had faced criticism for its high-cost, short-term loans, seen as targeting the vulnerable.\nAmong those who used its services at its height was journalist James Ball, now aged 32. He said Wonga made it easy to get a loan when he was young and prone to overspending.\nBut he said that it was also convenient for him to borrow when he was struggling with student debts and commuting costs among other bills.\n\"I am absolutely not looking for sympathy,\" he said.\nIn 2014, the Financial Conduct Authority found that Wonga's debt collection practices were unfair and ordered it to pay £2.6m to compensate 45,000 customers. Since then, payday loan companies have faced tougher rules and have their charges capped.\nThis hit Wonga's profits hard. In 2016, it posted pre-tax losses of nearly £65m, despite claiming its business had been \"transformed\".\nIt continued to face legacy complaints and was forced to seek a bailout from its backers in August amid a surge in claims. It was a huge fall from grace for Wonga, which in 2012 was touted to be exploring a US stock market flotation that would have valued it at more than $1bn (£770m).\nWonga never considered itself to be a payday lender, preferring instead to describe itself as a maverick technology company that happened to sell loans. Its technology was groundbreaking, allowing the smartphone generation to choose how much they wanted to borrow with the slide of a thumb.\nThat convenience, matched with a huge advertising campaign featuring amusing puppets and upbeat voiceovers, proved a hit. At the height of its success in 2013, Wonga had a million customers. But Mick McAteer, founder of the not-for-profit Financial Inclusion Centre, said this demand was a bubble: \"They were flogging [credit] and they created demand for it.\"\nIn other words, some borrowers simply did not need to borrow from a payday lender, but were attracted towards these high-cost, short-term loans anyway.\nThe collapse spells the end of a rags to riches to rags story of a company that was vilified for its conduct when lending to people who could not afford to repay.\nThe market has changed as a result of the FCA's crackdown, and thousands of former customers have sought compensation.\nAnyone awaiting compensation payments from Wonga is now likely to be in the queue for a payout from the sale of any assets.\nMany have said they will not mourn the loss of Wonga.\nGuy Anker, deputy editor of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: \"Payday loans are hideously expensive and morally questionable products - and many have been mis-sold to vulnerable customers. They should only be seen as a loan of absolute last resort. \"So to have one fewer payday loan lender - and Wonga was a biggie - is positive for consumers, but of course is very sad for the staff who will have lost their jobs.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Wonga"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["UK"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["losing its battle to stay afloat"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 The Hungarian newspaper Népszabadság shuts down after 60 years amid significant financial losses. (Reuters)","document":"BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Around 2,000 Hungarians protested in Budapest on Saturday against the closure of the country’s leading leftist newspaper Nepszabadsag, saying press freedom was under threat.\nOwner Mediaworks said on Saturday it had suspended the newspaper and its employees after the publication piled up significant losses despite cost cuts. It said it would revamp the organization.\nBut civil rights groups said the newspaper had been shut down because it had published stories critical of right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government and called for the demonstration in front of the parliament building.\n“Today one of the last opposition newspapers was simply silenced,” the civil rights groups said on Facebook.\nThe radical nationalist Jobbik opposition party blamed Orban for the closure, saying his Fidesz party wanted to control the entire Hungarian media.\n“Sudden closure of Nepszabadsag sets a worrying precedent. I stand in solidarity with Hungarians protesting today,” European Parliament President Martin Schulz ‏tweeted.\nFidesz said it regarded the closure as a “reasonable business decision” by the publisher.\nMediaworks, owned by Austrian firm Vienna Capital Partners, said it was working on a new business model for Nepszabadsag (People’s Freedom), which has been in publication since November 1956.\n“In order to achieve and concentrate fully on this priority task, all operations of Nepszabadsag (including print and online) will as of today be suspended until the new form is decided and can be implemented,” it said on the paper’s website nol.hu.\nEmployees, who received letters on Saturday informing them of Mediawork’s decision, said the closure had come as a shock, and editor Andras Muranyi told ATV that talks with the company were under way.\n“Our first thought is that this is a coup. We will soon come back with more,” Nepszabadsag said in an editorial on its Facebook page.\nIn its final edition on Saturday, the newspaper reported the latest in its articles on a minister in Orban’s government using a helicopter to fly to a wedding.\n“I don’t usually attend demonstrations because my blood pressure goes up but now I felt I had to come.. It is a shameful thing that has been done here,” Erzsebet Kovacs, one of the demonstrators, said.\n“The free media is being suffocated,” another demonstrator Tamas Waldmann said.\nSome protesters burned copies of the pro-government daily Magyar Idok at the rally, website Index.hu reported.\nGovernment spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said the government did not deal with developments in the media industry. “In Hungary press freedom is doing well,” he added.\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Nepszabadsag"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Hungary"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["publication piled up significant losses despite cost cuts"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2016 Protesters in Malaysia attempt to shut down the Malaysiakini newspaper which has been at the center of opposition towards Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak. (The Guardian)","document":"Najib Razak supporters say news site an ‘agent for foreign powers’ after grant from George Soros-backed fund emerges\nLast modified on Mon 7 Nov 2016 00.38 GMT\nHundreds of pro-government protesters in Malaysia have demanded the closure of independent news portal Malaysiakini, rallying against what they said was a foreign-backed attempt to usurp the prime minister, Najib Razak.\nDressed in red shirts, the demonstrators chanted “close down Malaysiakini” outside the company’s offices in Petaling Jaya, near Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday in a largely peaceful gathering that lasted several hours.\nPolice prevented the group of about 500 people from entering Malaysiakini, an organisation that has reported extensively on a corruption scandal that has engulfed Najib.\nAmnesty International said the calls to close Malaysiakini were “the latest instance of the right to freedom of expression coming under attack in the country”.\nJamal Yunos, a member of the prime minister’s ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party, led the rally and vowed to “tear down” the offices. But after several hours in the street, the protesters left.\nThe demonstration was organised after documents leaked last month by whistleblower site DC leaks suggested Malaysiakini had received funds from the Open Society Foundations (OSF), set up by Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros.\nSoros is regarded with deep suspicion in Malaysia following accusations he deepened the devastating 1997-98 Asian financial crisis by selling the Malaysian ringgit short.\nAnd Jamal said the OSF money was directed at influencing the next general election.\n“Our demonstration today is very important for Malaysians so that we don’t allow Malaysiakini to be an agent for foreign powers,” he added.\nOSF said it was non-partisan and proud to have supported civil society in Malaysia during the past decade. While it denied accusations it was supporting attempts to overthrow Najib, it said in a statement its grants were to “support justice, accountability and democratic practice around the world”.\nMalaysiakini’s editor-in-chief, Steven Gan, said his portal had received a grant from OSF but it was very small. The bulk of Malaysiakini’s shares are owned by Gan and his co-founder, Premesh Chandran, he said. Twelve percent are owned by Malaysiakini staff, he added.\n“When it comes to outsiders or even Malaysiakini shareholders influencing our editorial policy, that is completely impossible,” Gan said at a media conference. “Even I would it find it very hard to control the editorial policy of Malaysiakini.”\nThe leak said Malaysia’s biggest civil society group, Bersih, which seeks to reform the electoral system in Malaysia, had also received money from the foundation. OSF said over 2011/2012 it provided small grants to Bersih, a coalition of about 80 non-governmental organisations tackling corruption.\nBersih, whose members wear yellow, have planned a rally for 19 November that will again call for Najib to step down over the graft allegations. The pro-Najib red shirt movement also has plans to rally that day, leading to concerns about potential clashes.\nThe Najib scandal emerged in July 2015 when media reports said investigators had found that nearly US$700m (£450m) from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state fund was transferred into the prime minister’s bank accounts.\nThe administration and its supporters have cracked down on the media and civil society groups, attempting to silence criticism of Najib’s alleged involvement\nNajib, who founded 1MDB, has strongly denied any wrongdoing. In July, US prosecutors filed civil lawsuits alleging that 1MDB had been defrauded of more than $3.5bn. Najib was not mentioned as involved.\nAlthough protest leader Jamal is a prominent member of UMNO, there was no indication the government organised the attempt to close Malaysiakini.\nMalaysiakini editor Gan said Jamal had a right to hold a peaceful assembly. But he added: “Let them have their say. But they should also respect the right of others to speak their minds, too.”\nLast month, the New-York based advocacy group Human Rights Watch released a report saying the government actions have signalled an ever-broadening crackdown on freedom of expression and assembly in the country.\nThe 40-page report, titled “Deepening the Culture of Fear: the Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in Malaysia”, documented the government’s recent use of vaguely worded laws to criminalise peaceful speech and assembly. “As Prime Minister Najib’s political fortunes fall, Malaysia’s intolerance of critical speech seems to rise,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Malaysia’s future as a rights-respecting nation shouldn’t become hostage to defending the Najib government’s reputation.”","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Malaysiakini"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Malaysia"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["corruption scandal that has engulfed Najib"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2016 As many as 412 people have died in the last 23 days due to smog in Tehran, according to Iran's Health Ministry. All schools in the city have also been ordered to close as part of emergency measures. (AFP via Daily Mail)","document":"By Julian Robinson for MailOnline and Afp Published: 09:00 BST, 16 November 2016 | Updated: 19:57 BST, 16 November 2016 33\nView comments\nMore than 400 people have been killed by smog in under a month after a lethal blanket of pollution smothered the capital of Iran, it has emerged.\nSchools have been shut while millions have been forced to wear face masks or retreat indoors after choking levels of pollution descended on Tehran.\nAs many as 412 citizens have died in the past 23 days and authorities have rolled out a series of unprecedented emergency measures.\nMore than 400 people have been killed by smog in under a month after a lethal blanket of pollution smothered the capital of Iran, it has emerged\nExhaust fumes from millions of cars and motorcycles that ply Tehran's roads account for 80 percent of its pollution, which increases in winter as emissions fail to rise above cold air\nAll of the city's schools were due to have been shut today while tourism bosses have even apologised to foreign visitors for the pollution. \nA blanket of brown-white smog descended on the capital on Sunday, blocking views of the mountains that line its northern edge and forcing many of its 14 million residents to stay indoors.\nThe pollution in Tehran hit 156 on the Air Quality Index of deadly airborne particles, over the 150 considered 'unhealthy' for the general public. In tourist hotspot Isfahan the level hit 167.\nOfficials apologised to foreign visitors for the bleak conditions.\n'We hope our people's hospitality wipes the grey image of Tehran's beautiful attractions from their minds,' the capital's tourism boss Rajab Ali Khosroabadi told the ISNA news agency.\nKindergartens and primary schools in Tehran were ordered to stay closed Monday and Tuesday, and traffic restrictions were tightened.\nA blanket of brown-white smog descended on the capital on Sunday, blocking views of the mountains that line its northern edge and forcing many of its 14 million residents to stay indoors\nSchools have been shut while millions have been forced to wear face masks or retreat indoors after choking levels of pollution descended on Tehran \nAmbulances were deployed to wait in the busiest and dirtiest areas amid warnings that children, the elderly and those with existing health conditions were at particular risk.\n'Since no one does anything, every year the problem gets worse. The government should block old cars. We must improve public transport,' Zeynab Nazari, a first-year sociology student, told AFP.\nEvery year, Tehran suffers some of the worst pollution in the world when cool autumn temperatures cause an effect known as 'temperature inversion'.\nThe phenomenon creates a layer of warm air above the city that traps pollution from some 10 million cars and motorbikes.\nThe latest smog cloud is expected to hang over the city until today when forecasters hope winds will move the stagnant air, an official told state television.\nTehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf rode the metro to work Sunday in a bid to encourage people to use public transport.\nThe pollution in Tehran hit 156 on the Air Quality Index of deadly airborne particles, over the 150 considered 'unhealthy' for the general public. In tourist hotspot Isfahan the level hit 167\nThe phenomenon creates a layer of warm air above the city that traps pollution from some 10 million cars and motorbikes\nDespite having around 100 stations, Ghalibaf says the metro is not sufficiently funded by central government, forcing millions to rely on cars.\nPollution has become a political football in recent years, with conservatives and reformists blaming each other for the problem.\nHardliners accuse reformist vice-president Massoumeh Ebtekar, who heads the environmental protection agency, of not doing enough.\nUltra-conservative daily Vatane Emrooz said Monday that 70 percent of deaths in Tehran were linked to pollution.\nEbtekar, in an Instagram post, said various measures to reduce factory pollution and provide cleaner petrol had led to 'significant' improvement.\nStill, weather conditions and heavy congestion remain a blight.\nTwo traffic restriction zones -- introduced in 1979 and 2005 -- have done little to solve the problem.\nLocal carmakers have been reluctant to introduce cleaner engines, while foreign firms have been kept out by international sanctions.\nIn 2014, almost 400 people were hospitalised with heart and respiratory problems caused by pollution in Tehran. Nearly 1,500 others required treatment.\nThe health ministry estimated that pollution in 2012 contributed to the premature deaths of 4,500 people in Tehran and about 80,000 across the country.\n \n\t \n \n ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Schools","schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday and Tuesday","Monday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Tehran"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["choking levels of pollution","pollution","choking levels","Pollution"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2016 The board of TransAsia Airways decides to dissolve the company after halting flights on Tuesday. (Bloomberg) (The Wall Street Journal) (The New York Times)","document":"HONG KONG — TransAsia Airways, the Taiwan-based airline that had two fatal crashes within seven months of each other, said in a stock exchange filing on Tuesday that it was shutting down.\nIts shares and flights had been suspended since Monday.\nThe company has continuously lost money, and its shares have been sliding since the crashes in 2014 and 2015 raised questions about the safety of its planes.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["TransAsia Airways"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Taiwan"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["had two fatal crashes within seven months of each other"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2016 British publisher Trinity Mirror announces that its daily newspaper, The New Day, will close after just two months since its launch, after sales fell to around 30,000 copies per day. The last edition will be printed on May 6. (The Guardian)","document":"Publisher Trinity Mirror to announce closure of experimental national newspaper after sales fall to around 30,000 copies\n\nTrinity Mirror is to shut its experimental new national newspaper the New Day on Friday just two months after launch.\nThe publisher of the Daily Mirror launched the title, which aimed to target those who had “fallen out of love with newspapers”, at the end of February with a promotional print run of about 2m. The title was launched with a £5m TV ad campaign that ran with the strapline “Seize the New Day”.\nTrinity Mirror, which saw its share price slump to a three-year low on Wednesday, is expected to announce the closure of the title in a stock market trading update on Thursday morning.\nTwo sources said staff were informed of the closure on Wednesday. The last issue will hit stands on Friday. Editor Alison Phillips, who was previously responsible for stablemates the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, was said by those who attended the internal meeting to be distraught.\nThe publisher had aimed to hit paid sales of 200,000, and made promises to advertisers to sell ads at that rate of sales or offer money back, but instead saw its popularity immediately sink to about 30,000 copies per day.\nTrinity Mirror positioned the launch of the title as a low-cost operation running on extra capacity at its printing presses – which also had contracts to print the Independent print titles and still handle the i, which Evgeny Lebedev sold to Johnston Press earlier this year.\nSources say the New Day was probably running at a loss of about £1m annually. A spokeswoman for Trinity Mirror refused to comment.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["new national newspaper the New Day","New Day"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["sales fall to around 30,000 copies"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2016 Coca-Cola FEMSA suspends all production in Venezuela due to a sugar shortage. (Fortune) (Sputnik)","document":"Coca-Cola is suspending its production in Venezuela over lack of sugar.\n\"Right now we are not anticipating the closure of our central office. We are not leaving the country,\" the company said in a statement Thursday as quoted by the La Patilla tabloid.\nAccording to the company, 90 percent of the products it produces requite sugar.\nIn April, Polar group, Venezuela's biggest food and beverage company, announced it was stopping its production of beer citing lack of barley.\nVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared an economic emergency in Venezuela in January. The announcement came two days after Venezuela’s oil price dropped to $24 a barrel, the lowest mark in 12 years. Up to 96 percent of Venezuela’s budget depends on oil revenues. The measure has seen been extended.\nLast week, Maduro threatened to seize the country’s factories which are currently not working and put their owners in prison.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Coca-Cola"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Venezuela"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["lack of sugar"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2016 Coca-Cola FEMSA suspends all production in Venezuela due to a sugar shortage. (Fortune) (Sputnik)","document":"Coca-Cola FEMSA has suspended all production in Venezuela because of a sugar shortage, the Mexican beverage multinational said in a statement.\nThe company, the largest Coke (KO) bottler in the world, told workers sugar supplies were too low and that the problem could persist for months, according to several media reports. Coca-Cola FEMSA, which operates across Latin American, said 90% of its products require sugar. At the same time, the company said that while it was closing its central office in Venezuela, it was not exiting the country.\nLast month, Polar Group, Venezuela’s largest food and beverage company and biggest private company overall, said it would suspend production of beer and other malt beverages because of a lack of barley.\nThe suspension comes as Venezuela’s economy appears to be teetering on the brink of collapse. Earlier this week, President Nicolas Maduro repeated his threat to seize closed factories and nationalize them. And Reuters reported water levels have dropped close to a critical low in Venezuela’s main dam and hydroelectric plant, which provides the majority of the country’s electricity, leading the government to ration water. The oil-producing country’s economy is struggling to contend with low energy prices.\nBut currency controls and often erratic behavior by the Venezuelan government have long been an impediment to many Western consumer and packaged goods companies operating in the nation, which was once one of the richest countries in Latin America. Two years ago, Clorox (CLX) exited the market, while Avon Products (AV) scaled back operations.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Coca-Cola FEMSA"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Venezuela"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["a sugar shortage"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2016 The bankruptcy auction for the company gets underway when Gawker accepts tech publisher Ziff Davis's bid for all seven of its brands and other assets, reportedly for $90 million to $100 million. (CNN)","document":" On Friday, the embattled media company said it had agreed to sell all seven of its brands and other assets to the tech publisher Ziff Davis. The Ziff Davis bid -- worth $90 million to $100 million, according to sources -- sets the floor for the bankruptcy auction process. \"The bidding begins now -- so we will find out how much others will bid,\" a source with direct knowledge of the process said. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in Manhattan was motivated by the company's agonizing and all-consuming legal fight with Hulk Hogan -- a court battle that was secretly funded by Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel. A spokesman for Thiel declined to comment on Friday. Gawker Media founder and CEO Nick Denton said in a tweet, \"Even with his billions, Thiel will not silence our writers. Our sites will thrive --under new ownership -- and we'll win in court.\" Even with his billions, Thiel will not silence our writers. Our sites will thrive — under new ownership — and we'll win in court.\n Hulk Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, also took to Twitter to respond to the news. It was the former professional wrestler's protracted legal battle against Gawker that motivated Friday's decision. \"What a beautiful day, and the good doesn't prevent the better! In the present I AM always grateful, only good happens to me,\" he tweeted to his more than 1.5 million followers. What a beautiful day,and the good doesn't prevent the better! In the present I AM always grateful,only good happens to me. HH\n The asset purchase agreement to Ziff Davis, the owner of PC Magazine, marks the start of the bankruptcy auction process. Bidding is expected to continue next week. Denton said he was \"encouraged\" by the agreement with Ziff Davis, which he called \"one of the most rigorously managed and profitable companies in digital media.\" Ziff Davis signaled that it is interested in Gawker Media titles like Jezebel and Gizmodo, but the company's statement noticeably lacked any mention of the flagship Gawker.com, where the offending Hogan story was published in 2012. The sale agreement to Ziff Davis will need to be approved by the bankruptcy court, which will conduct an auction to see if there is a higher offer available. Ziff Davis will be what is known as a \"stalking horse bidder,\" whose offer for the company can be topped by other bidders. Proceeds of the sale will go to pay off creditors, including Hogan. But that doesn't mean he will be able to collect all the money the jury awarded him. Under bankruptcy, people owed money generally receive only a fraction of what they were owed by the bankrupt company. In March, a Florida jury awarded Hogan a staggering $140.1 million judgment in his invasion of privacy trial against the company over its 2012 publication of excerpts from his sex tape. David Houston, Hogan's longtime personal attorney, said in a statement that his client has \"every intention\" to pursue that judgment, \"whether it be in the bankruptcy court or any other court.\" Gawker is still pushing ahead with its appeal of the judgment and has maintained confidence that it will ultimately be vindicated, but the company has been openly entertaining a sale. Still, the news brought a sense of shock inside Gawker's Manhattan headquarters on Friday. Staffers learned of the bankruptcy filing at an all-hands meeting around noon, shortly before the news went public. \"People were surprised and saddened I would say,\" one Gawker Media staffer told CNNMoney. \"Our independence is very central to what we do and also a big reason why a lot of us work here.\" John Cook, executive editor of Gawker Media, told CNNMoney the staff was holding steady. \"The decade-long legal assault from a vindictive billionaire has had the effect of making our staff pretty resilient at hearing difficult news,\" he said. \"We're keeping our heads down and blogging.\" Denton and Gawker Media President Heather Dietrick tried to reassure employees, telling them that nothing would change in the day-to-day operations until the sale is complete and that the sites would continue to function normally. They said they were committed to finding a buyer that cares about what Gawker does. Reaction outside the Gawker newsroom was mixed. Adversaries of the company, long known for its ruthless and snarky brand of journalism, cheered the news. \"Peter Thiel is a great American hero,\" tweeted conservative pundit Erick Erickson. But Gawker had plenty of defenders, both within the journalism community and the world of politics. \"Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of our nation,\" tweeted New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. \"Like them or not, sad to see NYC media giant @Gawker forced to the brink.\" Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of our nation. Like them or not, sad to see NYC media giant @Gawker forced to the brink.\n In truth, the ripples of Hogan's lawsuit were felt at the company before the trial even began. Earlier this year, Gawker sold a minority stake to the investment company Columbus Nova Technology Partners to gird itself against the lawsuit. That was a first for the once-fiercely-independent media company, and a signal that the legal battle had forced Denton's hand. Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal, confirmed last month that he has funded Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker along with others as a measure of \"deterrence.\" For years, Gawker's sites have pilloried Thiel, ridiculing his business failures and stridently conservative views. In 2007 one of its sites published a story titled \"Peter Thiel is totally gay, people.\" \"Gawker, the defendant, built its business on humiliating people for sport,\" Thiel said in a statement last month. \"They routinely relied on an assumption that victims would be too intimidated or disgusted to even attempt redress for clear wrongs. Freedom of the press does not mean freedom to publish sex tapes without consent. I don't think anybody but Gawker would argue otherwise.\" ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Nick Denton"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Gawker Media"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["NYC"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in Manhattan was motivated by the company's agonizing and all-consuming legal fight with Hulk Hogan -- a court battle that was secretly funded by Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel","motivated","company","Manhattan"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2016 Standard Life Investments suspends trading in its UK property fund, in response to increased withdrawal calls since the vote, to protect the interests of all investors in the fund. (BBC)","document":"Standard Life Investments has suspended trading in its UK property fund blaming \"exceptional market circumstances\" following the EU referendum result.\nThe fund manager said the number of investors asking to withdraw their money had increased following the vote.\n\"The suspension was requested to protect the interests of all investors in the fund,\" it said in a statement.\nThe last time Standard Life stopped investors taking their money out of the fund was during the financial crisis.\nThe £2.9bn fund invests in a mixture of commercial real estate in the UK, including office blocks, shopping centres and warehouses. The move comes after Standard Life Investments, the insurer's fund management arm, wrote down the value of the fund by 5% last week, saying the Brexit vote had \"negatively impacted\" valuations for UK commercial property.\nIt said the suspension would end \"as soon as practicable\" and it would review the decision every 28 days.\nMost investment funds always leave a bit of ready cash in the kitty in case the odd investor decides he or she wants their money back. When a lot of people want their money back at the same time, you have to start selling stuff to raise enough cash and that is a major problem if what you own is office blocks. They are not easy to sell at short notice. Other investors, who hadn't really wanted their money back, now think they might not be able to - and so they suddenly do want it back. In the immediate aftermath of the EU referendum vote, a number of big property funds cut the estimated value of their holdings.\nHenderson Global Investors and Aberdeen Asset Management reduced the value of their UK property funds by 4% and 5% respectively. Several fund managers have also decided to price their property funds weekly, rather than monthly, to try to safeguard themselves against market volatility.\nData published earlier showed that investors sold off UK and property funds in favour of bonds in the run up to the EU referendum.\nPrivate investors withdrew a net £342m from UK funds in May, compared to a £1.1bn investment in the same month last year, according to figures from fund manager trade body the Investment Association.\nHargreaves Lansdown senior analyst Laith Khalaf said property funds were clearly under pressure due to the Brexit vote.\n\"We could now see a new wave of investors being unable to liquidate their property funds quickly, which we last witnessed during the financial crisis,\" he said.\nInvestors pulling out their money could put \"downward pressure\" on commercial property prices, Mr Khalaf said. \"The risk is this creates a vicious circle, and prompts more investors to dump property, until such time as sentiment stabilises,\" he added.\nLast week, one of Singapore's largest lenders, UOB, suspended its loan programme for London properties.\nThe bank said the decision was in response to the uncertainty caused by the UK's decision to leave the EU.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Standard Life Investments"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["UK"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["the number of investors asking to withdraw their money had increased following the vote"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2018 Conviviality PLC, owner of Wine Rack and Bargain Booze, announces it has been refused investment to stave off bankruptcy and will likely enter administration. (The Guardian)","document":"Conviviality, the company behind high street off-licence chains Wine Rack and Bargain Booze, is on the brink of collapse, putting 2,600 jobs at risk and prompting warnings that pubs could run dry.\nIn a statement to the stock market, Conviviality said investors had refused its request for £125m of new money, which it needs to stave off bankruptcy after a string of shock profit warnings.\nDirectors are still seeking a buyer for all or part of the business, but Conviviality is facing the prospect of going into administration, which is likely to be managed by accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.\nThe trade body for the UK’s pubs, more than 20,000 of which are supplied by the company’s Matthew Clark distribution division, warned many could now face “short-term supply issues”.\n“Despite a significant number of meetings with potential investors resulting in good levels of demand, and constructive discussions with a number of key customers and suppliers regarding the provision of support, there was ultimately insufficient demand to raise the full £125m,” the company said.\n“The board wish to thank its customers, suppliers and employees for their continued support during this difficult period for the company.\n“The company is in discussions with its lending banks and advisers regarding other possible options and is in receipt of a number of inbound enquiries regarding a potential sale of all or parts [of] the business.”\nThe company, which has annual sales of £1.6bn, said its shareholder were likely to receive “little-to-nil” value for their shares, which have been suspended on the junior AIM stock market since 14 March.\nDespite reporting strong sales and profits in recent trading updates, Conviviality was plunged into turmoil after a string of profit warnings issued earlier this month that saw its shares suspended.\nThe company blamed the first profit warning on a erroneous calculation made by a member of its finance team and weakening profit margins. It later admitted it had not budgeted for a £30m tax bill.\nConviviality’s chief executive, Diana Hunter, stepped down after City analysts criticised the company’s financial controls and processes.\nThe firm is a major player in the UK drinks industry, supplying more than 700 off-licences and serving more than 23,000 pubs and restaurants including the JD Wetherspoon chain, via its Matthew Clark and Bibendum subsidiaries.\nThe British Beer & Pub Association said: “We are working with our members to assess the impact of the ongoing issues with Conviviality who, through Matthew Clark, are significant suppliers to the pub trade. “Alternative suppliers will be sought in order to minimise the impact on the trade as far as possible, but inevitably a situation like this will likely cause short term supply issues for pubs.”","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Diana Hunter"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Conviviality"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["UK"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["investors had refused its request for £125m of new money"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2019 The Arena Football League announces that it has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and will immediately cease operations. This marks the effective end of the 32–year–old league, and the second liquidation bankruptcy in its history. (USA Today)","document":"A month after shutting down operations for all six of its teams, the Arena Football League filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Wednesday — officially ceasing all operations after more than three decades in existence. \n\"We simply weren't able to raise the capital necessary to grow the League, resolve the substantial legacy liabilities and make it financially viable,\" league commissioner Randall Boe said in a statement. \"We're all disappointed that we couldn't find a way to move forward, and we wanted to thank our fans, our players, coaches, everyone who loved Arena League Football.\" \nThe Arena Football League was one of the longest-running indoor football leagues in the country, beginning in 1987. The six remaining teams were Albany, Atlantic City, Baltimore, Columbus, Philadelphia and Washington. The league was well known for launching the career of Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, among other figures.\nThe league suspended local business operations in October and had been evaluating potential strategic operations before Wednesday's decision. The league was mostly hurt by a lawsuit filed by one of its insurance carriers.\nThe league, re-branded as Arena Football One in 2009, was the second well-known league to close down this year after the Alliance of American Football, which began its first season in February, ended midway through the season in April as a result of financial concerns. The XFL, another league, begins its season in February 2020. \n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Randall Boe"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Arena Football League"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["We simply weren't able to raise the capital necessary to grow the League, resolve the substantial legacy liabilities and make it financially viable","League","league"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2016 The Saudi–owned news channel Al Arabiya shuts its offices in Beirut, Lebanon and dismisses 27 employees in a sudden move reflecting tensions between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon–based Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. Saudi Arabia interpreted Lebanon's lack of public solidarity as a sign that it had become beholden to Hezbollah. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)","document":"The Saudi-owned news channel Al-Arabiya shut its offices in Beirut and dismissed 27 employees in a sudden move reflecting tensions between Riyadh and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.\nThe channel on April 1 cited employee safety as the reason for closing its office and that of its sister channel Al-Hadath. Some other Saudi news outlets in Beirut have been hit with protests recently.\nAl-Arabiya, one of the main Arabic language broadcasters in the Middle East, said it will \"continue to closely cover Lebanese affairs\" and will help laid-off employees find jobs elsewhere.\nThe move reflects ongoing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran's allies. Last month, Riyadh cut $3 billion in military aid to Lebanon after the Lebanese government failed to condemn an attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran in January.\nThe Sunni Gulf monarchy interpreted Lebanon's lack of public solidarity as a sign that it had become beholden to Hezbollah.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Al-Arabiya","Al-Hadath"]},{"role":"Date","values":["April 1"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Beirut"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["employee safety"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2016 Hong Kong's June 4th Museum, the first museum dedicated to the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, is to close down. Organizers say they believe they are being targeted for political reasons. It comes at a time when concerns are growing in Hong Kong that Beijing is tightening its grip on the city. (The Guardian)","document":"Organisers believe they are being targeted for political reasons as China seeks to cast more influence on the city\nLast modified on Wed 5 Jul 2017 13.09 BST\nThe world’s first museum dedicated to China’s Tiananmen Square crackdown is to close its doors in Hong Kong, with organisers saying they believe they are being targeted for political reasons.\nIt comes at a time when concerns are growing in the semi-autonomous Chinese city that Beijing is tightening its grip.\nThere has been keen interest in the museum from mainland tourists. Half of the more than 20,000 total visitors since it launched in 2014 have come from mainland China, where all reference to the 1989 military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters is banned.\nThe June 4 Memorial Hall is run by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which also organises the city’s huge Tiananmen anniversary vigil each year.\nTenants in the commercial building housing the museum say it breaches regulations because the premises should only be used for offices, according to legal documents seen by AFP.\n“I tend to believe they are politically motivated... the other side seem to have unlimited resources,” said lawmaker Albert Ho, chairman of the Alliance. Museum organisers say they cannot afford to continue the protracted legal battle – the tenants have been pursuing the issue since it first opened.\nThe current venue will close by year-end and organisers are seeking bigger premises. If they fail to find somewhere in time, the exhibits will be put in storage.\nMultiple requests for an interview with tenants’ committee officials went unanswered.\nOne tenant complained to AFP that visitors to the museum “jammed” elevators during peak hours, but others said they were not aware of a public museum in their building.\nThe crackdown in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, is branded a “counter-revolutionary rebellion” by Chinese authorities and many on the mainland remain unaware of it.\nPro-Beijing groups protested when the museum first opened, saying it presented a skewed version of events.\nVenue organisers claim visitors have felt “harassed” by security guards who ask them to present their personal information. The 74 sq m (800-square-foot) museum is in the commercial district of East Tsim Sha Tsui and features video clips and photographs.\nThere is also a two-metre tall statue of the Goddess of Democracy, similar to one erected at Tiananmen Square during the protests.\nBeijing has never given an official death toll for the Tiananmen crackdown, which was condemned worldwide, but independent observers tallied more than 1,000 dead.\nHong Kong enjoys freedoms unseen on the mainland, enshrined in a deal made before Britain handed it back to China in 1997. But there are growing fears those freedoms are being eroded.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Albert Ho"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["The June 4 Memorial Hall"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Hong Kong"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["political reasons"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2016 Saturday's earthquake forces Sony to close its plant in the Kumamoto Prefecture. Toyota, Honda, and Nissan also stop work at several plants in the region. (UPI)","document":"TOKYO, April 16 (UPI) -- A 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Japan on Saturday has forced Sony and several Japanese automakers to close manufacturing sites in the region, disrupting supply chains.\nA Sony plant in Kumamoto, near the epicenter of the quake, manufactures sensors used in smartphone cameras, particularly in iPhones. The plant is still being inspected for structural damage but analysts said the strength and frequency of aftershocks makes it unlikely the plant will return to being operational in the immediate future.\nThe closure will disrupt global production of smartphones, though analysts predicted Sony would be able to shift production of the smartphone camera sensors to other facilities, minimizing the problem.\nA Sony spokesman tells Bloomberg there \"hasn't been major damage to the building.\"\nToyota and Nissan have also suspended work at several plants in Kumamoto after an initial earthquake on Thursday caused damage.\nToyota closed a Lexus assembly plant in Fukuoka and an adjacent engine and transaxle factory after Thursday's magnitude-6.2 tremor.\nHonda also closed a motorcycle assembly factory in the region, as well.\nIt was not immediately clear what additional impact the stronger Saturday quake had at the facilities, which had not reopened when the second tremor struck.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Sony"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Kumamoto"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["A 7.3-magnitude earthquake"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2016 British department store chain British Home Stores (BHS) collapses into administration after a last–minute rescue deal fails. The collapse of the retailer, which employs 11,000 people, is the biggest failure on the UK's high street since the collapse of Woolworths Group in 2008. (The Guardian)","document":"Administrators Duff & Phelps will keep stores open as they try to find a buyer for the department store chain\nFirst published on Mon 25 Apr 2016 08.26 BST\nBHS has officially collapsed into administration after failing to agree a last-minute deal to rescue the department store chain.\nThe demise of the retailer, which employs 11,000 people, is the biggest failure on the high street since that of Woolworths in 2008. Duff & Phelps has been appointed as administrators and will keep stores open as it tries to find a buyer for BHS.\nThe government is expected to make a statement on the failure of the 88-year-old retail group in parliament this afternoon, either through Sajid Javid, the business secretary, or Anna Soubry, the business minister.\nThe Pensions Regulator has confirmed that it is investigating BHS, suggesting that the regulator is considering whether to force Sir Philip Green, the former owner of the retailer, to contribute towards the company’s £571m pension deficit.\nIn a statement, Duff & Phelps said: “The group has been undergoing restructuring and, as has been widely reported, the shareholders have been in negotiations to find a buyer for the business. These negotiations have been unsuccessful. In addition, property sales have not materialised as expected in both number and value.\n“Consequently, as a result of a lower than expected cash balance, the group is very unlikely to meet all contractual payments. The directors therefore have no alternative but to put the group into administration to protect it for all creditors. The group will continue to trade as usual whilst the administrators seek to sell it as a going concern. Further announcements will be made as appropriate in due course.”\nDuff & Phelps was understood to have had more than 30 expressions of interest in buying BHS by midday on Monday.\nThe collapse of BHS presents another problem for the government as it attempts to save thousands of jobs in the steel industry. The retailer had failed to secure the emergency funding that it needed to pay wages and rent.\nJavid said the government was in talks with BHS management about the retailer’s collapse.\nDominic Chappell, the owner of BHS, said in a letter to employees on Sunday night: “It is with a deep heart that I have to report, despite a massive effort from the team, we have been unable to secure a funder or a trade sale.”\nHe indicated in the letter that staff wages for this month would be paid by the administrators. Chappell led the Retail Acquisitions consortium that bought BHS from Green for £1 last year. However, the retailer has struggled with falling sales, a hefty rent bill and a pensions deficit.\nIn a rare public statement, the Pensions Regulator said it is investigating BHS’s pension deficit amid calls for Green to contribute towards to the scheme.\n“We can confirm that we are undertaking an investigation into the BHS pensions scheme to determine whether it would be appropriate to use our anti-avoidance powers,” a spokesperson said. “Such cases are complex. There is a clear process that must be followed and this can sometimes take a considerable amount of time. We are unable to provide a running commentary on case investigations or confirm the targets of our investigation.” Green has already held talks with the Pensions Regulator about injecting cash into the company’s pension scheme. He is thought to have offered £40m in cash and a £40m loan secured against BHS’s assets.\nTrade unions described the collapse of BHS as devastating. John Hannett, the Usdaw general secretary, said: “This is devastating news for the employees of BHS and we urge the company to change their attitude to trade unions and begin a dialogue with us at this difficult and worrying time.\n“We also urge the administrators and the company to comply with the law, consult with staff and Usdaw as the union for BHS workers. We don’t want to see BHS staff locked out of discussions, sent to the back of the queue of creditors and treated like fixtures and fittings, as happened at Woolworth’s.\n“The government needs to intervene now to protect taxpayers from picking up the bill for redundancy payments and safeguard the Pension Protection Fund.\n“We are in touch with our members working in BHS to reassure them that we will provide the support, advice and representation they require.”\nAt the retailer’s store in Oxford Street, central London, customers were waiting outside before it opened as usual. Nicolette Kadzeya, 39, who was there with her three children, was looking to exchange an unwanted item. “I think the problem with BHS is that this branch is very up to date, but if you go to the branch in Surrey Quays, it’s as if you have gone back in time. It’s like you’ve gone back to the mid-90s,” she said.\n“Some of the branches which are outside London are not that well maintained. It’s a bit old fashioned as well. They are good for school shoes but it’s not really up to date.”\nThe demise of BHS comes a month after the retailer appeared to have secured its short-term survival by persuading landlords to cut its rent by up to 75% at 87 shops. However, even as landlords, suppliers and creditors voted overwhelmingly in favour of the survival plan, known as a company voluntary arrangement, BHS warned that it needed to find £100m to continue trading.\nIt attempted to raise the money with £30m of property sales, a new £60m loan from private equity firm Gordon Brothers and £10m from changing the terms of its agreement with suppliers. On top of this, it needed to bring in another £70m from selling property to pay off a separate loan from Grovepoint.\nBut it failed to raise enough cash from property sales and the deal with Gordon Brothers fell apart. Talks with the private equity firm were already complex, because Green needed to release security that he held over BHS’s assets for the loan to go through.\nGreen, who bought BHS for £200m in 2000, is understood to have been ready to agree to the loan, but the funds from Gordon Brothers were not enough without the property deals, and the strict terms led to the talks collapsing.\nTalks over the weekend with Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct also appear to have come to nothing.\nBHS’s chief executive, Darren Topp, said on Sunday that £60m needed to be found urgently to keep the company afloat. “What was on the table wasn’t sufficient and we have been working in the last few days to fill the gap,” he said.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Darren Topp"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["BHS"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["failing to agree a last-minute deal to rescue the department store chain","department store chain","last","agree"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2016 Iraqi authorities ban Qatar–based satellite television network Al Jazeera from broadcasting in the country and closes its offices in Baghdad, accusing it of violating government guidelines issued in 2014 to regulate media “during the war on terror\". (Reuters)","document":"DOHA (Reuters) - Iraqi authorities have revoked the operating licence of the pan-Arab satellite network Al Jazeera and closed its offices in Baghdad, accusing it of violating government guidelines issued in 2014 to regulate media “during the war on terror.”\nAl Jazeera, based in Qatar, said it was dismayed by the action.\n“We remain committed to broadcasting news on Iraq to Iraqi people, our viewers in the Arab world and across the world,” the channel said in an emailed statement.\nRights groups have criticized Iraq’s media guidelines, which restrict journalists from covering insurgent movements and require them to report in favorable terms on government forces.\nIn 2013, Iraq’s government accused Al Jazeera and nine other satellite television channels of fostering sectarian sentiment that was fuelling violence.\nFounded by Qatar’s ruling family in 1996, Al Jazeera aggressively covered the Arab spring uprisings and has broadcast extensively on the civil war in Syria.\nQatar itself is a harsh critic of the Syrian regime and a leading backer of the rebels, and has been accused by many supporters of Iraq’s government of backing dissent in Iraq.\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Arab satellite network Al Jazeera"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Baghdad"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["violating government guidelines issued in 2014 to regulate media “during the war on terror."]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2020 The political party Demosistō of social activist Joshua Wong is disbanded following the passing of the law. Wong urges the international community to keep \"speaking up for Hong Kong people\". (Reuters)","document":"HONG KONG (Reuters) - A pro-democracy group led by Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong disbanded on Tuesday, hours after China’s parliament passed national security legislation for the Chinese-ruled city that has stoked fears for its freedoms.\nBeijing’s swift imposition of the law and a lack of transparency over its details have alarmed some diplomats, business leaders and activists who say it is the latest example of China’s tightening grip over the former British colony.\nChinese and Hong Kong authorities have said the law is necessary to tackle separatism, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces following anti-government protests that escalated in June last year.\nWong, who rose to prominence during a series of protests in 2014, has rallied support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement overseas, in particular in the United States, drawing the wrath of Beijing, which says he is a “black hand” of foreign forces.\nHe has said he expects to be targeted under the law.\n“If my voice will not be heard soon, I hope that the international community will continue to speak up for Hong Kong and step up concrete efforts to defend our last bit of freedom,” Wong said on his Twitter feed, announcing he was stepping down from his group, Demosisto.\nA short while later, Demosisto members Nathan Law and Agnes Chow also said they were also stepping down.\n“The struggle of Hong Kong people will not stop, it will only continue with a more determined attitude,” Law said in a Facebook post.\nDemosisto then said on its Facebook page it was disbanding.\nWhile details of the security legislation have not been made public, many in Hong Kong fear it will be used to silence dissent.\nIt has also alarmed foreign governments concerned that Beijing is eroding the high degree of autonomy granted to the city when it was returned to Chinese rule in 1997, which underpins its role as a financial centre.\nChina says the national security law will target only a small group of troublemakers and people who abide by the legislation have no reason to worry.\nIndependence advocacy group the Hong Kong National Front said on its Facebook page it had shut its Hong Kong office and that its units in Taiwan and Britain would continue to promote independence for the Chinese-ruled city.\nChina considers Hong Kong to be an “inalienable” part of the country so any suggestion of independence is anathema to its Communist Party leaders. Independence activists fear they too will be targeted by Beijing under the legislation.\nHong Kong pro-independence activist Wayne Chan said in a Facebook post on Sunday he had skipped bail and fled the city amid fears he would be detained.\nIn a sign of concern among businesses over the implications of the law, a restaurant that has become famous for its support of the pro-democracy movement, the Lung Mun Cafe, said it was quitting a group of like-minded businesses known as the Yellow Economic Circle, or yellow economy.\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Joshua Wong"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Demosisto"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Hong Kong","HONG KONG"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["China’s parliament passed national security legislation for the Chinese-ruled city that has stoked fears for its freedoms","Chinese","Chinese-ruled city"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2020 Casual Dining Group, which owns the Bella Italia and Café Rouge United Kingdom restaurant chains, collapses into administration with 1,900 immediate job losses. (BBC)","document":"The owner of High Street restaurant chains Café Rouge and Bella Italia has gone into administration.\nNinety-one Casual Dining Group outlets will close immediately, and 1,900 of the firm's 6,000 staff will lose their jobs.\nAdministrators Alix Partners are seeking offers for all, or parts, of the remaining business.\nUK firms have announced thousands of job cuts this week as the impact of the pandemic on the economy continues.\nCasual Dining Group, which also owns the Las Iguanas chain, applied in May to appoint administrators at the High Court as it found it increasingly hard to pay its rents.\nOn Thursday, the firm said it had already received \"multiple offers\" for the business and hoped to pursue these. \"We are acutely aware of our duty to all employees and recognise that this is an incredibly difficult time for them,\" chief executive James Spragg said.\n\"Working alongside the administrators, we will do everything we can to support them through this process, with a view to preserving as much employment as we are able to.\"\nThe restaurants that are closing are mainly located in England, with some in Scotland and Wales. 159 of the group's 250 outlets will remain open.\nRestaurants in the UK were struggling even before the pandemic, but their revenues collapsed when the UK went into lockdown in March.\nRestrictions will be eased from Saturday, but demand is likely to remain depressed for some time and some chains have already acknowledged the severity of the impact.\nThis week Byron Burger said it planned to bring in administrators, putting 1,200 jobs at risk. Upper Crust and Caffe Ritazza owner SSP Group said it would cut up to 5,000 roles.\nThe government's furlough scheme - which is paying 80% of the wages of nine million workers - will start to be pared back from August, and so many firms are cutting jobs now to reduce costs. Thousands of job losses were announced in other sectors too this week, including: WH Smith, Bensons for Beds, Wrights Pies, tableware-maker Steelite International, the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool and Norwich Theatre Royal have also announced plans to reduce staff. UK businesses cut more than 12,000 jobs in two days\nByron Burger lines up administrators as seeks buyer\n\n.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["James Spragg"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Ninety-one Casual Dining Group"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["England, with some in Scotland and Wales"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Restaurants in the UK were struggling even before the pandemic, but their revenues collapsed when the UK went into lockdown in March","UK"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2020 Popular music magazine Q announces it is ceasing operations after 34 years in print amid an accelerated downturn in sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters)","document":"(Reuters) - British music magazine Q is folding after 34 years in business as the coronavirus epidemic accelerated a downturn in the media sector, forcing the publication to cease operations.\nThe monthly magazine’s editor, Ted Kessler, announced its closure in a tweet on Monday, saying that the coronavirus pandemic hurt the magazine’s business.\nQ was the latest outlet in the media and publishing industry to be hit by the pandemic. British newspaper publisher Reach Plc RCH.L and broadcaster BBC recently announced a series of job cuts.\n“I must apologise profusely for my failure to keep Q afloat,” Kessler said in an editor’s letter for the final issue. “We’ve been a lean operation for all of my tenure, employing a variety of ways to help keep our head above water in an extremely challenging print market. Covid-19 wiped all that out.”\nThe final issue will be published on July 28.\nGermany-based Bauer Media Group, which is the parent company for Q, listed the music magazine for sale in May following a sharp decline in sales and advertising revenue during the pandemic.\nBauer Media said Modern Classics would also cease to operate as the company was unable to find new buyers for the two publications.\nFounded in 1986 by music journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, Q gained popularity with its long-form pieces on the British rock and alternative scenes.\nEnglish Indie band The Vaccines and musician Tim Burgess joined the chorus of the magazine’s music-loving readers on social media expressing disappointment about its closure.\nThe upcoming final issue, titled “Adventures with legends 1986 to 2020,” compiles some of the magazine’s best interviews, including with David Bowie, Joni Mitchell and Prince.\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["magazine"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["the coronavirus epidemic accelerated a downturn in the media sector, forcing the publication to cease operations"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2020 The bankrupt NPC International announces it will close 300 Pizza Hut locations. (Fox Business)","document":"\nAs many as 300 Pizza Hut restaurants will be permanently closing after the largest franchisee for Yum! Brands, the parent company for the fast food chain, filed for bankruptcy.\n \nPizza Hut also wrote that it would be reallocating its employees from the closed stores to “thriving locations across the business where possible.” (iStock)\nNPC International Inc., which owns 1,227 Pizza Hut locations and nearly 400 Wendy’s locations, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 1, Louisville Business First reported.\nAccording to the report, Yum! Brands and NPC International Inc. have agreed to close 300 underperforming restaurants.\n\"We have continued to work with NPC and its lenders to optimize NPC’s Pizza Hut restaurant footprint and strengthen the portfolio for the future, and today’s joint agreement to close up to 300 NPC Pizza Hut restaurants is an important step toward a healthier business,\" Pizza Hut said in a statement to Fox Business.\nCLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS\nPizza Hut also wrote that it would be reallocating its employees from the closed stores to “thriving locations across the business where possible.”\n\"Consistent with Pizza Hut’s previously announced transition to a more modern delivery, curbside and carryout-focused asset base, a substantial majority of the NPC Pizza Hut locations to be closed are dine-in locations,\" the statement read.\nThe specific locations closing have not yet been made public.\nAccording to a second-quarter earnings report released by Yum! Brands, Pizza Hut off-premise channel generated “21% same-store sales growth when excluding closed Express units, or 16% same-store sales growth when including closed Express units.”\n\nWorldwide system sales, excluding foreign currency translation, declined 10% for Pizza Hut.\n ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Pizza Hut"]},{"role":"Date","values":["July 1"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["close up to 300 NPC Pizza Hut restaurants is an important step toward a healthier business","close 300"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2020 Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei cuts ties with the government of disputed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and closes Guatemala's embassy in Caracas. (Reuters)","document":"GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala’s new President Alejandro Giammattei cut diplomatic ties with the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday and ordered the closure of its embassy in Caracas.\n“We have instructed the foreign minister that the only person left in the embassy in Venezuela should return, and that we definitively end relations with the government of Venezuela,” Giammattei said. “We are going to close the embassy.”\nThe conservative Giammattei, who took office on Tuesday, had already indicated he would cut ties upon assuming power.\nVenezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Rodriguez, in a response on Twitter, accused Giammattei of bowing down to the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.\n“His government will surely become another bad joke,” Rodriguez wrote. “Our respect and affection for the people of Guatemala.”\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["embassy"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday","Caracas"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["Guatemala’s new President Alejandro Giammattei cut diplomatic ties with the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2020 Icelandic fishing company Samherji announces it will cease operations in Namibia. The company was embroiled in a bribery scandal there that resulted in the resignation of Namibian Fisheries Minister Bernhardt Esau and Justice Minister Sacky Shanghala, as well as the arrest of two employees of South African banking corporation Investec. (Reuters)","document":"WINDHOEK (Reuters) - Samherji, the Icelandic fishing company at the center of Namibia’s biggest corruption scandal, announced on Friday that it is withdrawing from the southwest African nation.\nThe move comes as former justice minister Sakeus Shanghala and fisheries minister Bernardt Esau, along with two former employees of South Africa’s Investec, remain in custody.\nThe men have been in custody since November after allegations they conspired with Samherji to receive payments worth 100 million Namibian dollars ($6.92 million) in exchange for horse mackerel fishing quotas.\nInterim Chief Executive, Björgólfur Jóhannsson, said in a statement that Samherji is currently de-investing its operation in Namibia, but did not give a time frame, only saying that the process “will take some time”.\n“The process will be conducted in close dialogue with relevant authorities and in line with international standards and law,” he said.\nIn the meantime, Samherji, which has denied wrongdoing, as have Esau and Shanghala, said it has taken steps to implement a corporate governance and compliance system.\n“Samherji will develop and implement a holistic compliance system based on the company’s risk structure with focus on, among others, anti-corruption, economic sanctions and anti-money laundering,” Jóhannsson said.\nThe system is expected to be implemented and be up and running later this year.\nJóhannsson added that the company had managed to protect relationships with customers and partners both domestically and abroad and continued to service all customers as normal even though Samherji has faced serious accusations from the media in recent months.\n“Our employees have, as always, done a fantastic job focusing on making sure we deliver product of top quality to the local and international market,” he said.\nSamherji’s former CEO Thorsteinn Már Baldvinsson stepped down in November after the bribery scandal became public.\nThe scheme, exposed by Wikileaks, began in 2014 and included relatives of the ministers and officials, according to documents it posted online. It used a bilateral deal between Angola and Namibia to win Samherji quotas of tens of thousands of tonnes a year of horse mackerel, according to the documents.\nAccording to media reports, Esau, the then fisheries minister, stripped some private companies of fishing quotas and handed them to state-owned fishing company Fishcor, whose officials passed on to Samherji in exchange for payments.\nInvestec said in November that its former employees had not used their Investec positions to facilitate the scheme.\nSamherji had tried to sell its assets in Namibia, including a N$400 million vessel, before the bribery scandal became international headline news.\nReporting by Nyasha Nyaungwa; editing by Christina Fincher\nOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Björgólfur Jóhannsson"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Samherji"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Namibia"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["corruption scandal"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2020 American newspaper publisher McClatchy, whose assets include the Miami Herald and The Sacramento Bee, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. (The Hill)","document":"McClatchy Co., the second-largest newspaper company in the U.S., announced on Thursday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.\nThe 163-year-old company, which owns prominent local newspapers including the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star and The Sacramento Bee and 24 other publications in 14 states, said its Chapter 11 plan eliminates 60 percent of its debt while helping the company pivot to \"a digital future.\"\n\"The Chapter 11 filing will allow McClatchy to restructure its debts and, it hopes, shed much of its pension obligations. Under a plan outlined in its filing to a federal bankruptcy court, about 60 percent of its debt would be eliminated as the news organization tries to reposition for a digital future,\" the bankruptcy announcement reads.\nMcClatchy had begun suspending some pension payments to former executives in January, opting to apply to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation to assume control of its pension plan.\nIf a bankruptcy court accepts the Chapter 11 plan, the company would likely be led by hedge fund Chatham Asset Management LLC. McClatchy, a publicly traded company, would become a private company as a result.\n“McClatchy’s plan provides a resolution to legacy debt and pension obligations while maximizing outcomes for customers and other stakeholders,” said Craig Forman, president and CEO. “When local media suffers in the face of industry challenges, communities suffer, polarization grows, civic connections fray and borrowing costs rise for local governments. We are moving forward with speed and focus to benefit all our stakeholders and our communities.”\nLast year, New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet made the ominous prediction that \"most local newspapers are going to die in the next five years.\"\n\"The greatest crisis in American journalism is the death of local news,\" Baquet said at the International News Media Association World Congress in New York City. \"I don't know what the answer is.\"\n\"Their economic model is gone. I think most local newspapers in America are going to die in the next five years, except for the ones that have been bought by a local billionaire,\" Baquet continued.\n\"I think that everybody who cares about news — myself included, and all of you — should take this on as an issue,\" he added. \"Because we’re going to wake up one day and there are going to be entire states with no journalism or with little tiny pockets of journalism.\"\nThe local newspaper industry has been plagued by layoffs in the digital era, with several struggling publications sold to hedge fund-led entities in recent years.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Craig Forman"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["McClatchy Co"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["The Chapter 11 filing will allow McClatchy to restructure its debts and, it hopes, shed much of its pension obligations. Under a plan outlined in its filing to a federal bankruptcy court, about 60 percent of its debt would be eliminated as the news organization tries to reposition for a digital future","digital future","pension obligations"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2020 The Boy Scouts of America file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as the result of multiple sex abuse lawsuits. (The Wall Street Journal) (Scouting Newsroom)","document":"The Boy Scouts of America on Tuesday filed for bankruptcy protection, as one of the country’s largest youth organizations tries to endure intensifying legal pressure over accusations of childhood sexual abuse going back decades.\nThe chapter 11 filing covers the national Boy Scouts organization and automatically halts the hundreds of lawsuits it faces alleging sexual misconduct by employees or volunteers. The Boy Scouts are seeking to compensate claimants through bankruptcy proceedings while protecting 261 local scouting councils across the country and the billions of dollars in assets they hold.\nThe bankruptcy filing marks a watershed moment in the 110-year history of the Boy Scouts, which for years have been embroiled in lawsuits blaming the organization for failing to screen out sexual predators. It said in court papers that its “ability to deliver its mission to future generations of scouts may be in peril” unless it can reach a broad settlement of hundreds of current and future sex-abuse claims.\nLaws passed in California, New York and other states have created temporary windows allowing for sex-abuse lawsuits to be filed regardless of when the alleged abuse occurred, exposing the Boys Scouts to an unprecedented level of potential liability.\nThese laws took effect in more than a dozen states last year, opening the courthouse doors to more potential claimants. States including Florida, Ohio and Virginia are also considering passing similar legislation.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Boy Scouts of America","Boy Scouts"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["America"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["tries to endure intensifying legal pressure over accusations of childhood sexual abuse going back decades"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2020 The Boy Scouts of America file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as the result of multiple sex abuse lawsuits. (The Wall Street Journal) (Scouting Newsroom)","document":"IRVING, TX – February 18, 2020 – The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) today announced that the national organization has filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code to achieve two key objectives: equitably compensate victims who were harmed during their time in Scouting and continue carrying out its mission for years to come. The BSA intends to use the Chapter 11 process to create a Victims Compensation Trust that would provide equitable compensation to victims.\nScouting programs, including unit meetings and activities, council events, other Scouting adventures and countless service projects, will continue throughout this process and for many years to come. The BSA fully intends to maintain its commitments to its members, families, volunteer leaders, employees, retirees, donors and alumni to the fullest extent permitted by bankruptcy laws. The organization also will pay its vendors and partners for all goods and services delivered from today forward.\nLocal councils, which provide programming, financial, facility and administrative support to Scouting units in their communities, have not filed for bankruptcy. They are legally separate, distinct and financially independent from the national organization.\n“The BSA cares deeply about all victims of abuse and sincerely apologizes to anyone who was harmed during their time in Scouting. We are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to harm innocent children,” said Roger Mosby, President and Chief Executive Officer. “While we know nothing can undo the tragic abuse that victims suffered, we believe the Chapter 11 process – with the proposed Trust structure – will provide equitable compensation to all victims while maintaining the BSA’s important mission.”\nEstablishment of the Victims Compensation Trust and Support for Victims of Abuse\nThe BSA has an important duty to keep children safe, supported and protected while preparing them for their futures, and the organization has every intention of continuing to fulfill these important responsibilities.\nTragically, there have been times when individuals took advantage of the BSA’s programs to harm children. The BSA firmly believes that a proposed Victims Compensation Trust structure is the best means of compensating victims in a way that is equitable and protects their identities. The BSA encourages victims to come forward to file a claim as the bankruptcy process moves forward and will provide clear and comprehensive notices about how to do so.\nThe BSA has, for years, funded in-person counseling for any current or former Scout who was a victim of abuse as well as victims’ family members, by a provider of their choice. As an extension of this commitment to supporting victims, the BSA recently announced a partnership with 1in6, a trusted national resource for male survivors, to expand their services so that victims of abuse are able to anonymously access vital support from trained advocates when and how they need it. Victims can access 1in6 services at www.1in6.org/BSA. This is a multiyear commitment, which the BSA feels is an important component of its ongoing efforts to support victims.\nMaintaining Programming and Upholding Commitments to All Stakeholders\nScouting will continue to provide unparalleled programs to young people – keeping them safe, supported and protected as it prepares them for their futures. The BSA today has some of the strongest, expert-informed youth protection policies found in any youth-serving organization, including mandatory youth protection training and background checks for all volunteers and staff, as well as policies that prohibit one-on-one interaction between youth and adults and require all volunteers and staff to report any suspected abuse to law enforcement.\n\n\n.\n\n\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Roger Mosby"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Boy Scouts of America (BSA)","BSA"]},{"role":"Date","values":["today"]},{"role":"Location","values":["America"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["intends to use the Chapter 11 process to create a Victims Compensation Trust that would provide equitable compensation to victims","victims","Chapter 11 process","Victims Compensation Trust","Victims"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2020 France shuts down its first nuclear power reactor, at the Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant. (Deutsche Welle)","document":"French energy company EDF has confirmed that it has turned off one reactor of its oldest nuclear power plant. The plant, located directly on the border to Germany, has drawn frequent protests in recent years.\nEDF SA, a French energy company, said that it had completed the shut down of one reactor at its oldest nuclear power plant in Fessenheim near the border of Germany. The nuclear power plant's second and last reactor will be shut down on June 30.\nThe company told media outlets that the 900-megawatt reactor's shutdown began at 8:30 pm on Friday and ended in the small hours of Saturday. The shut down was completed normally, but it was an emotional moment for those in the control room, according to EDF. Around 100 people, including employees, reportedly protested against the shutdown.\nGerman and Swiss officials have long demanded that French energy officials close the aging Fessenheim nuclear power plant, which is located on the border of France near Germany and Switzerland, near Freiburg in southwestern Germany.\n\n\"The time has finally come,\" said German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze on Friday in Berlin, adding that shutting down Fessenheim would make Germany \"safer.\"\nSchulze also said that Germany would keep lobbying its neighbors to commit to phasing out nuclear power.\n\"Nuclear power is not a climate savior. It is risky, expensive and leaves behind radioactive waste for thousands of generations.\"\nA 'historic step'\nFrench Energy Minister Elisabeth Borne has called the shutdown a \"historic step,\" as it is the first time one of France's 58 nuclear reactors has been permanently taken off the country's power grid.\nFrance gets about 75% of its electricity from nuclear plants, but many are aging. The country has set a target of reducing its nuclear energy dependence to 50% by 2035 by bringing in more renewable power.\n\nFollowing the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, German environment officials concluded that although German facilities were better prepared for disaster than the Japanese, Germany would revert to a previous policy — briefly overturned by Angela Merkel prior to Fukushima — of shutting down all nuclear power plants within around 10 years.\nThere are currently six nuclear power plants operating in Germany: Grohnde and Emsland in Lower Saxony, Brokdorf in Schleswig-Holstein, Isar 2 und Grundremmingen in Bavaria and Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Württemberg.\nThe remaining reactors in Germany are all scheduled to be shut down by the end of 2022.\n ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["French energy company EDF"]},{"role":"Date","values":["June 30"]},{"role":"Location","values":["located directly on the border to Germany","Germany"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["shutting down Fessenheim would make Germany \"safer."]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2020 British airline Flybe collapses into administration with the loss of 2,000 jobs after failing to secure financial support. The airline says the impact of the coronavirus pandemic is partly to blame for its collapse. Flybe provided more than half of UK domestic flights outside London. (BBC)","document":"UK airline Flybe has gone into administration, putting 2,000 jobs at risk, after a bid for fresh financial support failed. The Exeter-based carrier said the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on demand for air travel was partly to blame for its collapse.\nIts website now advises customers to \"not travel to the airport\" unless they have arranged an alternative flight.\nFlybe boss Mark Anderson said he was \"very sorry\" for the firm's collapse.\nIn a letter to the airline's staff, chief executive Mark Anderson said: \"Despite every effort, we now have no alternative - having failed to find a feasible solution to allow us to keep trading.\"\nIn response to the collapse, the UK government said it was ready to help Flybe's workers find new jobs and would work with other airlines to replace services: \"We are working closely with industry to minimise any disruption to routes operated by Flybe, including by looking urgently at how routes not already covered by other airlines can be re-established by the industry. \"\nTransport Secretary Grant Shapps said everyone was \"gutted\" about the news but added: \"We really tried to do everything we could back at the turn of the year.\n\"Unfortunately, with the situation that has developed with [coronavirus], an already weak company, I'm afraid, just hasn't been able to survive.\"\nDavid Manners arrived at Exeter Airport this morning to find his Flybe flight to Paris had been cancelled. The trip had been planned as a surprise Christmas present for his wife and he said they were \"absolutely gutted\".\nMr Manners, who lives in Lyme Regis, said Flybe's collapse would also be bad for the area. \"We use this airport quite a lot because it's so convenient,\" he said. \"We know some of the staff very well… I feel for them.\"\nJessica, Abby and Robyn work for a recruitment agency and were due to return to Jersey via Exeter Airport after a business trip.\nThey described the airport as a \"ghost town\" on arrival. Abby said: \"I use Flybe maybe once a month, and not having it now will be such a nightmare.\" The group said that other airlines such as EasyJet or British Airways did operate flights from Jersey, but they typically only flew into larger airports such as London Gatwick.\nRyanair has launched \"rescue\" fares for March and April on five routes following Flybe's collapse. They include flights between Bournemouth and Dublin, Belfast and Stansted and Belfast and Manchester.\nTrain operators across Britain are also providing free travel to customers and Flybe staff who are unable to travel over the next week, according to the Rail Delivery Group.\nFlybe customers who bought tickets directly from the company will not be protected by Atol, the travel industry insurance fund\nHowever, if you bought through a travel agent or other third party you might be covered. Some people might be able to get their money back if they paid by credit card or with some debit cards.\nThousands of jobs are at risk following the regional airline's collapse.\nKatherine Densham, a Flybe cabin crew member, had been due to fly to London City Airport from Exeter on Thursday. She has worked for the airline for 13 years after joining the firm straight from college.\nShe told the BBC that staff were feeling \"really sad\" and that she was not sure what to do next.\nBalpa, the pilots' union, said that pilots, cabin crew and ground staff \"have done their jobs brilliantly\" throughout its struggle.\nThe union questioned how staff \"are going to find new jobs in the current climate\", although companies such as South Western Railway have already been calling out for job applications from Flybe staff on social media.\nFlybe ran into difficulties last year and was bought by a consortium that includes Virgin Atlantic. But its troubles persisted, and it narrowly avoided going bust in January this year. The new owners said they would pump £30m into the business to keep it afloat, but appealed to the government for additional support.\nFlybe, which served destinations from the Channel Islands to Aberdeen, had also been hoping for a £100m lifeline from the government and changes to Air Passenger Duty taxes.\nBut the news that it may benefit from government help sparked a backlash from its rivals. British Airways-owner IAG filed a complaint to the EU arguing Flybe's rescue breached state aid rules.\nVirgin Atlantic said it was \"deeply disappointed\" that Flybe had gone bust, adding that the consortium had invested more than £135m in keeping the airline flying for an extra year. While its financial problems were already apparent, a Flybe insider told the BBC the impact of the coronavirus on the travel industry had \"made a bad situation much worse\".\nAir transport expert John Strickland added that the regional market was extremely challenging for any airline, but that Flybe had made matters worse some years ago through over-ambitious expansion.\n\"It's really too big for what it's trying to do,\" he said.\nAlthough Flybe is small compared to the likes of British Airways, Ryanair or EasyJet, the loss of the operator has been described as \"disastrous\" for UK regions.\nMr Strickland said Flybe is \"small in the scale of the UK market as a whole, but if you're flying out of Exeter, Newquay or specifically Southampton it really is one of the only airline choices... so a number of regional groups will risk not being served\". Following last December's general election, Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to \"level up\" the UK's regions, after the Conservatives won seats in previous Labour strongholds. He appeared ready to intervene to prop up the airline, considered a key transport link to many parts of the country.\nShadow transport secretary Andy Macdonald said the airline had provided \"critical connectivity for many locations\" and its collapse would be \"disastrous news for passengers and employees alike.\"\n\"The government has to answer how those vital links will be maintained following Flybe's collapse. Communities will be concerned about what this will mean for their local economies and the Secretary of State has to come up with answers to these questions as a matter of urgency,\" he said. Tim Jeans, chairman of Cornwall Airport, said that he \"very much hoped\" that other airlines would take up the routes. He said discussions with other airlines would \"begin in earnest\" soon and he hoped to reinstate services \"on those routes hopefully within weeks rather than months\".\nFor the past 15 years Flybe has been trying to join the big boys of aviation, and failing. The serious push came 10 years ago when it raised money with a stock market float, and set out a plan to become Europe's biggest regional airline, flying mid-sized planes between secondary cities. The model works brilliantly in America, where regional airlines, often flying as franchises of the larger network carriers, are a large and thriving business. It did not work - or at least Flybe did not make it work - in Europe. It retrenched, and was left in the farcical situation of paying for a fleet of Embraer aircraft that it could not fly. The remaining network was still too big, and cash resources dwindled. The airline came close to going under at the start of last year, but was bought by consortium of Virgin Atlantic, Stobart, and a financial investor Cyrus Capital. They had conflicting objectives. Virgin was eager to preserve feed to its long-haul flights at Heathrow, and perhaps snaffle along the way some of Flybe's valuable Heathrow slots. Stobart was eager to keep flights at its main asset, Southend Airport. And Cyrus thought it might make money if the business was resuscitated. The trio were slow to act - a rebranding to Virgin Connect never happened, and losses continued to rise. A cold shoulder from the government and a rapid drop in bookings thanks to the coronavirus sealed the airline's fate.\nFor the airports most affected - Southampton, Exeter and Belfast City - this will be a worrying moment. There is not a queue of airlines wanting to pick up UK regional routes - and particularly not when the coronavirus has plunged the entire industry into uncertainty.\n.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Mark Anderson"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Flybe"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Exeter"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on demand for air travel was partly to blame for its collapse","collapse","impact"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2020 British multinational electrical and telecommunications retailer Dixons Carphone says it is closing all standalone Carphone Warehouse stores in the UK, with the loss of 2,900 jobs, as part of a company restructuring. The closures are not believed to be related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (Reuters)","document":"LONDON (Reuters) - British electricals retailer Dixons Carphone DC.L will close all 531 UK standalone Carphone Warehouse stores and shed 2,900 jobs as part of a plan to turn around its loss-making mobile phones business, it said on Tuesday.\nShares in the group, which also trades as Currys and PC World in Britain, were up 3.7% at 0858 GMT after it also said it had not yet seen a material impact from the coronavirus outbreak and was maintaining its full year profit forecast.\nThough it is preparing for a future impact from the outbreak it noted that recent trading had been solid.\n“As customers prepare for time at home, fridges and freezers, small domestic appliances and laptops have seen notable increases in sales,” it said.\nThe Carphone Warehouse stores, representing 8% of Dixons Carphone’s total UK selling space, will shut on April 3. A further 1,800 workers are expected to take new roles internally.\nDixons Carphone will continue to sell mobile phones through Carphone Warehouse shop-in-shops in 305 large Currys PCWorld stores and online.\nThe group has had to revamp its mobile business because customers are changing the way they buy devices and connectivity, replacing their handsets less often and buying them separately or as part of more flexible bundles.\n“Our customers have been changing for some time how they shop with us and we have to respond,” chief executive Alex Baldock told reporters.\nCoronavirus was not an immediate driver for the closures, he maintained.\n“It’s always been the plan to announce it today,” he said. “All the current health crisis does is underline the importance of getting the business in shape for future success.”\nThe mobile phones business is forecast to make a 90 million pound ($110 million) loss in the 2019-20 year but breakeven by 2021-22.\nThe group said it remained on track to meet its guidance for overall adjusted pretax profit in 2019-20 of 210 million pounds despite a hit to profit at its Dixons Travel airport stores and the negative impact of currency exchange, as well as for net debt to be lower year-on-year.\n“We are aware that our stores could experience a significant reduction in sales in the months ahead and we are modelling a range of downside scenarios and planning accordingly,” it said.\nPlans include switching more fulfilment to the group’s online channels and managing costs and cash closely.\nThe group’s Greek stores will be closed, probably for at least two weeks, from March 18.\n($1 = 0.8193 pounds)\n\n\n\n ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Alex Baldock"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Dixons Carphone DC.L"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["UK"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["as part of a plan to turn around its loss-making mobile phones business","part","plan","loss"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2020 Whiting Petroleum Corporation declares bankruptcy. Whiting was once the largest oil producer in the Bakken shale region. (Reuters)","document":"(Reuters) - Whiting Petroleum Corp filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the U.S. shale producer said on Wednesday, the first publicly traded casualty of crashing crude oil prices that are expected to bite into record U.S. output.\nWhiting was once the largest oil producer in North Dakota, now the second-biggest oil-producing state in the country. It has agreed with creditors to cut its debt by about $2.2 billion through an exchange of some of its notes for 97% of new equity. Existing shareholders will own 3% of the reorganized company.\nNotably, Whiting said in a regulatory filing that on March 26, in response to the circumstances affecting the oil industry, it revised its compensation program to pay out more than $13 million bonuses to several executives, including $6.4 million to CEO Brad Holly.\nNumerous shale oil and gas producers, faced with burdensome debt loads, have cut spending aggressively as oil prices have plunged by about two-thirds this year with the coronavirus pandemic slamming fuel demand and Russia and Saudi Arabia flooding markets with extra crude.\nA U.S. drilling boom over the last three years lifted national oil production to a record of roughly 13 million barrels per day, but investors have grown frustrated with poor returns. Callon Petroleum and other companies have hired advisors to restructure debt.\nShares of Whiting fell 32 cents, or 47%, to 36 cents each on Tuesday.\nThe company’s market valuation has shrunk to $32 million from as much as $15 billion at its peak in 2011, when investors were discovering the burgeoning shale sector. As of Dec. 31, Whiting had $2.8 billion in debt and more than $585 million in cash on its balance sheet.\nWhiting is among the most shorted oil and gas stocks, with more than 60% of its outstanding shares borrowed for short selling, according to FIS Astec Analytics data.\nAnalysts believe the energy sector is primed for more defaults in coming months. Whiting’s bankruptcy brings the trailing 12-month high-yield energy default rate to more than 11%, and the year-end figure could ultimately surpass the 19.7% level set in January 2017, according to Fitch Ratings.\nEnergy producers Chesapeake Energy Corp and Chaparral Energy Inc as well as natural gas producer Gulfport Energy Corp are working with debt restructuring advisers or investment banks to shore up cash reserves.\nSunTrust Robinson Humphrey analyst Neal Dingmann said filing for bankruptcy “was more of a temporary solution than a long-term sustainable plan.”\n“We believe this financial demise was due to a combination of difficult macro conditions combined with sub-par operations for several quarters,” Dingmann said.\nThe company was also hampered by debt after purchasing rival Kodiak Oil & gas in mid-2014, just before shale’s 2015-2016 crash, for $6 billion, which included $2.2 billion in debt.\nWhiting was expected to produce about 42 million barrels of oil equivalent in 2020. It said it would continue to operate without material disruption to vendors, partners or employees.\nMoelis & Co is Whiting’s financial adviser, while Alvarez & Marsal is its restructuring adviser. PJT Partners is acting as financial adviser for creditors.\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Whiting Petroleum Corp"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Numerous shale oil and gas producers, faced with burdensome debt loads, have cut spending aggressively as oil prices have plunged by about two-thirds this year with the coronavirus pandemic slamming fuel demand and Russia and Saudi Arabia flooding markets with extra crude"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2005 Salva Kiir, the new vice–president of Sudan, is opposed to independence for the country's south. (BBC) The Ugandan government shuts down a radio station for broadcasting a debate on the cause of death of former Sudanese vice–president John Garang. (BBC)","document":"Politician James Otieno told the BBC the move was \"unacceptable\", while the Uganda Journalist Association said the government had exceeded its powers.\nKFM was closed after it aired a heated debate on the possible causes of the helicopter crash which killed Sudanese Vice-President John Garang. Uganda's president had warned the media not to report speculation on the crash.\nMr Garang was travelling in the Ugandan helicopter when it crashed taking him back to Sudan after meeting Mr Museveni.\nThe Ugandan crew were also killed.\n'Right to question'\nInformation Minister Nsaba Buturo said KFM's licence had been suspended because of a programme that did not meet Uganda's broadcasting standards.\nAny newspaper which plays around with regional security, I will not tolerate it. I will just simply close it, finish, the end\n President Yoweri Museveni\nMwenda rejects debt relief\nHe denied the closure was an attack on press freedom.\n\"Freedom without responsibility is dangerous to a young democracy such as ours,\" he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.\nBut the Uganda Journalist Association (UJA) said the Broadcasting Council did not have the powers to close KFM. \"The action is not part of the functions of the council under the law as its mandate is to arbitrate and resolve disputes anybody has with the electronic media,\" said UJA Secretary General Haruna Kanaabi.\nMr Otieno told the BBC the decision showed that Mr Museveni was intimidating the media at a time when Ugandans wanted more political freedom.\n\"People have a right to question,\" said Mr Otieno - who is based in London and a member of the former ruling Uganda People's Congress.\n'Vultures'\nThe head of the media group which runs KFM said he would \"pursue all available avenues\" to return to the airwaves.\nThe closure was \"unreasonable and illegal\", Monitor group head Conrad Nkutu told the AFP news agency.\nPresident Museveni has described some journalists as \"vultures\"\nThe programme was hosted by prominent journalist Andrew Mwenda - who was singled out for criticism by Mr Museveni over his articles in the Monitor newspaper, part of the same media group.\nMr Museveni had said publishing conspiracy theories about the crash constituted a threat to national security and would not be tolerated. \"They are vultures,\" he said of the papers in question. \"For them the misery of the many is the joy of the vultures. \"Now, any newspaper which plays around with regional security, I will not tolerate it. I will just simply close it, finish, the end.\"\nHowever, he has been one of the few public officials to say he does not know the cause of the crash - others have said it was definitely an accident.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["KFM"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Uganda"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["it aired a heated debate on the possible causes of the helicopter crash which killed Sudanese Vice-President John Garang"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2004 A major British influenza vaccine company, Chiron, has its manufacturing license revoked due to an outbreak of bacteria. Chiron had been expected to supply half of this season's flu vaccines in the United States. (BBC)","document":"The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said the three month suspension would take place with immediate effect.\nThe suspension means the Oxford-based company, which makes Fluvirin, will not be able to supply flu vaccines to anyone, including the major US market.\nThere are concerns about the way the vaccine is manufactured.\n\tThose practices affected by the shortage will have to cancel flu immunisation clinics until doses come through.\n \tDr Hamish Meldrum\n \tThe MHRA decision could have a particularly severe impact in the US, as Chiron is responsible for half of the flu vaccines distributed in the country.\nIn the UK doctors have been advised to prioritise the most vulnerable patients until supplies return to normal.\nDespite government assurances that the suspension will have a minimal impact in the UK, the British Medical Association insists it could cause serious problems.\nDr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the BMA's GPs committee, said: \"This will have a significant impact on the flu immunisation programme in this country and the impact will be patchy.\n\"This is because practices tend to get their whole flu vaccine supply from one supplier.\n\"Those practices affected by the shortage will have to cancel flu immunisation clinics until doses come through.\"\nContaminated supplies\nIn August, Chiron announced that millions of flu vaccines made in Liverpool were contaminated, and delayed shipment to the US until October.\nA company spokesman said extensive tests and safety checks had subsequently been carried out, and the company was confident that its products now met the highest standards. He said the MHRA decision was unexpected, but he also said Chiron would immediately begin discussions to determine what further action was required to meet UK safety standards.\nIn a statement, the company said the MHRA suspension would mean that it would be unable to release any of its products during the 2004-05 flu season.\nChiron is one of six suppliers of the flu vaccine in the UK.\nThe Department of Health said of the 14 million doses of flu vaccine they had ordered, Chiron had only been due to supply 2.4 million.\nContingency measures\nContingency plans had been made to ensure adequate stocks would be available to meet any potential shortfall.\n\tI am confident that we will have enough vaccine for the winter.\n \tDr Douglas Fleming\n \tHowever, it admitted some people might experience a delay in getting their regular innoculation. It is recommended that flu vaccines should be administered in the UK by early November, before cases start to mount.\nA spokesperson said: \"We are confident that we have sufficient vaccines for this winters campaign and contingency supplies will be available as soon as possible.\n\"We have arranged for an extra 1.2 million doses to be available to doctors' surgeries by the end of October and a further 1 million by mid-November.\"\nDr Douglas Fleming, director of the Royal College of GPs' Birmingham Research Unit, said: \"I am confident that we will have enough vaccine for the winter.\n\"In the case of delays I would advise all Healthcare Professionals administering flu vaccines to concentrate on the most at-risk until supplies have returned to normal.\"\nSignificant impact\n\tThe fact that the US will potentially only have 50m doses is a public health nightmare.\n \tGeoffrey Porges\n \tThe World Health Organization said the suspension could have a major impact elsewhere - particularly as the flu season is just beginning in the northern hemisphere.\nDr Klaus Stohr, the WHO's flu chief, said: \"The implications may be significant. There could be a shortage.\n\"It may be resolvable but that would require a lot of adjustment on the part of the other\ncompanies.\"\nChiron makes a total of four flu vaccines: Agrippal, Begrivac, Fluad and Fluvirin.\nThe last of these is the number two flu vaccine in the US, which accounts for the majority of supplies, although 20% go to the UK and Europe.\nGeoffrey Porges, a market analyst with US firm Bernstein & Co said: \"The fact that the US will potentially only have 50m doses is a public health nightmare.\"","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Chiron"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Oxford"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["millions of flu vaccines made in Liverpool were contaminated","Contaminated"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2016 Lebanese daily newspaper As–Safir (\"The Ambassador\" in Arabic) is to cease print and online operations after over 40 years, citing falling revenues and Lebanon's political environment and sectarian problems as reasons for its closure. The newspaper has close ties to Hezbollah. (Reuters)","document":"BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese daily As-Safir is to cease its print and online operations after over 40 years, editor-in-chief and publisher Talal Salman said on Thursday, blaming falling revenues and Lebanon’s political and sectarian problems.\nAs-Safir, founded by Salman in 1974 with the slogan “a voice for those who have no voice”, will end publication on March 31. It is close to the Lebanese Shi’ite group Hezbollah.\nIn a situation faced by print media around the world, Lebanese dailies al-Nahar and al-Liwa’ have also indicated they are facing financial difficulties because of falling circulation and advertising income.\nBut Salman has said the country’s political environment also contributed to the problems of the Lebanese press.\nLebanon has a paralyzed political system and sectarian tensions left over from a civil war that ended around 15 years ago. These have increased with Syria’s civil war next door.\nThe government has not passed a budget since 2005 and has been without a president for almost two years.\nLebanon’s economy grew 8 percent a year between 2007 and 2010, but growth has been relatively sluggish since the collapse of a unity government and the start of Syria’s uprising in 2011. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew at only 2 percent in 2014.\n“We tried and tried and tried and in the end the great sectarian divide took its first victim - the media, which is supposed to be the one guiding a unified national public,” Salman told Reuters.\n“The press is connected with political life. In Lebanon there is no politics and no political life whatsoever,” he said. “This is a country without a state, with no institutions and no president.”\nIn an editorial in his paper this week, Salman said the demise of his and other papers in Lebanon - a country famed across the Arab world for its press freedom - threatens the nation’s claim to be the “country of freedom”.\nThe decision to close As-Safir (“The Ambassador” in Arabic)will be formally announced on March 30 at a press conference. “We have announced the death, but we await the funeral,” said Salman.\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Lebanese daily As-Safir"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Lebanon"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["falling revenues and Lebanon’s political and sectarian problems"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2020 China orders the closure of the United States Consulate in Chengdu, in retaliation for the United States closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas. (BBC)","document":"China has ordered the closure of the US consulate in the south-western city of Chengdu, in a tit-for-tat escalation between the two countries. China said the move was in response to the US closing its consulate in Houston, and accused staff in Chengdu of meddling in its internal affairs.\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US decision was taken because China was \"stealing\" intellectual property.\nTensions have been rising between the US and China over several key issues.\nPresident Donald Trump's administration has clashed repeatedly with Beijing over trade and the coronavirus pandemic, as well as China's imposition of a controversial new security law in Hong Kong.\nOn Friday, Washington urged China to \"cease these malign actions rather than engage in tit-for-tat retaliation\". China's move came hours after Mr Pompeo hardened his tone further in a speech on Thursday at the library of former President Richard Nixon, whose 1972 China visit heralded a period of improved relations. \"Today, China is increasingly authoritarian at home, and more aggressive in its hostility to freedom everywhere else,\" Mr Pompeo said. \"The free world must triumph over this new tyranny.\"\nOn Friday, China's foreign ministry said it was closing the US consulate in Chengdu after staff there \"interfered in China's internal affairs, and endangered China's security and interests\".\nDuring a news conference, ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin also said the US decision to close the consulate in Houston was based on \"a hodgepodge of anti-Chinese lies\".\nHe said Mr Pompeo's announcement on Thursday was \"filled with ideological bias and a Cold War mentality.\"\n\"Pompeo made a speech in which he made a malicious attack on the Chinese Communist Party,\" Mr Wang said, adding: \"To this, China expresses strong indignation and resolute opposition.\"\nThe ministry earlier said that the closure of the US consulate in Chengdu was a \"legitimate and necessary response\" to the actions taken by the US.\n\"The current situation between China and the United States is something China does not want to see, and the US bears all responsibility for that.\"\nChina has given the US until Monday to close the consulate in Chengdu, according to the editor of China's Global Times.\nThe mission, established in 1985 and currently having more than 200 staff - 150 hired locally - is seen as strategically important because it allows the US to gather information on the autonomous region of Tibet, where there has been long-running pressure for independence. With its industry and growing services sector, Chengdu also is seen by the US as providing opportunities for exports of agricultural products, cars and machinery. On Tuesday, the US government ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, Texas, by Friday. The move came after unidentified individuals were filmed burning paper in bins in the building's courtyard.\nMr Pompeo accused China of stealing \"not just American intellectual property... but European intellectual property too... costing hundreds of thousands of jobs\".\n\"We are setting out clear expectations for how the Chinese Communist Party is going to behave. And when they don't, we're going to take actions,\" he said. The Chinese consulate in Houston was one of five in the US, along with the embassy in Washington DC. It was not clear why it was singled out.\nChina's foreign ministry spokeswoman said the reasons given by the US for closing the consulate were \"unbelievably ridiculous\". Hua Chunying urged the US to reverse its \"erroneous decision\", or China would \"react with firm countermeasures\".\nIn a further US move, four Chinese nationals have been charged with visa fraud for allegedly lying about their membership of China's armed forces. On Friday, US officials told reporters a Chinese student who fled to China's consulate in San Francisco was now in US custody. Three others were arrested earlier.\nSeparately, a Singaporean man has pleaded guilty at a federal court in Washington to a charge of operating as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, John Demers, assistant attorney general for national security, said on Friday.\nJun Wei Yeo, also known as Dickson Yeo, was charged with using his political consultancy in the US as a front to collect information for Chinese intelligence.\nThere are a number of things at play. US officials have blamed China for the global spread of Covid-19. More specifically, President Trump has alleged, without evidence, that the virus originated from a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan. And, in unsubstantiated remarks, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said in March that the US military might have brought the virus to Wuhan.\nThe US and China have also been locked in a tariff war since 2018. Mr Trump has long accused China of unfair trading practices and intellectual property theft, but in Beijing there is a perception that the US is trying to curb its rise as a global economic power.\nThe US has also imposed sanctions on Chinese politicians who it says are responsible for human rights violations against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. China is accused of mass detentions, religious persecution and forced sterilisation of Uighurs and others. Beijing denies the allegations and has accused the US of \"gross interference\" in its domestic affairs.\nChina's imposition of a sweeping security law there is also a source of tension with the US and the UK, which ruled the territory until 1997. In response, the US last week revoked Hong Kong's special trading status, which allowed it to avoid tariffs imposed on Chinese goods by the US. The US and UK see the security law as a threat to the freedoms Hong Kong has enjoyed under a 1984 agreement between China and the UK - before sovereignty reverted to Beijing.\nThe UK has angered China by outlining a route to UK citizenship for nearly three million Hong Kong residents. China responded by threatening to stop recognising a type of British passport - BNO - held by many of those living in Hong Kong. US orders China to close Houston consulate\n\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["US consulate"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Chengdu"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["in response to the US closing its consulate in Houston, and accused staff in Chengdu of meddling in its internal affairs","Chengdu","consulate","internal affairs","Houston","response","Houston consulate"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2017 Viacom International Media Networks has announced it will no longer pursue a Nickelodeon underwater theme park and resort in Palawan, Philippines. The project, announced last January, attracted controversy due to criticisms from environmentalist groups who fear the resort might destroy the area's marine ecosystem, home to two UNESCO World Heritage sites. (ABS-CBN News)","document":"Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) will no longer pursue the controversial Nickelodeon theme park in Palawan.\nIn a statement released Tuesday, Viacom said it has reached an agreement with Coral World Park to discontinue the licensing agreement for the theme park.\n\"Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) has mutually agreed with Coral World Park to discontinue the IP licensing agreement for the Nickelodeon-branded attraction and resort that was intended to be part of Coral World Park’s planned development in the western Philippine province of Palawan.\"\n\"Therefore, VIMN and Nickelodeon will no longer be involved with this proposed development. We wish Coral World Park well,\" VIMN also said.\nThe project, which was announced earlier this year, was met by criticisms from environmentalists and other groups, noting that the project could destroy the area's marine ecosystem.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Nickelodeon theme park"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Palawan"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["The project, which was announced earlier this year, was met by criticisms from environmentalists and other groups, noting that the project could destroy the area's marine ecosystem"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2017 Toronto's Sheraton Cadwell Orchestras closes and its management resigns following public backlash to a fat-shaming email that said only \"physically fit and slim\" singers would be featured in shows. (Fox News) (BBC) (Global News)","document":"The Sheraton Cadwell Orchestras asked women who were not \"fit & slim\" to use loose dresses that hide their \"dietary indulgences\".\nMany singers who had performed with the symphony expressed disgust at the email.\nThe management has since apologised and resigned, telling singers the orchestra would no longer be funded.\nThe controversy began on Monday when singer Victoria Leone, 23, received an email from Sheraton Cadwell Orchestras that left her astonished.\n\"Although almost all of our vocalists are fit and slim - the way our boutique orchestra would like our front line performing artists to be… two of our featured singers were not,\" the email read. \"We hope that they would, as such, refrain from using tight-fitting dresses and use loose (less physically-revealing, less physically-accentuating) dresses instead.\"\nThe email went on at length to detail that they were only concerned with vocalists, not instrumentalists, because instrumentalists were \"background\".\nMs Leone had performed with the orchestra once two weeks beforehand as a volunteer at a local street festival. She told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that as someone who was bullied as a child for being a bit \"curvy\", she felt personally attacked.\nThe email, which was signed by \"the management\", also said that in the future, only \"fit and slim\" women would be hired.\n\"As per our highly selective casting requirements for vocal artists taking on a prominent leading role on stage, only singers who are physically fit and slim (or at the very least, those who know how to dress strategically/suitably in order to not bring attention to their temporary physical/dietary indulgences) would be showcased with our boutique orchestras.\"\nMs Leone says she sent an email back to the orchestra, expressing her frustration and quitting the organisation. Instead of apologising, she said they simply thanked her for her time and asked her to reread certain parts about dressing less revealingly, which it highlighted in red.\nAfter news of this message went public, and many other singers complained, the management sent her a follow-up email notifying her that the orchestra would be shutting down.\n\"We sincerely apologize for any embarrassment/harassment that you may experience from media representatives or other individuals/parties as a result of misconstrued/malicious allegations and extremely negative/destructive/evil intent,\" the email read.\nSpeaking to the CBC, Ms Leone said she did not feel like that was the apology she was looking for. \"It does suck for all the young women, all the young girls who are trying to aspire to anything,\" she said. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Sheraton Cadwell Orchestras","Sheraton Cadwell Orchestras"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["asked women who were not \"fit & slim\" to use loose dresses that hide their \"dietary indulgences\"","fit","slim","dietary indulgences"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2017 The United States State Department orders Russia to close the Consulate-General in San Francisco and two other buildings by September 2, 2017, invoking \"parity\" over a Russian measure in July. (BBC)","document":"Russia has been ordered to close its San Francisco consulate and two trade missions in response to \"unwarranted\" Russian action, the US has said.\nThe consulate, and annexes in New York and Washington, must close by Saturday.\nThe US state department's move follows Moscow's reduction of US diplomatic staff in Russia last month.\nThat in turn followed new US sanctions on Russia over Crimea and alleged election interference, which led to the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats.\nPresident Barack Obama had ordered those expulsions, along with the closure of two compounds, last December.\nAlthough Russian President Vladimir Putin did not respond initially to that move, with Mr Trump set to assume office, he then announced on 31 July a reduction of 755 US diplomatic staff in Russia, in retaliation for the US sanctions.\nThe US diplomats expelled have until this Friday to leave Russia - a day before the US closures of the Russian consulate and two annexes, which are trade missions, must be completed.\nA senior administration official said on Thursday that the consulate and the residence attached to it as well as the two trade missions would close but no Russian staff would be required to leave the country.\nRussia will be allowed to maintain the properties, but not use them, the official added. The state department said the US actions were \"in the spirit of parity\". It blamed Moscow for what it called a downward spiral in bilateral ties, but suggested it wanted an end to the current spat.\n\"The United States hopes that, having moved toward the Russian Federation's desire for parity, we can avoid further retaliatory actions by both sides and move forward to achieve the stated goal of both our presidents: improved relations between our two countries and increased co-operation on areas of mutual concern,\" state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. The move leaves each country with three consulates in place, Ms Nauert added. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a phone call on Thursday, expressing \"regret at the escalation of tensions in bilateral relations\".\nHe said Moscow would study the order and respond accordingly, according to a statement from the Russian foreign ministry. Mr Lavrov and Mr Tillerson are due to meet in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.\nEarlier this month, Mr Trump said US relations with Russia were at a \"dangerous low\" amid a row with Congress over the fresh sanctions against Moscow. The president, who wanted warmer ties with Russia, had opposed the bill, which included a provision that limits his ability to lift sanctions and forces him to consult Congress first. Mr Trump has been dogged by claims that Russia tried to sway the election in his favour and several investigations are under way to determine whether anyone from his campaign colluded with Moscow.\nBut the Kremlin has repeatedly denied interfering and Mr Trump has insisted that there was no collusion, calling the investigations a \"witch hunt\".\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["San Francisco consulate and two trade missions","two trade missions"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New York and Washington","New York"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["in response to \"unwarranted\" Russian action"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2020 British retail tycoon Philip Green's Arcadia Group collapses into administration, putting over 13,000 jobs at risk and becoming the United Kingdom's biggest corporate casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic so far. Arcadia CEO Ian Grabiner blames the pandemic for the company's demise, saying \"the obstacles we encountered were far too severe\". (Reuters)","document":"LONDON (Reuters) - British tycoon Philip Green’s Arcadia fashion group has collapsed into administration, putting over 13,000 jobs at risk and becoming the country’s biggest corporate casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic so far.\nArcadia retail group collapses into administration\n01:21\nDeloitte said late on Monday it had been appointed Arcadia’s administrator and would seek buyers for the group’s brands: Topshop, Topman, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, Miss Selfridge, Evans, Burton and Outfit.\nThe group trades from 444 leased sites in the United Kingdom and 22 overseas.\nDeloitte said Arcadia’s stores would continue to trade, its online platforms would remain operational and supplies to concession partners would continue.\nIt said no redundancies were being immediately announced.\n“We will be rapidly seeking expressions of interest and expect to identify one or more buyers to ensure the future success of the businesses,” said Matt Smith, Deloitte’s joint administrator.\nGreen, who was pictured over the weekend in Monaco where his 100 million pound ($133.26 million) super yacht Lionheart is docked, acquired Arcadia for 850 million pounds in 2002.\nHe had no immediate comment but his CEO laid the blame for Arcadia’s demise firmly on the pandemic.\n“In the face of the most difficult trading conditions we have ever experienced, the obstacles we encountered were far too severe,” said Ian Grabiner.\nBritain’s Business minister, Alok Sharma, said the administration was “incredibly sad news” and the UK government would support those affected.\nWhile COVID-19 lockdowns pushed Arcadia over the edge, it has struggled in recent years, underinvesting and failing to keep pace with competitors in an increasingly online retail sector.\n\n\nIts brands were squeezed between the likes of Inditex’s Zara, H&M, and Primark and online-only players ASOS and Boohoo.\nA restructuring deal was approved by creditors last year, cutting rents and closing stores, but proved only a temporary respite.\nMike Ashley’s Frasers Group said on Monday it was interested in participating in any Arcadia sale process.\nTopshop, once the go-to destination for teenagers and fashion lovers, is regarded by analysts as Arcadia’s most attractive asset.\nMedia reports have also identified Marks & Spencer, Next and Boohoo, as well as private equity players, as potential bidders for individual brands. All three companies declined to comment.\nArcadia’s collapse could have a knock-on impact on the future of department store chain Debenhams, which is already in administration and employs 12,000.\nArcadia is one of Debenhams’ biggest concession holders.\nShares in JD Sports Fashion, which has been linked with a takeover of Debenhams, closed up 5.9%, indicating it was losing interest. Shares in Frasers closed down 5.7%.\nArcadia’s workforce also faces uncertainty over a deficit in the company’s pension fund, estimated by analysts at about 350 million pounds.\nAs part of last year’s restructuring Arcadia agreed to provide 210 million pounds of security over property assets to the pension schemes, while Tina Green, Philip’s wife and the ultimate owner of Arcadia, agreed to contribute 100 million pounds to the schemes over three years.\n“Philip Green should do the right thing and fill the Arcadia pension deficit,” said opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer.\nIf he does not pay up, Arcadia’s 10,000 pension scheme members should still receive the bulk of their entitlement through the government’s lifeboat scheme, the Pension Protection Fund.\nSharma said the administrators had three months to file a report on the conduct of Arcadia’s directors with The Insolvency Service which will determine whether a full investigation is required.\n“I will be keeping a very close eye on this process,” he said.\nEven before the pandemic, bricks-and-mortar clothing retailers in Britain were facing a major structural challenge with the economics of operating stores on traditional leases proving increasingly difficult as more trade migrates online.\nAlready this year Oasis, Warehouse, Laura Ashley, Peacocks and Jaeger have fallen into administration.\n\n\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Philip Green’s Arcadia","Arcadia"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["United Kingdom"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["the COVID-19 pandemic","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2020 President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli dissolve the incumbent House of Representatives, the lower house of the Parliament. (The New York Times)","document":"The prime minister dissolved the lower house of Parliament, throwing into doubt the political fortunes of the Himalayan country, which has long swung between Beijing and New Delhi.\nBy Bhadra Sharma\nKATHMANDU, Nepal — Nepal’s top leader dissolved Parliament on Sunday amid infighting among members of the governing party, throwing into doubt the political future of a strategically important Himalayan country where China and India have long jockeyed for influence.\nThe prime minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, called for the dissolution of the lower house of Parliament despite protests from his own Nepal Communist Party and opposition groups, including the largest, Nepali Congress. Nepal is now set to hold elections starting in late April, more than a year earlier than the expected vote in November 2022.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Bhadra Sharma\nKATHMANDU"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Parliament"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Nepal"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["the dissolution of the lower house of Parliament despite protests from his own Nepal Communist Party and opposition groups, including the largest, Nepali Congress","lower house"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2020 Parliament is dissolved as the deadline to approve the 2020 state budget expires without an agreement, requiring elections within 90 days, for the fourth time in less than two years. (The Times of Israel)","document":"The 23rd Knesset officially dispersed as the clock struck midnight on Tuesday night and the deadline to approve a 2020 budget expired, sending Israelis to the polls for the fourth time in less than two years. Elections were automatically called for 90 days from now, namely March 23, 2021, though that date could yet be changed by vote.\nThe failure to pass a budget came just seven months after the swearing-in of the “unity government” between Likud and Blue and White. The two parties, which had fought each other bitterly in three indecisive elections, agreed to form a power-sharing government with a rotating premiership between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz in May.\nBut despite pledges to put aside their differences in order to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the political turmoil followed them into government, with both leaders soon claiming the other was breaking their coalition agreements.\nUnlike the previous three elections, when Netanyahu’s chief rival was Gantz and his centrist Blue and White alliance, the prime minister’s main challengers this time are set to come from his own right wing of the political spectrum. A former Likud minister, Gideon Sa’ar, has set up a new party, New Hope, dedicated to ousting Netanyahu, and the right-wing/Orthodox Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett is also aiming to try to supplant him. Both Sa’ar and Bennett are seen as more hawkish than Netanyahu on issues relating to the Palestinians and the settlements.\nNetanyahu, 71, has held power uninterrupted since 2009, and also served a term as prime minister from 1996-1999, making him Israel’s longest-serving leader. He remains in office as head of the transitional government until the elections are held and a new coalition is formed.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The 23rd Knesset"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Israel"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["The failure to pass a budget"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2012 The Irish Daily Star becomes the second tabloid newspaper to publish topless photographs of Kate Middleton, prompting media boss Richard Desmond to close down the joint venture between Independent News and Media and his Northern and Shell group that published the paper. (RTÉ News)","document":"Media boss Richard Desmond tonight began \"immediate steps\" to close down his joint venture with the Irish Daily Star after the newspaper published topless photographs of Kate Middleton.\nThe Irish Daily Star is a joint venture between Independent News and Media and Northern and Shell, of which Mr Desmond is chairman.\nHowever, following publication of the photos, Northern and Shell said it had no editorial control over the newspaper.\nTonight, Mr Desmond said: \"I am very angry at the decision to publish these photographs and am taking immediate steps to close down the joint venture.\n“The decision to publish these pictures has no justification whatever and Northern & Shell condemns it in the strongest possible terms.\"\nA spokesperson for Independent News and Media, the co-owner of the Irish Daily Star, has said \"it was regrettable and in poor taste\" that the newspaper published the pictures.\nHe said that \"Independent News and Media had no prior knowledge of the decision to publish\" the pictures.\nThe photos of the duchess were taken while she was on holiday at a private villa in the south of France last week with her husband, Britain's Prince William.\nIrish Daily Star editor Michael O'Kane defended the publication.\n\"I did this as a service to our readers, I'm a little taken aback by the reaction in the UK,\" Mr O'Kane told the BBC earlier today.\n\"It only seems to be an issue in the UK because she is your future queen. But from our point of view in Ireland, Kate Middleton is just another of the fantastic line of celebrities.\"\nThe National Union of Journalists has called on Northern and Shell to reconsider the threat to close the newspaper.\nNUJ General Secretary Michelle Stanistreet described the decision as \"an over the top reaction which should be reconsidered calmly and with consideration for the full implications for Irish journalism and for editorial diversity\".\nIrish Secretary Séamus Dooley branded the decision \"a callous and crude attempt by Northern and Star to protect their UK commercial interests with no regard for the livelihood of 80 Irish workers\".","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Richard Desmond"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Irish Daily Star"]},{"role":"Date","values":["tonight"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Ireland"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["the newspaper published topless photographs of Kate Middleton","Kate Middleton"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2012 Manufacturer Foxconn closes a factory in Taiyuan in China's Shanxi province after a fight breaks out between thousands of workers. (The Sydney Morning Herald)","document":"Foxconn Technology Group has closed a factory at Taiyuan in China’s Shanxi province after a personal dispute spiraled into a brawl involving 2000 workers in a dormitory, injuring 40.\nThe Taiyuan plant, which employs about 79,000 workers, makes automobile electronic components, consumer electronic components and precision moldings. An employee told Reuters the plant also makes parts and assembles Apple's iPhone 5.\n\n.\n\n\n\n\nA Foxconn factory in China, which assembles iPhones, has suspended production after a brawl between employees.\nIn a statement, Foxconn cited police as saying about 40 people were taken to hospital for medical attention and a number were arrested.\nThe company said the incident escalated from what it called a personal dispute between several employees at around 11pm on Sunday in a privately managed dormitory, and was brought under control by local police at around 3am.\nImages circulated on Chinese social network Weibo that purport to show the Foxconn riot.\n\"The cause of this dispute is under investigation by local authorities and we are working closely with them in this process, but it appears not to have been work-related,\" Foxconn said.\nChina's Xinhua News Agency, citing Taiyuan City's public security bureau, reported that about 10 people were hurt in the fighting and around 5000 police were sent to the scene, bringing it under control as of 9am.\n\"The plant is closed today for investigation,\" said Foxconn spokesman Louis Woo.\nFoxconn, the trading name of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co and the world's largest contract maker of electronic goods, has seen a few violent disputes at its sprawling plants in China, where it employs a total of about 1 million workers.\nImages circulated on Chinese social network Weibo that purport to show the Foxconn riot.\nIn June, about 100 workers went on a rampage at a Chengdu plant in southwestern China. The company has faced allegations of poor conditions and mistreatment of workers at its China operations, and has been spending heavily in recent months to improve the work environment and to raise wages.\nA staff member at the Taiyuan plant said he was told the plant could be closed up to two to three days for police investigations.\n\"There are a lot of police at the site now,\" the staff member, who asked not to be named because he is not authorised to speak to media, told Reuters by telephone.\nCalls to the Taiyuan police were not immediately answered, while an official at the plant declined to comment when reached by telephone.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Foxconn Technology Group"]},{"role":"Date","values":["today"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Taiyuan in China’s Shanxi province","Taiyuan"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["a personal dispute spiraled into a brawl involving 2000 workers in a dormitory, injuring 40","dormitory"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2015 Canadian BlackBerry Limited announces plans to shut down operations in Pakistan at year's end because it cannot comply with the Pakistani government's monitoring orders which would result in a massive invasion of user privacy. (CNET)","document":"The Canadian company has taken a stand against demands for \"backdoor\" access to its services, including encrypted email and messages.\nBlackBerry says Pakistan is demanding complete access to customer information. BlackBerry will shut down operations in Pakistan at year's end because demands from the country's Telecommunications Authority would result in a massive invasion of user privacy, the company said Monday.\n BlackBerry refuses to agree to the Pakistani government's order to monitor BlackBerry Enterprise Services (BES), including encrypted emails and BBM messages sent and received in the country. It is therefore withdrawing on December 30, Chief Operating Officer Marty Beard said in a blog post Monday. The Canadian company said it enforces a blanket ban on allowing so-called \"backdoor\" access to customer information anywhere in the world.\n \"Pakistan's demand was not a question of public safety; we are more than happy to assist law enforcement agencies in investigations of criminal activity,\" Beard said. \"Rather, Pakistan was essentially demanding unfettered access to all of our BES customers' information.\"\n Governments, accustomed to tapping phone lines and opening mail in decades past, want access to people's digital data to help stop crime and security threats. However, especially in the wake of revelations from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden about massive surveillance by the US and UK, tech companies have been wrestling with government data requests that they believe can go too far.\n BlackBerry has long emphasized security in its sales pitch to government, military and business customers. On learning that the Pakistani government would require \"wholesale\" access to BlackBerry Enterprise Services, the company decided its customers' communications would be compromised to the extent that it has no choice but to leave Pakistan altogether.\n BlackBerry is setting a precedent for how it will react to being told it must comply or leave, but it is far from the only company facing serious questions. The debate over encrypted communications is raging in many countries, including big markets like the US and UK that are tougher to ignore. If governments come down hard against encryption in the name of national security, tech giants like Google, Apple and Facebook will need to decide on the importance of customer privacy in countries a lot closer to home than Pakistan.\n.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Marty Beard"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["BlackBerry"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 30"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Pakistan"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["demands from the country's Telecommunications Authority would result in a massive invasion of user privacy","demands"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2016 Al Jazeera America announces that it will close in April due to poor ratings. (The New York Times)","document":"The cable news channel Al Jazeera America, which debuted in 2013 to great fanfare when it promised to cover American news soberly and seriously, will be shutting down by the end of April. The move was announced at a companywide meeting on Wednesday.\nIn a memo to the staff, Al Jazeera America’s chief executive, Al Anstey, said the “decision by Al Jazeera America’s board is driven by the fact that our business model is simply not sustainable in light of the economic challenges in the U.S. media marketplace.”\n“I know the closure of AJAM will be a massive disappointment for everyone here who has worked tirelessly for our long-term future,” he continued, using the company acronym. “The decision that has been made is in no way because AJAM has done anything but a great job. Our commitment to great journalism is unrivaled.”\nAt the companywide meeting, Al Jazeera America staff members, some in tears, were told that the decision to shutter the network had not been unanimous. Some of the channel’s leadership argued that the network provided an important service, and continued to win awards for its coverage. But in the end, the decision was an economic one. The channel, it was felt, had fallen victim to the lack of a business model beyond continuous support from Qatar, the energy-rich country that owns Al Jazeera.\nAdvertisement\nSome staffers saw that as a tacit admission that falling oil prices were behind the closure, though a spokeswoman for the company denied that on Wednesday. Beyond its oil wealth, Qatar is one of the world’s top exporters of liquefied natural gas, whose price has also tumbled. Mr. Anstey said that once the cable news network shuts down by April 30, Al Jazeera would expand its digital presence in the United States. The expansion “would bring new global content into America.”\nAl Jazeera America went on the air in August 2013 after Al Jazeera bought Al Gore’s Current TV for $500 million. It promised to be thoughtful and smart, free of the shouting arguments that have defined cable news in the United States over the last decade. But meaningful viewership never came, with prime-time ratings sometimes struggling to exceed 30,000 viewers.\nAdvertisement\nTo make matters worse, turmoil hit the newsroom last year when staff members complained bitterly of a culture of fear. There was an exodus of top executives, along with a pair of lawsuits from former employees that included complaints about sexism and anti-Semitism at the news channel.\nIn May, Ehab Al Shihabi, the chief executive of Al Jazeera America, was replaced by Mr. Anstey. Morale improved, but ratings remained low.\nThe closure, which will cost hundreds of employees their jobs, highlights the difficulties of establishing a robust cable news presence in an increasingly crowded media marketplace, and one that faces ever more competition from the web — the ultimate 24-hour news medium.\nCurrent TV, before being bought by Al Jazeera, had struggled for years to find an audience, and to define its place in the news landscape. Fusion, a cable news network and digital publication aimed at younger audiences, lost the backing of one of its corporate parent companies, Disney, in recent weeks, following reports that it, too, had struggled to find its footing with audiences. Even established players like MSNBC have been forced to revamp in recent years.\nAndrew Heyward, a former president of CBS News who is now an adviser to media companies, said in an interview that Al Jazeera America had faced an uphill battle from the beginning.\nCable news “is a very well-served market, not to say saturated, and you have three powerful, well-established players,” he said, referring to Fox News, MSNBC and CNN. “Endemically, it’s not quite clear that the world was waiting for a new 24-hour cable channel in the U.S., and cable operators certainly weren’t waiting for it,” he said, describing the limited distribution the channel received.\n“They came kind of swaggering into the arena, saying we’re going to do higher-end stories and represent people who are under-represented,” Mr. Heyward said, a proposition that played better on paper than in practice. And the network brought something of a British sensibility and judgment, he said, which did not translate as well to cable news as it might in other arenas.\nAdvertisement\n“This is not ‘Downton Abbey,’ ” he said.\nAll these problems were exacerbated, he said, by the fact that a brand associated with the Arab world was a tougher sell in the United States than it was in Europe.\nAnd Al Jazeera America has not been free of controversy in recent months. In November, the news station’s general counsel, David W. Harleston, was suspended following a report in The New York Times that he did not appear to be licensed to practice law. Among the varied legal work Mr. Harleston had done for Al Jazeera America was his involvement in wrongful termination lawsuits brought by former employees. Legal experts have cautioned that Mr. Harleston’s lack of a law license could potentially leave the network vulnerable in those lawsuits, primarily over issues of confidentiality.\nOn Dec. 27, Al Jazeera America aired an hourlong documentary that linked some of the biggest stars in Major League Baseball and the National Football League to performance-enhancing drugs. The most prominent athlete mentioned was the Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who angrily denied the report, calling it “complete garbage” and “totally made up.” The baseball players Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman have filed defamation suits against the network.\nWhen told Wednesday of Al Jazeera America’s plans to shut down, Mr. Manning deadpanned, “I’m sure it’s going to be just devastating to all their viewers.”","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Al Anstey"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Al Jazeera America"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the end of April"]},{"role":"Location","values":["America"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["our business model is simply not sustainable in light of the economic challenges in the U.S. media marketplace","business model"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2016 Cameroon closes most of its northern markets on the Nigerian border. (The News) (Voice of America)","document":"Wearied by incessant suicide bombing against its citizens by Boko Haram militants, Cameroon has announced a closure of  most of its northern markets on the border with Nigeria.\nThe latest attack in a market in Bodo sparked the  measure. Thirty five people died in the attack, while at least 70 people were injured. Just two days after, Boko Haram suicide bomber also hit Chibok market, in Borno state, North east Nigeria.\nThe country’s government spokesperson, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, said it was the 30th attack by suspected Boko Haram fighters on Cameroon since the start of the new year, VOA reported.\nMidjiyawa Bakari, the governor of the far north region of Cameroon, says the decision to close markets on Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria until further notice was taken for security reasons because the four female suicide bombers who attacked Bodo were disguised as traders and hid explosives in bags of vegetables they pretended to sell.\n“The decision has been taken to close some markets in the border but people have been persisting to sell and to buy things. They should know that Boko Haram is looking for where people are gathering to do these attacks,” he said.\nBusinessman Inoussa Yegie says shock and consternation has gripped the town of Bodo, where Monday’s attack took place. He says it will take time for them to recover, in spite of the heavy deployment of troops. The 33-year-old says the decision by the government to close all border markets in their locality may backfire, especially now that Boko Haram fighters are recruiting young people to steal and seize money and goods from farmers and traders.\nYegie says traders are becoming poorer because all their shops have been sealed. He says youths who use commercial motorcycles to transport goods and people from the market to supply towns in Nigeria no longer have jobs, and they may now be tempted to join Boko Haram fighters who promise them better lives.\n \nAfter Monday’s attack, Cameroon soldiers launched raids on the Nigerian town of Achigashia, from where they believe the suicide bombers came. Cameroon’s spokesperson Issa Tchiroma Bakary says 17 insurgents were killed in the operation. He says Cameroon has counted at least 30 attacks on its territory this year.\n“Faced with such harassment both un-grounded and unjustified, our defense and security forces have always retaliated leading the enemy to incur several setbacks that has considerably weakened the group and reduced it to mere acts of cowardice, especially suicide bombings, which have become its modus operandi,” he said.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Midjiyawa Bakari"]},{"role":"Organization","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["on the border with Nigeria","Nigeria"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Wearied by incessant suicide bombing against its citizens by Boko Haram militants"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2016 Cameroon closes most of its northern markets on the Nigerian border. (The News) (Voice of America)","document":" Cameroon has closed most of its northern markets on the border with Nigeria after a series of bomb attacks Monday left at least 35 people dead and 70 wounded in the town of Bodo. The country's government spokesperson, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, said it was the 30th attack by suspected Boko Haram fighters on Cameroon since the start of the new year.\nBusinessman Inoussa Yegie says shock and consternation has gripped the town of Bodo, where Monday's attack took place. He says it will take time for them to recover, in spite of the heavy deployment of troops. The 33-year-old says the decision by the government to close all border markets in their locality may backfire, especially now that Boko Haram fighters are recruiting young people to steal and seize money and goods from farmers and traders.\nYegie says traders are becoming poorer because all their shops have been sealed. He says youths who use commercial motorcycles to transport goods and people from the market to supply towns in Nigeria no longer have jobs, and they may now be tempted to join Boko Haram fighters who promise them better lives.\nBombers disguised as traders\nMidjiyawa Bakari, the governor of the far north region of Cameroon, says the decision to close markets on Cameroon's northern border with Nigeria until further notice was taken for security reasons because the four female suicide bombers who attacked Bodo were disguised as traders and hid explosives in bags of vegetables they pretended to sell.\n\"The decision has been taken to close some markets in the border but people have been persisting to sell and to buy things. They should know that Boko Haram is looking for where people are gathering to do these attacks,\" he said.\nAfter Monday's attack, Cameroon soldiers launched raids on the Nigerian town of Achigashia, from where they believe the suicide bombers came. Cameroon's spokesperson Issa Tchiroma Bakary says 17 insurgents were killed in the operation. He says Cameroon has counted at least 30 attacks on its territory this year.\n\"Faced with such harassment both un-grounded and unjustified, our defense and security forces have always retaliated leading the enemy to incur several setbacks that has considerably weakened the group and reduced it to mere acts of cowardice, especially suicide bombings, which have become its modus operandi,\" he said.\nSolidarity in fight against Boko Haram\nIn Cameroon's capital, Yaounde, groups of people have been visiting and sympathizing with Bodo's elite. Ngufor Jacob, leader of Cameroon's university students association, says that by visiting with people from Bodo, his group shows solidarity with Cameroon and Nigerian forces fighting Boko Haram terrorism.\n\"I came out to show solidarity with my brothers and sisters in the north who are suffering from the onslaughts of Boko Haram insurgents. I came out to show to the military that we are one, we are together. We may not have guns to join them in the north but they should know that we have them at heart. We are praying for them, we are supporting them,\" he said.\nCameroon believes the militants have resorted to attacking mosques, markets, churches and palaces of traditional rulers because the terrorist group's firepower has been drastically reduced following attacks on their strongholds within the past two months by Cameroon and Nigerian troops.\nBoko Haram's six-year insurgency has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced close to 2.3 million, according to Amnesty International and the United Nations.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Midjiyawa Bakari"]},{"role":"Organization","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the border with Nigeria","Nigeria","border"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["a series of bomb attacks Monday left at least 35 people dead and 70 wounded in the town of Bodo","Bodo"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2002 Ford announces plans to cut 15,000 additional jobs and close several automotive plants, including a truck plant in Edison, New Jersey. (NYT)","document":"The Ford Motor Company's board agreed on a plan tonight to cut its work force by up to 15,000 hourly workers, in addition to the 5,000 salaried workers it said it would cut last year, and also close several of its plants, including a truck plant in Edison, N.J., according to a person close to the deliberations.\nThe company will also reduce its worldwide capacity by one million vehicles, that person said.\nFord's stock fell sharply earlier in the day as analysts feared the company's restructuring plan, to be announced Friday, would fall short of expectations. The company's share price slid 6.3 percent, to $15.29. In Dearborn, Mich., at Ford's headquarters, the board and the company's new management team have spent the last few days debating over how many thousands of job cuts should be part of the turnaround plan.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Ford Motor Company"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Edison, N.J"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Ford's stock fell sharply","Ford"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2004 The Russian polar station will be evacuated. Russia launches rescue operation to evacuate 12 of its scientists stranded on a research station (which partially sank) near the North Pole. (Pravda) (BBC)","document":"North Pole-32 (SP-32) drifting station may start being evacuated on March 5, Vladimir Sokolov, the supervisor of the SP-32 scientific expedition, said. He said that the weather conditions may cause the evacuation plans to be changed, however the current weather forecast is quite favorable. A Mi-26 heavy transport helicopter and two Antonov An-74 airplanes are expected to be used to evacuate the expedition team. The helicopter and the planes will fly to Norway's Spitzbergen archipelago in the Barents Sea or a populated locality on Franz-Josef Land on March 5. Then they will leave for SP-32 on March 6. The plan calls for the evacuation of the expedition team on March 6 because a night evacuation is impossible, Mr. Sokolov said. Mr. Sokolov noted that all of the members of the expedition are in good health and that nothing was threatening their lives. The station was crushed by ice in the evening of March 3, and ice blocks subsequently engulfed part of its living quarters and auxiliary premises. Previously, the station was to have completed its work on March 20. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Vladimir Sokolov"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["North Pole-32 (SP-32) drifting station"]},{"role":"Date","values":["March 5"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["The station was crushed by ice in the evening of March 3, and ice blocks subsequently engulfed part of its living quarters and auxiliary premises"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2004 In the United States, EchoStar's Dish Network stops carrying channels owned by Viacom (CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, and others) in a dispute over the pricing of those channels. Both companies have used text crawls and other information to influence viewers to call the opposing company to negotiate price. (NYT) (Dow Jones) (Reuters) (Financial Times) (Motley Fool)","document":"On days when the markets are down and consumer confidence is, too, it pays to step back a bit for perspective. In the cosmic scheme of things, a 1% sell-off in the Nasdaq, while painful, isn't that big a deal. What is? How about a photo taken by the Hubble telescope looking back more than 13 billion years? That's within a few hundred million years of the Big Bang.\nAnd the work's just beginning. According to astronomers, finding the faintest (farthest) objects in this view of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field will be like \"trying to collect the light from a firefly hovering over the moon (really, these guys are poets). They also compared the image to \"looking at the sky through an eight-foot soda straw.\" Finally, something we can relate to -- now what did we do with that eight-foot soda straw....   In today's Motley Fool Take:\nBy Alyce Lomax (TMF Lomax)\nThat old tag line \"I want my MTV\" may be the battle call for customers caught in the middle of a roiling showdown between satellite television provider EchoStar Communications (Nasdaq: DISH) and  network owner Viacom (NYSE: VIA). EchoStar yanked off the air all Viacom stations after the two companies couldn't agree on payment hikes, and neither company looks ready to back down.\nChannels that EchoStar customers won't get include such well-known TV real estate as BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and VH-1, as well as the top-rated CBS network. The markets involved are major ones, including New York, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and San Francisco; the move affects 1.6 million EchoStar customers who receive CBS local programming, and all 9.5 million customers who receive the national stations.\nEchoStar's public statement today contained fightin' words, accusing Viacom of \"holding the public airwaves hostage\" by asking for 40% rate increases for its channels; it urged its customers to call Viacom and protest. It's offering a reimbursement of $1 for CBS, and $1 for the rest of the national Viacom stations, for impacted customers -- hardly the kind of discount anyone would really feel at all on their monthly statement. (Heck, it's possible many of us are already pretty disgusted with what we're paying regardless -- Rex Moore recently pointed out rate hikes across the industry.) \nViacom, on the other hand, dismisses EchoStar's move to shut down its channels with an \"easy\" fix for customers. The network provider is suggesting to customers just make the switch to other means of receiving its channels, which include cable providers Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) or Cox Communications (NYSE: COX), satellite archrival DirecTV, owned by Hughes Electronics (NYSE: HS). (Coincidentally, Fool contributor W.D. Crotty wrote about satellite wars yesterday in regard to satellite provider Pegasus Communications (NYSE: PGTV), but who knew this gang was so ready to rumble?)\nAt last check, EchoStar shares were up about 2%, though they've been sagging over recent weeks as this issue -- and the deadline for negotiations -- loomed. The idea that EchoStar's customers will miss out on major channels that are pretty much ubiquitous on rival cable and satellite providers' basic packages is risky. Regardless of which company's wearing the black hat, I have a funny feeling EchoStar customers aren't feeling too sorry for either party right about now.\nAlyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned.\nEnough about the housing boom, what about the one you're already paying for? Refinancing can potentially save you hundreds of dollars per month on your mortgage. And who can't handle more cash each month? Our Home Center has all the answers -- except for the one about how they get the peanut butter in a Reese's peanut butter cup. So quit asking!\nBy Jeff Hwang\nWhether it's LeBron or something else entirely, a strong third-quarter profit forecast has Nike (NYSE: NKE) shares hopping.\nNike, which reports results next Thursday, said this morning that third-quarter earnings would jump more than 50% year over year from between $0.71 to $0.74 per share, well ahead of the $0.64 per share analysts estimated. Meanwhile, revenues will gain more than 20%, putting that figure near $2.9 billion.\nThe company attributes the better-than-expected performance to strength in both the U.S. and Asia Pacific regions, as well as a continued benefit from currency exchange rates in Europe. While year-over-year comparisons were helped by the fact that \"prior year revenues were unusually low\" due to the timing of shipments, one thing is clear: Nike is in pretty good shape.\nOne issue awaiting resolution is Nike's soured relationship with Foot Locker (NYSE: FL). However, indications point to warming relations, which investors anticipate could have Nike's high-end shoes back on Foot Locker's shelves in the coming quarters. When that happens, Nike's business in the U.S. could see a further boost.\nGreat as it sounds, the improving business and smoother relationship with Foot Locker are likely priced into the stock's more than 60%, 52-week run-up. After another 3% pop to $76.59 in early afternoon trading today, Nike, like LeBron, has some big expectations to live up to.\nFool contributor Jeff Hwang owns neither of the companies mentioned above. \"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.\" -- Antoine de Saint Exupery\nBy Rick Aristotle Munarriz (TMF Edible)\nIt may seem odd to find consistency in an amusement park operator. Between the ups and downs of the cyclical travel industry and disposable income levels, one might expect a wild ride.\nWe've all heard Disney (NYSE: DIS) cry \"Uncle\" and Six Flags (NYSE: PKS) whine about its heavy debt burden when the economy isn't smiling just right. Why then, has fellow operator Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN) seemed to move forward in good times and bad?\nWhen Cedar Fair sees a wall of worry, it simply builds a thrill ride to scale it. It follows that the company raised its quarterly distribution yesterday, to $0.45 a unit. At yesterday's close, that gives the tax-advantaged limited partnership a yield of 5.2%.\nAt this rate, Cedar Fair will have raised its distribution for 17 consecutive years. Readers of our Income Investor newsletter know all about the beauty of buying into a company that perpetually hikes its payout. In fact, Cedar Fair has raised its quarterly payout 13 times over the past 10 years. Sure, the hikes appear petty at first glance; however, over that decade, the distributions have grown by 80%. Compare that to fixed income investments with flat payouts or money market funds with their paltry interest in recent years, and stomaching some more risk with income-producing equities seems like an appealing alternative.\nConsider paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams (NYSE: SHW), which has hiked its dividend every year since 1979. Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI) has done so for 22 straight years. While investors shouldn't turn their backs on high-growth companies that reinvest their earnings to grow their businesses, there are clearly some notables that have managed to excel on both fronts.    \nSome can even pack a little octane in the tank. Cedar Fair was one of the earliest recommendations in our newsletter that became Motley Fool Hidden Gems and it has certainly performed well. The units have risen by 40% over the past year, and that's before you tack on the meaty quarterly distributions. Now, that's some ride!\nLongtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz loves his amusement parks. He went to Cedar Fair's Cedar Point last year and will be off to the company's Knott's Berry Farm in California come June. He owns shares of Disney as well as units in Cedar Fair.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["EchoStar Communications (Nasdaq: DISH) and  network","Nasdaq","network"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["New York, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and San Francisco"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["the two companies couldn't agree on payment hikes, and neither company looks ready to back down"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2012 Chinese authorities close down the firm handling dissident artist Ai Weiwei's affairs, possibly saving him from paying the remainder of a 15 million yuan tax fine. (The Guardian)","document":"Chinese authorities are closing down the firm handling Ai Weiwei's affairs, the outspoken artist said on Monday, possibly saving him from paying the remainder of a 15m yuan (£1.5m) tax fine.\nThe 55-year-old said he believed he and his team had lost the battle but won the war, after a court rejected his appeal against the charges last week.\nOfficials said this weekend they were removing Fake Cultural Development's business licence because it had not met annual registration requirements. The company has been unable to do so because police confiscated all its materials and its stamp when they detained Ai last year.\n\"I think it could be an excuse not to give us a fine,\" the artist added. Ai's lawyer, Liu Xiaoyuan, said it was not clear how Fake could pay the 6.6m yuan outstanding if it had no licence. But he added that he had filed a request for a hearing into its closure.\nAi's supporters have always said the fine and his 81-day detention were in retaliation for his social and political activism, while Chinese authorities insist the case was unrelated to human rights and was solely about tax evasion. He was held amid a broader crackdown on dozens of activists, lawyers and dissidents.\nThousands of supporters sent Ai money to help pay an 8.45m yuan bond, allowing him to challenge the charges. After his appeal was rejected he said he would refuse to pay the rest because he did not recognise the fine, adding that he suspected authorities would be too embarrassed to collect it.\n\"I think they want to back down to try and conclude this case. From the beginning they should not have had it; they were using very old tactics to punish someone and make up a crime to make people think 'He's a bad guy' … That didn't work and it backfired. I think it completely failed,\" he said on Monday.\n\"Of course they didn't like the fact it had gone on so long and could last longer.\"\nAi added that he had mixed feelings about the long-running case.\n\"Of course we have lost the battle – they kept our [tax deposit]. But I think we have won the war. We gave people a clear understanding of what the Fake case was about and how they handled it,\" he said.\nHe said he hoped it would mean that they could not do the same to anyone else.\n\"No great nation should play dirty tricks on its citizens,\" he said.\nChinese authorities could not be contacted as Monday is a public holiday in China. They have made little public comment on his case in the past.\nNicholas Bequelin, senior Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: \"The tax case against Ai Weiwei was politically motivated from the outset – an 11th-hour pretext pulled out of a hat by the government to justify Ai's unlawful arrest and secret detention for 81 days.\n\"The authorities are dealing with Ai in the time-honoured tradition of making critics 'wear small shoes' as the Chinese expression has it: a never-ending series of petty bureaucratic harassment and administrative vexations designed to wear down its victim.\n\"While Ai may have scored a moral victory in the tax case, the government has yet to restore his freedom to travel, return his passport, lift the tight police monitoring he is the target of, and allow him to resume the civic initiatives that first landed him in trouble, from filming interviews of social activists to pressing for accountability in the collapse of schools during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.\"","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["firm"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["not met annual registration requirements"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2012 The analogue television service in the Republic of Ireland is switched off at 10.00am. (RTÉ) (Irish Independent)","document":"Ireland's analogue television network has been replaced by a digital signal in line with the rest of Europe.\nThe free-to-air television service, known as Saorview, will provide consumers with a greater choice of channels, better quality pictures and sound and digital Aertel.\nMinister for Communications Pat Rabbitte said the switchover \"heralds the dawn of the digital broadcasting era\" in Ireland.\nHe said the closure of the analogue TV network frees up \"space for mobile broadband services\".\nTo receive Saorview, viewers will need to have purchased a set-top box or a Saorview-approved television.\nRetailers around the country have reported a significant late surge in business.\nFor those who have not made the switch, their screens went blank at 10am.\nAnalogue Aertel will continue to be broadcast on UPC, and for Sky customers who are currently able to receive the signal.\nFollowing today's switchover, Aertel will be available on Saorview and online in a new digital format on www.rte.ie/aertel.\nFor mobile users it is available as usual on m.rte.ie/aertel.\nSaorview queries – 1890-222-012 or www.saorview.ie\nAertel has over 1.2m users on a weekly basis and around 5m page impressions online a month on www.rte.ie/aertel and m.rte.ie/aertel.\nDirector of Production and Operations at RTÉ Digital Tom Grealis said Aertel has an emotive appeal to teletext users who have grown up with the service.\n\"We've taken the best of the service and modernised it on www.rte.ie, while keeping a familiar look and feel that appeals to our traditional users,\" he said.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Analogue Aertel"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Ireland"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["replaced by a digital signal"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2012 The analogue television service in the Republic of Ireland is switched off at 10.00am. (RTÉ) (Irish Independent)","document":"RTE presenter Miriam O'Callaghan will switch off the analogue broadcasting signal at RTE headquarters in Dublin live on air at 10am today.\n1/1\nRTE presenter Miriam O'Callaghan will switch off the analogue broadcasting signal at RTE headquarters in Dublin live on air at 10am today.\nAideen Sheehan Consumer Correspondent October 24 2012 04:45 AM\nRTE and electrical stores have been hit by a last-minute surge in consumers trying to get ready for today's switch to digital broadcasts.\nBut despite the rush, tens of thousands of households faced blank TV screens when analogue broadcasts were switched off at 10am this morning.\nRTE said it had received a surge of callers this week seeking advice, many of whom had already purchased Saorview-approved set top boxes, but still hadn't tuned them in to pick up digital signals.\nThe station's Saorview helpline will be open until midnight every day this week.\nRTE presenter Miriam O'Callaghan switched off the analogue broadcasting signal at RTE headquarters in Dublin live on air.\nCommunications Minister Pat Rabbitte then welcomed viewers to the new service.\nThe Labour Party minister famously warned those who didn't switch over they would see \"slurry\" on their TV screens.\nMeanwhile, installers and retailers of digital equipment also reported a sudden influx of customers. \"We had one hotel today that has suddenly realised they need to get a set-top box for every room,\" said Tony Moore of satellite.ie.\nElectrical retailer Peats of Parnell Street reported a particular surge in customers purchasing Saorview equipment for second TVs.\n\"While many people already have a satellite or cable TV service for their main TV, a lot have a TV in the kid's bedroom or the kitchen that depends on an aerial, so they need to get a box for that,\" a spokesman said.\n\n\n\n\n\nElectrical chain Harvey Norman said the digital switchover was the biggest advance in home entertainment since the arrival of colour TV, with Saorview boxes costing from €69 in their store and Saorview-ready TVs from €139.\nThe store's Cathal McGee said some consumers were cutting down on costs by installing an all-in-one digital-ready service for around €550 that would give them free Irish and British stations with no ongoing monthly subscription costs.\nRTE said fears about loss of picture during heavy rainfall were unfounded, as viewers would see three or four minutes of disruption a year at most.\nSome 32,000 Irish homes that cannot receive the Saorview signal via aerial will be forced to rely on the satellite alternative Saorsat, which is more prone to disruption from heavy rain, but RTE again said there would be no problem if the right equipment was installed correctly.\n\"The downpours experienced in tropical storms is the type of rain that affects the frequencies used for Saorsat. Other than very occasionally, we do not experience (such) rainfall in Ireland,\" RTE said.\nSome viewers who have switched to Saorsat have reported occasionally losing their picture in bad weather, and the Department of Communications has confirmed that there had been concerns about this in Co Kerry.\nBut RTE insisted: \"We are not aware of any home that has had their Saorsat dish installed by a competent installer having rain-fade related issues.\"\nThe Saorview helpline is available on 1890 222012\nIrish News\nHOUSEHOLDERS in a small village are going to have to install \"unsightly\" satellite dishes to receive any TV signal.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["RTE"]},{"role":"Date","values":["at 10am today","10"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Dublin"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2012 Costa Coffee—the world's second–largest coffeehouse chain—pulls out of Totnes, the Devon town that prides itself on having independent shops. (BBC) (ITV) (The Huffington Post)","document":"A national coffee chain has pulled out of a Devon town that prides itself on having independent shops.\nSouth Hams District Council had approved plans by Costa Coffee to open in Fore Street, Totnes.\nBut in a letter, Chris Rogers, managing director of Costa, said the company had \"recognised the strength of feeling\" against national brands in the town.\nThe move, detailed in a letter to \"the people of Totnes\", has been welcomed by campaign group No to Costa.\nThe town boasts 41 independent coffee outlets and is well-known in the South West for its \"alternative\" image, with a resident community of artists, writers, therapists, musicians, and herbalists.\nIn the letter, Mr Rogers said the decision had been made following a discussion with different groups in the town. \"Costa has recognised the strength of feeling in Totnes against national brands and taken into account the specific circumstances of Totnes,\" it said.\nPublic relations analyst Phil Morgan said the decision to pull out of Totnes could benefit Costa in the long-run.\nMr Morgan, of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, said: \"The option would have been to open the branch and face hostility - for an initial period at least - as well as possibly gaining a reputation for ignoring the wishes of people in the towns and cities where they set up shop.\n\"On the face of it, this is a sensible decision for a growing business. Responsiveness is key to building trust and reputation, and as important as the quality of their coffee.\"\nCosta's letter was also signed by Dr Sarah Wollaston, MP for Totnes, and Pruw Boswell, Mayor of Totnes.\nIn the letter, Dr Wollaston and Ms Boswell said: \"As your MP and Mayor, and speaking on behalf of the people of Totnes, we would like to thank Costa for being prepared to listen to our concerns and showing that they care.\"\nPreviously, Ms Boswell said: \"It's so alien to what the town's about.\"\nNo To Costa spent three months petitioning against the planned coffee shop, which was due to take one of the larger retail spaces in the town. It collected more than 5,000 signatures.\nTony Kershaw, from the organisation, said: \"We're happy with the decision Costa has made.\n\"Totnes, as most people know, is pretty independent and different as a town, and we're seeking to protect that.\"\nVarious businesses in the town have said they are at the news.\nRetail guru Mary Portas also congratulated the company on its decision.\nOn Twitter, she said: \"Applaud CostaCoffee for listening to Totnes before opening. Shame South Hams Council didn't b4 granting permission.\"\nBut taxi driver Steve Davey said he and other many other drivers were disappointed.\n\"We are coffee experts,\" he said.\n\"There may be 41 coffee shops in Totnes, but there are only a few that are any good.\n\"We have got Morrisons and a lot of other big retailers in the town.\n\"I can't see the problem with having a Costa Coffee.\"\nTim Jones, of the Devon and Cornwall Business Council, said the campaign had sent out the wrong signals for the town.\n\"They need to have a reality check on what this is telling the market place,\" he said.\n\"If Totnes is going to grow and thrive it needs to embrace commercial development.\n\"It can't throw these barriers up and isolate itself from the realities of the market place, however well-meaning that might be.\"\nBut Holly Tiffin, from eco-group Transition Town Totnes, said: \"It perhaps sends out a clear message to other chains that this isn't the place to come but it really opens it up for entrepreneurs and local businesses by saying that here you can really set root and flourish.\"\nCosta currently has 19 stores in Devon and employs nearly 200 people as well as sourcing local products.\nIt has more than 1,390 shops across the UK, employing more than 10,000 staff, and another 800 internationally.\nEarlier this month, the coffee shop chain, which is owned by the Whitbread group, reported its 42nd consecutive quarter of growth, with profits of £36.1m.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Chris Rogers"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Costa Coffee"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["\"recognised the strength of feeling\" against national brands in the town"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2011 The United Nations withdraws all of its international staff from the capital Tripoli. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)","document":"The UN has withdrawn all its international staff from the Libyan capital Tripoli following a mob attack on its offices.\nUN buildings and some foreign missions were targeted by angry crowds following a Nato air strike that reportedly killed a son of Col Gaddafi.\nThe UN says all its international staff have now left for Tunisia and the decision will be reviewed next week.\nAfter its Tripoli embassy was sacked, the UK expelled the Libyan ambassador.\nA BBC team in Tripoli said the British embassy was completely burnt out with fires still smouldering and paperwork and other debris scattered outside.\nIn other developments, witnesses reported heavy shelling by pro-Gaddafi forces on the port of Misrata on Sunday. The city has been besieged for two months. Libyan state TV said the port was shelled to stop Nato delivering weapons to insurgents but rebels said an aid ship had been trying to unload.\nUK Foreign Secretary William Hague said Libyan ambassador Omar Jelban had been given 24 hours to leave the country.\nBy not protecting diplomatic missions, the Gaddafi regime had \"once again breached its international responsibilities and obligations\", said Mr Hague.\nHe added: \"The attacks against diplomatic missions will not weaken our resolve to protect the civilian population in Libya.\"\nThe Italian foreign ministry condemned the \"acts of vandalism\" on its embassy, describing them as \"grave and vile\". Italy - which closed its embassy in March and is represented by Turkey - recently joined the Nato mission in Libya.\nThere were also protests outside the US mission in Tripoli.\nA UN official said the Libyan government had apologised for the attack on its offices, blaming an angry mob for the damage.\nMost Western governments evacuated staff from Tripoli when an international coalition began air strikes on Libya several weeks ago.\nLate on Saturday, the Libyan government said Saif al-Arab Gaddafi and three of Col Gaddafi's grandchildren had died in a Nato attack on a villa in Tripoli.\nForeign reporters were shown widespread damage to the building in Col Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound.\nNato has insisted its raid targeted a \"command-and-control\" building, and that all Nato targets were \"military in nature\".\nLibyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said Col Gaddafi and his wife had been in the building at the time of the attack but they were both unharmed.\nHe said the air strike was against international law and \"a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country\".\nNato is operating in Libya under a strict UN mandate to protect civilians.\nLater on Sunday, Libyan state TV said funerals for Saif al-Arab Gaddafi and the other victims would be held on Monday after noon prayers.\nThe BBC's Christian Fraser witnessed the damage and said that if Col Gaddafi had been there, it is hard to imagine he could have walked away unscathed.\nRussia expressed \"serious doubts\" that the West was not targeting Col Gaddafi and his family.\n\"The claims of the coalition members that strikes over Libya do not have the physical destruction of Muammar Gaddafi and members of his family as their goal cause serious doubts,\" a statement from the foreign ministry said.\nIn the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi, shots were fired in celebration following reports that Saif al-Arab Gaddafi had been killed.\nHowever, the claims were also treated with scepticism.\nMahmoud Shammam, spokesman for the anti-Gaddafi Transitional National Council (TNC) based in Benghazi, told al-Jazeera he believed it was \"a ploy to fish for people's sympathy\".\nKhaled al-Urfi, a resident of the rebel-held western city of Misrata, told AP news agency: \"We don't know if it is true or not because Gaddafi is a liar. I will only believe it if you put the body in front of me.\"\nOn Saturday, Nato officials said the alliance would not consider talks until government forces stopped attacks on civilians.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The UN","UN"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Libyan capital Tripoli"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["a mob attack on its offices","offices"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2011 Vietnam closes off an ethnic Hmong area that was the scene of rare protests demanding autonomy and religious freedom. (BBC) (AFP via Google News)","document":"Vietnam has sealed off the scene of a rare protest by thousands of ethnic minority Hmong in a remote north-eastern mountainous area, reports say.\nIt comes after army units were sent in to quash the demonstration for greater autonomy, which started on 30 April.\nSoldiers are stopping people leaving or entering the Dien Bien region, and electricity and telecommunications have reportedly been cut. It is the most serious ethnic unrest in Vietnam for seven years, analysts say.\nVietnam's communist rulers keep a tight control on dissent and protests of any kind are extremely rare.\nSome 5,000-7,000 people have been involved in the unrest, according to a diplomatic source cited by the Reuters news agency. The demands of the protesting Hmong - who are mostly Christians - include more religious freedom, better land rights and more autonomy. The Dien Bien region, which borders Laos, is one of Vietnam's most remote, making it difficult to verify reports.\nA local official told the BBC's Vietnamese service on Wednesday that the authorities had tried to negotiate with the demonstrators.\nBut several officials had been taken hostage by the protesters, he said. It is unclear whether they have been released.\nA military source quoted by the AFP news agency said the army had sent reinforcements and \"had to disperse the crowd by force\".\nHe said there had been \"minor clashes\", but did not say whether there had been any casualties. \"The situation is still being resolved by all levels of party and government so that the lives of the compatriots there can return to stability at an early time,\" foreign affairs spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga told Reuters.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["ethnic minority Hmong"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Dien Bien region"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Vietnam's communist rulers keep a tight control on dissent and protests of any kind are extremely rare","Vietnam"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2021 British chocolate maker Thorntons announces it will be permanently closing down all of its stores, with the loss of about 600 jobs, thereby ending its 110-year presence on the high street. The company says it has been massively hit by the pandemic lockdowns and adds that high street conditions are too severe to continue. The company will continue sales online and through supermarkets. (BBC)","document":"Chocolate maker Thorntons has said none of its stores will reopen after coronavirus lockdowns are lifted.\nThe decision to close its 61 shops will put more than 600 jobs at risk.\nThe company said it had been badly hit by the pandemic, which forced its stores to shut their doors during the crucial Christmas and Easter holidays.\n\"The obstacles we have faced and will continue to face on the High Street are too severe,\" said Thorntons retail director Adam Goddard.\n\"Despite our best efforts we have taken the difficult decision to permanently close our retail store estate.\"\nThorntons has been on the High Street for more than a century but these days history isn't enough to guarantee survival. It was losing its way in the early 2000s with newer players, like Hotel Chocolat, entering the scene. It also embarked on a strategy of selling more chocolates through supermarkets and closing unprofitable shops. Italian food giant Ferrero bought the business in 2015 and has been trying to turn it around ever since. Over the last five years, it's shrunk from 252 to 61 stores. But Ferrero has now thrown in the towel on Thorntons stores altogether, betting that the brand's future is now online and on the supermarket shelves. This pandemic has created brutal trading conditions for so many traditional retailers. And the high street shakeout is still far from over. Thorntons said it had spent £45m transforming the business with changes to the way stores operate and the introduction of new cafes but its plans had been thrown off course by the pandemic.\nThe company, which was founded in Sheffield in 1911, said it would continue to sell its chocolate online and try to sell more through supermarkets.\nSince the beginning of the crisis, sales through its website have increased by more than 70% compared to the previous year, it said. It will also try to expand the range of products made at its factory in Alfreton, Derbyshire and increase international sales.\nIn 2011, Thorntons announced plans to massively reduce the number of stores it had on the High Street and in shopping centres.\nIt said it would close up to 180 of the 364 stores it had at the time, following a strategic review.\nSince then, the number of stores has dwindled to 61.\nIn 2015, Italian food giant Ferrero bought the chocolate chain for £112m.\nIn a statement, the company said: \"We remain committed to this iconic British brand and will continue to invest further in the future potential of Thorntons to ensure we evolve with the times.\"\nThorntons is just the latest well-known name to suffer the impact that rolling lockdowns have had on the High Street as more people take to shopping online.\nMore than 17,500 chain stores and other venues closed in Great Britain last year, according to figures from the Local Data Company. That is an average rate of 48 closures a day.\nLast week, department store chain John Lewis announced plans to close more stores. Other casualties have included PSir Philip Green's retail empire, Arcadia, which included Topshop and Dorothy Perkins.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Adam Goddard"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Thorntons"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Sheffield"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["it had been badly hit by the pandemic, which forced its stores to shut their doors during the crucial Christmas and Easter holidays","pandemic","stores"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2021 French energy company Total SE ceases operations and evacuates all of its staff from its power plant in the Cabo Delgado Province, after IS-CAP insurgents infiltrate a security perimeter surrounding the liquefied natural gas reserves where the plant is located. (TRT World)","document":"French energy giant Total has shut its operations and withdrawn all staff from a site in northern Mozambique following last week's deadly militant attack in the area, security sources said.\n\"Total has gone,\" a security source in Maputo told AFP news agency, while a military source said separately that \"all the facilities are abandoned. Total made a decision to evacuate all of its staff.\"\nThe company pulled all its staff and shut its Afungi natural gas project site amid ongoing clashes between Daesh-linked insurgents and the Mozambican military, sources with direct knowledge of the Afungi site's operations told Reuters news agency.\nTotal, which last week called off a planned resumption of construction at the $20 billion development due to the violence, declined immediate comment when contacted by Reuters.\nThe situation around Palma is still highly volatile, with insurgents staging attacks on two security posts south of the town on Thursday, a source involved in providing support for humanitarian organisations on the ground told Reuters.\nAuthorities have confirmed dozens of deaths in the assault by the insurgents that began last week in the coastal town of Palma, in a district near gas projects worth billions of dollars meant to transform Mozambique's economy.\n\nArmy's assurance to Total\nEarlier on Friday, a Mozambique army spokesman was quoted as saying in a radio report that the Total project is beyond the reach of militants.\n\"It is protected... At no time was its integrity at stake,\" Radio Mozambique quoted army spokesman Chongo Vidigal as saying about Total's project on the Afungi Peninsula near Palma.\nRadio Mozambique added in its report published late on Thursday that the area around the Total project was being patrolled day and night to repel any threat.\nMozambique's Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.\nReuters has not been able to independently verify the accounts from Palma. Most means of communication were cut off after the attack began on March 24.\nTotal's project is among ones worth a combined $60 billion that would reshape the economy of the southern African country. Mozambique's gross domestic product was around $15 billion in 2019, according to World Bank data.\nInsurgents have been increasingly active in the surrounding province of Cabo Delgado since 2017, although it is unclear whether they have a unified aim or what specifically they are fighting for.\n\nHumanitarian crisis\nMore than 900,000 people in Mozambique now require food aid because of the crisis in the northern part of the country, according to the UN World Food Program.\n\"It is a fast-evolving conflict situation and large numbers of people are fleeing through the bush, with nothing, nothing by the clothes on their backs,\" Lola Castro, the regional director for WFP told The Associated Press. \n\"This humanitarian crisis is not going away, it’s increasing.\"\nAt least 9,150 people have arrived in other districts of Cabo Delgado since the attack began, with thousands more believed displaced within the Palma district, the United Nations said on Friday.\n\"The new wave of displacement has uprooted many people who had fled their places of origin due to the conflict in other parts of Cabo Delgado and had been seeking shelter in Palma,\" it said, adding the majority of those displaced were being accommodated by host families.\n\n.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Total"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["northern Mozambique"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["last week's deadly militant attack in the area"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2021 The United States Armed Forces announces that Camp 7 at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp will close. (The Independent)","document":"File: US Military Police guard Taliban and al Qaeda detainees in orange jumpsuits in January, 2002\nThe US military has shut down the once-secretive “Camp 7” at its notorious terror suspect detention facility Guantanamo Bay, moving some of its most high-profile prisoners to the main part of the compound.\nThe transfer took place “safely and without incident”, the US South Command said in a statement on Sunday, as part of an effort to consolidate all detainees from three to two detention units within the prison in order to “increase operational efficiency and effectiveness” and reduce operational costs.\nCamp 7 was one of Guantánamo’s most secretive sites, housing high-value suspects including those connected to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and other former CIA prisoners, according to reports. It was a maximum-security facility and one of the “black sites” maintained by the US around the world.\nThe Pentagon has long refused to disclose its details, including when it was built or even acknowledge the location of Camp 7. Reporters have never been allowed to visit it and lawyers were required to get an order from a court to visit the classified location.\nAccording to officials, Camp 7 was suffering structural issues as sewage water poured through the tiers, as well as frequent power cuts. The Pentagon abandoned plans to seek funding to repair and renovate the unit.\nRead more:\nOn Sunday, the military said all 40 suspects, including 11 who have been charged with war crimes, had been consolidated into Camps 6 and 5 – compounds ringed with razor wire and containing two prison buildings.\nThose shifted from Camp 7 included Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind 9/11 attacks, and five others who supported the planning and execution of deadly attacks on Pentagon.\nThe plan to consolidate the prisons was being pursued under former president Donald Trump’s administration. The Biden administration intends to shut down the whole Guantanamo Bay facility permanently, but the move needs approval from Congress.\nOutside view of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba\nWhite House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: “There are many players from different agencies who need to be part of this policy discussion about the steps forward.” She said a “robust“ review would be held into the matter.\nThe prison was designed to keep detainees confined in their cells, limiting movement to taking showers or being placed in other cells for recreational purposes, accompanied by guards. The prisoners in Camp 7 were limited from talking to each other and only allowed conversations with one other prisoner at a time through a tarp, during recreation periods. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Camp 7"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Guantanamo Bay"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["“increase operational efficiency and effectiveness” and reduce operational costs"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2017 President Donald Trump disbands both the Strategic and Policy Forum and American Manufacturing Council in response to the CEO resignations. (BBC) (Business Insider)","document":"President Trump has said he is scrapping two business councils after more bosses quit over his handling of violent clashes in Virginia. Business leaders left the White House manufacturing council after the backlash against how he reacted to the far-right rally last weekend.\nThe clashes culminated in a woman's death and nearly 20 wounded when a car ploughed into a crowd of anti-fascists.\nMr Trump's reaction has sparked outrage and generated global headlines.\nHis announcement on Twitter came as the heads of 3M, Campbell Soup, Johnson & Johnson and United Technologies announced their resignations on Wednesday.\nMr Trump said: \"Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both.\"\nBefore Mr Trump's announcement, the Strategy and Policy Forum announced it was a joint decision to disband the council. Businesses have been under pressure to distance themselves from Mr Trump over his handling of the clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia.\nOn Monday, Mr Trump belatedly condemned the white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups that rallied in a small Virginia town on Sunday. But in a rancorous news conference on Tuesday he backtracked and again blamed left-wing counter-protesters for the violence too. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, a member of the Strategy and Policy Forum, released a separate statement on Wednesday saying he strongly disagreed with Mr Trump's recent statements, adding that \"fanning divisiveness is not the answer\". \"Constructive economic and regulatory policies are not enough and will not matter if we do not address the divisions in our country. It is a leader's role, in business or government, to bring people together, not tear them apart,\" he said. Denise Morrison of Campbell Soup Co said she could not continue to participate in the advisory panel after Mr Trump's comments. Activists had called on Campbell Soup, among other firms, to take action.\nAnthony Zurcher, BBC North America reporter\nThe calculus for business leaders working with the Trump administration has changed quickly.\nAfter the Charlottesville violence, Ken Frazier of Merck abandoned the president's manufacturing council and quickly drew the president's Twitter ire. At that point there was some media speculation - through unnamed \"corporate leaders\" - that the wise move would be to wait out the storm rather than pick a fight with the president.\nCompanies like Boeing and General Motors had tangled with the president in the past, and they (and their stock prices) generally ended up the worse for it.\nThis time was different. As more corporate chiefs headed to the exit, the riskier move - from a business as well as political perspective - became staying put. The president, despite further tweets and verbal swipes, was unable to staunch the bleeding. His rhetorical gymnastics on the Charlottesville situation only made matters worse.\nIn the corporate world, there's always talk of \"leading indicators\" - tell-tale signs that help predict what's to come. Is the collapse of the Trump regime's corporate entente a sign his fortunes are in a tailspin? Or is the man who ascended to the presidency without their help perfectly capable of staying there now that they've abandoned him?\nFor every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on. JOBS!\nThe president was under pressure to explicitly condemn white supremacists who were behind Saturday's far-right rally, where violent clashes left a woman dead and nearly 20 people injured.\nThe rally, supported by neo-Nazis and white supremacists, was in protest of the removal of a statue of Robert E Lee, a general who had fought for the pro-slavery Confederacy during the US Civil War. But Mr Trump reversed course on Tuesday and instead appeared to defend the rally's organisers. He condemned the driver of the car who rammed into a crowd of counter protesters and killed a woman, but said those who had marched in defence of the statue had included \"many fine people\".\nMr Trump's remarks were welcomed by David Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan.\nAt a memorial service in Charlottesville for Heather Heyer, who was killed in the weekend clashes, her mother delivered a powerful message.\n\"They killed my child to shut her up. Well guess what, you just magnified her,\" she said before the crowd erupted into a standing ovation. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has faced accusations of racism in the past, said the government may press hate crime charges against the man accused of driving his car and killing Ms Heyer.\nSpeaking in Miami about undocumented immigration, he said: \"In no way can we accept or apologise for racism, bigotry, hatred, violence, and those kind of things that too often arise in our county\". Vice-President Mike Pence, who has been on a diplomatic tour of South America, said he was cutting his trip short to return to the US after a visit to Panama. He told reporters travelling with him that he stands by Mr Trump's words.\nFormer CIA director John Brennan said in a letter to CNN that Mr Trump's words are \"despicable\", \"dangerous\" and \"a national disgrace\".\nHe added that \"we will not allow the few to divide the many\".\nTwo Republican ex-presidents also weighed in. In remarks implicitly critical of President Trump, George HW Bush and son George W Bush called on the US to \"reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism and hatred in all forms\".\nTheir joint statement adds to a growing chorus of Republicans condemning Mr Trump's opinions on race.\n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Mr Trump"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum","manufacturing council","Policy Forum","Strategy","Manufacturing Council"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["more bosses quit over his handling of violent clashes in Virginia","handling","Virginia","violent clashes"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2007 Topps Meat Company announces that it is going out of business as a result of recalling 21.7 million pounds of beef in the United States linked to 30 cases of E. coli–related illness. (Reuters)","document":"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Topps Meat Co LLC announced on Friday it was going out of business, crushed by the recall of 21.7 million pounds of beef linked to 30 cases of E. coli-related illness.\n“In one week we have gone from the largest U.S. manufacturer of frozen hamburgers to a company that cannot overcome the economic reality of a recall this large,” Anthony D’Urso, chief operating officer, said in a statement.\nIt was the fifth-largest meat or poultry recall in U.S. history, the Agriculture Department said. But no deaths have been reported due to the outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7, which can cause diarrhea and dehydration.\nThe government, which has been criticized for moving slowly on the recall last month, has pledged to step up its oversight of U.S. beef plants and respond more quickly in the future.\nIn its statement, Topps said a “small number” of employees would continue work at a plant in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in part to assist USDA in an investigation.\n“This has been a shocking and sobering experience for everyone,” D’Urso said.\nJim Robb, an economist at the Livestock Marketing Information Center, said he did not expect any long-term consumer reaction to the large recall or a major movement in commodity markets.\n“But, every time you lose a processor, it has some reverberations,” he said.\nReporting by Brad Dorfman and Bob Burgdorfer in Chicago and Missy Ryan in Washington\nOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.\nAll quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.\nExclusive: Fed’s Neel Kashkari opposes rate hikes at least through 2023 as the central bank becomes more hawkish","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Anthony D’Urso"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Topps Meat Co LLC"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["crushed by the recall of 21.7 million pounds of beef linked to 30 cases of E. coli-related illness"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2007 The Prime Minister of Australia John Howard asks the Governor–General of Australia Michael Jeffery to dissolve the Parliament of Australia and call an election on 24 November. (ABC News Australia) (ABC News Australia)","document":"\nPrime Minister John Howard has arrived at Government House in Canberra and he is shortly expected to end the speculation about an election date.\nMr Howard will meet with Governor-General Major General Michael Jeffery and ask him to dissolve Parliament.\nIt is not clear how long the campaign will run, but a six-week election with polling day on November 24 is widely tipped.\nOnce Mr Howard has spoken to the Governor-General he is expected to announce the election details at a media conference later today.\nThe election is likely to be fought in the key areas of health, education, the economy, but also climate change and national security.\nThe Labor Party need to win an extra 16 seats outright to claim a majority government.\nThe Coalition has had a string of poor opinion polls, a recent Newspoll showed Labor with an election-winning lead over the Coalition, with 56 per cent of the vote after preferences, compared with 44 per cent for the Government.\nWe acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.\nThis 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.\nAEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Michael Jeffery"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Parliament"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Canberra"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2013 A 4,000–year–old pyramid at El Paraíso in Peru is destroyed by property developers. (BBC News)","document":"Authorities in Peru say an ancient pyramid at the oldest archaeological site near the capital, Lima, has been destroyed. They are pressing criminal charges against two real-estate companies blamed for tearing down the structure, which was 6m (20-ft) high.\nAn archaeologist said those responsible had committed \"irreparable damage\".\nThe building was one of 12 pyramids found at the El Paraiso complex and is thought to be at least 4,000 years old.\nThe site, which dates back to the Late Preceramic (3500-1800 BC) period, is situated several kilometres north of Lima. According to Peru's tourism ministry, it was a religious and administrative centre long before the pre-Columbian Inca civilisation.\nRafael Varon, deputy minister of cultural patrimony, said the destruction had taken place over the weekend. He said company workers using heavy machinery had attempted to destroy three further pyramids, but had been stopped by onlookers.\nMr Varon said criminal complaints had been lodged against two companies.\nMarco Guilen, director of an excavation project at El Paraiso, told Associated Press news agency the people who tore down the pyramid \"have committed irreparable damage to a page of Peruvian history\".\n\"We are not going to be able to know in what ways it was constructed, what materials were used in it and how the society in that part of the pyramid behaved.\"","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["weekend"]},{"role":"Location","values":["near the capital, Lima","Lima"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["\"irreparable damage\"","irreparable damage"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2013 Egyptian security forces clear a Cairo mosque after a long stand-off with the Muslim Brotherhood. (Reuters), (BBC)","document":"Egypt's security forces have cleared a Cairo mosque after a long stand-off with Muslim Brotherhood supporters barricaded inside, state media says.\nAll the protesters have now been taken out of the mosque, and many have been arrested, security forces say.\nThe confrontation at the al-Fath mosque continued for most of Saturday - with exchanges of gunfire between security forces and protesters.\nMeanwhile the interim PM has proposed legally dissolving the Brotherhood.\nThe group supports the ousted President Mohammed Morsi, and wants him to be reinstated.\nDespite being closely allied to Mr Morsi's government, the Brotherhood has always technically been a banned organisation - it was officially dissolved by Egypt's military rulers in 1954 - but it recently registered itself as a non-governmental organisation.\nIf it was legally dissolved, its property and assets could be seized.\nThe Brotherhood has called for daily demonstrations since a crackdown on its protest camps in Cairo on Wednesday left hundreds of people dead. Further clashes on Friday killed at least another 173 people.\nDemonstrators went out onto the streets of several Egyptian cities on Saturday night, in defiance of an overnight curfew.\nTelevision pictures showed protesters in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, and in Helwan and Minya to the south of Cairo. Army tanks have also been seen near the coastal road in Alexandria. Egypt's interim Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi believes the recent protests are \"terrorist acts\", according to his spokesman, Sharif Shawqi.\nMr Shawqi told a televised news conference on Saturday that the Muslim Brotherhood's return to power was impossible.\nThe stand-off began overnight, when the al-Fath mosque - which was being used as a makeshift clinic for the injured and morgue for the dead from clashes on Friday - turned instead into what correspondents describe as a fortress.\nBrotherhood members barricaded themselves inside, using anything at their disposal.\nIt turned into a scene of chaos. Tear gas was fired into the building, and security forces exchanged fire with at least one gunman in the minaret. Mohammed al-Zawahiri was detained at a checkpoint in Giza, near Cairo, because of his links to Mr Morsi, according to security officials. Al-Jazeera television called one woman inside the mosque on her mobile phone as the shooting began.\n\"Nobody here is safe, they are shooting inside the mosque,\" she said, with loud firing heard in the background.\nEgyptian police have been bringing some Morsi supporters out of the building - leading some, dragging others - but are then having to protect them from angry mobs armed with bats and pieces of wood who are trying to attack them, correspondents say.\nMany of the protesters have now been arrested. State TV is showing lines of detained people kneeling on the floor of the mosque with security forces around them.\nThe BBC's Bethany Bell in Cairo says the authorities want to secure all buildings to avoid a repeat of Muslim Brotherhood supporters forming more camps, as they did after Mr Morsi was ousted.\nBut away from the mosque, the rest of the capital remained mainly calm on Saturday, correspondents say - with shops and cafes open for business.\nSeparately, the Egyptian authorities say they have arrested the brother of al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri.\nMohammed al-Zawahiri was detained at a checkpoint in Giza, near Cairo, because of his links to Mr Morsi, according to security officials. Also on Saturday, the Muslim Brotherhood said on its Facebook page that Ammar Badie, the son of the movement's spiritual leader, General Guide Mohamed Badie, was one of those killed during protests on Friday.\nThe Brotherhood said that Ammar Badie, 38, had died of a bullet wound in Ramses Square on Friday.\nThe secretary-general of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, Mohammed al-Beltagi, says his 17-year-old daughter, Asmaa, died in earlier protests.\nSaturday's violence comes after days of unrest in Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt.\nThe escalation in tensions began on Wednesday, when armoured bulldozers moved into the two Cairo protest camps which had been occupied by pro-Morsi activists since he was ousted on 3 July.\nThe camps were eventually cleared, but not before at least 638 people were killed. Mobs later carried out reprisal attacks on government buildings and police stations as well as churches belonging to the country's Coptic Christian minority.\nOn Friday, hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters gathered in Ramses Square for a \"march of anger\" about the bloodshed earlier in the week. Setback \n","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Cairo mosque"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Egypt"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["a long stand-off with Muslim Brotherhood supporters barricaded inside"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2010 General Motors confirms it will close an Opel factory in Antwerp, Belgium, cutting 2,300 jobs. (BBC)","document":"General Motors (GM) has confirmed it will close a Belgian plant at its European arm Opel, cutting 2,300 jobs.\nThe CSC metalworkers' union said the carmaker had told staff it would shut down its factory in Antwerp. \"It is the tough reality of the current business environment,\" Opel president Nick Reilly said. GM also said 8,300 jobs would be cut across Europe - less than it had previously estimated - with 4,000 to be lost in Germany alone. In November, GM had said that it would cut about 9,000 jobs in Europe, after cancelling its planned sale of Opel to Canadian car parts maker Magna. Reduce capacity\nThe company said it needs to cut Opel's capacity by 20%. \"We have to take a plant out and unfortunately it is Antwerp,\" Mr Reilly said. In its November announcement, GM had said that as well as the Belgian job cuts, some 5,425 jobs in Germany and 900 from its Zaragoza plant in Spain would also go. In the UK, GM has cut 354 jobs at its Vauxhall plant in Luton, but has stated that there would be no cuts at its Ellesmere Port plant, which makes the Vauxhall Astra. GM has also failed to sell its Swedish car brand Saab and is starting to wind down the operation, though some buyers have still expressed interest in it. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Nick Reilly"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Opel"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Antwerp"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["the tough reality of the current business environment"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2010 A girls' boarding school dormitory in KwaZulu–Natal is shut down due to widespread lesbian activity. (BBC)","document":"South African education officials are investigating reports that a girls' boarding school dormitory was closed because of lesbian relationships.\nTwo girls who were caught kissing reportedly said that other pupils were involved in same-sex relationships, and 27 pupils were expelled. Rights activists say the high school in KwaZulu-Natal province has overreacted. South Africa is the only African country to guarantee freedom from discrimination to homosexuals. However, activists say that prejudice remains common. The school has not been named. The Star newspaper says some of the pupils who have not been able to return home have been moved to houses near the school on a temporary basis. Education Department spokesman Sihle Mlotshwa is quoted by the Star newspaper as saying that schools do not have the right to remove or expel pupils because of their sexual orientation.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["girls' boarding school"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["KwaZulu-Natal"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["lesbian relationships"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2014 Radio Shack announces the closure of up to 1,100 stores. (USA Today)","document":"RadioShack said Tuesday that it will close up to a fifth of its nearly 5,200 U.S. stores amid widening losses in an effort to remake itself for a more competitive era of electronics retailing\nUp to 1,100 poorly performing stores are slated for closure, but the company did not identify their locations, set a deadline or say how many employees would be affected. The company must negotiate with landlords and seek approval from lenders before carrying out its plan. RadioShack has been trying to revamp its stores for the past year.\nYet some analysts say the retailer faces an uphill climb as it struggles to compete against larger big-box stores such as Best Buy.\nRadioShack stock (RSH) fell 17% to close at $2.25 a share in regular trading Tuesday.\nIn the fourth quarter, the company lost $191.4 million, or $1.90 a share. Revenue fell 20% from the same period in 2012 to $935 million. Sales at stores open at least a year were down 19%, in part because of weak sales in the mobile phone business. For the year, the company lost about $400 million, vs. $139 million in 2012.\n\"We were trying to do too much too quickly\" to turn around the company, RadioShack CEO Joseph Magnacca told analysts on a conference call. Among other problems, he said the company cut some product lines \"too deeply\" and didn't have enough in-demand products in stock.\nAnalyst Scott Tilghman of B. Riley & Co. estimated that 5,000 to 10,000 employees will be affected by the store closings, though some of those workers likely would be moved to other locations.\nMagnacca said the closures will affect lower-performing stores that were expected to lose money over the next year. He said the company is \"overstored\" in some markets, with multiple outlets within miles of each other.\nTilghman agreed that the company had to shut down its worst-performing stores to stay afloat. But the closings will partly negate its chief competitive advantage — convenient locations. \"You lose some of that convenience store aspect they've relied on,\" he says. \"You have to pass a RadioShack on the way to the grocer. If all of a sudden that store is closed, I'm not going to another RadioShack.\"\nMagnacca said the company's turnaround hinges largely on a knowledgeable sales force that big-box retailers typically lack who can guide customers through a bewildering array of new electronics devices. Over the past year, the retailer has opened about two dozen \"concept stores\" that sport open, gleaming designs and let customers interact with products. It plans to roll out such outlets more widely.\nHe said RadioShack wants to parlay such assets to sell solutions in an increasingly complex environment in which mobile phones, tablets and other devices are often linked. It also wants to roll out more private-label products, such as headphones and speakers.\n\"We're really dialing up the experience in our stores and differentiating ourselves from big-box retailers,\" Magnacca said. He added that the company's strength lies \"in the power of our people.\"\n\"The RadioShack turnaround will take time, and results will vary,\" Magnacca said. \"We believe our fourth-quarter\" results do not reflect the progress the company is making.\nSeveral years ago, RadioShack drew customers who sought one-stop-shopping for mobile phones. But Tilghman says Best Buy and others increasingly offer that. And, he says, Best Buy has upped the ante, improving its customer service with \"store within a store\" displays for brands such as Samsung and Microsoft.\nMeanwhile, he says, RadioShack's average 2,400-square-foot outlets are too small to offer the wide product variety consumers seek. Its private label products, he said, will likely struggle as shoppers place a higher premium on branded offerings.\nThe chain traditionally has been able to charge higher prices for more personalized service. But Tilghman says the ability of consumers to find the lowest prices on the Internet has cast doubt on such a strategy.\n\"They need a traffic driver,\" he says, citing the need for consumers to buy converter boxes or digital TVs during the transition from analog to digital broadcasting several years ago.\nAnalyst Michael Pachter at Wedbush Securities is not bullish on the retailer. \"I think they won't be in business in a year,\" he says, adding the company doesn't have the money to finance the kind of turnaround it needs to win back customers. \"I think that they are doing everything right — they're just doing it 10 years too late.\"\nThe company made light of its stodgy image in Super Bowl ads that featured 1980s celebrities or characters including Hulk Hogan, Mary Lou Retton and Alf.\nMagnacca called the ad \"exactly the kind of disruptive marketing we need to change the conversation,\" noting it drew top ratings from USA TODAY's Ad Meter.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Joseph Magnacca"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["RadioShack"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["widening losses in an effort to remake itself for a more competitive era of electronics retailing"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Large Shopping Malls in Bangkok Will Be Closed until July 25th","document":"Shopping malls under the Mall Group, including all branches of The Mall, the Emporium, Emquartier and Paragon Department Store, are also closed for 14 days, from today, except for supermarkets, food courts, pharmacy shops, eateries (take-out and delivery only), banks, mobile phone shops and vaccination sites. Published on By BANGKOK (NNT) – Large-scale shopping malls in Bangkok and in some dark-red zone provinces are now closed for two weeks, to comply with the latest COVID-19 curbs in 10 provinces. Central Department Store said a total of 16 branches, except Tops supermarkets and Central Food Halls, will be closed from today (Monday) until July 25th to help curb the soaring COVID-19 infection rate. They are Chidlom, Central World, Silom Complex, Chaeng Wattana, Lat Phrao, Bang Na, Pinklao, Mega Bang Na, Rama III, Rama II, East Ville, Future Park Rangsit, Westgate, Salaya, Ram-Intra and Festival Hat Yai. Tops supermarkets and Central Food Halls at these premises will remain open, from 8am to 8pm, while eateries (take-out and delivery only), banks, pharmacies and mobile phone shops are also open. Shopping malls under the Mall Group, including all branches of The Mall, the Emporium, Emquartier and Paragon Department Store, are also closed for 14 days, from today, except for supermarkets, food courts, pharmacy shops, eateries (take-out and delivery only), banks, mobile phone shops and vaccination sites. IKEA Bang Na and IKEA Bang Yai announced they will close from today until further notice. IKEA Phuket remains open as usual. Information and SourceReporter : Subhabhong RarueysongRewriter : Tarin AngskulNational News Bureau & Public Relations : http://thainews.prd.go.th Thailand’s H1 Investment Applications rise 158% in combined value, BOI says Downside risks loom for Thai economy due to Prolonged COVID-19 Outbreak Economic growth rates in Asia-Pacific are broadly rebounding and debt burdens stabilizing, giving rise to a stable outlook for sovereign creditworthiness in 2022. Still, the pace of recovery differs vastly, and some economies will experience deep economic scarring, according to a new report by Moody’s Investors Service. Published on By Economic growth rates in Asia-Pacific are broadly rebounding and debt burdens stabilizing, giving rise to a stable outlook for sovereign creditworthiness in 2022. Still, the pace of recovery differs vastly, and some economies will experience deep economic scarring, according to a new report by Moody’s Investors Service. Published on By BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s economy hit its slowest pace of growth in a year in the third quarter, hurt by power shortages, supply chain bottlenecks and major wobbles in the property market and raising pressure on policymakers to do more to prop up the faltering recovery. Bangkok, 16 November, 2021 – Maya Bay in Krabi’s Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park is expected to... The British Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss has been on a visit to ASEAN as she tries to boost British trade... The tourism industry contributes 12 percent of GDP and the government views this industry as an indispensable path towards economic... Bangkok, 11 November, 2021 – Doi Inthanon National Park – home to Thailand’s highest peak – in Chom Thong district... Bangkok, 11 November, 2021 – According to the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, there were a total...","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["all branches of The Mall, the Emporium, Emquartier and Paragon Department Store","Mall","Emporium","Emquartier","Paragon Department Store","Chidlom, Central World, Silom Complex, Chaeng Wattana, Lat Phrao, Bang Na, Pinklao, Mega Bang Na, Rama III, Rama II, East Ville, Future Park Rangsit, Westgate, Salaya, Ram-Intra and Festival Hat Yai","Bang Na","IKEA Bang Na and IKEA Bang Yai"]},{"role":"Date","values":["for 14 days","today (Monday) until July 25th"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Bangkok","BANGKOK"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["comply with the latest COVID-19 curbs"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Concert commemorating Tulsa race massacre canceled","document":"People wave and a woman stops to photograph the longest living known survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre at the 2021 Black Wall Street Legacy Festival in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S., May 28, 2021. TULSA, Okla., May 28 (Reuters) - Tulsa Massacre centennial organizers have canceled a Monday event, citing a sudden hike in financial gifts requested for three survivors of the slaughter that decimated the city's affluent African-American district of Greenwood. Kevin Matthews, chair of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, told reporters on Friday organizers had included the centenarian victims in plans for an afternoon of speeches and performances, with gifts of $100,000 per survivor and $2 million in seed money for a reparations coalition fund. But on Sunday, a lawyer for the victims increased the request to $1 million per survivor and $50 million for the fund, said Matthews, an Oklahoma state senator from Tulsa. \"We could not respond to those demands.\" A lawyer for the victims did not respond to repeated requests for comment. \"Due to unexpected circumstances with entertainers and speakers the Centennial Commission is unable to fulfill our high expectations for Monday afternoon's commemoration event,\" Phil Armstrong, project director of the commission, said in a statement on Friday. Monday's \"Remember + Rise\" event had been slated to include a performance by award-winning musician John Legend and a speech by politician and activist Stacey Abrams. Armstrong said organizers hoped to reschedule the event later in the year. A candlelight vigil is still scheduled to take place as Tulsa commemorates the massacre with events in May and June. After the arrest of an African-American man accused of assaulting a white woman, an allegation that was never proven, white rioters, some of whom were deputized by local authorities, gunned down Black residents and torched homes and businesses. An estimated 300 people were killed and thousands were made homeless by the destruction. After the massacre, insurance companies refused to pay damages to the victims, citing riot clauses. No one was ever prosecuted or punished for the mob's violent acts. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Subscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox. Fresh from signing his signature bipartisan infrastructure bill, U.S. President Joe Biden will trek to New Hampshire, a key state in the 2022 midterms, on Tuesday to tout the bill's benefits and revive the party's slumping poll numbers. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["commemoration event"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["sudden hike in financial gifts requested for three survivors of the slaughter"]}]} {"event_trigger":"COVID-19 outbreaks force 3 Quebec schools to close this week, including 2 in Montreal","document":"Three schools in Quebec have had to close this week due to COVID-19 outbreaks, including two in Montreal. Saint-Émile elementary school, which is located in the city's Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie borough, will remain closed until next Tuesday. The size of the school's outbreak is unclear. In a letter sent by Montreal Public Health, and obtained by Radio-Canada, local officials told pupils' parents that there had been a rapid increase in cases recently. Students and staff have been asked to get tested and to advise the school of the results. Sainte-Odile elementary school, which is located in the city's Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough and has 530 students, also closed this week after several COVID-19 cases were detected among students. Students are expected back in class next Monday. Both Sainte-Odile and Saint-Émile are schools with the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal. The Coeur-Immaculé elementary school, which is in Sherbrooke, Que., reopened on Wednesday after being closed for two days. However, students from eight classrooms remain isolated at home. In its latest projections regarding the spread of COVID-19, Quebec's provincial health institute — known by its French acronym INESSS — said the number of cases among people who are 17 and younger are on the rise even though the overall daily case totals have been stable. \"The effects of the return to school are increasingly visible,\" read the statement from the institute, which also projected an increase in the number of new hospitalizations over the coming weeks. Last week, Health Minister Christian Dubé said rapid COVID-19 tests would be deployed to schools across Quebec. It's not clear if the three schools already have access to the testing kits. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Sainte-Odile elementary school","Sainte","Saint-Émile elementary school","Saint","Coeur-Immaculé elementary school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this week","until next Tuesday","Wednesday after being closed for two days"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Quebec"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 outbreaks","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Over 1 in 4 child-care providers nationwide still remain closed","document":"More than six months after a majority of stay-at-home orders lapsed in states across the U.S., the child-care industry has yet to fully recover. About 73% of day cares, child-care centers, preschools, enrichment programs, in-home day cares and before/after-school care programs that closed earlier this year have reopened as of early December, according to Procare Solutions, which provides child-care management software to approximately 30,000 clients nationwide. That means 27% of providers have remained closed. Yet child-care providers in some states are struggling more than others. Only about 1 in 3 child-care centers that previously closed this year in Nevada and Vermont, for example, have reopened. Meanwhile 90% of providers serviced by Procare in Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Nebraska, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Utah have returned to enrolling children. Procare’s findings that 27% of U.S. child-care providers have not reopened is slightly higher than other estimates. Part of that may lie in the fact that Procare does not track home-based child-care providers, which research shows did bounce back faster. The latest survey from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, for instance, finds that 93% of child-care workers and owners surveyed in November are employed by programs that are open, but the organization did specifically note that it was difficult to reach respondents in programs that closed. In August, the Bipartisan Policy Center found that 14% of parents reported their child-care programs had permanently closed. At that point, 70% of parents reported their centers were still closed or operating at limited capacity or scheduled hours. But it’s true that many child-care providers remain offline, in many cases because it can be a losing proposition, at least financially, to reopen. About 56% of child-care providers surveyed in November report losing money by staying open, NAEYC found. About 42% of respondents say they have taken on debt using personal credit cards to pay for supplies and other items this year. That’s because many centers are still operating at lower capacities, even as costs rise. The survey found that 91% are now paying extra for cleaning supplies, 73% have taken on extra expenses for personal protective equipment and 60% are paying additional staff wages. The other aspect of this, however, is that attendance remains low. Using data from the majority of its clients, Procare tracked how close child-care providers are to getting back to normal attendance. As of Dec. 7, child-care centers nationwide are only operating at 49% of their full capacity. Child-care centers serviced by Procare suffered an 87% drop in attendance when the Covid-19 pandemic prompted many states to issue stay-at-home orders and shut down facilities. And while attendance has rebounded from its lowest point in early April, it’s still far from a complete recovery. Congress recently passed the $900 billion Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, which allocated $10 billion to child care. But both proponents in Congress and industry advocates say that amount isn’t enough to fully support the needs of child-care providers. “Child care is the critical infrastructure that we have to make a significant investment in in order to have an economic recovery,” says Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass. While Clark tells CNBC Make It that she was grateful for the $10 billion in funding, “it’s just not nearly enough to make sure that we have a child-care sector that survives this pandemic.” ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["27% of U.S. child-care providers","child-care providers","Child"]},{"role":"Date","values":["early December","this year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the U.S","Nevada and Vermont"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["losing money by staying open"]}]} {"event_trigger":"COVID-19 | Shopping complexes, malls to open in Chennai, while cinema halls and gaming centres remains close","document":" Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday announced several relaxations even while extending the COVID-19 lockdown till 6 a.m. of July 5. Shopping complexes and malls will reopen in Chennai and surrounding districts (category 3) and intra- and inter-district bus transport will resume in 23 districts (category 2) from Monday. Additional relaxations have been offered in 11 districts in western and central Tamil Nadu, where a stricter lockdown is in force because of a higher infection rate. In Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts, private offices can function with 100% workers, and shopping complexes and malls can function between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Clothing and jewellery shops will be allowed to function without air-conditioning and with 50% of customer capacity between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Eateries and shopping complexes and malls will be allowed to offer only takeaways. No permission has been granted for cinema halls and gaming centres. All places of worship in these four districts, including temples, mosques, churches and dargahs, will be allowed to open, in compliance with the Standard Operating Procedure. However, special prayers (‘archanai’), functions and consecration will not be allowed. Sports academies and training centres will be allowed to function on open grounds, but without any audience, between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. All shops and establishments already opened in these districts have been allowed till 7 p.m. In 23 districts under category-II, intra and inter-district bus transport with 50% of seating and without air-conditioning will be allowed in compliance with the Standard Operating Procedure. All private offices will be allowed to function with 50% of their staff. Offices of construction companies will be allowed with 50% of their staff. Roadside eateries will be allowed for takeaways between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Shops offering servicing and sales of mobile phones, computer hardware and software and spare parts of electronic appliances will be allowed between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. In all except 11 districts (Coimbatore, Erode, Karur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Namakkal, Salem, Thanjavur, the Nilgiris, Tiruppur and Tiruvarur identified as category-I districts), the following relaxations have been allowed. All government offices, other industries, banks and ATM services and insurance companies will be allowed to function with 100% of their staff. IT and ITES companies will be allowed only with 50% of their staff. Gymnasiums and yoga centres will be allowed to open during their regular business hours with 50% of their capacity but without air-conditioning. Entry into museums and protected monuments will be allowed between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Housekeeping and security services will be allowed without e-registration. In category-I districts, tea shops will be allowed but only for takeaways between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. In the case of eateries, restaurants, bakeries and e-commerce services, the timing will be between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. Beauty parlours and salons will be allowed without air-conditioning between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. but only with 50% of customers at a time. All essential government departments and sub-registrar offices will function with 100% of their workers, while other departments will function with 50% of their staff. Schools, colleges, universities and training centres will be allowed to undertake admission activities. Government parks and those under the control of the local bodies and sports grounds will be allowed for training between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. Stationery, electrical, footwear, hardware and fancy shops and those offering video, photography and photocopy services will be allowed between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sweet and savoury shops will be allowed between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. E-Seva centres will function as usual. Service centres for home appliances such as mixies, grinders and televisions and those servicing vehicles and selling spares, sales and service of mobile phones, computer hardware, spares of electronic alliances will be allowed between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Roadside eateries and establishments selling construction materials in these 11 districts will be allowed between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. All essential government departments will be allowed with 100% workers, while other departments will be allowed with only 50% staff. All private offices and establishments, banks and ATM services and insurance companies will be allowed to function with 50% staff in these 11 districts. “Companies involved in exports and manufacture of inputs for essential commodities will be allowed to function with 100% of the staff in compliance with the Standard Operating Procedure,” the order said. IT and ITES companies in these 11 districts will be allowed only with 20% staff. Offices of construction companies will be allowed only with 33% staff. “All kinds of construction activities will be allowed,” the order said. Shooting for films and television serials will be allowed after RT-PCR tests but only with a maximum of 100 artists. Post-shooting work will be allowed and maintenance work at cinema halls will be undertaken with permission from the Tahsildars. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["cinema halls and gaming centres"]},{"role":"Date","values":["till 6 a.m. of July 5"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 lockdown","higher infection rate"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Belarus Shuts Down More NGOs Amid Continued Crackdown","document":"Belarus has forced the closure of 15 more nongovernmental organizations as strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka's crackdown against pro-democracy activists, the independent media, and civil rights groups continues to intensify. The groups ordered to close on July 23 include the Human Constanta human rights center, the Names charity organization, the BelSetka Anti-AIDS group, an organization that assists disabled people, and an animal rights group. The latest round of closures come a day after Lukashenka threatened to \"cleanse\" the country of NGOs -- which he called \"bandits and foreign agents\" -- and a week after security forces raided the homes of dozens of journalists and rights activists. In all, 51 NGOs are facing closure, including the Belarusian Association of Journalists, the biggest and most-respected media organization in the country, and the Belarusian PEN Center, an association of writers led by Svetlana Alexievich, the winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in literature. \"Nobody is telling us why we are being liquidated,\" Human Constanta, an organization campaigning for refugee rights in the western city of Brest, said in a statement. \"Pressure on civil society in Belarus is intensifying,\" it added. Read our ongoing coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka ramps up pressure on NGOs and independent media as part of a brutal crackdown against protesters and the opposition following an August 2020 election widely considered fraudulent. Belarusian authorities have arrested tens of thousands of people, forcibly expelled or jailed opposition leaders, and refused accreditation to or forced out journalists since a crackdown on massive street protests began after Lukashenka claimed to have won a sixth presidential term last year. His reelection claim has not been recognized by the opposition and the West, which has slapped multiple rounds of sanctions to pressure the strongman to ease the crackdown, talk with the opposition, and ensure a fresh, independent election. The independent Regionalnaya Gazeta newspaper said July 23 that it was forced to halt publication following the raid of its office in Maladzyechna, 80 kilometers northeast of Minsk, and the arrest of several of its journalists earlier this month. Another journalist, photographer Kseniya Halubovich, was arrested on July 23 while she was taking pictures at a children's hospital in Minsk. Rights groups have called on the international community to defend Belarus’s leading journalists’ association, while the UN's rights chief has condemned the crackdown on rights groups in Belarus as \"completely unacceptable.\" Authorities have also relentlessly pursued the country's top human rights watchdogs, Vyasna and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee. WATCH: 'It's Safe Here': Belarusians Adjust To Exile In Latvia No media source currently available Vyasna said that more than 200 raids of offices and apartments of activists and journalists have taken place so far this month. \"This campaign is obviously aimed at the complete demolition of the country’s third sector, the total destruction of any civic activity, and the suppression of any initiative,\" Vyasna said in a joint statement with the PEN Center, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, and several other local groups. \"Such actions are a flagrant violation of the international obligations of the Republic of Belarus in the field of freedom of association and expression. We demand to put an end to the campaign aimed to destroy Belarusian civil society, to intimidate and persecute activists, and to suppress freedom of expression,\" it added. RFE/RL's Belarus Service is one of the leading providers of news and analysis to Belarusian audiences in their own language. It is a bulwark against pervasive Russian propaganda and defies the government’s virtual monopoly on domestic broadcast media.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Svetlana Alexievich"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Belarusian Association of Journalists","journalists","Human Constanta human rights center, the Names charity organization, the BelSetka Anti-AIDS group, an organization that assists disabled people, and an animal rights group","organization","51 NGOs","Belarusian PEN Center"]},{"role":"Date","values":["July 23"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Belarus"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Alyaksandr Lukashenka's crackdown against pro-democracy activists, the independent media, and civil rights groups continues to intensify","Alyaksandr Lukashenka","independent media","crackdown"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Jharkhand allows shops, malls, offices to open till 4pm; weekend lockdown to continue","document":"Strap: Govt also reimposes complete weekend lockdown from June 19 afternoon The state government on Tuesday announced to reopen all kinds of shops, malls, departmental stores, government and private offices till 4pm from Thursday across all 24 districts, officials said. With extending the health protection week , or Swasthya Suraksha Saptah, by another week June 24 morning, the government has also decided to reimpose the complete weekend lockdown from 4pm of June 19 till June 21 morning. The current weeklong lockdown ends on Thursday at 6am. During the weekend lockdown, all shops, including fruits, vegetable, grocery and sweets, will remain closed during the said hours. However, medical emergency shops, medical equipment related shops, petrol pumps, LPG outlets and milk stores will remain open. In the last such weekend lockdown, milk stores were not allowed to operate. The decisions were taken at a state disaster management authority’s(SDMA) Covid-19 review meeting chaired by chief minister Hemant Soren at state project building on Tuesday. The state recorded 151 new cases and one Covid-19 death in a day till Monday night. Last week, all kinds of shops, including salons, were permitted to reopen in all districts, excluding East Singhbhum. Garment, cloth, footwear, cosmetic and jewellery shops were not allowed to reopen in East Singhbhum in view of surge in Covid-19 cases. However, the district will now enjoy the same relaxations provided to other districts, officials said. Government and private offices have been permitted to open with 50% working strength of human resources till 4pm. However, multiplexes, cinema halls, banquet halls, bars, clubs, stadium, gymnasium, swimming pools and parks will remain closed, according to the government order. All educational institutions, including schools, colleges, IT, skill development, coaching institutions and training institutions, will also remain closed. The provision of e-pass will remain in place for interdistrict and interstate movement. The restriction on bus movement will also continue. Lockdown-like restrictions have been in place in Jharkhand since April 22. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["all shops"]},{"role":"Date","values":["weekend lockdown","from 4pm of June 19 till June 21 morning","ends on Thursday at 6am"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Jharkhand"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["surge in Covid-19 cases"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Update: Last Concert of Stern Grove Season Canceled After Water Main Break","document":"A water main break at Stern Grove has closed the area \"until further notice,\" and the ensuing water damage has led to the cancellation of the final Sunday concert of the Stern Grove season this weekend. Tower of Power fans, we feel you. A video posted to Twitter Monday showed an erupting geyser of water at least 30 feet tall, and this apparently flooded Stern Grove to the point of closure to the public. Reportedly, more than 700,000 gallons of water spilled into the Stern Grove park, sending rivers of mud into the stage, seating, and backstage areas of the annual festival (see photos below). Tragic. Water gushing uncontrollably for hours in San Francisco. Stern Grove is flooded. And then there’s the CA drought pic.twitter.com/vtc7HJw8VZ The Rec & Parks Department tweeted Tuesday that both Stern Grove and Pine Lake are closed until further notice due to the ruptured water main. Reminder: Stern Grove and Pine Lake remain closed until further notice due to yesterday’s ruptured water main. Stay tuned for when we are able to reopen the park. pic.twitter.com/EgXz4kz0WO As the Chronicle reports, crews from the Public Works department and Public Utilities Commission (PUC) have been working on the problem, and the PUC tweeted on Monday about an \"air valve\" that was in poor condition and needed repair — but nothing about the water main. It's not entirely clear whether the work at the site caused the geyser, or if this was just a symptom of another problem they discovered while working. When asked by an SF resident if this was responsible for low water pressure elsewhere in the city, the PUC seemed to confirm that it was, advising anyone who sees brown in their tap water to just let the tap run for a bit — drought be damned. Today our crews were performing regular maintenance work on an air valve on a large pipeline at 22nd Ave & Sloat. Our crews discovered the existing air valve was in poor condition & had to be repaired. We are currently working to resolve the issue. Update: Our crews are still working to fix the pipeline. They are emptying the pipeline of water & since the pipe is large, this is taking longer than normal. The pipe has to be free of water before they can fix it. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Oakland's legendary Tower of Power was slated to perform on Sunday along with legendary Oakland rapper Too $hort, and as of Wednesday afternoon, the Stern Grove Festival announced that there will be no final Sunday concert. In a release, a rep for the festival explained that this weekend's Big Picnic fundraiser and grand finale to the 84th Stern Grove concert season had to be canceled because \"the public park has recently experienced such extensive damage that the Festival grounds are now unsafe and unusable for any events in the immediate future.\" \"We are devastated to announce the sudden cancellation of our season finale and annual fundraiser with Tower of Power and Too $hort,\" said festival Executive Director Bob Fiedler in a statement. \"This was definitely one of our most highly anticipated concerts of an incredible season, but the damage is too severe to move forward safely at this time. We are grateful that no one was hurt, and we are proud to have overcome so many challenges this year to have presented nine exceptional concerts for more than 50,000 people. We look forward to restoring the Grove and being able to welcome the community back next year.” Photos below show some of the mud and damage. Fans of the festival are being told to look out for two upcoming one-hour specials on KPIX/CBS SF with highlights from this concert season, which are set to be announced in the coming days. If you want to help by donating to the non-profit festival, you can do so here, or by texting \"sterngrove\" to 56512. The big Lizzo and Tame Impala party will also accept proof of a negative COVID-19 test, but the test has to be taken on certain, specific days leading up to the Halloween weekend event. Sonya and Dell Curry, the NBA parent power couple who raised Steph, Seth, and Sydel Curry, announced Monday that they are divorcing after 33 years. But accusations of extramarital affairs on both sides are making this all sound less than amicable. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Stern Grove and Pine Lake","Stern Grove","Pine Lake","Stern Grove concert","concert of the Stern Grove season","concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["until further notice","notice","Sunday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Stern Grove"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["ensuing water damage"]}]} {"event_trigger":"'Unbearable' conditions push Biden administration to close Houston migrant center","document":"The Biden administration over the weekend shuttered a Houston warehouse that housed unaccompanied migrant children following allegations that the nonprofit organization running the site failed to provide adequate living conditions for hundreds of young girls, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opened the warehouse early this month in response to the surge of migrants arriving at the southern border. Exclusive video shot by ABC News showed buses removing more than 100 girls from the emergency intake center on Saturday. Until its closure, the facility had been run by a Houston-based nonprofit with no prior experience housing unaccompanied migrant children. Sources familiar with the facility's operation said the girls housed there, aged 13-17, were at times instructed to use plastic bags for toilets because there were not enough staff members to accompany them to restrooms. A spokesperson for the nonprofit would neither confirm nor deny these allegations to ABC News. A lack of outdoor space meant girls spent most of the day on makeshift cots surrounded by boxes intended to offer some semblance of privacy, according to the sources. The facility also suffered from overcrowding and failed to comply with pandemic-related distancing measures, the sources said. Cesar Espinoza, the executive director of migrant civil rights organization FIEL, toured the facility in recent weeks as part of his work to ensure humane treatment for migrants, and said he saw \"desperation\" in the girls' faces that was \"unbearable and incredible.\" Espinoza said the warehouse space was \"filled just with cots, where the girls were not allowed to get up, unless it was to shower, or to use the restroom. Even their meals were delivered to their cots.\" \"[The girls] were more treated like merchandise rather than treated as human beings, as people who just went through a very traumatic experience,\" Espinosa said. \"I would not allow my 15-year-old sister to go and volunteer in a place like this because I don't know what she's going to see.\" Over the weekend, HHS announced it would relocate the nearly 500 girls to other facilities in the area, or to family members or sponsors. \"The children being transferred are being moved to ensure continuity of care under conditions that meet our strict standards of care,\" an HHS spokesperson told ABC News. A White House spokesperson told ABC News that the site was closed because it \"did not meet the Biden administration's very high standard for child welfare.\" Located near the George H.W. Bush International Airport, the migrant care facility was intended as an emergency stopgap measure to shelter the influx of unaccompanied minors entering the U.S. The National Association of Christian Churches (NACC), a Houston-based organization with its roots in disaster relief, was awarded a $4 million contract to operate the warehouse despite having no record of caring for unaccompanied migrants. In a statement to ABC News on Sunday, Dean Hoover, a spokesperson for NACC, sought to redirect blame toward the Biden administration -- who NACC claimed had control over the site after bringing in its own subcontractors. \"NACC officials were personally requested by HHS Secretary [Xavier] Becerra and President Biden to open the doors of their large Houston facility to refugee children on an emergency basis,\" Hoover said. \"It is deeply hurtful and unfair to the folks at NACC that anyone would now think of criticizing them when all they were trying to do is be good Samaritans and help the HHS help these children.\" In recent interviews with the Houston Chronicle, Jose Ortega, NACC's founder and president, claimed that his organization had not sought out this work -- but rather that Becerra had personally \"begged\" him to accept the contract and house the children. \"I'm a humble pastor that was thrown into this mess without asking for it,\" Ortega told the newspaper. \"We were not looking for a contract, we were not applying for a contract for us to make money -- this was thrown on us.\" Ortega also pinned the deterioration of his group's facility on the government's failure to provide funds. A spokesperson for HHS, which oversees the Office of Refugee Resettlement, told the Houston Chronicle that NACC was vetted following standard procedures. But advocates like Espinoza say the administration needs to better explain why it signed a contract with NACC. \"What was the process? Why was this center chosen?\" Espinoza said to ABC News. \"There's many other spaces here in Houston that could have been chosen, that would have stepped up to the plate, who had the experience of running shelters or who have the experience of working with children in this space.\" Neither the White House nor HHS would say how NACC was selected despite having no prior experience housing migrant children or running a migrant holding center. A steadily rising flow of migrants trekking north from Central America has sparked a humanitarian crisis near the U.S.-Mexico border, posing an early challenge to the Biden administration. On Saturday, Biden acknowledged that the situation at the border does, indeed, amount to a crisis -- a characterization his administration had previously refrained from using.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Houston warehouse"]},{"role":"Date","values":["over the weekend","weekend"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Biden"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["failed to provide adequate living conditions for hundreds of young girls","failed to comply with pandemic-related distancing measures"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Schools still closed for nearly 77 million students 18 months into pandemic – UNICEF","document":"NEW YORK, 16 September 2021 – Eighteen months into the COVID-19 pandemic, schools for nearly 77 million students in six countries continue to be almost completely closed, according to an updated data analysis released today by UNICEF. According to the analysis, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Panama are among the countries that kept schools closed the longest. In total, an estimated 131 million students in 11 countries have missed more than three-quarters of their in-person learning. Around 27 per cent of countries worldwide continue to have schools fully or partially closed. “As classes resume in many countries around the world, millions of students are heading into a third academic year without stepping foot in a classroom,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “The losses that students are incurring from not being in school may never be recovered.” To call attention to the 18 months of lost learning, deferred potential and uncertain future, and to urge governments to reopen schools as soon as possible, UNICEF and partners will close down their digital channels today at 13.00 GMT for 18 hours. School closures have created a shadow crisis for children. Beyond falling behind on their education, many children are missing out on school-based meals and routine vaccinations, experiencing social isolation and increased anxiety, and being exposed to abuse and violence. For some, school closures have led to drop out, child labour and child marriage. Many parents have been unable to continue with their employment while balancing their children’s care and learning needs. Some have lost their jobs entirely, pushing their families into poverty and creating a deeper economic crisis. While remote learning has been a lifeline for millions of schoolchildren, access to the technology and the quality of the curriculum have been uneven even within communities and school districts. Experience shows that schools are not the main drivers of transmission and that it is possible to keep them open for in-person learning. UNICEF urges governments, local authorities and school administrations to reopen schools as soon as possible and take all possible steps to mitigate against transmission of the virus in schools, such as: To support these efforts, UNICEF contributed to a multi-agency Framework for School Reopening to provide practical and flexible advice for national and local governments and aid their efforts to return students to in-person learning. “The education crisis is still here, and with each passing day that classrooms remain dark, the devastation worsens,” said Fore. “This is a crisis we will not allow the world to ignore. Our channels are silent, but our message is loud: Every community, everywhere must reopen schools as soon as possible. Schools must be the last to close and the first to reopen. We have to start putting the best interest of every child first. In all but the most extreme cases, this means getting students back into the classroom.” ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["schools for nearly 77 million students","schools","Schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Eighteen months","continue"]},{"role":"Location","values":["six countries","Bangladesh, the Philippines and Panama","Around 27 per cent of countries worldwide"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"'We could not ignore the risk': Aiken Oktoberfest has been canceled","document":"The Aiken Downtown Development Association has announced that the annual Aiken Oktoberfest scheduled for Sept. 25 has been canceled due to safety concerns. The Aiken DDA declined to specify their concerns or make any further comment. Currently, nearly 22% of Aiken County Public Schools students are presently quarantined as a result of COVID-19 exposure, according to ACPS data. Two of its students recently died. More:Aiken County schools sees first COVID death as cases double; Columbia County sees decrease More:Two deaths occur in Aiken County schools, one is due to COVID \"We went back and forth on what the right decision was as an organization,\" it wrote on the event's Facebook page. \"We finally landed on protecting our volunteers and the people that support downtown. Although we know people would have shown up and we would have had a successful event, we could not ignore the risk.\"","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["annual Aiken Oktoberfest"]},{"role":"Date","values":["scheduled for Sept. 25"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["safety concerns"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Maroon 5 Cancel Dates at SPAC and Madison Square Garden","document":"Maroon 5 has made the decision to cancel dates at SPAC and Madison Square Garden, but plan to continue on with the rest of their tour. The concert at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center was scheduled for Monday, September 13, 2021. People who had purchased tickets in advance were notified by Ticketmaster this weekend with no explanation as to why it was cancelled. On SPAC’s website it states that people will receive a refund for their tickets directly through Ticketmaster or Live Nation depending on where they acquired their ticket. The concert at Madison Square Garden which was scheduled to take place on Friday, September 10, 2021 has been cancelled as well, without explanation. On their website they state that tickets purchased with a credit card online or over the phone with Ticketmaster or directly through the Madison Square Garden Box Office will automatically be refunded to the original purchaser’s credit card account. People should expect to receive their refund in as soon as 30 days. If people purchased their tickets through the Madison Square Garden Box Office with any other form of payment, please call the venue’s Guest Relations Department at 212-465-6225 for more information. Maroon 5 is still advertising tour dates at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, VA on September 7, PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, NC on September 8, PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ on September 10, Fenway Park in Boston, MA on September 12, Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, NC on September 15. So far it looks like just the New York dates have been cancelled. For more information visit Maroon 5’s website. Nora Hones has lived in Ithaca NY for over a decade and has been an active member of the local music scene. Having performed at many of the local venues herself throughout the years she has insider's experience. She is a recent graduate of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and has a BA in English and communications with concentrations in Journalism and Public Relations with a minor in Social Justice and Cross Cultural Studies. Prev Post More Venues Across New York to Require Proof of Vaccination for Audiences Next Post TŌN (The Orchestra Now) is Back for Live Performances at The Fisher Center, Carnegie Hall, The Met and more","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday, September 10, 2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Madison Square Garden","SPAC"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["without explanation"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Cornwall's Stithians Community Primary School forced to close for ten days due to Covid","document":"A primary school in Cornwall has been forced to close after coronavirus caused more than a quarter of its pupils to self-isolate. Stithians Community Primary School has announced it is closing for 10 days from Wednesday 22 September. It will reopen again on Monday 4 October. The site is moving to online teaching only due to a rising number of confirmed Covid-19 cases. In an email sent to parents, staff and governors, the school said there were nine confirmed cases with a number of PCR tests yet to come back. It also said 46 children were absent, equating to more than a quarter of all pupils. Headteacher Nick Illsley wrote: \"In consultation with Public Health, the local authority and the school governors we have decided to close the school for ten days to create a fire break to transmission. \"This will mean that home learning will begin from tomorrow via [Microsoft] Teams. This has been a hard decision to make but he current rates of transmission mean it is the only way in which we can reduce the spread through the school. \"We have followed the Covid-19 outbreak management plan and based on the health and safety and safeguarding requirements needed for our school closure for a time limited period is the only option left to us.\" Mr Illsley added the number of those off sick \"would no doubt rise tomorrow so the effective teaching and learning is not possible\". He also confirmed schoolchildren would be sent home with books and logins for Teams and those needing a laptop to access online teaching could borrow one from the school. In a statement, Cornwall Council said: \"As a precaution, the school has taken the decision to close until Monday 4 October, with all students moving to a high-quality online learning platform until then.\" Rachel Wigglesworth, Director of Public Health for Cornwall Council, added: \"The school has taken the difficult decision to close temporarily to ensure the safety of staff, pupils and families. \"We appreciate this may cause childcare issues with children being at home unexpectedly, but this decision has not been taken lightly. “The school reacted quickly and responsibly to the confirmed cases and implemented a robust Covid action plan. Our teams will continue to work with them to provide advice and guidance and support. \"You or your child need only book a test if you develop one of the three main Covid symptoms: a new continuous cough - that is a cough that lasts for more than an hour, or three coughing sessions in 24 hours - a high temperature (this does not need to be measured but feeling hot on the chest or back) or a change to or loss of taste or smell.”","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Nick Illsley"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Stithians Community Primary School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["for 10 days","Wednesday 22 September","until Monday 4 October"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Cornwall"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["rising number of confirmed Covid-19 cases"]}]} {"event_trigger":"The untold emotional cost of school closures","document":"Covid’s ill-effects on children go beyond a learning crisis as their sociability, psychology and health have been impacted. This calls for a far broader response than merely reopening schools A plethora of recent articles have called for reopening schools and addressing the learning crisis, particularly in developing countries. These recommendations share several common elements—most notably, the need to prioritize early-grade learning or foundational skills. Economist Karthik Muralidharan writes, “A large body of evidence highlights the importance of early years in the formation of human capital and our school opening priorities should reflect this.\" Mary Goretti Nakabugo, writing on behalf of the RISE Community of Practice, reinforces this, while also emphasizing the “urgent need to measure children’s learning levels.\" It is hard to dispute the technical correctness of these directives. Research previously found that there exists a ‘100-year gap’ in the education attainment of developed versus developing countries. School closures over the past 18 months have likely widened this gap. However, from an implementation point of view, we must put these recommendations in perspective. We are faced with more than a ‘learning’ crisis. A recent survey commissioned by the Lemann Foundation in Brazil finds that school closures have had adverse effects on children’s sociability, psychology, and health. Children have gained weight, become sadder, lonelier, more afraid, and at least a third have lost interest in school. Other research points to a web of socioeconomic and emotional turmoil generated by the pandemic: job losses, economic instability, fear of the virus, domestic violence and social isolation. Even in normal times, schools represent much more than their pedagogic function, especially in high-deprivation contexts. A teacher from a government school in Delhi once told me how she thought of herself as a “social worker\". Given her students’ socioeconomic backgrounds, her role was to “provide them five hours of positive energy.\" This aspect of her job will only become more important post the pandemic. Much of the recent commentary also seems to take teachers for granted, expecting them to seamlessly transition to new pedagogies and practices as schools reopen. It’s problematic to ignore, however, that teachers have inhabited the same universe these past 18 months while also having to acquire new skills to perform their day-to-day jobs. Even in the US, Elizabeth Steiner and Ashley Woo find that teachers reported more frequent job-related stress and symptoms of depression than the general adult population. The primary stress points included modes of instruction and health. Research from Chile similarly concludes that teachers’ perception of their quality of life has reduced since the pandemic, owing to work overload, loneliness and covid-related fears. Now, from an administrative perspective, imagine how proposals to make foundational learning a priority might play out. My recent research on project management units in education departments in Indian states offers some insight. Well-meaning foundations and consulting firms will get involved and reinforce the top-down structure of bureaucracies, create new assessment systems, impose new remediation requirements and implement management information systems and accountability mechanisms to ensure that frontline officials comply. In bureaucratic systems steeped in the language of compliance, even well-intentioned formative assessments end up taking the form of high-stakes exams among teachers, students and officials. It is critical to be mindful of the norms and cultures of existing systems before trying to superimpose new requirements on them. Top-down, control-driven systems are rarely successful in inducing performance, as economist Dan Honig’s work on mission-driven bureaucracy finds. Instead, Honig finds motivation-driven reforms to be more effective: empowering agents and sparking internal motivation through supportive practices like giving employees autonomy. While the word ‘re-imagine’ has often been used for education, the first step is to transform governance. Covid may have sparked some bright spots. The pandemic has invigorated what Hannon et al call “local learning ecosystems\", with stronger partnerships among local stakeholders (students, teachers and others). As Emiliana Vegas and Rebecca Winthrop write, “Schools at the center of a community ecosystem of learning and support is an idea whose time has come.\" Appropriately, Pratham Education Foundation’s Rukmini Banerji and the Centre for Policy Research’s Yamini Aiyar highlight the role of local innovations and call for decentralization—greater financial resources, expenditure discretion and autonomy to make decisions at the school level. Our learning crisis is undeniably real. But the language we use to implement reforms is crucial. If reopening schools is framed just in terms of a learning crisis, we are likely to ignore the massive social and emotional crises students and teachers face. Poorly designed governance structures focusing on thin metrics will only exacerbate this. As schools reopen, the immediate focus should be to ensure access, both to get students back in class and prevent drop-outs, as the pandemic’s effects continue to play out. School systems must prioritize addressing the social, emotional and health-related challenges of covid. Simultaneously, we must recalibrate structures of governance by empowering frontline agents and local stakeholders. This will foster the culture needed to facilitate a solution to the learning crisis. Rohan Sandhu is former associate director at the International Innovation Corps, and currently at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is also co-editor and a lead author of ‘Accelerating Access to Quality Education’ ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["School","school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["past 18 months"]},{"role":"Location","values":["developing countries"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Covid’s ill-effects","effects"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Malls listed under HIDE adhere to closure order","document":"KUALA LUMPUR: Shopping malls listed under the Hotspots Identification for Dynamic Engagement (HIDE) early warning system have temporarily closed their premises starting today until Tuesday (May 11). The malls concerned issued a notice via their social media platforms to inform of the temporary closure. The closure was in line with the latest announcement by Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who announced that premises flagged under HIDE would be closed for three days with immediate effect to curb the spread of Covid-19. 1 Utama Shopping Centre, in a Facebook post, said the mall would undergo sanitisation exercises during the period. \"1 Utama remains continuously compliant to strict safety standard operating procedures, and every care is taken to ensure our unwavering commitment to you. \"We shall be monitoring the situation closely and welcome you back to 1 Utama when we announce our reopening. \"Till then, keep your spirits up, and we shall see you soon in good health.\" Also temporarily closed its premises were Suria KLCC and Sunway Pyramid. Suria KLCC, in a Facebook post, has thanked its patrons for their cooperation, as the shopping mall actively focuses on the evolving health and safety procedures. Meanwhile, Sunway Pyramid said during the period; the mall will undergo deep sanitisation as part of the HIDE's requirement. \"We will continue to work closely with the authorities and provide the latest updates from time to time. Please stay tuned to Lion's FB updates for the latest developments. \"We're in this together, and together, we can get through this.\" Yesterday, the government published the first list of premises flagged as potential Covid-19 hotspots that were identified through HIDE. Science, Technology, and Innovation Ministry Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the list's publication would help the public make reasonable travel plans and decisions before heading to a location or venue to avoid risks of getting infected by Covid-19. Among the shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur that were also in the list include Bangsar Shopping Centre, Bangsar Village 2, KL Eco City Mall, Melawati Mall, Mid Valley Megamall, Sungei Wang Plaza and Sogo Complex, among others. In Selangor, among the shopping malls in the HIDE's list were Aeon Mall Rawang, Central i-City Mall, Main Place Mall, Plaza Shah Alam, Paradigm Mall and Subang Parade. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Suria KLCC and Sunway Pyramid","Suria KLCC","Sunway Pyramid","1 Utama Shopping Centre"]},{"role":"Date","values":["today until Tuesday (May 11)","for three days"]},{"role":"Location","values":["KUALA LUMPUR","Kuala Lumpur"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["curb the spread of Covid-19","Covid-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Naperville North High School closed for investigation of bomb threat","document":"Classes were canceled Wednesday at Naperville North High School as police investigated a bomb threat emailed to the west suburban school earlier that morning, school officials said. Students and staff were evacuated to Naperville Central High School, where families were asked to pick up their students, School District 203 said in a statement. The threat was made before classes had begun, a Naperville police spokeswoman Kelley Munch said. “All students and staff members are now safe, and their security continues to be the district’s top priority,” the district said in its statement. After-school activities were also canceled as police continued their search of the building, the district said. A school district spokesman declined to comment further. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Naperville North High School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Naperville"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["bomb threat"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Rockvale High School Closed Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021","document":"Rutherford County Schools Communications Director James Evans updated Rockvale High students and parents about the status of the high school for tomorrow. The utility company has been onsite today repairing the gas leak and expects to finish today. However, they must complete a pressure test of the entire system before we are allowed to occupy the building. This pressure test is schedule to be completed tomorrow. As such, Rockvale High School will remain closed tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 9, and we will use a stockpile day to cover the closure. This only affects the high school. We know this can be an inconvenience for parents, which is why we are notifying you now for planning purposes. Thanks for all that you do as parents and we will send you an update tomorrow.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Rockvale High School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday, Sept. 9"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Rutherford County"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["repairing the gas leak","complete a pressure test of the entire system"]}]} {"event_trigger":"American Dream’s Luxury Wing Opens With Five Stores, Lots Of Barricaded Storefronts, with some stores closed","document":"The new luxury wing at the American Dream mall has a Jonathan Adler designed sculpture garden and ... [+] fantastic wall murals, but so far very few stores. “You’re about to walk into the most incredible luxury retail environment there is,” Don Ghermezian, chief executive of the American Dream mega-mall in New Jersey, says in a video of the ribbon-cutting ceremony for The Avenue, the mall’s new luxury wing. Not exactly. Triple Five is promising The Avenue will eventually become that. The reality at the moment is the wing is just five stores, and one restaurant. While American Dream has created a visually stunning “Avenue” that they potentially could fill with exciting stores, for now shoppers only have five choices. Apart from the anchor of the wing, the 110,000-square-foot Saks Fifth Avenue, the majority of The Avenue is construction barricades disguised with beautiful murals to hide the empty spaces behind them. The Avenue opened September 17 with four stores in addition to Saks: Hermes, Dolce & Gabbana, Johnny Was, and Mulberry, and a fine-dining restaurant, Carpaccio. The women's shoe department at the new Saks Fifth Avenue store at the American Dream mall in New ... [+] Jersey. The owners of American Dream decided not to wait for their luxury wing to reach a critical mass of stores before holding the grand opening. After all, shoppers, and Saks, have already been waiting a long time for the wing to open. After the first portion of American Dream, the Nickelodeon amusement park, opened in October, 2019, the mall’s owners announced the luxury wing, and other retail stores, would open in March, 2020. The pandemic caused that to be pushed back to March, 2021, and again to September, 2021. As they have with other parts of the mall, the owners, Triple Five Group, are using a strategy that seems to be working for them, although slowly. If you open it, the tenants will come, seems to be their philosophy. “Avenue really is a street of dreams that will be dreamier as we continue to add new names,” Ken Downing, creative director of Triple Five, told WWD during an advance tour of the wing. The rest, and the best, is yet to come has been Triple Five’s mantra since American Dream’s first grand opening in the fall of 2019. When they opened the Nickelodeon amusement park, ice rink, and the Big Snow indoor ski slope in late 2019, Triple Five was under pressure to answer skeptics who doubted whether the mall would ever open. The project was already years behind schedule. Triple Five, when it took over the site in 2011, after two previous developers crashed and burned, said the first phase, with 300 stores and 50 restaurants, would open in late 2013. That estimate was replaced with projected opening dates in 2016, 2017, and finally 2019. Since then Triple Five, which owns two other huge entertainment and retail complexes, Mall of America in Minnesota, and West Edmonton Mall in Canada, has run into difficulty carrying the massive loans for the project as the pandemic slowed revenues at American Dream and its other mall properties, and has had to give lenders large stakes in its other mega-malls. Shoppers waiting to enter the Hermes store in the new luxury wing at American Dream mall in New ... [+] Jersey. As recently as July, American Dream officials were saying they expected to have more than 20 stores ready for shoppers when the wing opened September 17. But when construction delays prevented most of those stores from being ready in time for the opening, the mall decided to stick with the September 17 date anyway. “One could certainly find reasons not to open,” Downing told Allison Pries of NJ.com. “But our guests deserve to have this.” “At some point you have to stop waiting,” Downing told WWD. Downing said he and American Dream CEO Don Ghermezian, who is a member of the family behind Triple Five, felt it was important to get The Avenue open this fall, even if much of the space would remain covered with barricades. The barricades in front of the empty and under-construction storefronts, however, are stunning, covered with murals of fashion-related images in pinks and pastels. But shoppers have to walk past long stretches of the barricades to find the few stores that are open. Stunning murals cover the barricades in front of the empty or still-under-construction barricades in ... [+] the new luxury wing at American Dream mall in New Jersey. “Where are the stores?” an opening-day visitor asked while looking at a mall directory in the wing, which showed the Avenue without any stores identified. American Dream hired decorator Jonathan Adler to create an environment at The Avenue similar to an upscale boutique hotel. He has created a visually stunning space with numerous seating areas and large sculptures decorated with faces that serve as the containers for topiary plantings. The wing is a photographer’s and Instagram paradise. On opening day, parents with strollers and toddlers could be seen posing their children with some of the high-fashion mannequins on display as part of a grand-opening-related art and fashion exhibit. Empty spaces in the luxury wing are covered with barricades decorated with striking murals. Saks, and its parent company, Hudson Bay Company, bet big on American Dream and Triple Five in the early stages of the project, when Triple Five was having trouble getting high-profile retailers to take a chance on the still-under-construction mall. Hudson Bay, which like Triple Five, is based in Canada, pledged in 2014 to open flagship Saks and Lord & Taylor stores at American Dream that would anchor a luxury collection of hundreds of stores. Since then Lord & Taylor has gone bankrupt and closed its stores, as have a number of other retailers originally announced as Dream tenants. Saks closed its two New Jersey stores - at The Shops at Riverside in Hackensack, NJ in 2014, and at The Mall at Short Hills in 2016 - in anticipation that the American Dream location would soon be open. The new store gives Saks a fresh, modern presentation, and reflects Saks’ embrace of online shopping. Visitors to American Dream can virtually shop the latest collections at the New York City Saks flagship while at the New Jersey store. The store also offers online appointments for services, and same-day delivery of purchases. The Johnny Was store in the new luxury wing at the American Dream mall in New Jersey. Saks and the 8,000 square-foot Hermes store and the new retail location for boho-chic luxury brand Johnny Was are impressive tenants. The Hermes store, which was limiting the number of shoppers inside on opening day, had a line of half a dozen customers at midday. Other stores, including Tiffany, Saint Laurent, Jonathan Adler, Anne Fontaine, and Zadig & Voltaire, and a champagne bar, are expected to open over the coming month, a Dream spokesperson said. Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster is scheduled to open next year.. Currently, the barricades in the two-level wing are covering enough retail space for at least 50 large stores and perhaps twice as many if retailers opt for smaller spaces. American Dream needs those barricades to come down, and the spaces behind them to be filled with open stores, before The Avenue can be called an “incredible luxury retail environment.” But for now, those barricades, and the fabulous murals on them, are the most incredible thing about The Avenue. I have 20 years experience covering the retail industry, from mega-malls to Main Street shops, and everything in between. I have reported on retail bankruptcies, including Toys R... Read More I have 20 years experience covering the retail industry, from mega-malls to Main Street shops, and everything in between. I have reported on retail bankruptcies, including Toys R ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Tiffany, Saint Laurent, Jonathan Adler, Anne Fontaine, and Zadig & Voltaire","Jonathan Adler","the Nickelodeon amusement park","Nickelodeon amusement park","Lord & Taylor","Lord","Taylor","Gentle Monster"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["New Jersey"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Austin Arts & Music festival latest event canceled due to COVID-19 while others resume","document":" by: Chelsea Moreno AUSTIN (KXAN) — Organizers of the Austin Arts and Music Festival announced Sunday that the event has been canceled due to COVID-19, though they promised ticketholders access to future events. The event’s planners, expecting to bring concerts, artists and a car show to Typhoon Texas Sept. 25-26, sent a press release saying they “are grieved and saddened” to cancel the weekend plans due to “heightened COVID restrictions.” It’s the latest of event cancelations in the Austin area due to the coronavirus. Most recently, Austin’s annual Pecan Street Festival, Bat Fest and Austin Pride were all canceled due to COVID-19 concerns in the community. The City of Austin also updated their permitting for special events on Aug. 30 with enhanced strategies to mitigate the spread of the virus. The event application process was going to require an enhanced version of the health and safety form to be completed. But while some have been canceled, other large events have been allowed to go on. The Austin Chronicle’s Hot Sauce Festival is happening Sunday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Far Out Lounge and Stage in south Austin. The event is an annual fundraiser, benefitting the Central Texas Food Bank. Live performances, hot sauce makers and other vendors were expected to spread out across the venue. Guests were asked to wear a mask and to social distance. Capacity is also being limited. Also this weekend, thousands were expected to attend a two-day wine, food and music festival at the Long Center. The Long Center is not a city-run facility.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Austin Arts and Music Festival","music festival","Pecan Street Festival, Bat Fest and Austin Pride"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sept. 25-26"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Austin area"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 concerns in the community","COVID-19","COVID","heightened COVID restrictions"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Back to basicsSchool closures have caused damage that extra lessons cannot fix","document":"A DECADE AGO Bowling Park Primary was one of England’s least successful schools. Its neighbourhood in south Bradford is one of England’s poorest. A fifth of pupils are Roma, who tend to do worse at school than any other group. But a turnaround that began in 2008 dragged test scores up to the national average. The progress pupils make from seven to 11 is greater than almost anywhere else. Covid-19 has hit hard, says Matthew Langley, the head teacher. Large families and small homes helped the virus spread. Some pupils spent a quarter of the past academic year isolating, on top of two months of remote learning early in the pandemic, when all classrooms in England were shut. “It’s like we’ve hit a brick wall,” says Mr Langley, “and now we have to reverse.”","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Matthew Langley"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["all classrooms"]},{"role":"Date","values":["quarter of the past academic year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["England"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Covid-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"RZIM will stop doing apologetics work this year","document":"Update (March 10): Once the largest apologetics ministry in the world, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) will stop doing apologetics work this year. CEO Sarah Davis announced to staff Wednesday morning that over the next six months, the downsized ministry will remake itself as a grant-making charity. It plans to give money to organizations fulfilling its original purpose of defending the truth of the gospel as well as organizations that care for victims of sexual abuse. “RZIM cannot and should not continue to operate as an organization in its present form. Nor do we believe we can only rename the organization and move forward with ‘business as usual,’” said Davis, who is Zacharias’s daughter and has led the ministry since his death in May 2020. RZIM’s speakers have had invitations rescinded since allegations against Zacharias were reported in September. Over the past several months, donations slowed to the $35 million–$40 million ministry as it investigated and ultimately confirmed abuse by its late founder. The investigation found “guilt beyond anything that we could have imagined,” Davis acknowledged on Wednesday. “The ministry of RZIM has been on a journey almost unlike anything we can think of in modern evangelical history,” Davis said. “We, as a ministry, have been processing a wide range of emotions, including intense grief for victims of abuse, abhorrence at Ravi’s actions, disillusionment, dismay, anger, and uncertainty about the future of the ministry we love and serve.” The ministry is currently undergoing a broad review of culture and structure by the consulting firm Guidepost Solutions. Davis told staff that they can expect layoffs of about 60 percent of staff, starting immediately, as well as leadership changes when the review is finished in four to six months. In the meantime, staff in each department are being instructed to “focus their gifts, skills, and resources” on “repentance, restitution, learning, and serving.” ----- Original post (March 8): Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, in the midst of an outside review of its corporate culture and past handling of abuse allegations, has announced it will change its name. It also is calling for additional victims to come forward and report sexual abuse and harassment by its late world-famous founder. Last month’s investigative report confirmed allegations against the apologist dating back to 2004 and uncovered additional evidence of abuse continuing up until a few months before his death in May 2020. But while the investigation was conclusive, it was not comprehensive. In a statement released over the weekend, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) acknowledged there may be many more victims. This is the first time RZIM has directly asked victims to come forward. The consulting firm Guidepost Solutions will field reports by phone and email as part of its comprehensive review of RZIM, while victims’ advocate Rachael Denhollander will serve as a confidential liaison with survivors. Phone lines have been set up in English, Spanish, and French. “We continue to grieve deeply for the victims who have been treated in ways that are completely antithetical to the gospel,” wrote CEO Sarah Davis, who is also Zacharias’s daughter, in the official statement. “We also painfully and increasingly recognize organizational failures that have occurred and the repentance that needs to take place in both heart and action.” Davis said the review is comprehensive and is expected to take months. Layoffs are expected soon. The ministry also announced it is removing Zacharias’s teaching from its website and social media. The 12 international branches of RZIM are independently evaluating their own ministry cultures and future plans. Top RZIM leaders in the US and Asia have known about allegations against Zacharias since at least 2008, when an Indian team member reported to the head of the Singapore board that Zacharias had been seen with a woman he wasn’t related to in a Singapore hotel. Zacharias was holding her hand and appeared to be intimate with her. Zacharias dismissed it as a misunderstanding, and the ministry did not investigate, according to internal documents obtained by CT. The team member raised the issue again in 2012, along with questions about Zacharias’s solo trips to Thailand, where Zacharias owned two apartments—one for himself and one for a massage therapist. The ministry didn’t investigate then either. The Singapore board instead launched a full inquiry into whether the team member was spreading rumors about Zacharias. “Directors agreed that derogative remarks of any kind by any of the parties must cease immediately as they do not glorify the Lord,” the Singapore board chair wrote in a 2012 email obtained by CT. “We are of the same conviction that brothers should reconcile where there have been misunderstandings. … The work of RZIM is making great impact on unbelievers and any public dispute will bring irreparable damage to parties concerned and the organization.” Similar arguments were made at RZIM’s other international offices. Team members in India, the US, the UK, and Canada told CT that when they raised concerns, they were dismissed. Leadership pointed to Zacharias’s reputation. He was considered above reproach and beyond question. RZIM spokeswoman Ruth Malhotra, in a 26-page letter to the US board about corporate complicity in Zacharias’s abuse, wrote that the leadership’s strategic response to allegations was to “delay, deny, defy, defame.” According to Malhotra, she raised questions in 2017, when Zacharias denied soliciting explicit sexual images from a woman in Canada. Instead of trying to answer her questions, a senior leader demanded to know, “Whose side are you on?” After the investigation in 2021, the US board acknowledged mistakes and promised a review of the culture and leadership of the ministry. “Our trust in Ravi’s denial of moral wrongdoing and in his deceptive explanations of emails and other records that became public was severely misplaced,” the statement said. “We also recognize that in situations of prolonged abuse, there often exist significant structural, policy, and cultural problems. It is imperative that where these things exist in our organization, we take focused steps to ensure they are properly diagnosed and addressed.” The US board is anonymous, and the statement was not signed by individual members. It is not clear who wrote the statement or whether board members agreed with it unanimously. RZIM’s 12 international offices are also evaluating their own culture and making decisions about the future. Leadership in the respective countries have to decide whether to shut down or continue, whether to remain affiliated with the US ministry or separate, and whether to keep the Zacharias name or abandon it. The UK ministry and the Latin American ministry have each announced their intentions to separate and establish independent apologetics organizations. The Latin American board shut down its website after making its statement. RZIM Spain is evaluating “next steps” but said it has received “many expressions of encouragement” to continue doing apologetics and evangelism in Spain. The German-language branch of RZIM, operating in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, has announced team training on abuse and a review of its own organizational structure and culture. “Looking back, we realize that we as the institute were positively biased towards Ravi Zacharias and that we also trusted the control mechanisms within RZIM too much,” the ministry said in an official statement. “We are extremely sorry for these failures.” RZIM Canada is closing down. “We recognize the ongoing need for an apologetics-based approach to evangelism,” the Canadian board said. “Regrettably, we are of the conviction that it is not possible for RZIM Canada to fulfill this mandate within the current environment.” RZIM Hong Kong, which serves Southeast Asia and Oceania, stated it is considering “all possible paths that would honour our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” and also said, “We apologise unreservedly for the hurt we have caused others through our misplaced trust in Ravi.” The RZIM officers in India and Turkey have translated the US board’s apology and publicized the information about the investigation, but have not made individual public statements about the future of those ministries. RZIM Middle East does not appear to have made any public statements. RZIM Romania and RZIM Singapore announced times of prayer and re-evaluation. The Romanian ministry said it is praying “that God will heal any wound caused by the actions of Ravi Zacharias and any disappointment caused by this news. We put all our hope in His grace and continue to remain committed to searching and presenting #Truth.” RZIM Africa said its top priority is to “Pray for, listen to and learn from victims and victim advocates, seek their forgiveness where appropriate, and take steps that emerge.” Two African leaders personally reached out to one victim to apologize. The ministry is also encouraging others to come forward. “Given the extent of Ravi’s deception and abuse,” the statement said, “we recognize that there may be many others who have suffered, and whose stories have not yet been told.”","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM)","RZIM","Ravi Zacharias International Ministries"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["India, the US, the UK, and Canada","US","Canada","UK","India"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["sexual abuse and harassment by its late world-famous founder"]}]} {"event_trigger":"PGA Tour still planning for Japan event, but sources say China event will be canceled","document":"Players were notified last week the Zozo Championship outside Tokyo was still on the schedule, and they faced a deadline for visa applications in case they decide to go. But that will be the only stop, assuming it happens. Two people aware of the decision say the HSBC Champions in Shanghai has been canceled. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the Tour hasn’t announced the decision. The PGA Tour lost its Asia Swing to the COVID-19 pandemic last year. The HSBC Champions, a World Golf Championships event since 2009, was canceled. The CJ Cup in South Korea moved to Shadow Creek north of Las Vegas, while the Zozo Championship moved to Sherwood Country Club in Thousands Oaks, California. The LPGA Tour said in a statement Wednesday that the Buick LPGA Shanghai tournament scheduled for October has been canceled. The CJ Cup already has announced it is returning to Las Vegas, this time at the prestigious Summit Club. Japan-based Zozo does not have a U.S. presence, and it was a big step for the company to hold its tournament in California. Patrick Cantlay, who already is particular with his travel time and schedule, won last year at Sherwood. It was not clear if he planned to return to defend. Spectators were not allowed at Kasumigaseki for the Olympics. The Zozo Championship is scheduled for Narashino Country Club in the Chiba prefecture. Oddly enough, it is not listed on the Japan Golf Tour website, even though the tournament is co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour. If anyone was looking to spend two weeks in Japan, the following week is the ISPS Handa, which has one of the smallest prize funds on the Japan Golf Tour. The Tour schedule for the fall goes from Las Vegas to Japan to Bermuda. The Bermuda Championship typically is held opposite the HSBC Champions and last year received full status, meaning Brian Gay earned a spot in the Masters by winning. BY Associated Press ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["HSBC Champions","PGA Tour","Buick LPGA Shanghai tournament"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last year","scheduled for October"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Shanghai"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Motorcyclists Rev Up For “Canceled” Event","document":" NHPD Facebook; East Coastin' FacebookThe city’s version of this Saturday’s event; the organizers’ response.Breen, Bass PhotosTop cop Dominguez: Event’s off. Daredevil Canestri: Sure about that?Sam Gurwitt Photo“Controlled chaos” at 2020 (above) and 2017 (below) versions of event. David Sepulveda Photo New Haven declared a motorcycle event planned for this coming Saturday “canceled.” NHPD Facebook; East Coastin' Facebook The city’s version of this Saturday’s event; the organizers’ response. Breen, Bass Photos Top cop Dominguez: Event’s off. Daredevil Canestri: Sure about that? Sam Gurwitt Photo “Controlled chaos” at 2020 (above) and 2017 (below) versions of event. David Sepulveda Photo Someone forgot to tell the thousands of hog riders and fans still expected to converge on the city, or the hotels that have run out of available rooms. The event is called EastCoastin’. It draws stunt riders and cycling enthusiasts to city streets from early afternoon until dusk. They tear up the road, have some fun. The event has taken place around this time every year since 2016. It grew from 300 to 600 to 1,500 participants, with 3,000 expected this year, according to organizer Gabe Canestri Jr., a High School in the Community grad who works with the EastCoastin’ group. In some years, the organizers developed an understanding, sometimes tacit, sometimes spelled out, with the police: They’d contain their activity to little-traveled industrial streets in the Annex. They’d keep it safe and nonviolent; police would show up to coordinate checkpoints, keep traffic flowing, enforce laws. Officers ended up posing for photos with the bikers, who in turn praised the police. Click here for a story about how that deal was first struck. Click here and here to read about two previous gatherings. This year the Elicker administration and police brass made it clear that there will be confrontation, not cooperation, if the motorcyclists proceed with their plans. At a recent press conference with the mayor, Police Chief Renee Dominguez reiterated the message. “That event is canceled. There is not a permit for that. It is canceled. We will have a detail that day to make sure of the safety of the residents in case individuals do gather. We will be enforcing” laws at the event, she vowed. (Her comments on the subject begin at the 17:15 point in this video.) Canestri said the event is very much on, with or without the city’s cooperation. Participants have already booked pretty much all the hotel and Air BnB rooms available in the area, he noted. The group plans to gather, as it has in past years, by the Hole in the Wall motorcycle club on Forbes Avenue and rev up their engines on the industrial streets nearby. So the city is planning a large police presence ready to make mass arrests. The event was originally scheduled for the first weekend in September. Canestri said that at the city’s unofficial request he moved it to this coming weekend, so as not to conflict with the Labor Day Road Race. “I moved other events around to do this one, because they didn’t want me to have it on Labor Day weekend. But I guess Mayor Elicker wasn’t pumped on the new date,” said Canestri, one of the second-generation members of the Hole in the Wall club. “There are other issues going on in New Haven. Violence, killing. This is one event where people get together. You don’t hear about people getting hurt. It’s controlled chaos. “We’re going to have some kind of party. We’re off the grid. People are still coming,” Canestri said. He predicted the activities would run through the afternoon until sundown. Another person close to the planning process conveyed a message to the Independent that the Hell’s Angels and the affiliated Red Devils have committed to have members “from several states” provide “tight security” at the event in the absence of police cooperation: “They will hold people off of Forbes Avenue. They’re asking for the back roads where the [New Haven] Terminal is,” and tanker trucks “can use the road where the bridge goes in and out.” Companies along the harbor have been complaining for years about both the annual event as well as cyclists tearing up and down the streets at other times to practice stunts. Sam Gurwitt PhotoThe crowd in the Annex in 2020. Mayor Elicker said in a conversation Monday that at last year’s event, thousands of participants, who “were not allowed to be there,” caused havoc throughout the city, shutting streets and endangering lives through dangerous driving. Sam Gurwitt Photo The crowd in the Annex in 2020. “We’re clear that this group does not collaborate with the police and does not follow the law,” Elicker maintained. He characterized the city’s approach to this year’s planned gathering as part of an ongoing safe-streets campaign. In “every neighborhood, I hear from people who are concerned about this activity,” Elicker said. “We have worked hard to confront drag racing that was a major problem last year, dirt bike and ATV riding. These are very difficult challenges to address. We have made progress on them. We often have to use creative solutions to respond.” ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Gabe Canestri Jr"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["motorcycle event"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this year","year","Saturday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Elicker"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["There is not a permit","in case individuals do gather"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Alanis Morissette concert at PNC Bank Arts Center canceled as Ida approaches","document":"Alanis Morissette and the band Garbage performed at the BB&T Pavilion Camden NJ on 8-26-2021.Phil McAuliffe For The Times Of Trenton For those who had plans to attend Alanis Morissette’s Wednesday night concert at PNC Bank Arts Center, you oughta know that it’s been canceled. The singer’s concert scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Holdmel concert center was cancelled around 4:30 p.m. as the the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida threatened to dump heavy rain and whip up tornadoes across New Jersey. “Due to severe weather and flash flood + tornado warnings in the area, tonight’s show at PNC Bank Arts Center has been cancelled,” a Facebook post from the center said. “Refunds will automatically be processed at point of purchase. Everyone stay safe and thank you for understanding.” The center had announced about three hours earlier that the show would still be on, in a since-deleted post. The National Weather Service has said the northern region of New Jersey faces the biggest threat of torrential rain — possibly as much as 4 to 6 inches — that could trigger flash flooding on roads as well as widespread flooding from rivers and streams that overflow their banks. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["concert at PNC Bank Arts Center","PNC Bank Arts Center","Holdmel concert center"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday night","7 p.m"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New Jersey"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["severe weather and flash flood + tornado warnings","flash flood"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Bangladeshi schools reopen after 18-month's closure","document":"More than 164,000 Rohingya children in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh returned to learning centres today after one of the longest disruptions to schooling globally due to COVID-19. Learning centres run by humanitarian agencies, which provide primary-level education for Rohingya refugee children, were closed 18 months ago, leaving children vulnerable to child marriage and child labour as a means for families to survive. The government announced that learning centres could reopen for children in grades two to four after a drop in positive testing rates for COVID-19 nationally and in Cox’s Bazar to around 5% this week from over 30% in early August. Bangladeshi schools reopened on September 12 but Rohingya children were still waiting to resume their education. Save the Children welcomed the re-opening of learning centres but called on the government to allow other age groups to also return to their classrooms and for a pilot programme using the curriculum from Myanmar. About 456,000 children are living among almost 900,000 refugees in the camps at Cox’s Bazar. Taslim,* 9, said it would help for teachers to use the Myanmar curriculum and to have teachers from Myanmar. “This would help me to be a doctor or teacher and be able to fulfil my dreams,” she told Save the Children. Save the Children’s Bangladesh Country Director, Onno Van Manen, said Rohingya children and families were keen to return to learning and quality education. “Efforts need to be re-doubled to provide quality education to Rohingya children. This can be achieved through community outreach to convince families to send their children back to school and by urgently resuming the rollout and expansion of the pilot program to allow Rohingya children to study in their mother-tongue using the curriculum,” he said. Save the Children, with the help of Rohingya and Bangladeshi teachers, have provided education to Rohingya refugees and the host community at 100 learning centres in Cox’s Bazar camps since 2017 when almost one million Rohingya refugees fled Myanmar into Bangladesh. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Bangladeshi schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["18 months ago"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Bangladesh"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"COVID-led schools closure for about 18 months caused students lost trillion hours","document":"Schoolchildren around the world have lost an estimated 1.8 trillion hours – and counting – of in-person learning since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. As a result, young learners have been cut off from their education and the other vital benefits schools provide. Every hour in school is precious, and every child should be given the opportunity to go back to school. As countries return from academic break, no effort should be spared to reopen schools, as schools are critical for children’s learning, safety, health and well-being. Number of students affected by prolonged school closures Globally, around 131 million schoolchildren in 11 countries have missed three quarters of their in-person learning from March 2020 to September 2021. Among them, 59 per cent – or nearly 77 million – have missed almost all in-person instruction time. These 77 million students come from six countries. Among these countries, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Venezuela have the largest number of students impacted by full school closures in the past year and a half. Around 27 per cent of countries continue to have schools fully or partially closed. Additionally, according to UNESCO’s latest data, more than 870 million students at all levels are currently facing disruptions to their education. School closures: Where do we stand today? As of September 2021, the data indicates school closures due to COVID-19 continue to be in place in many countries. Almost a year and a half since the pandemic was declared, 27 per cent of the countries continued to be fully or partially closed. Moreover, regional differences persist with full school closures being observed in 4 of the 9 regions. In two regions, a higher share of countries are keeping their schools fully closed in September 2021 than in February 2021: South Asia (increased from 18 per cent to 25 per cent); and East Asia and the Pacific (increased from 6 per cent to 21 per cent). In Latin America and the Caribbean and Eastern and Southern Africa, however, the share of countries where schools are fully closed declined between February 2021 and September 2021. Overall, there is no region where all countries have fully reopened schools.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["school","School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["from March 2020 to September 2021","September 2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["around the world","around","Around"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"The massive, yet invisible cost of keeping schools closed","document":"The impact of school closures on children and young people across the world is gigantic. The prolonged closures of schools since March 2020 resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have led to the most serious education crisis in the last 100 years. As Chile's Minister of Education Raul Figueroa said when he explained his government's efforts to restore learning, \"we have had an earthquake in education.\" My World Bank colleague, Indermit Gill, accurately likens the school closures impact on education to a bomb which destroys only one capital - the human capital. I wonder if societies and governments have internalized the magnitude of the shock. In countries with extensive school closures in South Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, the number of school days lost reaches 200. Such immense learning shocks are akin to a raging forest fire that must be put out. The World Bank, UNESCO and UNICEF conceived the Mission: Recovery of Education 2021, as an urgent task for this year. If governments and societies want to “walk the talk” and demonstrate that the well-being of children and young people is indeed a political priority, urgent and decisive action is needed to open schools safely where they remain closed and to prioritize policies to ensure recovery of lost learning. Do school closures help combat the pandemic? Since the beginning of the pandemic, school closures were almost universally viewed as a mechanism to prevent contagion. The idea was based on presumptions rather than evidence. In the early stages of the pandemic, governments were navigating fearfully in a sea of ignorance. Even if children were not susceptible to getting seriously ill, they were presumed to be efficient transmitters of the virus. For some countries, including Sweden, such presumptions were not enough, and schools remained open. But those were exceptions. Now we have evidence suggesting that those presumptions were misplaced. A synthesis of epidemiological surveys and household-level analysis indicates that children transmit the virus less efficiently than adults. Evidence from school reopening initiatives suggest that with precautions and strategies to minimize transmission in place, schools are not a major source of transmission, nor high-risk environments for staff. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has concluded that for adults, the risk of infection in a school setting is no greater than at home or in the community, and also that despite new variants of the virus the negative impacts of proactive schools closures outweigh the benefits, so they should be used only as the last resort. Studies in Germany and the United States and the experiences of countries where schools have reopened between the first and second waves suggest that with appropriate mitigation strategies, reopening has not led to an increase in infections among students, teachers or in the community, even prior to the start of the vaccination processes. The bottom line is that there is no scientific evidence to presume that schools are at greater risk than other occupational or recreational environments of similar density. Nothing can justify keeping schools closed when at the same time restaurants, bars or shopping malls reopen. The protracted closure of schools was meant to protect adults who are at greater risk of falling severely ill - perhaps to no avail. And given the experiences of safe reopening in countries prior to vaccine development, education systems don't need to wait for widespread community vaccination before reopening. What has been the cost of school closures? There are no estimates of the benefits of school closures. In contrast, the cost of keeping schools closed in terms of children's learning, mental health, and socio-emotional development is extortionate. Despite countries’ laudable and indispensable efforts to provide remote education, which involved rapid adjustments, many countries are aware that remote learning has been a weak, unequal, and very partial compensation for face-to-face education. The evidence of that is mounting. The World Bank's simulations at the end of 2020 showed that the Learning Poverty indicator – the percentage of ten-year-olds who cannot read and understand a simple text – would likely increase from 53 percent before the pandemic to 63 percent. That figure may be an underestimate as the calculations were based on a length of school closures that have been now vastly exceeded in many countries. We now have data on the actual huge learning losses emerging in both developed and developing countries. Evidence from the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom, countries that were able to measure learning when students returned to the classroom after the first wave of the pandemic, shows that despite short school closures and high internet penetration, there were significant learning losses. More recently, a study in Sao Paulo, where data was collected at the beginning and the end of 2020, shows that students learned 27.5 percent of what they would have learned if face-to-face classes had continued. In South Africa, where early grade students missed on average 60 percent of school days in 2020, Grade 2 students incurred learning losses equivalent to 57-70 percent of a year of learning. In Chile, initial assessments show that in 2020, in grades 6 through 12, despite a partial reopening, students mastered only 60 percent of curriculum content in reading and between 47 and 27 percent in math. Losing the most important tool to equalize opportunities Moreover, with schools closed the main space to equalize opportunities was lost. In all available studies, there is evidence of much larger losses the lower the socio-economic status. The school, despite its limitations in poor and in middle-income countries, is the main mechanism to equalize opportunity. For countless children and young people, school is the only safe space for stimulation, socialization, and meaningful learning. That space has disappeared for too many and for too long. While schools were closed, children’s opportunities for educational stimulation were defined by conditions at home. For the fortunate ones, those conditions included an internet connection, access to books, a space to work and parents to provide guidance. Under such conditions, some learning is possible. Others lacked those prerequisites for learning, and consequently lost their entire learning experience. The stark differences between children’s home learning environments during the pandemic epitomizes inequality of opportunity. What are education systems most concerned with recovering learning doing? First, we see concern about students’ learning losses. It is critical to have information about the magnitude of learning losses at the national and local levels. If education systems do not measure learning, they are flying blind. Choosing to measure current learning levels is not an easy decision, because in many cases the measurement of learning will bring bad news. However, grasping the reality at hand and understanding the extent of the loss of learning is vital to design apt remedial education and acceleration policies throughout the country. Secondly, we observe judicious efforts to reopen schools safely. The re-opening process must be an evidence-based decision. Hence, the main recommendation is ensuring schools have several prevention strategies in place to minimize the spread of COVID-19. These include physical distancing, wearing facemasks, testing, frequent handwashing and improving ventilation. Another key element is the early warning system and communication campaigns to bring back the students who have disengaged from the education system. Safety will be even greater if teachers’ vaccinations are prioritized; according to the Global Education Recovery Tracker, of Johns Hopkins, UNICEF and the World Bank, just over half of countries have prioritized teachers in national vaccination strategies. Finally, is advisable to start with primary schools as evidence shows that the risk of transmission is lower among younger children. It is also more challenging to compensate for face-to-face education through remote instruction with young children. Thirdly, we note a flexibility to adapt and meet the current needs of each child in order to recover learning losses. School calendars need to be adjusted to make up for lost time and the curriculum must be adapted to prioritize foundational learning, with flexibility at the local level in accordance with the needs of students. Flexibility may imply a staggered return to school, staggered arrival times, with students on alternating attendance schedule to reduce the number of students per classroom. To facilitate the return, teachers should be provided with tools to assess the level of learning of each student, both from an academic and socio-emotional point of view. Every child is different, and their experience during the pandemic may have been different; even within the same classroom, a child may have been in a home with books, access to the internet, a space to work and parents who stimulated him, while his classmate may have been completely disconnected from the learning process. This makes for a complex recovery process which will require remedial strategies on foundational learning, socioemotional support to students, as well as intense support and training programs for teachers. School openings must be safe, flexible, and voluntary. But I would add an additional feature: they must also be urgent. The return to face-to-face learning is urgent. Decisions about school openings as well as policy actions for accelerated learning need to be underpinned by the available evidence, not be influenced by political considerations. We must all acknowledge that the pedagogical, administrative, and logistical tasks involved in the reopening process are extremely challenging. But we must also remember that even if we make every effort to recover learning, we cannot turn back time, and that lost learning, lost play and lost stimulation in childhood and adolescence are difficult to recover. No one is 6 or 7 years old again. Protecting and recovering learning for this generation of children and youth is a moral imperative, like defusing a ticking bomb that threatens to evaporate the human capital that countries and their economies need to ensure more equitable and prosperous societies in the future. Every single day matters, which is why we must act now to protect our children’s future. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["school","School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["since March 2020","reaches 200"]},{"role":"Location","values":["across the world","World","South Asia, the Middle East and Latin America"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 pandemic","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"An Emergency Backup Plan for Canceled In-Person Events","document":" Rob Carey | Sep 02, 2021 When the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses canceled its 5,000-attendee annual meeting just 10 days out due to a resurgence of Covid in their host destination, its leadership made the risky decision to keep the same August dates to execute the event online. Working almost around the clock, the association built out and executed its meeting on Convey Services’ Cloud Conventions virtual platform with the help of MCI Group and Freeman, the latter of which provided the “simulive” broadcasting of sessions. That trial-by-fire experience prodded Convey Services to design a formal contingency product for business events. Called SafetyNet, the product is a standby virtual-event template that can be activated if the in-person event cannot be held or if attendance for the in-person event drops to an unsatisfactory level. In short, associations can create a virtual-event setup without committing to all the costs of a virtual event. There’s a basic set-up fee, and if the host organization chooses to go live with a hybrid or all-virtual event, that fee is credited to the cost of the total event package. SafetyNet maintains a virtual platform on standby behind a private login, allowing an event to be developed for a online audience in a matter of days without needing technical or programming support. For that set-up fee, Convey Services helps the client create a foundation for what can become a fully configured, custom-branded virtual program. The foundation is hosted on a secure custom URL and can be built out to deliver live and on-demand sessions, exhibitor booths, sponsor activations, and a resource center for all content. For video interaction between presenters, attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors, SafetyNet can integrate with Zoom and Bluejeans, while Apple’s iFrame is built into the platform. Gamification and language-translation options are also available. Attendee data can be imported from the in-person event’s registration system, including demographics and event-access permissions. Exhibitors are assigned a virtual-booth template and can place their content and activate their attendee-communication channels without technical assistance.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["annual meeting"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sep 02, 2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["host destination"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["resurgence of Covid"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Here’s what WHO found about the origins of the coronavirus, we also visited closed market.","document":" Director of Public Health Pathology, NSW Health Pathology, Westmead Hospital and University of Sydney, University of Sydney Dominic Dwyer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. University of Sydney provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU. View all partners As I write, I am in hotel quarantine in Sydney, after returning from Wuhan, China. There, I was the Australian representative on the international World Health Organization’s (WHO) investigation into the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Much has been said of the politics surrounding the mission to investigate the viral origins of COVID-19. So it’s easy to forget that behind these investigations are real people. As part of the mission, we met the man who, on December 8, 2019, was the first confirmed COVID-19 case; he’s since recovered. We met the husband of a doctor who died of COVID-19 and left behind a young child. We met the doctors who worked in the Wuhan hospitals treating those early COVID-19 cases, and learned what happened to them and their colleagues. We witnessed the impact of COVID-19 on many individuals and communities, affected so early in the pandemic, when we didn’t know much about the virus, how it spreads, how to treat COVID-19, or its impacts. We talked to our Chinese counterparts — scientists, epidemiologists, doctors — over the four weeks the WHO mission was in China. We were in meetings with them for up to 15 hours a day, so we became colleagues, even friends. This allowed us to build respect and trust in a way you couldn’t necessarily do via Zoom or email. This is what we learned about the origins of SARS-CoV-2. It was in Wuhan, in central China, that the virus, now called SARS-CoV-2, emerged in December 2019, unleashing the greatest infectious disease outbreak since the 1918-19 influenza pandemic. Our investigations concluded the virus was most likely of animal origin. It probably crossed over to humans from bats, via an as-yet-unknown intermediary animal, at an unknown location. Such “zoonotic” diseases have triggered pandemics before. But we are still working to confirm the exact chain of events that led to the current pandemic. Sampling of bats in Hubei province and wildlife across China has revealed no SARS-CoV-2 to date. We visited the now-closed Wuhan wet market which, in the early days of the pandemic, was blamed as the source of the virus. Some stalls at the market sold “domesticated” wildlife products. These are animals raised for food, such as bamboo rats, civets and ferret badgers. There is also evidence some domesticated wildlife may be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. However, none of the animal products sampled after the market’s closure tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. We also know not all of those first 174 early COVID-19 cases visited the market, including the man who was diagnosed in December 2019 with the earliest onset date. However, when we visited the closed market, it’s easy to see how an infection might have spread there. When it was open, there would have been around 10,000 people visiting a day, in close proximity, with poor ventilation and drainage. There’s also genetic evidence generated during the mission for a transmission cluster there. Viral sequences from several of the market cases were identical, suggesting a transmission cluster. However, there was some diversity in other viral sequences, implying other unknown or unsampled chains of transmission. A summary of modelling studies of the time to the most recent common ancestor of SARS-CoV-2 sequences estimated the start of the pandemic between mid-November and early December. There are also publications suggesting SARS-CoV-2 circulation in various countries earlier than the first case in Wuhan, although these require confirmation. The market in Wuhan, in the end, was more of an amplifying event rather than necessarily a true ground zero. So we need to look elsewhere for the viral origins. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Wuhan wet market"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Wuhan, China","Wuhan","China"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"NYS Fair changes several concerts after 2 more performers cancel","document":"Lorraine Lewis (L) and Britt Lightning of Vixen perform in concert at HEB Center on September 28, 2019 in Cedar Park, Texas. UPDATE: Another NYS Fair concert has been canceled. The Oak Ridge Boys backed out of performing Tuesday, Aug. 31, after members of their touring crew tested positive for Covid-19; local country group Whiskey Hollow Rush will take over their 2 p.m. time slot at Chevy Court. * * * * * If you’re planning on seeing a concert at the Great New York State Fair, double-check the schedule before you go. NYS Fair officials announced late Wednesday that two more performers have canceled, forcing more lineup changes: — Syracuse-based rock band Dangerous Type will no longer perform today (Thursday, Aug. 26) at Chevy Park at 2 p.m.; the timeslot is being filled with Seattle Sons, a local group which celebrates the grunge music that came out of Seattle in the 90′s (and features two members of Dangerous Type). — Also, Great White has dropped out of its Aug. 28 performance at Chevy Court with Vixen. Vixen, an all-female glam metal band best known for “Edge of a Broken Heart” and “Cryin’,” will now perform the 7 p.m. show Saturday entirely themselves. Other recent changes to NYS Fair concerts include: — Noah Cyrus canceled her performance Sunday, Aug. 29, at 2 p.m. at Chevy Park after a member of her crew tested positive for Covid-19; Upstate New York-based modern jazz group The Pickle Mafia will replace her. — Syracuse rapper Scorey, who took Sister Sledge’s timeslot after the disco group canceled, is no longer on the Fair’s schedule. The local Born to Run Band will instead perform the music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, on the Chevy Park stage. The NYS Fair is seeing more last-minute changes than usual this year, but it’s far from the first time that concerts have quickly shuffled. Justin Bieber rescheduled a 2010 concert at the Grandstand due to illness, playing to 17,000 fans three days later. Nas replaced Snoop Dogg within hours at Chevy Court in 2015, the same year Jason Derulo took Meghan Trainor’s timeslot when she canceled her entire tour due to a vocal cord injury. And the Dropkick Murphys filled in for Dickey Betts in 2018 after the Allman Brothers Band co-founder suffered a stroke. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Noah Cyrus canceled her performance","performance","NYS Fair concert","disco group","entire tour"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday, Aug. 31","Aug","Sunday, Aug. 29, at 2 p.m","2 p.m","2015"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Chevy Park"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["a member of her crew tested positive for Covid-19","crew tested positive","Covid-19","members of their touring crew tested positive for Covid-19","vocal cord injury"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Trump’s company puts D.C. hotel lease up for sale, again, with many hotels closed by COVID-19","document":"Former president Donald Trump’s company has again hired a broker to sell the lease to its D.C. hotel, according to two people familiar with the discussions, a second attempt to unload the property after the pandemic thwarted a previous effort. The Trump Organization previously listed the Pennsylvania Avenue hotel, in the federally owned Old Post Office Pavilion, in the fall of 2019. When covid-19 struck, many hotels closed either completely or partially due to government shutdowns, and the company pulled the property off the market. Now, with Trump under investigation by prosecutors in New York and the economy beginning to take off, his company is trying again, hiring the brokerage firm Newmark Group to market the lease, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share private business discussions. Representatives for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative of Newmark Group declined to comment. The hotel, which Trump’s company leases from the General Services Administration, has suffered financially from both the toll covid has taken on luxury travel and the damage Trump’s brand has endured due to his politics, with many liberal, corporate and international clients unwilling to book rooms or events at the hotel. Rooms were running nearly half empty at the hotel the last time the company put it up for sale, according to marketing documents acquired by The Washington Post. Last year revenue at the property fell by 62 percent, according to Trump’s government disclosure forms. The newly proposed sale comes on the heels of Manhattan’s district attorney convening a grand jury expected to decide whether to indict the former president, other executives at his company or the business itself. The move indicates that District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr.’s investigation of the former president and his business has reached an advanced stage after more than two years. Prosecutor in Trump criminal probe convenes grand jury to hear evidence, weigh potential charges It’s unclear whether the D.C. hotel will be a factor in Vance’s investigation into Trump’s business or in a related inquiry by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D). The property has not been named as a target in any public filings related to either Vance’s case or the investigation by James, but the Wall Street Journal reported last week that Vance’s office is investigating the hotel in addition to other properties. Trump called the seating of the grand jury “a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in American history.” “This is purely political, and an affront to the almost 75 million voters who supported me in the Presidential Election, and it’s being driven by highly partisan Democrat prosecutors,” the former president said in a statement last week. Vance’s office declined to comment. Should the hotel sell, it would likely mean the name “Trump” would come down from the building, as industry experts say a new operator would probably want to capitalize on a different hotel brand to grow revenue among a broader swath of clients. In addition to the difficulty of reaching a wide array of guests, hotel management has not reopened the hotel’s outdoor bar seating out of concerns for the comfort and safety of guests. Whether it sells will depend on what price Trump and his family are willing to consider. The Trump Organization put an estimated $200 million into renovating the property, far more than other bidders were willing to offer, and took out a $170 million loan from Deutsche Bank to finance the project. Last time it was up for sale, Eric Trump, the president’s son, said the company was looking for a sales price of around $500 million. Another factor in the sale may be the pool of potential buyers willing to do business with Trump and his company. For months Trump has spread election falsehoods and before leaving office, he urged crowds to march to the U.S. Capitol just before the Jan. 6 attack, prompting some banks, law firms, real estate brokers and other companies to swear off working with him or his company in the future. Trump won the deal to renovate the Old Post Office before he was elected but the hotel became a center of controversy once he entered office. Trump continued to own his business while it served corporations, foreign governments and other clients with business before the U.S. government, leading to allegations of conflicts of interest. David A. Fahrenthold contributed to this report. The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["many hotels"]},{"role":"Date","values":["When covid-19 struck"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["covid-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Ride United bike fundraiser canceled due to COVID-19","document":"Ride United participants take off from Rotary Park at Heritage Landing to Ravenna on the 35-mile course. (Dave Alexander | MLive.com file)Dave Alexander MUSKEGON, MI - The 2021 Ride United fundraiser has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 10th annual event was scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 25 to take place in tandem with the Taste of Muskegon festival. “Due to COVID-19, our staffing and volunteer capacity prevented us from feeling confident that we could deliver a safe and successful event,” organizers said in a Facebook post on Friday, Sept. 17. Organized by the United Way of the Lakeshore, Ride United raises money for the non-profit to help working families in Muskegon, Newaygo and Oceana counties. Hundreds of people usually participate by collecting donations and completing 6-mile, 25-mile, 50-mile, or 100-mile courses on the lakeshore. In 2020, the fundraiser was held virtually because of the ongoing pandemic. Organizers canceled this year’s event as COVID-19 cases continue to climb statewide because of the delta variant. Michigan reported an average of 2,395 daily cases of COVID-19 Monday, Sept. 20--the highest daily average since May. Anyone who registered for Ride United 2021 can receive a refund or participate in next year’s event. “We are making plans to come back stronger in 2022,” said United Way of the Lakeshore. Taste of Muskegon, an outdoor food festival, is still scheduled to take place on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 24-25 at Hackley Park. More on MLive: Lab planning $1.5M expansion to meet demand, and that doesn’t even include marijuana or PFAS Work on new restaurant at Muskegon’s arena finally begins Wider sidewalks, less parking coming to Muskegon’s downtown Western Avenue ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The 2021 Ride United fundraiser"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday, Sept. 25"]},{"role":"Location","values":["lakeshore","Lakeshore"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 pandemic","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Mall shops, places of worship linked to TTSH cluster to close for 2 days","document":"SINGAPORE — Multi-ministry taskforce co-chair Lawrence Wong on Friday (30 April) announced a tightening of local COVID-19 measures amid a rise in community cases. COVID-19: Social interactions should be limited to two per day – MTF [UPDATE at 2.40pm on Saturday, 1 May 2021: 313 Somerset and AMK Hub, previously listed as having been visited by a case from the TTSH cluster on 26 and 27 April have been removed from the list of places visited by the community during the infectious period.] SINGAPORE — All public places visited by COVID-19 cases in the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) cluster, including places of worship and those in at least nine malls, will be closed for two days for cleaning and to facilitate the testing of staff there for COVID-19. These places, which were visited by 13 infectious community cases linked to the cluster as of Friday (30 April), include: 3 mosques: Masjid Hajjah Fatimah, Masjid Al-Falah, Masjid Abdul Hamid Kg Pasiran One church: City Harvest Church at Jurong West Places within nine shopping malls: AMK Hub, Orchard Central, Junction 8, VivoCity, Esplanade Xchange, Bugis +, Bugis Junction, 100AM, 313 Somerset Places visited within the shopping malls include an arcade – Paco Funworld Bugis + – as well as three NTUC FairPrice/FairPrice Xtra outlets at Toa Payoh Hub, Kitchener Complex, and VivoCity, respectively. The full list, which has not been finalised, is as follows: The MOH said it will also carry out surveillance testing for patients who had been discharged from, and visitors to, the TTSH on or after 18 April; as well as individuals who had been to or who work at the public places that the TTSH cluster cases had visited during their infectious period. \"Our testing is ongoing and we expect to detect more cases in the coming days,\" said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, co-chair of the multi-ministry task force on COVID-19, who spoke at a virtual media conference on Friday. \"The next few days will be critical: if we find many more cases that suggest widespread transmission, we will have to introduce more measures to break the chain of transmission.\" Healthcare institutions have also been reminded to closely monitor patients who were previously admitted at the TTSH from 18 April. And while close contacts of the confirmed cases who are at higher risk of infection have already been identified through contact-tracing, MOH is offering tests to these individuals to pre-emptively mitigate any potential risk of wider, undetected community transmission. The ministry also advised all visitors and patients who were at the TTSH since 18 April to monitor their health closely for 14 days from their date of visit. They are \"strongly encouraged\" to visit a regional screening centre (RSC) or public health preparedness clinic (PHPC) for a government-funded swab test, it added. Starting from 3 May through 16 May, these individuals may book an appointment for a free COVID-19 PCR test at any of the “Swab and Send Home” (SASH) PHPCs islandwide or walk in to one of the following four RSCs: Former Da Qiao Primary School, 8 Ang Mo Kio Street 54, S(569185); Former Shuqun Secondary School, 450 Jurong East Street 21, S(609604); Former Coral Primary School, 20 Pasir Ris Street 51, S(518902); Former Bishan Park Secondary School, 2 Sin Ming Walk S(575565). \"We strongly encourage all individuals in the identified groups to come forward for testing. Individuals will only need to bring along their photo identification, and inform the PHPC or RSC staff of the date and time they were at the TTSH or the specified public places. The cost of these tests will be fully borne by the government,\" said the MOH. These announcements come on the same day the MOH confirmed an additional four cases linked to a fully vaccinated nurse at the TTSH, bringing the total linked cases in the cluster to 13. The new \"case 62541\" cluster, named after the 46-year-old Filipina's case number, includes at least one fully-vaccinated doctor and six patients, with the oldest aged 94. Four general wards – 7D, 10B, 9C and 9D – where both infected staff and patients had been, have since been locked down. This means that there is no movement in or out of the wards, except for essential tests. \"Even then, when we do move them, we take full precautions moving them,\" said TTSH chief executive Dr Eugene Soh, who was addressing reporters at a virtual media conference. \"We will not admit any further patients into that ward and we will have a dedicated group of staff, taking care of those patients in the ward. That is essential for us to put a barrier here, to make sure that we keep the patients in the ward safe, as well as keep those outside the ward safe as well.\" All close contacts of the identified cases, including patients, visitors and staff who have been in the affected wards, have also been placed on quarantine. A total of 76 staff members have been placed on a leave of absence (LOA) , awaiting their quarantine orders based on further contact tracing. Dr Soh added that he anticipates more staff will be placed on LOA or quarantine. In addition, 61 patients, including confirmed COVID-19 patients, have been transferred to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). In lieu of the growing cluster, the hospital has been testing all TTSH staff and patients who were in the TTSH Main Block Levels 3 to 13 from 18 to 28 April. According to Dr Soh, all 1,100 inpatients and 4,500 staff working in the main TTSH wards will be swabbed, with the former to complete swabbing by Friday evening. Staff members will complete their swab tests by the weekend. It has also stepped up clinical surveillance of all inpatients who may develop fever and ARI symptoms, as well as restrict movement of healthcare workers in the hospital, including the suspension of all healthcare student postings at the TTSH and non-essential trainings. Visitors to the hospital have also been barred, except on a compassionate basis to patients who are critically ill. Tan Tock Seng Hospital has banned all visits to its wards after a Filipino nurse there tested positive for COVID-19, leading to a cluster. READ MORE: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/covid-19-some-places-in-9-malls-3-mosques-and-1-church-closed-two-days-mtf-105126955.html Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Related stories: 16 new COVID community cases in Singapore, highest in over 9 months Fully vaccinated nurse at TTSH has COVID-19, 4 others preliminarily positive: MOH Woman behind racist videos had YouTube channel removed, property firm terminated 'associate' Former French presidential hopeful Francois Fillon returns to court on Monday to try to clear his name in a corruption scandal that caused his downfall and sealed the rise of Emmanuel Macron. The wave of inflation that's swept the United States this year has spared no part of the country, not even Wilmington, the city that has provided the backdrop for much of US President Joe Biden's political career. The nomad was thirsty, and the journey into the Somali desert would be long and taxing. Gaming giant Epic's CEO on Tuesday launched another broadside at Apple and Google, saying the tech giants must be stopped from abusing their control over the marketplaces for apps. Sri Lanka shut its only oil refinery Monday after running out of dollars to import crude, in an escalating economic crisis that has triggered shortages of food and other staples. Fenster's release was secured following 'face-to-face negotiations' between former US diplomat Bill Richardson and junta chief Min Aung Hlaing An orange farmer in southeastern China saw his online orders jump 150 times after he donated a few boxes of the fruit to a Zhejiang University student for experiments, because he wished to “make contributions for the country”. Chen Kai, a farmer in Linhai of Zhejiang, eastern China, has had to deal with more than 15,000 online orders per day, previously the number of daily orders at his shop on Chinese e-commerce platform Pinduoduo was fewer than 100, the Zhejiang Daily reported. It happened aft From Taiwan to Covid and the South China Sea, here are some of the flashpoint issues that US President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping may discuss during their virtual summit. It will have escaped no one's notice that we are spending more and more time with headphones in or on our ears. While this listening time was previously associated with music, the rise of podcasts and audiobooks is shaking up our audio consumption habits. So much so that Americans are starting to abandon music streaming, according to a new study. Images from the Podlaska regional police show water cannons being sprayed at stone-throwing migrants who have gathered on the Polish-Belarusian border. Polish border guards estimate up to 4,000 migrants are currently camped out along the border between Poland and Belarus in increasingly dire conditions and freezing temperatures. A standoff near the Bruzgi-Kuznica border crossing on the EU's eastern frontier began last week when hundreds of migrants gathered there. \"Migrants attacked our soldiers and officers with rocks and are trying to destroy the fence and cross into Poland,\" Poland's defence ministry has said in justification of the use of water cannon. MATUMBAMAN's departure from Secret follows that of offlaner Ludwig \"zai\" Wåhlberg, who parted ways with the team earlier this month to join Team Liquid. British singer Sting is back at the age of 70 with a hopeful new album, though he admits he sees a lot to worry him in the world right now. Dubbed as the “King in the North,” Rekkles is considered one of the best LoL players in Europe, winning four League of Legends European Championship titles and participating in four World Championships. Lionel Messi trains alongside Argentina's national football team in Ezeiza ahead of the World Cup qualifier match against arch rivals Brazil. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has said Messi, who only played 15 minutes off the bench in Thursday's 1-0 win over Uruguay, will be fit to play in Tuesday's match. Meanwhile, Brazil forward Neymar has been ruled out of the match with a thigh problem, the Brazilian football confederation (CBF) announced Monday. Earlier on Monday, The US and Russia have maintained strong space ties since the end of the Cold War, cooperating closely on the ISS, which they built together US President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping opened a virtual summit Monday with an appeal for better communication between the superpowers and what Biden called \"guardrails\" to avoid conflict. Pollution levels in Delhi have remained ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ for most of November Reigning Singapore Premier League champions have signed South Korea international striker Kim Shin-wook, and have made the league's highest-paid player. Police in northwest England say they are treating a deadly blast outside a hospital in Liverpool on Sunday as a \"terrorist incident\" JP Morgan Chase has sued Tesla for $162 million over a stock warrants contract, accusing the company of \"flagrantly\" ignoring its obligation to pay the investment bank after the electric carmaker's shares soared.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["places of worship and those in at least nine malls","Places","places"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday (30 April)","for two days"]},{"role":"Location","values":["SINGAPORE","Singapore"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["tightening of local COVID-19 measures"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Russia shuts down opposition leader Alexey Navalny's anti-corruption foundation","document":" Russia's government has ordered opposition leader Alexey Navalny's political organization to shut down, at least for now. The fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin just ended a three-week hunger strike in a Russian prison. CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports that Navalny's supporters used his strike action as a springboard for new anti- government protests. Particularly among younger Russians, the movement spearheaded by Navalny has galvanized into a powerful groundswell of domestic opposition to Putin, and that's exactly what prosecutors hope to shut down with their latest move. Navalny himself was the victim of an assassination attempt last summer — poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. He accuses the Kremlin, and Putin himself, of ordering the attack. The U.S. and other Western nations agree. The Kremlin has steadfastly denied any role in the poisoning, but as soon as Navalny recovered from treatment in Germany and returned to Russia, he was sent to jail. Now a court wants to silence his anti-corruption foundation, too, by labeling it an extremist organization, on par with ISIS and al Qaeda. The court's ruling is pending, but the government has ordered the foundation to be shut down while the extremist designation is considered. Palmer asked Vladimir Ashurkov, the foundation's director, why he believes the Kremlin would take such a dramatic step to silence Navalny's organization. \"I guess because over the years, Navalny and our organization emerged as the most important opponent to Vladimir Putin,\" he told CBS News. The foundation has consistently highlighted alleged corruption in Putin's close circles. Most recently, it released a video showing a vast country estate allegedly built for the Russian leader. The video showed, among other luxuries at the estate, gold-plated toilet brushes. It was viewed more than 115 million times. The toilet brushes went viral on social media. Since the video, anti-Putin protesters on the streets have carried gold-painted toilet brushes to mock the president. The Kremlin tries to ignore Navalny. President Putin won't even say his name. But the ruthless measures being taken to repress him and his movement may backfire, serving only to add to his fame, and his support. \"Whatever comes next, Alexey has already won,\" Navalny's wife Yulia wrote in a letter to CBS' \"60 Minutes.\"","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Alexey Navalny's political organization"]},{"role":"Date","values":["at least for now"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Russia"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Navalny's supporters used his strike action as a springboard for new anti- government protests","Navalny"]}]} {"event_trigger":"When Dance Shut Down, These Directors Banded Together","document":"Since last summer, leaders of New York’s pre-eminent dance companies have been meeting weekly to share ideas and problems. By Roslyn Sulcas Last summer, Jonathan Stafford, the artistic director of New York City Ballet, was feeling isolated and anxious. It was a few months into the pandemic, and the strangeness of lockdown and the turmoil and urgency of the Black Lives Matter protests were on his mind. City Ballet’s performances, programs and plans had come to an abrupt halt — as they had for performing arts organizations across the country. No one knew when or how theaters would open again. Many dancers had fled to family or friends outside the city; most didn’t have adequate space to keep up the intense physical training needed to keep in shape for performance. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["City Ballet’s performances, programs"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Last summer","a few months"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New York City"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Taliban entered led the most universities and public offices in Kabul remain close","document":" Afghans who hope to be evacuated head through flooded streets towards Kabul’s airport.Credit: Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Shutterstock On Sunday 15 August, geologist Hamidullah Waizy was interviewing job candidates at the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum in Kabul when he was told the Taliban had entered the city, and he must evacuate. The next morning, he saw armed militants on the streets. Waizy, a researcher at Kabul Polytechnic University who was recently also appointed director-general of prospecting and exploration of mines at the ministry, was shocked by the city’s rapid fall. Since then, he’s lived in limbo, mostly shuttered up in the relative safety of his home. Across Kabul, most universities and public offices remain closed. The Taliban says it wants officials to continue working, but it is not clear what this will look like. “The future is very uncertain,” Waizy told Nature. How US sanctions are crippling science in Iran When the fundamentalist group last held the country, in 1996–2001, it brutally enforced a conservative version of Islamic Sharia law, characterized by women’s-rights violations and suppression of freedom of expression. But after it was overthrown in 2001, international funding poured into Afghanistan and universities thrived. Now, academics fear for their own safety. They also worry that research will languish without money and personal freedoms, and because educated people will flee. Some fear that they could be persecuted for being involved in international collaborations, or because of their fields of study or their ethnicity. “The achievements we had over the past 20 years are all at great risk,” says Attaullah Ahmadi, a public-health scientist at Kateb University in Kabul. According to news reports, billions of dollars in overseas finance for Afghanistan’s government — such as assets held by the US Federal Reserve and credit from the International Monetary Fund — have been frozen. It’s not clear whether or when the funding will be released, and how that will affect universities and researchers, but many report salaries not being paid. In 2001, after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, a US-led coalition invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban. In 2004, a new government was elected. Kenneth Holland, a dean at O.P. Jindal Global University in Sonipat, India, was president of the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) in Kabul in 2017–19. He says that when he arrived in the country in 2006, he found “almost no research being done at universities; no culture of research”. Since 2004, the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development and other international organizations have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into universities to support teaching, faculty training and some research, he says. Some three dozen public universities have been established or re-established since 2010, and tens more private universities have been set up. Public universities are funded by the Ministry of Higher Education, which is financed by international donors, says Holland. Private universities survive on tuition fees, although the AUAF is mostly funded by the US government. Students graduate at the American University of Afghanistan in 2019.Credit: Kiana Hayeri/The New York Times/Redux/eyevine The student population at public universities grew from 8,000 in 20011 to 170,000 in 2018, one-quarter of whom by that time were women2. And although Afghanistan’s contribution to international journals remained small, the number of papers recorded annually in the Scopus database increased from 71 in 2011 to 285 in 2019.2 Shakardokht Jafari, a medical physicist at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK, who is originally from Afghanistan, has seen much progress since 2001, from burgeoning enrolment of female students to growing output on topics from cancer to geology. But now she fears “there will be a stagnation of science and research progress”. For a long time “scientists considered Afghanistan a black hole”, says Najibullah Kakar, a geohazards scientist at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam. He is one of many Afghans who went abroad for their education, intending to return with new skills to help build the nation. In 2014, he helped to install Afghanistan’s first seismic network to study plate tectonics. He continued that work until 2019, when conflicts made it difficult to travel to remote areas. He and his team planned to establish a seismic monitoring and research centre in Afghanistan to warn of natural hazards. But since the fall of Kabul, they have been in a state of panic, and Kakar, who says he has not slept for days, is desperately trying to help get his colleagues out. Taliban fighters patrol the streets in Kabul.Credit: Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Kakar’s colleagues are among a tide of researchers seeking asylum overseas. Rose Anderson, a director at humanitarian organization Scholars at Risk (SAR) in New York City, which finds threatened scholars safe havens at universities, says that in August alone, SAR received more than 500 applications from people in Afghanistan. Some are law scholars who fear reprisals if their field is at odds with the Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia law. Many women fear being targeted for their gender and women’s-rights activism; some men fear being punished for teaching or supervising women. Others worry that they could be added to hit lists because they studied abroad or have international connections. Almost all “reported a fear of being targeted just because they are in favour of free and critical inquiry and held ideals around respect for human rights and women’s rights”, says Anderson. Many have gone into hiding, or plan to cross into neighbouring countries. So far, Anderson says, 164 institutions globally have agreed to host scholars, and SAR has appealed to US and European governments to fast-track visas and continue evacuation flights. But getting people out is difficult: embassies are closed, Kabul airport is overrun and dangerous to get to, and escape over land is hard. Many at risk remain in Afghanistan. Holland says researchers at the AUAF are particularly vulnerable. The institution has been attacked by militants before: in 2016, 13 people were killed, including faculty members, staff and students. All 60 or so non-Afghan staff members have been evacuated, but only about 20 of some 400 local employees have been flown out, he says. Another 800 students and more than 1,000 alumni could become targets, Holland says. The largest share of Afghanistan’s population of 39 million, including many members of the Taliban, is ethnically Pashtun. Researchers from other ethnic groups risk persecution. Musa Joya is a medical physicist at Tehran University of Medical Science in Iran, who also works as a lecturer in Kabul. He belongs to the Farsi-speaking Hazara community, which he says makes him a target. He had planned to return to Kabul next year to work at a radiotherapy centre supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency, but those plans could be suspended. Remaining in Iran might not be a solution either, because it is difficult for non-nationals to gain employment at research institutes, Joya says. India–Pakistan nuclear escalation: where could it lead? His wife and children are still in Afghanistan. “I really see a dark future,” he says. “I don’t know how to feed my family; how to rescue them; how to protect them.” He hasn’t heard reports of the Taliban persecuting people in Kabul, but news of killings in other provinces alarms him. People are “getting ready for a storm”, he says. There are a few hints that things might not be as restrictive as they were under the previous Taliban administration. Several researchers report that the Taliban is in discussion with university heads about restarting classes. There are suggestions that women might be allowed to continue their studies, although the Taliban has ordered that women and men be taught separately, and some universities have proposed introducing partitions in classrooms. But in the city of Bamyan, west of Kabul, women have been told not to work and to stay at home, says a female lecturer and education researcher there, who graduated from AUAF and is Hazara. “I am under threat from the Taliban now,” she says. Scientists also worry about the future of research. Joya fears that the Taliban won’t prioritize research, or recognize its value. And he does not know how universities will cope without international financial support. One Kabul-based scholar and member of the Afghanistan Science Academy, who does not want to be named, says this is the third time that he and his family, like many in Afghanistan, have lost everything. He fled during the unrest in the late 1970s ahead of the invasion of the Soviet Union; again in the late 1990s during the Taliban’s previous tenure; and is now considering fleeing once more. “It is a very difficult situation for a human being: you are born in war, you grow up in war and now you will die in war.” US civil-rights group offers support to researchers facing China scrutiny Many people with postgraduate degrees have already fled. “This is a big catastrophe for the future of Afghanistan,” he says. “There will be no educated people left.” The academy, for example, employed some 200 scholars and 160 other staff, with an annual budget of some 300 million afghani (US$3.5 million), he adds. But they, and many government employees, have not been paid for two months, as the Taliban tightened its grip on the nation. “The system is almost paralysed,” says Ahmadi. It is not clear whether the international community will recognize the new government and continue to provide funding. Researchers hope they will not be abandoned. “We spent all our money, energy and time in Afghanistan to build a brighter future for ourselves and our children. But with this kind of withdrawal, they destroyed all our lives, all our hopes and ambitions,” says Joya. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["most universities and public offices","universities"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday 15 August","remain closed"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Kabul"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Taliban had entered the city","Taliban","city","city’s rapid fall"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Operating hours of shopping malls, supermarkets and convenience stores will be shortened to reduce the spread of Covid-19","document":"updated: 24 Apr 2021 at 16:29 writer: Online Reporters Operating hours of shopping malls, supermarkets and convenience stores will be shortened further in 18 high-risk provinces in order to reduce the spread of Covid-19, the Thai Retailers Association (TRA) said on Saturday. In addition, 42 provinces have now made mask-wearing in public mandatory, while officials in Nonthaburi are asking — but not yet ordering — residents to stay home from 9pm to 4am. Starting on Sunday, the TRA said, shopping malls and community malls in 18 provinces will be open from 11am to 8pm; supermarkets and food courts must close at 9pm, and convenience stores must close from 10pm to 5am. The new hours will be in effect until May 2. ADVERTISEMENT The changes apply in the following “red zone” provinces: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Phuket, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Rayong, Sa Kaew, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Songkhla, Suphan Buri, Tak and Udon Thani. Yon Pokesap, president of the Thai Shopping Centres Association (TSCA), said that promotional activities at malls, which draw people together, would continue to be banned. As well, he said, more staff of member businesses will be asked to work from home if possible. ADVERTISEMENT The TSCA membership includes MBK, The Mall Group, Central Pattana, Siam Retail Development, The Platinum Group, Seacon Development, Siam Future Development, Siam Piwat Group and KE Land. In Nonthaburi, the provincial administration said it was asking residents for “cooperation” to not leave their homes from 9pm to 4am unless they have a good reason. As well, people are being asked not to eat together in groups. Provincial authorities have also expanded the list of establishments required to stay closed in order to reduce virus transmission risk. It includes entertainment places such as pubs, bars, karaokes, bathing houses, massage parlours and others; gaming shops; water and amusement parks, including those at malls; amulet centres; swimming pools; cock- or fish-fighting rings or any animal training or competition sites. Also in Nonthaburi, Bangkruai Hospital announced it would be closed from Monday to tend to existing Covid patients with moderate to severe symptoms. The 60-bed community facility said that under no circumstances would it accept accident or general patients. People can seek medical services from tambon health promotion hospitals for Bang Kruai and Bang Khun Kong from 8am to 6pm. Meanwhile, mask-wearing in both indoor and outdoor public spaces is now compulsory in 42 provinces, according to the Ministry of Interior. Violators can be fined up to 20,000 baht. The provinces are: CENTRAL Ayutthaya, Lop Buri, Kanchanaburi (only at markets, flea markets and floating markets), Nonthaburi, Phetchaburi, Prachin Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Saraburi, Suphan Buri EAST Chon Buri, Trat NORTH Lamphun, Phetchabun, Sukhothai, Tak, Uttaradit NORTHEAST Amnat Charoen, Buri Ram, Chaiyaphum, Loei, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Phanom, Nong Khai, Si Sa Ket, Surin, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Yasothon SOUTH Nakhon Si Thammarat, Narathiwat, Pattani, Phangnga, Phuket, Ranong, Satun, Songkhla, Surat Thani, Trang, Yala. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["supermarkets and food courts","supermarkets","convenience stores","entertainment places such as pubs, bars, karaokes, bathing houses, massage parlours and others; gaming shops; water and amusement parks, including those at malls; amulet centres; swimming pools; cock- or fish-fighting rings or any animal training or competition sites","malls","Bangkruai Hospital"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Starting on Sunday","9pm","from 10pm to 5am","until May 2","from Monday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Nonthaburi","Thai"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["reduce the spread of Covid-19","Covid"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Reggae entertainer Chronixx's upcoming concert at the Brooklyn Mirage will cancle","document":"Reggae entertainer Chronixx has revealed that his upcoming concert at the Brooklyn Mirage scheduled for September 6, has been cancelled. On Monday (Aug 30, 2021), the “Skankin sweet” singjay shared a post on Instagram with his over 893 thousand followers. The post reads, “Due to circumstances beyond our control, our September 6th concert at the Brooklyn Mirage has been cancelled. We appreciate everyone who brought tickets and made plans to attend. Thank you for always showing us love. #delasplash.” Chronixx in the caption further stated, “Massive love to my family all over the world and especially the family in NYC. The almighty is carrying us.” Fellow reggae entertainers Kaba Pyramid and Jesse Royal are among the many social media users reacting to the post. The ongoing effects of COVID-19 have forced some entertainers, and promoters to pull the plug on their events.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["September 6"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Brooklyn Mirage"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["ongoing effects of COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"COVID-19: School closures in the Philippines threaten education 'catastrophe'","document":"| Schoolchildren in the Philippines are facing another year of distance learning. Photo: Eloisa Lopez/REUTERS As schools around the world gradually welcome back students, the Philippines has decided to keep schools shuttered for another year as the country struggles to control spiking COVID cases. The Philippines is one of the only countries in the world where schools have continuously remained closed since the coronavirus pandemic began last year. President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed a proposal to try out in-person classes in low-risk areas, over fears that children who are not eligible for vaccination could infect parents and older family members. The government's decision was met with protest from teachers and children's rights groups, who said that the prolonged school closures will have long-term consequences on children's education and development. \"We cannot keep using new virus variants as a reason for keeping schools closed. Malls and cockfighting stadiums have opened, why can't schools?\" Raymond Basilio, secretary general of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), told DW. Internet access hampers distance learning When the pandemic hit the Philippines last year, the government rolled out a distance learning program allowing students to attend classes either online or by using printed self-study learning modules. ACT said the year of distance learning has increased an education gap for children in poor and rural areas. According to government statistics, only about 18 per cent of households in the Philippines have an internet connection at home. Internet penetration is even lower in rural areas. \"Many teachers have resorted to setting up kiosks outside their homes so they could still guide and teach their students. What else is there to do when your students live in areas where there is no internet or even electricity?\" Basilio said. \"If we don't do this, we will have a generation of children who do not know how to read and write,\" he added. Long-term impacts of school closures In a statement, the Child Rights Network, a coalition of children's rights advocates, said the quality of education in the Philippines brought about by school closures is a \"learning and child development catastrophe\" waiting to happen. The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) estimated that prolonged school closures could result in an estimated productivity loss in the Philippines equivalent to €187 billion ($219 billion) over the next 40 years, corresponding to an individual's life span in the labor force. \"Long-term consequences are severe when schools are closed for long periods. There is a higher risk for child labor and teen pregnancy. The benefits of keeping schools open far outweigh the anticipated negative impact,\" UNICEF education specialist Teresita Felipe told DW. According to a UNICEF study, more than 80 per cent of parents said their children show slower learning improvement when studying from home. Case study shows big learning gaps In the southern Philippine province of Siargao, some 762 kilometers (470 miles) from Manila, the local government assessed the proficiency levels of elementary students in 20 public schools in the municipality of Del Carmen. The results showed proficiency levels in math and English of as low as 22 per cent. The results were alarming but not surprising said Alfredo \"Jr\" Matugas Coro II, vice mayor of Del Carmen. \"Only face to face teaching works. This data shows that there is more harm in not opening schools in low risk areas,\" he told DW. Abelardo David, founder and executive director of a school for children with disabilities, told DW that children with learning disabilities have especially fallen through the cracks. The year of school closures has put such children at higher risk for dropping out of school entirely and social isolation, he said. \"For many kids with disabilities, schools and their teachers are their only form of social interaction with others,\" said David, who is also a member of Philippines Department of Education advisory forum. Education officials defend closures However, some parents have supported the government's move to keep schools closed, as delta variant-driven COVID cases continue to rise. \"I would really love for my kids to go back to school but the situation is so bad. I think keeping the schools closed for now is one of the few right things government did,\" Megi Garcia, a mother of two, told DW. The Department of Education recorded 26.3 million students enrolled for the current school year, surpassing numbers from the previous year. The department has rejected \"sweeping statements\" about a generation of illiterate children caused by distance learning. \"We acknowledge the learning losses, but we should not turn a blind eye to the learning gains such as the recovery of household involvement in learning and the actions of local government in augmenting digital platforms,\" Nepomuceno Malaluan, undersecretary with the Education Department, told DW. Malaluan added that it was misleading to compare countries that have not resumed face-to-face classes with those that have. \"It gives the perception that schools are open full scale, uninterrupted, without problems, and have fully addressed learning gaps. There are numerous incidents in various countries where face-to-face classes become a contributing factor to outbreaks. These too have consequences for education,\" he said.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["another year","have continuously remained closed","last year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Philippines"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["coronavirus pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"What NYC’s First School COVID Closure Can Tell Us About the Year To Come","document":" New York City shuttered its first public school this week due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Public data surrounding the episode—at the Horan School in East Harlem—offers the first hints to when other schools might follow suit. This year, the city’s Department of Education declined to set a specific threshold for school closure, opting instead to switch to remote instruction on a case-by-case basis if the health department finds evidence of “widespread transmission.” But what exactly qualifies has not been shared by education nor health officials, leaving parents unaware of how much COVID in a school this year is considered too much. Previously, New York City schools shut their doors after racking up four school-linked cases across different classrooms within a week. At a press conference on Tuesday, health commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi defined \"widespread transmission” in schools as “multiple sources of infection in multiple spaces or cohorts within a school.” He added that the transmission would have to be happening within the school itself, rather than in the community, to prompt a full closure. “There’s not a perfect algorithm or chart,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said of the criteria for school closures. “It really depends on individual circumstances.” For clarity, WNYC/Gothamist obtained data on the Horan School outbreak from the New York State Department of Health. It shows that 22 staff members at the school, also known as P.S. 79, had tested positive for COVID-19 by the time its doors were closed. That would mean the school closed after about 13% of staff had a confirmed infection. That would mean the school closed after about 13% of staff had a confirmed infection, given the school budgeted for about 165 employees this year. Less mystery surrounds the origins of the outbreak at P.S. 79, a special education high school that served 277 students in the 2019-2020 school year. Schools chancellor Meisha Porter said at Tuesday’s press conference that it began with an unvaccinated adult. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and a Department of Education spokesperson attributed the outbreak to a staff orientation that happened before classes began on September 13th. “What happened at P.S. 79 is unfortunate, particularly as it affects our most vulnerable: special needs public school students,” Brewer said in a statement. “Right now I’m focused on ensuring that these students are getting the best possible remote education under these difficult and challenging circumstances.” It’s unclear where the staff orientation was held, but the building’s ventilation report shows that three employee offices lack the windows and supply fans needed to provide fresh air, a key part of preventing coronavirus transmission. Data from the DOE’s Daily COVID Case Map speaks to the speed of the virus’s spread: By the end of the second day of school on September 14th, five of the building’s 38 classrooms had been closed due to a positive test result. Two days later on September 16th, the school was marked as having “multiple cases under investigation,” with 10 of its classrooms shuttered. The school closed completely on Saturday and is slated to reopen early next week. That’s also when the education department will implement its new quarantine protocol, which officials told WNYC/Gothamist they hope will minimize classroom closures. The updated rules allow unvaccinated children to stay in school after someone in their class tests positive, provided that the exposed students were wearing masks and sitting at least three feet away from the infected child. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Meisha Porter"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Horan School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this week","week","Saturday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New York City"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 outbreak","COVID","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Kiss postpones metro Detroit concert, others as Gene Simmons tests positive for COVID-19","document":"COVID-19 continues to shake up the concert world — this time with another batch of postponed dates for Kiss. Less than a week after guitarist Paul Stanley's diagnosis forced the band to call off several shows, Gene Simmons has tested positive and “is experiencing mild symptoms,” Kiss announced Tuesday afternoon. That’s prompting the group to postpone four more dates, starting with Wednesday's scheduled show at DTE Energy Music Theatre. Concerts in Dayton, Ohio; Tinley Park, Illinois; and Milwaukee are also affected. Kiss said the band and its crew will isolate for the next 10 days, with hopes of restarting Sept. 9. A new DTE date will be announced in coming days, the tour’s promoter said. Existing tickets will be honored for rescheduled shows, and refund information will be available when those dates are announced. More:Guns N' Roses brings bone-rattling concert to Comerica Park More:38 years after death, iconic Motown bass player gets a proper headstone Stanley tweeted Monday that he is clear of COVID-19, and while his symptoms were “mild,” it nevertheless “kicked my ass.” Kiss’s DTE show, part of the band’s End of the Road World Tour, was originally scheduled for September 2020 but rescheduled for this week because of last year’s pandemic shutdown. The band had announced earlier Tuesday that the tour’s Australian leg, set for late this year, has been rebooked for next spring because of ongoing restrictions Down Under. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Concerts in Dayton, Ohio; Tinley Park, Illinois; and Milwaukee","tour’s Australian leg"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday afternoon","September 2020","late this year"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Smoke headed for Metro Vancouver, Stanley Park closed overnight as 241 wildfires burn across B.C.","document":"Wildfire smoke is in the forecast for B.C.'s south coast this weekend, in addition to a heat wave, which in the wake of last month's fatal heat dome prompted warnings Friday from health officials. Metro Vancouver is expected to see smoke roll in this weekend, joining communities across the province that have been blanketed by wildfire smoke for weeks, at levels far above World Health Organization maximum levels. As air quality across B.C. continues to pose a health risk, B.C.'s wildfire service says 241 wildfires are currently burning, down from about 300 last week. A new fire is sparking partial closures in Manning Park, about 200 kilometres east of Vancouver. Heat warnings or special weather statements now cover much of B.C., packing temperatures from the low 30s in the northeast to 40 C in the Fraser Canyon and Boundary regions. Rob Schweitzer, director of fire centre operations with the wildfire service, warns that the heat, along with limited cooling at night, could contribute to severe burning conditions over the next few days. Lightning is also in the forecast for regions already ranked at high to extreme risk of wildfires. FireSmoke Canada says smoky skies could arrive in Metro Vancouver and on the South Coast Saturday morning, but winds from the west will likely push it eastward by Sunday. On Friday evening, Vancouver Coastal Health issued its first wildfire smoke warning of the year. The smoky haze contains fine particulate matter, which can be especially difficult for people with respiratory issues, as well as older adults, infants, young children and pregnant women. Health officials said everyone should \"reduce time spent outdoors and reduce strenuous activities\" until the smoke clears, but also said the forecasted heat wave puts many people at an even greater risk. \"For most people, heat stress is a bigger health risk than smoky air,\" Vancouver Coastal Health said. \"During hot and smoky conditions, it is recommended to prioritize cooling indoor spaces when possible.\" Environment Canada issued an air quality advisory at 2 p.m. PT for eastern Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley because of high concentrations of ground-level ozone that are expected to persist into the weekend. Much of the province is already accustomed to dangerously smoky air. On Friday, conditions worsened in some areas, particularly in and around Kelowna, which had an air quality rating 42 times the maximum levels recommended by the World Health Organization, with reports of street lights turning on during daytime and low visibility. The wildfire in Manning Park, although just 18 hectares in size, prompted B.C. Parks to briefly close a local lake to boaters on Friday, and to evacuate a backcountry cabin in the area used by hikers. Roads in the park to the north of Highway 3 are also closed until further notice, B.C. Parks said, but the highway remains open. The fire is visible from the highway, but campgrounds in the park are also still open to visitors. \"Right now, we're being advised that there is no imminent danger,\" Vern Schram, general manager of the privately run Manning Park resort, told CBC News on Friday. \"That said, we're weighing through the scenarios and looking at what we might need to do should the situation worsen.\" The fire is labelled a \"Rank 4 aggressive fire,\" and \"rapid attack\" firefighters have been deployed to start tackling it, as well as aerial crews. July 30, 2021 - 3:20pm: BC Parks has asked us to close the Blackwall and Lookout Road until further notice as a precautionary measure. Access to the lake has resumed for boats and boat rentals. The resort and campgrounds remain open. The Vancouver Park Board announced Friday afternoon it will be temporarily closing all non-essential access to Stanley Park between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The closure is aimed at reducing fire risk to the park, according to a statement on the city's website. Park rangers will set up temporary overnight access control points at five locations across the park to reduce the number of individuals in the park overnight. Vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians and anyone who does not require access to the park will be turned back at access control points. The Stanley Park Causeway will remain open but access to the seawall will be closed. The temporary closure will be in effect seven days a week beginning July 30 and will extend indefinitely until the fire risk has been significantly reduced. WATCH | Lytton residents still coping with loss a month after devastating wildfire: Emergency Management B.C. says 60 evacuation orders covering just over 3,000 properties remain in effect, while residents of nearly 19,000 other properties must be ready to leave on short notice. Evacuation orders were downgraded to alerts late Thursday for several properties near a 654-square-kilometre wildfire burning northwest of Kamloops. But the wildfire service says that blaze and most of the nearly three dozen listed as fires of note remain out of control and continue to challenge firefighters on at least one flank. \"It continues to be a challenge, especially with having aerial resources limited due to the visibility,\" Forrest Tower, with B.C.'s wildfire service, told CBC News. \"That really does put a heavier focus on our ground crews.\" Around 7:30 p.m. Friday, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued a new evacuation order for 43 properties near Tunkwa Lake, west of Kamloops, which is threatened by the Tremont Creek Wildfire. Evacuation orders were also issued in the last day for 125 properties on the Bonaparte Plateau, east of 70 Mile House, due to the Flat Lake wildfire. The TNRD EOC has issued an Evacuation Order for 125 properties in Electoral Area \"E\" (Bonaparte Plateau) due to the Flat Lake Wildfire. #BCWildfirehttps://t.co/B57wgxBM4e pic.twitter.com/dX6Y5AEohk The B.C. Wildfire Service says more than 241 wildfires are burning across the province, the largest number of them in the Kamloops region — an increase of 54 fires from last week. The largest blaze remains the nearly 590-square-kilometre Sparks Lake fire, discovered June 28 north of Kamloops Lake; it remains out of control, according to authorities. A total of 4,710 square kilometres have burned so far this year in B.C. — a 36 per cent increase over the past decade's wildfire season average. Experts say climate change is contributing to longer and worse wildfire seasons. Anyone placed under an evacuation order should leave the area immediately. Evacuation centres have been set up throughout the province to assist anyone evacuating from a community under threat from a wildfire. To find the centre closest to you, visit the Emergency Management B.C. website. Evacuees are encouraged to register with Emergency Support Services online, whether or not they access services at an evacuation centre. With files from Rachel Adams, Émilie Warren, David P. Ball, Yvette Brend, and The Canadian Press ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Manning Park","Roads in the park to the north of Highway 3","Park","north"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this weekend","weekend","until further notice","notice"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Metro Vancouver"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["A new fire"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Covid changed shopping forever. Here’s what it means for your favorite stores","document":"Academy Sports & Outdoors’ more than 250 stores shuttered for weeks in the early days of the Covid pandemic. But as lockdown orders eased and these stores reopened, many customers still didn’t feel comfortable coming inside to buy camping gear or a new basketball, according to CEO Ken Hicks. Items like bikes and treadmills, which Academy sells, have been in high demand, as Americans look to entertain themselves outside or keep fit without a gym. But Academy needed to find a better way to get its products into customers’ hands. The answer was curbside pickup. In under five days, the retailer pulled together a plan to offer the service nationwide, Hicks said. It designated parking spaces as pickup locations, reassigned staff and handed out paging devices to alert employees when shoppers drive in. The result: 30% of Academy’s buy online, pick up in store sales are now retrieved curbside by customers, often on the day of purchase, the CEO said. Academy has started to think about its stores as “delivery points,” Hicks said in a recent interview. Back rooms are stocked with extra merchandise to fulfill web orders. More items are being shipped from its stores, not warehouses, directly to shoppers’ homes, he said. Even with a nearly 96% surge in e-commerce orders during the third quarter ended Oct. 31, more than 95% of Academy’s $1.35 billion in sales were fulfilled using its stores. “We’ve had to change how we look at the use of labor and adjust similar to what grocery stores have done,” Hicks added. “We have people now whose job it is to go around and pick orders for us.” Academy is far from alone in making these adjustments. Retailers from Target to Nike to Macy’s have been reckoning for years with what the purpose of their stores will be as consumption shifts online. This year, that evolution leapt forward. For years, the rise of e-commerce was a harbinger that retailers’ stores were going to become obsolete. But the demand for speedy, same-day delivery and curbside pickup has given brick-and-mortar a new purpose. Being closer to customers is a key advantage. Stores are being transformed into mini warehouses, helping to fulfill online orders in a fraction of the time — and at a lower cost. And while stores at enclosed shopping malls are closing due to slowing foot traffic and falling sales, retailers such as Gap and Abercrombie & Fitch are investing in opening smaller locations and away from malls. “The ecosystem of a store is going nowhere,” said Joel Bines, a managing director at the consulting firm AlixPartners. “At a macro level, the store is still critically important and will still be the epicenter of consumer activity for the foreseeable future.” More than three-quarters of U.S. retail sales still occur in stores. Even with this year’s gains, just about 14.4% of all spending in 2020 happened online, and that should grow to 19.2% by 2024, according to eMarketer estimates. The pandemic did speed the shift. It advanced what would have happened in five years in just nine short months, said Cowen & Co. analyst John Blackledge. EMarketer estimates e-commerce sales will total $794.50 billion this year, up 32.4% from 2019. Pre-pandemic, the market research firm was forecasting an increase of 18%. With consumer demand surging online this year, companies pivoting to satisfying e-commerce orders from their stores, rather than warehouses, resulted in less merchandise sitting on shelves going stale and unsold. Urban Outfitters said it delivered almost 1 million items from its stores to customers’ homes in the three-month period ended Oct. 31. During the same quarter, Nordstrom said nearly 25% of its online orders, which amounted to $1.6 billion, were fulfilled using merchandise from stores. “We think there’s a lot of runway — of not only just connecting the digital and physical parts of our business, but in leveraging the physical assets we already have,” CEO Erik Nordstrom said during an earnings call in November. “To leverage those existing assets ... there’s a lot of taking care of customers without much additional investment for us.” Increasingly, shoppers are expected to demand these convenient options. Cowen anticipates the percentage of online retail orders picked up using a curbside option could grow from 26%, where it was in the second quarter, to 30% by the end of this year, and 35% by the end of 2021. Some companies are testing even bigger transformations. Two Macy’s department stores — in Dover, Delaware, and Littleton, Colorado — are being converted into centers for pickup services and online order fulfillment, not in-store shopping. Walmart is using four locations as e-commerce laboratories, such as for trying out contact-free checkout. “This year has ushered in a new era of retail, and customers are asking for retailers to show up differently,” said John Crecelius, senior vice president of associate product and next generation stores for Walmart’s U.S. operations. Location, location, location. It has always mattered in retail. But the most desirable spot to be isn’t the mall anymore. “Our strategy is rooted in moving away from traditional malls,” Gap CEO Sonia Syngal said on an earnings call last month. “We have sharpened our real estate strategy so that our stores will be where our customers want to shop today.” The apparel retailer continues to open Old Navy and Athleta stores, largely in open-air shopping centers, but plans to close 30% of its Gap and Banana Republic locations in North America by the end of fiscal 2023. By then, it expects to drive about 80% of sales from its off-mall stores and online business. Perhaps no one retailer has touted its presence off-mall more than Kohl’s, which says about 95% of its more than 1,100 stores are located away from enclosed shopping malls, setting it apart from retailers like Macy’s, Nordstrom, J.C. Penney and Dillard’s. “They’re very convenient, and they’re very spacious,” CEO Michelle Gass said during a recent media call. “For customers who maybe want to order digitally but want that product that day, there’s our buy online, pick up in store [option], or now our curbside option. ... So I think we have a lot of flexibility and agility to continue to navigate this successfully.” Kohl’s off-mall positioning was a key factor in wooing the makeup retailer Sephora, which is on track to open Sephora shops within 850 Kohl’s stores by 2023. For more than a decade, Sephora had a partnership with J.C. Penney in hundreds of malls. “In my view, the future of retail in America is the ability for shoppers to park right next door, to jump in and out for a [buy online, pick up in store] order,” Sephora Americas CEO Jean-Andre Rougeot said in an interview. “That is what retail is about moving forward.” Macy’s, meanwhile, is hunting away from malls for smaller stores, including new Bloomingdale’s locations. “We continue to believe that the best malls in the country will thrive,” CEO Jeff Gennette said in September, discussing the move. “However, we also know that Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s have high potential [off]-mall and in smaller formats.” Target pioneered the path to success with smaller-format locations, which are about a third of the size of its big-box stores. It opened its 100th such location in August 2019, and continues to add more in metro areas, including New York City. Following the trend, Nordstrom and Nike continue to open smaller, hyperlocal shops, with Nordstrom’s serving as hubs for services like alterations and curbside pickup. “We used to talk about retailers needing to close 50% of their stores. But it’s more of a fact now that retailers need to reduce their square footage by 50%,” said Michael Brown, a partner in the consumer practice at Kearney, a management consulting firm. “They can have the same number of locations, but many of them will be much smaller, ... with a high degree of customer service, where that selling experience is really valued.” The privately held bookseller Barnes & Noble is also plotting opening additional smaller stores in 2021, each tailored more to its local community, according to CEO James Daunt. “Next year, we will start opening up a much greater variety of stores,” Daunt said in a recent interview. “You can open a really strong and successful, 700-square-foot store. ... And we’re not going to be telling the stores what to do. We’re asking them what they want us to do.” Even though brick-and-mortar stores have an important role to play, they’re less profitable when fewer people visit them. So retailers will continue to shutter locations, likely at an accelerated pace, until real estate footprints can match the trajectory in online sales. Through Dec. 1, more than 11,000 store closures have been announced this year, according to real estate firm CoStar Group. Within this count, GameStop plans to close more than 1,000 of its stores by the end of its fiscal year. But more closures are on the way. “Given the strength of our e-commerce sales, we now see the opportunity to close additional stores going forward, in 2021 and 2022,” CEO George Sherman said during an earnings conference call earlier this month. He didn’t offer an exact number, but said the goal for the gaming retailer is to shift investments online. In its latest quarter ended Oct. 31, GameStop’s e-commerce sales surged 257% from a year earlier, as more people visited its website for video games and consoles to keep busy during the pandemic. “There was conversation for several years about how to pare back real estate,” said Matthew Katz, a managing partner at consulting firm SSA & Company. “But no one was prepared or was thinking about, the magnitude at which they would be paring back so quickly. No one was prepared for e-commerce to go from an adolescent to an adult overnight.” For the retailers that still see an opportunity to open new locations, they’ll have an upper hand, likely for some time, to negotiate favorable leases and rents — as vacancies continue to crop up across malls and popular shopping districts. More than 3,400 store openings have been announced by retailers in 2020, according to a tracking by Coresight Research, including from Dollar Tree and Family Dollar, Five Below, Ross Stores, Burlington and Ulta Beauty. Retailers that sell goods in categories like off-price, beauty, home decor and sporting goods, which haven’t been hit as hard as department stores and apparel chains, are some of the most optimistic about growth prospects. The furniture business At Home, for example, is still planning to go from 219 to more than 600 locations, with its business growing exponentially during the pandemic. “A lot is going to change as you go into the post-Covid vaccine world,” said Stephen Sadove, the former chief executive of Saks Fifth Avenue. “You have companies that can survive, and are going to restructure, but you’re going to have a lot of companies that are going to say, ‘This is beyond us.’” “The real estate market is going to have to reset,” he said. “I’ve never seen these kinds of changes.”","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["GameStop","Academy Sports & Outdoors’ more than 250 stores"]},{"role":"Date","values":["for weeks","early days","by the end of its fiscal year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["America"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Covid pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Delhi: Malls, markets can now open as per normal timings from Monday, says CM. Details here","document":" Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said restrictions on timings to open market, shopping malls and others amid Covid-19 have been lifted from Monday and they will be allowed to function as per normal timings. Earlier, the Delhi government had allowed markets to remain open only till 8 pm in view of Covid-19 cases. However, with cases and positivity rate under control, the new relaxations will be effective from next week. A senior officer of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said along with the markets, restaurants and bars will also be allowed to open without any closing time restrictions. The liquor stores in the city that were allowed to open till 8 pm will also be allowed to open till their normal closing timing of 10 pm, officials said. Markets, restaurants and bars were closed with a surging second Covid wave in Delhi, from April 19. With improvement in the pandemic situation, markets, shopping complexes and malls were allowed to reopen between 10 am to 8 pm from June 14, by the DDMA. The closing time of markets in different parts of the city are decided by the market associations concerned. The restaurants and bars were allowed to reopen with 50 per cent seating capacity from June 21. However, a cap of 8 pm was imposed on their closing timings. Under the phased reopening of the economy, restaurants were later allowed to open from 8 am to 10 pm, while bars were permitted to serve customers from 12 noon to 10 pm. The restaurants and bars will now be allowed to remain open till their normal closing timing at 12 in the night. However, the restriction on 50 per cent seating capacity will continue, according to a DDMA order issued in Saturday. The status of COVID-19 in NCT of Delhi has again been reviewed and it has been observed that though the overall number of COVID-19 patients and positivity rate has declined considerably and the overall situation has improved, due caution and care has to be continued, said the order. \"....adequate standards of Covid-appropriate behaviour continues to be followed and any such activity, that can lead to surge in cases, is allowed only after rigorous and due diligence,\" stated the order. The mention of closing time restriction on markets and shops, restaurants and bars has been omitted in the DDMA order, meaning they are allowed to open till their usual closing times, said the DDMA officer. The prohibited and restricted activities according to the DDMA order will remain in force from August 24 to 31, it said. The decision to keep markets open longer as per normal timings comes in the backdrop of Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) on demanding that the closing time of malls and markets in the national capital should be extended from the present 8 pm to 10 pm. In its letter to the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the CTI said the permission to operate shops till 8 pm is proving to be insufficient for most of the retail markets, especially during the festive season. According to the CTI, the markets get \"crowded\" and \"chaotic\" as soon the clock hits 8 pm, something that can be taken care of by extending the duration of its closing time. \"If the shops will open till late in the evening, then there will be no crowd in the market. Everyone will be able to do their work comfortably, Corona rules will also be followed well,\" it added. Delhi was under a lockdown from April 19 to May 30 during the second wave of the Covid pandemic. Markets were allowed to open from June 7 under a phased reopening plan by the city government. Meanwhile, no death due to COVID-19 was recorded in Delhi on Saturday, the second consecutive day the daily fatality count stood nil, while 19 fresh cases were reported, the lowest since April 15 last year, according to data shared by the city health department. This is the twelfth time since the starting of the second wave of the pandemic in the national capital that zero fatality has been logged in a day. On Saturday, 19 fresh cases were recorded as the positivity rate dropped to 0.03 per cent, according to the latest bulletin. According to covid19India.org, a crowdsourced initiative that collects data on COVID-19 and vaccination in India, Delhi had recorded 17 cases on April 15, 2020. On Friday, 57 fresh cases were reported with a positivity rate of 0.08 per cent. Twenty-five cases of COVID-19 and two deaths due to the disease were recorded on Thursday, while the positivity rate had stood at 0.04 per cent, according to the official figures. On Wednesday, the city had registered 36 cases and four fatalities, while the positivity rate had stood at 0.05 per cent. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Markets, restaurants and bars","markets","restaurants","bars","Markets","shopping complexes and malls","malls"]},{"role":"Date","values":["till their normal closing timing of 10 pm","till","10 pm","from April 19","April 19","19"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Delhi"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Covid-19","COVID-19","Covid","covid19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Remotely learningIndia’s pupils have been hard hit by extended school closures","document":"AS COVID-19 MEASURES relax across the world, nothing brings quite so much relief as the reopening of schools. For India’s 320m schoolchildren, its 8.5m teachers and for parents, too, the relief is particularly acute. Not only have Indian schools suffered some of the world’s longest closures—an average of 69 weeks. For reasons peculiar to India, its shutdowns have also been especially disruptive. And they have exacerbated the awful learning outcomes from the vast lower tier of schools. For some, the switch from in-class to online learning started well enough. A teacher in one private school in Delhi, the capital, recalls how she stopped worrying about tele-teaching on the very first day, after finding that every student on her screen had respectfully donned the school uniform for the occasion. But for others the switch never happened. A survey in Kolkata last year found that two-fifths of pupils enrolled in state primary schools had no way to follow online materials. Another in Chennai, India’s sixth-biggest city, found that one in five children were in schools that offered no online instruction, and a fifth of the rest did not attend remote classes anyway. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["average of 69 weeks"]},{"role":"Location","values":["India"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 MEASURES"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Nailsea school closed by flooding to reopen by end of month","document":"Pupils at Ravenswood in Nailsea, Somerset, were sent home a day after the term started when the deluge poured into classrooms and damaged the electrics. Another downpour days later causing further damage. The council said pupils, who have unique and complex needs, should be able to return on September 29. Councillor Catherine Gibbons, executive member for children’s services at North Somerset Council, promised a review and said the authority would learn lessons from the incident, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. She told a full council meeting on Wednesday: “I can’t thank the school enough for the way that they responded, the way they managed to get the children out and set up remote learning again for those who could do it. “These are children with anxieties, for whom change is difficult to deal with, and therefore having prepared your child to go back to school, having talked them through what’s going to happen and then suddenly find that the school is closed and they’re going to be doing other things was very challenging.” The flooding was caused by damage to a temporary roof covering in place as part of work, which started in the summer and was due to end in October, to upgrade the main school structure. Powered by Contextual Related Posts Headteacher Mark Senior described the damage as “catastrophic”. It affected the primary classrooms, post-16 buildings, sensory room, discovery room and creative arts department. Councillor Gibbons told the council meeting: “Parents have asked how the children will be supported to catch up lost learning. “The team has advised to focus for now on their wellbeing and make sure that when they go back to school they feel safe and comfortable, and look at the academic side of catching up once they feel that that’s okay.” ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Mark Senior"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["a day after the term started"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Somerset"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["damage to a temporary roof covering","damage","deluge poured into classrooms and damaged the electrics"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Nailsea school closed by flooding to reopen by Sept. 29th","document":"A special school which shut after being flooded by heavy rain is set to reopen next week. Pupils at Ravenswood in Nailsea, Somerset, were sent home a day after the term started when the deluge poured into classrooms and damaged the electrics. Another downpour days later causing further damage. The council said pupils, who have unique and complex needs, should be able to return on September 29. Councillor Catherine Gibbons, executive member for children's services at North Somerset Council, promised a review and said the authority would learn lessons from the incident, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. She told a full council meeting on Wednesday: \"I can't thank the school enough for the way that they responded, the way they managed to get the children out and set up remote learning again for those who could do it. \"These are children with anxieties, for whom change is difficult to deal with, and therefore having prepared your child to go back to school, having talked them through what's going to happen and then suddenly find that the school is closed and they're going to be doing other things was very challenging.\" The flooding was caused by damage to a temporary roof covering in place as part of work, which started in the summer and was due to end in October, to upgrade the main school structure. Headteacher Mark Senior described the damage as \"catastrophic\". It affected the primary classrooms, post-16 buildings, sensory room, discovery room and creative arts department. Councillor Gibbons told the council meeting: \"Parents have asked how the children will be supported to catch up lost learning. \"The team has advised to focus for now on their wellbeing and make sure that when they go back to school they feel safe and comfortable, and look at the academic side of catching up once they feel that that's okay.\" ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Mark Senior"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["special school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["next week","a day after the term started"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Ravenswood in Nailsea, Somerset","Somerset"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["being flooded by heavy rain","damage to a temporary roof covering"]}]} {"event_trigger":"With Department Stores Disappearing, Malls Could Be Next","document":"Brick-and-mortar retail was in the midst of seismic changes even before the pandemic. Analysts say as much as a quarter of America’s malls may close in the next five years. By Sapna Maheshwari The directory map for the Northfield Square Mall in Bourbonnais, Ill., has three glaring spaces where large department stores once stood. Soon there will be a fourth vacancy, now that J.C. Penney is liquidating stores after filing for bankruptcy. With so much empty space and brick-and-mortar retail in the midst of seismic changes even before the pandemic hit, the mall’s owners have been talking with local officials about identifying a “higher and better use for the site,” though they have declined to elaborate on what that could be. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["quarter of America’s malls","Northfield Square Mall","J.C. Penney"]},{"role":"Date","values":["next five years"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Bourbonnais, Ill"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"School closure: The mountain of myths standing between our kids and education","document":"Saili and Mayank [names changed] live in a Mumbai slum, with their parents in a meagre dwelling, hardly 10ft x 10ft, divided into a bedroom and kitchen. They study in class 3 and class 7 respectively, in nearby schools. Scratch that. They are enrolled in schools would be more accurate, as any meaningful study or education has come to a stand-still since the school closure which began in March 2020. Their parents manage to earn about Rs 30,000 a month for the family, and luckily do not have the burden of school fee expenses, as they have been enrolled under the Right to Education quota. Both parents have to go to work, although the mother manages to work from home at times. The children’s grandmother can look after them during the day, but there is no separate smartphone for the children to attend online classes: they get to attend whenever either parent is at home. On being asked if she is able to follow what is taught during online classes, Saili hesitates, almost embarrassed, and then says “no”. When asked questions from his textbook, it is clear that Mayank too has difficulty in following online classes. Parents are unable to help due to lack of time, and it is almost impossible to ask questions or get feedback in online sessions. Their parents, too, are very concerned about the widening gap in understanding, as bridging this gap to catch up will appears to be a mammoth challenge given the continuing school closure. They are understandably anxious about their children’s future. Read more: Virtual classes for younger kids: An uphill journey for both teachers and parents A few houses away, Parul [name changed] lives with her sister and extended family; the joint family has seven children and five adults, including Parul’s grandmother. They all live in a two-room house. The family has only two smart-phones, and there are times when only one of them is available for children to use for their online classes: one or at most two devices to be shared across seven children in two rooms. Only two of the seven children have school admission under RTE, the rest have to pay the full fees. The fees itself amounts to about Rs 5000 per month for all the children, which is a heavy burden on the family’s monthly income of about Rs 30,000. Aside from this, the data plan for the phones costs about Rs 600 per month. The children have managed with hand-me-down books so far. Despite these Herculean efforts to just stay the course, online school is not very useful. Children have to time-share the available devices, and even while in session, the problem of lack of interaction means that understanding remains poor. Parul’s sister in class 4 is able to read her English book, and her cousin in class 3 is able to read with some difficulty. But neither understand what they read, even simple English sentences. The children go for private tuition at an additional expense of about Rs 350 per month per child, since there is no one to help at home, but that appears inadequate. The comprehension gap is widening with every additional day of school closure. That online schooling is a farce, especially for children in these families, is painfully obvious. Adding to the irony of the situation is the fact that the above locality has hardly had 1-2 COVID cases among hundreds of families in the whole of 2021. Official statistics show that urban slums were hardly hit in the 2nd wave, likely because most of them were exposed in the first wave and developed robust immunity. Read more: When the screen is your child’s classroom and playground Today, what stands between our children and their education and future is not the pandemic, but a mountain of myths: Myth-1: Online is education — Online is not education, as evidenced by the above anecdotes. Even pre-pandemic, online learning was at best a supplement, and that too for older children and college students. Younger children absolutely cannot learn online, and in fact they even forget skills. A study by Azim Premji University among children of classes 2-6 across 5 states of India, undertaken in January 2021, found that as much as 82% lost at least one mathematical skill and 92% lost at least one language skill, compared to the previous year. Even in affluent Netherlands with only a short lockdown and high speed broadband access, a research study concluded “students made little or no progress while learning from home”. Doctors in Bengaluru have reported that among children under the age of 5, there has been over a 10-fold increase in those with speech disorders, due to lack of social stimulation and increased screen time. Thus a loss of 1.5 years for a child can cause long-term harm. Myth-2: Children are susceptible to COVID — While the first myth underestimates the costs of school closure, the second myth is overestimation of COVID risk for children. Statistics clearly show that the risk of severe COVID in children is smaller than other (already small) risks they face in life: such as other diseases, and even traffic accidents. For children and young adults, the mental health issues arising from lockdown and loss of social contact is much more concerning than COVID. Scotland reports rising numbers of children reporting to hospital for self-harm. In the 14-19 age-group, US statistics reveal a 14% increase in non-COVID deaths in 2020, i.e. caused by lockdown-related mental health issues, while COVID deaths in this age-group is much rarer. Myth-3: COVID-19 vaccines for children are necessary — The second myth leads to the third: that COVID-19 vaccines for children are necessary before we can open schools. Not only is there no medical need for such vaccines, since children are already at low risk, but also, we will not know the rare and long-term effects of current vaccines on children for a few years. Universal vaccination of children without long-term testing would thus be tantamount to medical negligence. Myth-4: Schools are super-spreaders — It is a myth that schools are super-spreaders. Study after study done in various countries has concluded that schools do not contribute significantly to COVID spread. The inconsistency in India is even starker: even as we have had everything else open, including malls and theatres, schools remain suspended. In UNESCO’s website tracking school closures across the world, India has the dubious distinction of closing its schools for the maximum period of time. While the US CDC recommends opening of schools with masking and 3-foot distancing (revised from earlier 6-foot), Sweden has always kept its primary schools open, with no distancing or masking requirements for children. And a comparison between schools in Sweden and neighbouring Finland showed that school teachers were not at additional risk of COVID-19 due to in-person classes. Myth-5: The impending third wave will affect a lot of children — There have been a lot of claims, without any scientific basis, of an impending third wave which will affect children. Seroprevalence studies have shown that a vast majority of Indians have already been exposed to COVID-19. Despite schools being closed, children have also been exposed: we just did not know about it since severe COVID is very rare in children and young adults. School closure based on this mountain of myths is gross injustice being done to an entire generation of children. We as a nation must be extremely concerned about this. Those making decisions must be concerned that at least some of these children will grow up to write the history about the mindless injustice that was done to their generation. Will these decision makers redeem themselves at least now? ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["nearby schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["March 2020","continuing"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Mumbai"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Broadlands: Fears over ticket refunds for postponed concert","document":"The organiser of a star-studded concert on a Hampshire estate has not paid refunds nearly two months after the event was postponed, some ticket-holders have said. Park Proms at Broadlands, Romsey, was due to feature Pixie Lott, James Morrison and other well-known artists. Ticket-holders say they had a five-day window to claim money back and the organiser has been hard to contact. The event's directors have not responded to BBC requests for comment. Singers Aled Jones and Laura Wright, as well as the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and pop group Scouting For Girls, were also due to perform at the shows on 27 and 28 August. Organiser Podium Event Group advertised displays from the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. However, the shows were cancelled on 25 June \"owing to the continued uncertainty around Covid-19\". In July, the firm announced a five-day window for ticket-holders to apply for refunds if they were unable to attend new dates in 2022. Helen Campbell, who paid £470 for two upgraded \"hospitality\" tickets, said she was still waiting for a refund after applying on 21 July and receiving an acknowledgement eight days later. She said: \"My emails have bounced back, the phone lines are not working and the messaging is off on Facebook. \"It's an absolute disgrace. I'm very disappointed.\" Molly Bevan, who paid £240 for four tickets, said: \"Originally they had said once processed my refund would take 3-5 days. \"They have turned off... their phone lines and are no longer responding to emails.\" Ms Bevan said she had received an acknowledgement on Instagram but no money. Moira Lynch said she only received her tickets after she had applied for a refund. She said: \"I paid £120 for two tickets for my friend's birthday. I can't afford to lose that sort of money.\" Thirty people said they were awaiting refunds on 17 August, while one person had been reimbursed, according to a community Facebook page. Adam French, a rights expert at the Consumers' Association, said the five-day refund application window was \"pretty terrible\" and \"unnecessarily restrictive\", although not illegal. He said there was no legal time limit on processing refunds, although he would have expected payments within two weeks. Podium Event Group's sole director is Michael Hlavaty, 29, who created the firm in September 2020. A BBC reporter was denied access to Mr Hlavaty's Facebook page shortly after messaging him. A recorded message on his firm's phone line says: \"Our team are processing refund applications as quickly as possible. We thank you for your patience.\" Broadlands Estates declined to comment. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Michael Hlavaty"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Park Proms"]},{"role":"Date","values":["nearly two months","25 June"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Hampshire estate"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["continued uncertainty around Covid-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Organizers of Newport Oktoberfest cancel event due to staffing concerns","document":"0 NEWPORT, Ky. — People getting ready to head to Northern Kentucky for some beer and bratwursts might be feeling a little disappointed. The city of Newport's annual Oktoberfest celebration has been canceled over staffing concerns. After a year off due to the pandemic, people like Kayla Stoker were starting to get excited, until they saw news of the cancellation. “I was hoping to get to go this year,” Stoker said. “I was a little upset. I was kind of ready for food. And definitely to see everyone just be happy. And maybe win some prizes, maybe some people dancing.” The yearly German celebration, attended by thousands of people in years past, was scheduled for Sept. 24 through Sept. 26. But Cold iron Enterprises, the company that organizes the event, announced the event was canceled. “Cold iron really strives to put on the best events in the area. We want them to be the best. There’s no other option. They have to be the best. And we found out that Newport Oktoberfest wasn’t going to be the best. We had a lot of food vendors that had a lot of trouble staffing, some bands that dropped out, and we figured it wasn’t going to be the best it could be, so we’re going to cancel it,” said event manager David Wertheim. “You could walk up and down the street right now and see plenty of businesses that have had to close or change their hours, just because they don’t have enough staff, and that definitely carried over here to the festival side of things. All year we’ve had trouble finding food vendors that have been able to staff their booths. And this was no exception. And it kind of just caught up to us for this event.” The festival’s food booths are typically staffed by local restaurant employees, while the alcohol booths are staffed by volunteers. It’s an event that’s rich in tradition in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. Cincinnati was able to hold its Oktoberfest last week. The Newport festival normally generates thousands of dollars in revenue. “It's a big deal for Newport, but really the bigger deal isn’t the money, it’s the tradition. People know what that event is. They know what Oktoberfest means to this area, and that’s really what’s bummed us out, is not being able to put it on, and continue the tradition this year,” Wertheim said. Wertheim said he hopes the event will be back bigger and better than ever next year. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Newport's annual Oktoberfest celebration","NEWPORT","Newport"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sept. 24 through Sept. 26"]},{"role":"Location","values":["NEWPORT, Ky","Newport"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["staffing concerns","the pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"'Paddle' portion of Louisville mayor's 'Hike, Bike and Paddle' event canceled","document":" Updated: November 16, 2021 @ 3:25 pm Participants in Mayor Greg Fischer's annual Hike, Bike and Paddle event paddle down the Ohio River. The Mayor's Hike, Bike and Paddle event. (WDRB File) Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said his upcoming budget proposal… LMPD is treating the case as a death investigation. Participants in Mayor Greg Fischer's annual Hike, Bike and Paddle event paddle down the Ohio River. The Mayor's Hike, Bike and Paddle event. (WDRB File) LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Now it's just the \"Hike and Bike.\" Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced Wednesday that the \"Paddle\" component of his annual Labor Day \"Hike, Bike and Paddle\" event has been canceled this year, due to dangerous conditions on the Ohio River caused by Hurricane Ida. According to a news release, federal agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) all weighed in on the decision. They say \"an anticipated increased flow from the McAlpine Locks, combined with high water concerns, have the potential to create problems for paddlers,\" the news release states. Aftereffects of Hurricane Ida are expected to cause the river level to rise. The hiking and biking portions of the event are still scheduled to take place as planned, but at a new location at the Community Boat House at 1325 River Road. Biking will start at 9 a.m., and yoga and Zumba will begin at 8 a.m., adhering to social distancing guidelines. \"One of the great things about Hike, Bike and Paddle is that it's outdoors and allows for social distancing, mask-wearing and other COVID precautions, so having to cancel this portion is disappointing,\" Fischer said, in a statement. \"However, it's clearly necessary to keep our paddlers safe.\" Additionally, the Tai Chi component of Hike, Bike and Paddle has been canceled due to the inability of participants to practice social distancing. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Greg Fischer"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["\"Paddle\" component of his annual Labor Day \"Hike, Bike and Paddle\" event","event paddle","Hike","Bike","Paddle event","Paddle"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Louisville","LOUISVILLE"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Hurricane Ida"]}]} {"event_trigger":"A record 12,200 U.S. stores closed in 2020 as e-commerce, pandemic changed retail forever","document":"Ravaged by a pandemic that shuttered stores for weeks in the spring—driving more spending online—retailers big and small closed 12,200 stores in the U.S. last year, according to a compilation released on Wednesday by commercial real estate firm CoStar Group. In all, that amounted to 159 million square feet of retail space. In 2019, the tally was 10,000 stores. Some of the boldface retail names to have closed stores in big numbers last year include J.C. Penney, which filed for bankruptcy in the spring and emerged with a fraction of its store count of just a few years ago, GameStop, Gap, and Macy’s. Many of the closings came from retailers that shut down altogether last year, such as Pier 1 Imports and its 950 stores. The pain was concentrated among mall-based retailers, which had been struggling long before COVID-19 made its appearance. CoStar estimated that one-third of the store closings were by department stores, clothing chains, or other mall-oriented companies, which represent only about 8% of total retail revenue. Early in the pandemic, some big retailers like Walmart, Costco, and Target, as well as drugstore chains CVS and Walgreens were deemed essential by authorities and allowed to stay open, giving them an edge over the likes of Macy’s, Kohl’s, Nordstrom, and Abercrombie & Fitch. While those companies have so far weathered the storm, the pressure pushed many wobbly retailers over the edge, and led to a record number of bankruptcies in 2020. On Tuesday, S&P Global Market Intelligence said U.S. corporate bankruptcies reached a high last year of 603 companies, including 125 consumer goods and retail firms. That included J.C. Penney, J.Crew, and the parent companies of Ann Taylor and Men’s Wearhouse, among others, adding to the carnage. But even successful companies have put the breaks on store fleet expansion plans. Old Navy and Ulta Beauty, for example, are both recovering well from the shutdowns and still plan to open hundreds more stores in the coming year but are now giving themselves more time to do so.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["J.C. Penney, J.Crew","Penney","12,200 stores","GameStop, Gap, and Macy’s","Pier 1 Imports","Ann Taylor and Men’s Wearhouse"]},{"role":"Date","values":["for weeks in the spring","last year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"COVID School Closures Could Loom Large in Newsom Recall","document":"As summer vacation came to a close earlier this month, Megan Bacigalupi was ecstatic about sending her kids back to their public schools in Oakland. “Myself, my husband, and, I think, my kids especially are just thrilled to be back with all of their friends in a full classroom and as close to normal as I think they have probably felt in a long time,” she said. Bacigalupi says she was extremely frustrated that her kids had to stay home for almost all of the last school year, even as some private schools and a handful of nearby public school districts began offering some form of in-person learning. So she started OpenSchoolsCA, an organization focused on getting more kids back in the classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic. She says Gov. Gavin Newsom wasn’t decisive enough in trying to restart in-person education. “I think he decisively, essentially, with the stroke of a pen, closed schools last spring when it was likely the right thing to do in the immediacy,” Bacigalupi said. \"But he took no decisive action to get them back up.” In fact, Newsom never ordered California schools to close, though his March 2020 statewide stay-at-home order essentially had that effect. Bacigalupi says she heard from scores of frustrated parents — many of them progressive Democrats like herself — who signed the petition for a gubernatorial recall election. Bacigalupi says she never had the opportunity to sign the petition, and never sought it out, but understands why other parents did. “I voted for Gov. Newsom when he ran [in 2018]. I have supported Democrats my whole life,” she said. “But I understand parents who are in the same boat as me, who are supporting this purely because of what happened with their kids this year.” Newsom’s handling of education has helped fuel the recall effort, and been a key talking point for recall candidates like Assemblymember Kevin Kiley, a Republican from Rocklin. “He’s just saying whatever is necessary to cater to the agenda of the teachers unions who want the outcome of schools being closed,” Kiley said. “And he’ll give whatever rationale it takes to get there.” But, at a recent press conference, Newsom maintained he’s been following the science while also balancing the demands of a massive public education system. “We have been working with our partners in our education system, 1,050-plus school districts. We’re trying to support the needs of 6.1 million public school kids,” Newsom said. “And we’ve been engaged to address the concerns and anxiety around reopening our schools.” Kevin Gordon, president of Capitol Advisors Group, which lobbies for school districts across the state, says many districts wanted Newsom to act unilaterally. “Schools that normally don't like the state infringing on their local control were actually hoping the governor would just do a statewide edict that we’re closing schools physically so they didn't have to wrestle with the local politics,” he said. Gordon believes that overall, Newsom handled an unprecedented and complicated situation really well, but that he also found himself trapped in the very tricky position of trying to balance his support for public education with his loyalty to the labor unions that have long backed him. “And where they became this conflict was wanting kids to be back in school, but his own constituencies across labor not wanting to come back,” he said. But Becky Zoglman, associate executive director of the California Teachers Association, points out that teachers and school employees weren’t the only ones concerned about returning to in-person learning — many parents were also very hesitant. “When schools started to reopen, for example, 70% of parents in Los Angeles chose to keep their kids home and that played out in districts across the state,” she said. Newsom continues to face staunch criticism for how he handled — and continues to handle — the return-to-school situation. He was particularly lambasted for issuing strict school COVID guidelines in advance of the 2020-21 school year, but then not being more forceful about reopening schools in the spring when vaccines became widely available. Bacigalupi, with OpenSchoolsCA, says it seems like education was never a priority for Newsom. “Instead of saying, ‘Schools are essential, they must be open, how do we do it?,’ it was, ‘Can we open schools?’” she said. Newsom has also taken heat for sending his own children back to in-person learning at their private school last fall, even as most California public school students were at that point still participating remotely. And even now that most schools are reopening, Newsom is still facing challenges, amid a surge in cases of the highly contagious delta variant. Just this month, he was sued by the Orange County Board of Education over the state’s requirement that all adults and students wear masks indoors in K-12 schools, even if they’ve been fully vaccinated. The California Supreme Court last week declined to hear the case.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["schools","Schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["As summer vacation came to a close earlier this month","month","last spring"]},{"role":"Location","values":["California"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 pandemic","COVID"]}]} {"event_trigger":"As most students return to classrooms, schools in some countries have been shuttered for 18 months straight","document":"Students across much of the world are trading in Zoom windows for chalkboards, in a global moment of hope and apprehension. In some places, including parts of the United States, many school doors shut for a year and a half have swung open, even amid resurgent coronavirus outbreaks. In five countries — Bangladesh, Kuwait, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela — in-person schooling was paused nationally for 18 months. In the Philippines and Venezuela, there’s no end in sight. Many of the countries that have seen the longest pauses in classroom education were among those least equipped to transition to remote learning. Students are facing dire consequences, teachers say. On Monday, students across the Philippines began class, once again remote, in their third school year marred by the pandemic. For many teachers, the situation seems desperate, said Raymond Basilio, the secretary general of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, a large organization of education workers in the Philippines. Of the nation’s approximately 27 million students, only around 14 percent participated in online schooling last fall, according to a survey conducted in November 2020. More than three-fourths — including nearly all rural students — enrolled in a modular system: Every two weeks students or guardians must pick up their “modules,” stapled packets of worksheets, and return filled-out copies to their teachers. Each module is usually 10 to 16 pages. Families with resources, Basilio said, are more likely to have the means and wherewithal to buy sufficient Internet access and enroll their children in online school. They can also hire tutors to help their children keep up with unsupervised lessons. “That story is not the story for students who are the children of farmworkers, children of fisherfolk or urban poor workers,” he said. In the Philippines, more than 17 million people live below the poverty line, according to the Asian Development Bank. By some accounts, the modules are haphazard and difficult to understand, and schools came under criticism early in the pandemic for glaring mathematical and grammatical errors, and bizarre questions and prompts. “We’re very worried about our future,” Basilio said. “High school teachers will be in a very problematic scenario. How will they teach higher order thinking skills if their students are not able to read, to write?” Hopes and fears as schools open their doors for new year In Venezuela, which along with the Philippines closed schools nationally early in the pandemic and is set to keep them that way, remote learning resumes this week. Wuisneidys Delgado, a biology teacher in the small town of Aragua de Barcelona, has been teaching on video calls and WhatsApp. Not only do some students lack Internet or computer access — but some teachers don’t have smartphones either, she said. Some Venezuelan teachers have been setting up informal, in-person classrooms in their homes as a last resort, news agency EFE reported. But experts are concerned that students have lost much of their opportunity to learn. Globally, in-person learning has made a comeback since last year, said Borhene Chakroun, the director for policies and lifelong learning systems at the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In 119 countries, students are attending school in person, up from 95 in September 2020. Some 8 percent of the world’s students are facing full school closures — down from 41 percent at this time last year. The UNESCO closure data does not include “partial reopening,” which could mean a few schools in a country are open. Some countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Zimbabwe, have closed schools for certain age groups and grade levels, Chakroun said. Some are open with reduced in-person class time, such as in the Bahamas and Ecuador. In some countries, such as Indonesia, Mexico and the United States, school status varies across state and regional lines. UNICEF found that the first-ever day of school for 140 million of the world’s youngest students has been delayed because of the pandemic. The World Bank, the United Nations Children’s Fund and UNESCO launched Mission Recovering Education 2021 to urge governments to bring all students back to school for complete or partial in-person instruction before the end of 2021, arguing that the cost to students of remote learning outweighs the covid-19 risks. Covid infection rates remain high globally, but the coalition says that schools can reopen with precautions “even when community transmission hasn’t been completely contained and vaccination coverage is low,” citing lower transmission rates and levels of covid severity for children, and the adoption of safety measures. Robert Jenkins, global director of education for UNICEF, told The Washington Post that the sheer magnitude and duration of the disruption is unparalleled, with 1.6 billion schoolchildren affected at the pandemic’s peak and some students facing school closures for more than 76 weeks. Even amid the cyclones, floods and conflicts to which the agency has had to respond, “it would be almost unheard of for children to be out of school for such a long period,” he said, and the poor and marginalized have paid the steepest price. As schools reopen, more than 10,000 students and teachers across 14 states are quarantined for coronavirus exposure For Rumena Afroza — a high school English teacher at a small, rural school in central Bangladesh, one of the countries to close schools nationally for 18 months — the pause has been devastating. In March 2020, she made a Facebook messenger group to coordinate remote learning for her students. Of the 188 in her two classes, she was unable to reach more than 20 on Zoom. When she asked students make an appearance, distanced, in person, to hear a lesson plan, only 80 could make it. Some students were sent to work in the fields or in garment factories. Others just dropped out. Many female students were married. “I told my students, ‘Don’t marry before 18,’ ” she said, but the pandemic has made waiting difficult for many families with daughters aged 14 to 17. The pandemic has increased the number of girls at risk of becoming child brides by 10 million, according to UNICEF. Afroza was overjoyed when Bangladesh’s education minister announced last week that schools would reopen on Sept. 12. “Again we will be able to see the school garden full of flowers,” she said. “The parents who have become frustrated will dream again for their children in a new way. They will find the light of hope.” ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["18 months","18","a year and a half"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Indonesia, Mexico and the United States","United States","Bangladesh, Kuwait, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela","Philippines","Venezuela","Bangladesh","Zimbabwe"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["coronavirus outbreaks"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Queensland state school closed after girl, 4, tests positive to COVID-19 as close contact of truck driver","document":"A state school in Windaroo, south of Brisbane, has been closed for a fortnight following the discovery of a COVID-19 case at a nearby education facility. The move came after a four-year-old girl who attended the Boulevard Early Learning Centre at Mount Warren Park tested positive as a close contact of a 46-year-old truck driver from Logan, confirmed with the Delta variant earlier this week. In the past 24 hours: Queensland's vaccine rollout (percentage of those aged 16+): The early learning centre is used as after-school care for Windaroo State School. Windaroo principal Alisha LeBrese said in an email to parents the school would need to be shut for 14 days from Saturday. \"I am writing to let you know that several members of our school community have been exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID-19,\" Ms LeBrese wrote. \"All school, school events and activities are closed and postponed. \"The health, safety and welfare of your children, our students, continues to be my number one focus.\" Children, staff and visitors who were at the early learning centre on Tuesday and Wednesday are being urged to immediately come forward for testing then quarantine at home for 14 days, even if they test negative to COVID-19. Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said about 960 families at Windaroo school had been placed in quarantine for 14 days, along with staff and visitors who were at the school from Tuesday to Friday. About 100 families of children who attend the early learning centre are also in quarantine. Dr Young said the next few days were critical. “This is a really high risk period for us,” she said. Dr Young said the child's viral load was low, and her main concern was the truck driver's visit to shops in Beenleigh. \"I am actually not as worried about this child because it's in hand. We have got it under control,\" she said. \"[Lockdown] depends if we find cases who went to the Beenleigh Marketplace, and have since then been out infectious in the community in an uncontrolled situation. \"That would lead me to think that we need to consider a lockdown.\" The Stylish Nails salon in the marketplace was of particular concern. \"I just hope that we get everyone, so we have been working very, very closely with the owner of the nail salon and we have been looking at CCTV footage, we have been trying every way we can to find those people who attended,\" Dr Young said. \"That's critical. So anyone who was there on that Monday morning, I need them to come forward.\" There was just one other new COVID case recorded yesterday, in hotel quarantine. The truck driver is thought to have been infectious from August 27, prompting several contact tracing alerts on Brisbane's southside. Visitor restrictions are in place for aged care facilities, disability services and hospitals in the Logan local government area. Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said compliance with the Queensland Check-In app at Beenleigh Marketplace had been low. \"Sadly what we have seen is that people were not checking in. There was one person during that time checked in with the check in app at the nail salon,\" she said. \"But we know there was at least eight customers there in addition to this gentleman and the child and of course four staff. \"Similarly, 600 people checked into the Beenleigh marketplace. They have 900 car spots there, and they have over 30 shops.\" The Queensland Health exposure sites list names Stylish Nails at Beenleigh Marketplace as a close contact point between 10:30am and 11:35am on Monday, along with Total Tools Beenleigh between 9:20am and 10:00am on Sunday. Anyone who was at those sites at the exposure times needs to come forward for testing and go into 14 days' quarantine – even after a negative result. Household contacts are also required to quarantine for 14 days. Close contacts also need to complete an online tracing form on the Queensland Health website. There's also a casual contact alert for Beenleigh Marketplace on Monday between 9:00am and 11:45am, and anyone who attended should come forward for testing and then isolate at home until they receive a result. Anyone in Queensland, but particularly in the Beenleigh and Gold Coast areas, is urged to come forward for testing if they have even the mildest of COVID-19 symptoms. Ms D'Ath said she was pleased to see that one in three eligible Queenslanders was now fully vaccinated. \"We had 20,635 vaccinations [yesterday],\" she said. \"So well done everyone again for coming out and continuing to be vaccinated which puts us at 52.17 per cent first dose, and excitedly, 33.55 per cent second. \"So let's keep that great work going and coming out and getting vaccinated.\" See our full coverage of coronavirus ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Windaroo State School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["for a fortnight","for 14 days from Saturday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Windaroo, south of Brisbane","Windaroo","Brisbane"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["discovery of a COVID-19 case","COVID-19","COVID","Alisha LeBrese"]}]} {"event_trigger":"America’s biggest companies are flourishing during the pandemic and putting thousands of people out of work","document":"As the coronavirus pandemic devastated small businesses and plunged millions of Americans into poverty this summer and fall, executives at some of the country’s largest corporations sounded surprisingly upbeat. “I don’t think we’ve ever been more excited or energized about our prospects,” PayPal finance chief John Rainey said on a November conference call. “These are times when the strong can get stronger,” Nike chief John Donahoe told analysts in September. “With all that’s happening around the world, it’s really unfortunate,” said Jensen Huang, chief executive of graphics chip maker Nvidia, during an August earnings call. “But it’s made gaming the largest entertainment medium in the world.” With few exceptions, big businesses are having a very different year from most of the country. Between April and September, one of the most tumultuous economic stretches in modern history, 45 of the 50 most valuable publicly traded U.S. companies turned a profit, a Washington Post analysis found. [Stimulus nears finalization, days before government shutdown] Despite their success, at least 27 of the 50 largest firms held layoffs this year, collectively cutting more than 100,000 workers, The Post found. The data reveals a split screen inside many big companies this year. On one side, corporate leaders are touting their success and casting themselves as leaders on the road to economic recovery. On the other, many of their firms have put Americans out of work and used their profits to increase the wealth of shareholders. When the coronavirus struck, big companies promised to help battle the crisis. Dozens of prominent chief executives, who last year signed a public pledge to focus less on shareholders and more on the well-being of their employees and broader communities, appeared eager to make good on that promise. Many suspended payments to investors and vowed not to hold layoffs. Then, 21 big firms that were profitable during the pandemic laid off workers anyway. Berkshire Hathaway raked in profits of $56 billion during the first six months of the pandemic while one of its subsidiary companies laid off more than 13,000 workers. Salesforce, Cisco Systems and PayPal cut staff even after their chief executives vowed not to do so. Companies sent thousands of employees packing while sending billions of dollars to shareholders. Walmart, whose CEO spent the past year championing the idea that businesses “should not just serve shareholders,” nonetheless distributed more than $10 billion to its investors during the pandemic while laying off 1,200 corporate office employees. Kirk Hanson, an author and longtime professor of business ethics, says it’s incumbent upon the United States’ top corporations to help pull the country through the worst recession in decades, particularly given the outsized profits they’re enjoying. “There is an obligation on the part of the largest and most successful businesses to help buffer the human impact of the crisis,” said Hanson, who now is a senior fellow at Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. Instead, Hanson said, they have contributed to the country’s growing economic divide. The Post contacted all 27 large firms that held layoffs this year. Many said the cuts were not related to the pandemic, but instead a necessary part of broader “restructuring” plans, where companies shift spending from declining lines of business to growing ones. In some cases, these plans were decided before the pandemic. Several emphasized that they hired more people this year than they let go. Anne Hatfield, a spokeswoman for Walmart, said everyone the retailer laid off during the pandemic was offered another job in the company, though she declined to say whether the new roles held the same level of pay and responsibilities as the jobs that were eliminated. Others pointed to the work they have done to help ease the pain in their communities, such as expanding health and family benefits to employees and distributing personal protective equipment to front-line workers. Cisco gave $53 million in cash and PPE to vulnerable populations and PayPal pledged $530 million in investments in minority-owned small businesses. In an email, Berkshire Hathaway chief executive Warren Buffett said he leaves all decisions at his subsidiary companies to the management of those companies. Airplane parts maker Precision Castparts, which Berkshire Hathaway acquired in 2015, was forced to cut staff due to a severe drop in demand for new planes, he said. Buffett added that he has given $2.9 billion of his personal wealth to charitable causes this year. The majority of the largest American corporations have prospered in the coronavirus economy. Millions of consumers spent more time and money online during government-mandated lockdowns, watching Netflix, viewing ads on Google and Facebook pages, filling Amazon shopping carts and turning the video game business into a bonanza for Nvidia, Microsoft and others. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) Shoppers began splurging on cleaning supplies, hobbies, home cooking and home improvements, driving record growth at big-box stores including Home Depot and Walmart. Even in the hardest-hit sectors, such as restaurants, travel and hospitality, the biggest companies were largely insulated from the worst of the virus’s reckoning. While independent restaurants struggled to survive, McDonald’s ramped up its takeout and drive-through operations, rolling out new apps and technology catering to on-the-go orders. In many industries, the giants devoured market share ceded by small businesses, who lacked the resources to keep stores open during unpredictable swings in customer demand. While the 50 largest companies averaged 2 percent revenue growth over the first nine months of 2020, small business revenue shrank 12 percent over the same period, according to data collected by software provider Womply from thousands of small firms. Economists estimate at least 100,000 small businesses permanently closed in the first two months of the pandemic alone. “Once you kill competition, it’s always hard to restore it,” said Matt Stoller, director of research at the left-leaning American Economic Liberties Project. “This is an extinction-level event for small businesses.” As the pandemic wore on, many companies kept their promises not to lay off staff. Others saw the recession as a good excuse for trimming labor costs. In April, cigarette maker Philip Morris International made a public commitment to forgo layoffs during the pandemic to help support the “job security and peace of mind” of its 73,000 workers. “The company will not terminate the employment of any [Philip Morris] employee during this crisis period, unless for cause, and the company has also put on hold any restructuring plan,” Philip Morris said in a news release. But in June, as infection rates continued to rise, Philip Morris said in a regulatory filing it would eliminate up to 440 workers in New York and Switzerland as part of a restructuring. In a statement, Philip Morris spokesman Sam Dashiell said the company resumed the restructuring at its Swiss operations center because it determined “prolonging it further would be unfair to everyone.” He declined to explain why the New York layoffs resumed. Current and former employees at some of these companies say they weren’t surprised to see their leaders renege on promises to retain staff through the pandemic. They didn’t put too much faith in those promises in the first place. “The choices that they make are governed by, essentially, maximizing shareholder value,” said Gary Walker, a systems engineer who was one of 1,000 employees Salesforce cut in late August. At the onset of the pandemic, Chuck Robbins described the need to keep workers employed as a moral imperative. The chief executive of Cisco, a $180 billion software and networking giant, said large companies like his shouldn’t lay off workers during a global crisis because, even in a bad year, they had the resources to maintain payrolls. “Why would we contribute to the problem?” Robbins asked in an interview with Bloomberg News published in April. “To me, it’s just silly for those of us who have the financial wherewithal to absorb this, for us to add to the problem.” Four months later, Cisco began implementing a plan to lay off thousands of employees. The majority of Americans who lost jobs this year were laid off from small businesses, many of which had no option but to cut workers to stave off financial collapse. But larger companies actually laid off a greater portion of their workforces over that period — 9 percent for large firms vs. 7 percent for smaller firms — despite having more resources to survive the downturn. Their layoffs were quietly acknowledged in regulatory filings and shrouded in corporate jargon, like an “involuntary reduction of associates” at Coca-Cola; and “operating model changes to streamline and speed up strategic execution” at Nike. The Salesforce layoffs punctuated one of the software giant’s fastest periods of growth and followed frequent pledges by its chief executive to assist with coronavirus relief. Marc Benioff, a self-styled leader of the corporate philanthropy movement, said in a series of tweets in late March that Salesforce pledged “not to conduct any significant lay offs over the next 90 days.” He suggested all CEOs should take a similar “90 day pledge” and encouraged all Salesforce employees to keep supporting hourly workers, such as housekeepers and dog walkers, who do work for them. Making good on that pledge was not hard for Salesforce, a company sitting on more than $9 billion in cash and short-term investments. It generated $2.7 billion in profit during the first six months of the pandemic, as businesses flocked to Salesforce’s tools for helping them manage operations remotely. The layoffs, about five months after Benioff’s tweet, were part of a plan to “reallocate resources” including “eliminating some positions that no longer map to our business priorities,” the company said in a statement. They were announced one day after the software giant announced its biggest quarter of profit and revenue in history, sending its stock soaring 30 percent. “Of course I’m cheesed about it. How could you not be?” said Walker, who was laid off after 12 years at the company. “It’s not great timing.” Walker, 48, who lives with his wife and two dogs in Herndon, Va., said he appreciates Salesforce giving him generous severance benefits and understands large companies sometimes have to cut labor costs to please investors. Cheryl Sanclemente, a Salesforce spokeswoman, said in a statement the company offered to help all of the people who were affected find new jobs, including in some 12,000 openings it expects to fill over the next year. She added that the company has provided protective equipment to health-care workers throughout the pandemic and gave $30 million to organizations fighting the covid-19 crisis. Salesforce pointed out that the company did make good on his promise not to hold layoffs within 90 days of his tweet. Similarly, Wells Fargo explained that it never committed to a time frame when it pledged to pause layoffs — which the company referred to in a statement as “job displacements” — back in March. “At that time, we said we would continue to evaluate and did not pledge to pause job displacements for a specific period of time,” spokeswoman Beth Richek said in an email. “Starting in early August, we resumed regular job displacement activity.” She declined to comment on the number of workers who were affected, though sources told Bloomberg News the San Francisco-based bank was cutting the first 700 workers in what is expected to be a massive restructuring impacting tens of thousands of jobs over the coming years. [LinkedIn cut nearly 1,000 jobs as pandemic pain comes to white-collar workers] Then there’s Cisco, which started the year determined not to “add to the problem” of pandemic unemployment, in the words of its CEO. Despite benefiting from a quarantine-fueled boom in videoconferencing tools including its Webex software, the company lost ground to Zoom and reported slowing growth in its cloud computing business. Robbins, who spent the first few months of the pandemic repeatedly reassuring staff that their jobs would be safe, by summer acknowledged a round of cost-cutting was needed, according to three former employees who were in meetings with Robbins this year and left the company within the past three months. The former employees — two who left voluntarily, one who was laid off — all spoke on the condition of anonymity while discussing their former employer. Cisco began a restructuring plan to eliminate $1 billion in costs, including a campaign to ask employees to take voluntary retirement packages or a 20 percent pay cut in exchange for working four days a week, the people said. In addition to the voluntary departures, Cisco began conducting involuntary layoffs in the early fall. Jennifer Yamamoto, a Cisco spokeswoman, said the company is increasing its investments in certain business areas and reducing investments in others. Before publication of this story, Yamamoto declined to specify the number of people the company laid off. After publication, she revealed Cisco had “restructured” about 3,500 workers. However, two of the former employees said they heard directly from managers at the company that Cisco planned to cut at least 8,000 employees, or more than 10 percent of its workforce. Asked about Robbins’s statements from earlier this year, Yamamoto said the CEO “did not commit to no layoffs, but rather said we would preserve what we could depending on how the pandemic played out, and he would then assess the needs of the business every 60 days before making any decisions. As the pandemic continued, things changed in the macro landscape and we had to make some tough choices.” Nowhere has the disparity between big and small businesses ballooned during the pandemic the way it has for restaurants. Just ask Dave Mainelli. For more than two decades Mainelli and his family have owned and run Julio’s Restaurant, a Tex-Mex joint in Omaha. His wife headed operations, his brother was a manager, and his son, a bartender. Customers held birthday parties and family reunions, plus wedding and funeral receptions there. When the pandemic hit and business started to falter, Mainelli said he tried to keep Julio’s open because of the difficulty of telling many of his longtime employees that it was over. He cut back on hours and eventually on staff, dropping from 40 to a dozen as he tried to survive on delivery and pickup. But with thin margins and debts beginning to mount, he closed Julio’s for good in June, after 25 years in business. “There were a lot of tears. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever been through and I‘ve been through a lot of hard stuff,” he said. While 1 in 6 restaurants permanently closed during the first months of the pandemic, according to the National Restaurant Association, big chains have ramped up their drive-through operations and rolled out new apps and menus catering to on-the-go orders. Maybe no one has done this better than McDonald’s, which was battered by the pandemic in the spring but has since been gobbling up more business by the day, using its scale to outpace hundreds of thousands of competing restaurants. Analysts say McDonald’s has leveraged its advantages by quickly simplifying its menu, allowing its locations to serve more customers in a shorter time without them having to enter its restaurants. Deliveries and mobile app use is growing. Drive-through orders grew to account for 90 percent of McDonald’s sales during the pandemic, up from two-thirds of sales before this year. “The large companies have these asset bases that the smaller companies cannot compete with, particularly now,” said Lauren Silberman, an analyst at Credit Suisse. Contrast that with the options available to Mainelli. To boost delivery sales he partnered with a local service in Nebraska, but it cut into profits dramatically. “When you rely on delivery, your margins get shrunk because you’re paying them a chunk,” he said. McDonald’s and other chains have long focused on data analysis and app development, capabilities they are now employing during the pandemic. Its digital drive-through menus allow restaurants to customize menu items for factors such as time of day, the weather and current restaurant traffic. It is also testing tools for tailoring menus more specifically to customers as they arrive. So, if you have been ordering a Big Mac meal with fries and a large Sprite since the beginning of the pandemic, McDonald’s could begin identifying you through the app running on your phone and start displaying that meal more prominently when you pull up to the drive-through. [Walmart and McDonald’s have the most workers on food stamps and Medicaid] Not every McDonald’s franchise has flourished. But for those facing a cash crunch, the company put up nearly $1 billion to allow franchise owners to defer rent and royalty payments until their business returned, a luxury few other restaurant owners enjoy. “Because of our scale and financial stability, we were able to quickly provide franchisees with financial support when they needed it most,” Kevin Ozan, McDonald’s chief financial officer, told investors in November. Company spokespeople declined to comment further. The result for McDonald’s shareholders has been a gift better than the plastic toy at the bottom of any Happy Meal. In October, shares of its stock reached an all-time high — up 27 percent since the beginning of March — and the company increased its dividend 3 percent. The gulf between McDonald’s and most independent restaurants is staggering. Restaurant employment is down 17 percent during the pandemic, according to the Independent Restaurant Coalition, with more than 2 million restaurant workers out of a job heading into winter. Many of the owners that are permitted to remain open are doing so by slashing staff and costs and focusing on takeout as much as possible. At Kayla’s Kitchen and Closet, located in tiny Park Falls, Wis., the menu offers soups, salads and a spicy blackberry bacon panini. Owner Kayla Myers also operates a clothing store next door offering Levi’s jeans, Minnetonka moccasins, children’s clothing and tuxedo rentals. She said she has been boosting sales with Facebook posts. But she closed off half of her six tables for social distancing measures and cut hours. “You don’t have any point in opening if people can’t even come in,” she said.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Dave Mainelli"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Julio’s Restaurant","Restaurant","restaurant"]},{"role":"Date","values":["June"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Omaha"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["coronavirus pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Little-Known Statute Could be Key To Getting A Refund For Cancelled Concerts","document":"Bay Area venues are preparing to host live concerts again very soon. But some fans are frustrated. They are still out of the cash they paid for shows that were cancelled due to COVID-19. Consumer investigator Chris Chmura reports. Back in January of 2020, Benicia resident Janin Griebel bought tickets for her and a few friends to see the singer Beabadoobie in San Francisco at a show scheduled for April of 2020. She spent $319.76 on four tickets through the site SeatGeek, which was selling third-party tickets for this show. It was a big expense for Griebel, who is about to start college in the fall. \"I’ve got like three jobs going on right now and that was a lot of money,\" she said. Like so many ticketholders, she learned the show wasn’t happening as planned due to the pandemic. She even emailed the artist's management in January 2021, who told her all tickets for their tour have been refunded. The manager suggested Griebel contact the agency she purchased the tickets from. But a SeatGeek representative told her they couldn't accept her emails from the artist's management as a reliable source and needed more proof the concert was canceled. \"I was going back and forth between the management and the ticket company, I just always thought they should be the ones talking to each other, I shouldn’t have to be the one doing it,\" Griebel recalled. She’s just one of many ticketholders who contacted NBC Bay Area Responds over the past year in search of refunds for events called off due to COVID-19. We reached out to SeatGeek and a spokesperson replied that they looked into her case and were able to find confirmation that the event was canceled. \"The customer should get an email in the coming week with next steps, offering them either a credit for 110% of their order or a cash refund (their choice),\" the spokesperson said. He also noted, \"as you can imagine, over the past 18 months we have seen an incredible volume of cancellations and postponements (we are talking tens of thousands), so staying on top of each individual one has been a challenge.\" Griebel said she will certainly be choosing the refund option, she could use the money As we looked into Griebel's case and others like it, we checked the policies for major ticket sales and resale companies when it comes to canceled, postponed, or rescheduled events. We learned they’re generally more likely to offer a refund if your event was canceled, as opposed to being postponed or rescheduled. But not all companies are offering refunds. StubHub, for example, typically provides a credit of 120% of the total amount paid for tickets when an event is canceled (though the company recently announced an expansion of some pandemic-related refund options.) A StubHub spokesperson also noted in an email to NBC Bay Area: \"StubHub has always provided customers who live in California, or who purchased tickets to events in California, a cash refund upon request.\" We asked StubHub to provide the particular California law that prompted this policy, but we were told: \"state and provincial laws vary with respect to ticket refunds.\" Statute 22507 in the California Business and Professions Code does resemble the StubHub policy, it states, \"the ticket price of any event which is canceled, postponed, or rescheduled shall be fully refunded to the purchaser by the ticket seller upon request.\" This statute was added to the state's code in 1986. We asked the California Attorney General's Office if Statute 22507 requires California ticket sellers to refund purchasers the full ticket price of any event that is canceled, postponed, or rescheduled upon request? A spokesperson responded, \"Yes, that statute does require refunds under certain circumstances, but please refer to B&P Code section 22503-22504 for the definition of 'ticket seller.'\" A ticket seller in that section is defined as \"any person who for compensation, commission, or otherwise sells admission tickets to sporting, musical, theatre, or any other entertainment event.\" The AG's Office noted that whether a company is seen as a \"ticket seller\" under the eyes of California law depends on a variety of things, like the role of the company involved and the circumstances around the transaction. Several class-action lawsuits have been filed against ticket companies related to pandemic cancellations and refunds, and at least two of those suits from ticketholders cite 22507 as a reason ticket companies should be obligated to refund customers for events that didn't happen as planned. Seth Safier, an attorney representing ticketholders in one such lawsuit against the company Eventbrite, said in an email that the case is still pending. We asked Safier whether 22507 entitles Californians to a refund of their tickets to events canceled, postponed, or rescheduled due to COVID-19? \"We think so,\" he responded. NBC Bay Area Responds has been recommending that California residents in search of ticket refunds to California events try mentioning 22507 as they contact the company who sold them the tickets. We brought 22507 up in an email to ticket resale company Box Office Ticket Sales as we asked about the status of a refund for one of our viewers: Julien Solorzano. Box Office Ticket Sales has not responded to any of our emails or phone calls. Solorzano's husband bought him tickets in the fall of 2019 to see Post Malone at the Chase Center in San Francisco, spending a total of $853. The concert which was scheduled for March of 2020 was postponed when the pandemic escalated, then canceled in September of 2020. While fans who purchased tickets from the official event promoter Ticketmaster/ Live Nation were automatically refunded as the event was canceled, Solorzano did not get a refund. Box Office Ticket Sales emailed him offering a voucher, for 120% of the value of his tickets, which needs to be used by May of 2022. \"Due to COVID-19 we are currently not comfortable attending any public function at such a large venue or in the foreseeable future,\" Solorzano said, as he explained why he has continued to pursue a refund. He noted part of the reason he's so frustrated is, \"it's just the fact that they're not transparent and they have all the power.\" Another avenue if you have a concern about a refund is the California State Attorney General's Office. The AG's Office said it encourages anyone who believes a seller is violating the law to file a complaint with their office. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The concert","concert","show"]},{"role":"Date","values":["April of 2020","2020","September of 2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["San Francisco"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"The Doobie Brothers concert has been postponed","document":"The Doobie Brothers concert at the Pavilion at Star Lake has been postponed after someone involved with the tour tested positive for COVID-19, the band announced Wednesday morning. \"Out of an abundance of caution, The Doobie Brothers will postpone their four upcoming shows as a member of the touring personnel has tested positive with COVID-19 despite health and safety precautions in place,\" the group said in a social media post. The Doobie Brothers 50th anniversary tour, featuring the return of Michael McDonald, had been scheduled for a stop at Star Lake on Saturday night. McDonald did not perform with the Doobies at their show in Minnesota on Tuesday night because he was not feeling well, according to reports. The group said the Star Lake concert will be rescheduled. Fans are encouraged to keep their tickets for the new date. It's the second postponement at the pavilion in less than a week. The Kiss concert on Aug. 26 was postponed after Paul Stanley tested positive for the virus. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Doobie Brothers concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday night","Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Pavilion at Star Lake","Star Lake","pavilion"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["someone involved with the tour tested positive for COVID-19","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Hundreds of Tigrayans detained in Ethiopian capital in recent weeks, with certain businesses has been closed","document":"A general view shows activity past a closed Harmony Hotel and Kaleb hotel owned by a Tigrayan businessmen in Bole neighbourhood in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia July 15, 2021. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri ADDIS ABABA/NAIROBI, July 15 (Reuters) - Ethiopian police have detained hundreds of ethnic Tigrayans in Addis Ababa since federal government forces lost control of the Tigray region's capital on June 28, according to some of those who say they were released. The detentions in the Ethiopian capital are the third wave of what dozens of Tigrayans, rights groups and lawyers have described as a nationwide crackdown on ethnic Tigrayans since November, when fighting erupted between the military and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in Tigray, the country's northernmost region. City authorities in Addis Ababa say they have recently closed a number of Tigrayan-owned businesses over alleged links to the TPLF, which was designated by the government as a terrorist organization in May but had dominated Ethiopian politics for three decades until 2018. But Addis Ababa police spokesperson Fasika Fanta said he had no information on the arrests or business closures. Federal police spokesperson Jeylan Abdi said: \"People might be suspected of a crime and be arrested, but no one was targeted because of ethnicity.\" Ethiopia's attorney general has previously said there is no government policy to \"purge\" Tigrayan officials. He has said he cannot rule out that some innocent individuals might be swept up in arrests but that the TPLF has a big network in Addis Ababa and Ethiopia must err on the side of caution. Officials in the prime minister's office, the attorney general's office and a government task force on Tigray did not respond to requests for comment on the released detainees' reports of a wave of arrests, or on individual cases. Tesfalem Berhe, a Tigrayan lawyer from a Tigrayan opposition party, told Reuters he knew of at least 104 Tigrayans arrested in the past two weeks in Addis Ababa and five in the eastern city of Dire Dawa. The names were provided by colleagues, friends or family members, and most of those detained are hotel owners, merchants, aid workers, daily workers, shopkeepers or waiters, he said. He had not spoken to the detainees directly, and said he was not representing them although he was passing the information to organisations such as the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. \"They are not appearing before the court within (the legally mandated period of) 48 hours and we do not know their whereabouts – their family or lawyers cannot visit them,\" he said. The arrests intensified, he said, after the military withdrew from Tigray's capital, Mekelle, and declared a unilateral ceasefire after nearly eight months of fighting. A spokesperson for the rights commission confirmed it had received reports of detentions and was monitoring them. ARRESTS Nigusu Mahari, a Tigrayan street trader, told Reuters that city police and men in civilian clothes had arrested him and 76 other Tigrayans on July 5. \"They beat us all with sticks,\" Nigusu said. Police asked if he had been sent by the TPLF, he said. The group was taken to a military camp on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, he said, and the number of Tigrayans detained there later passed 100. He said he was held there for two days and given six pieces of bread a day. Reuters could not independently verify Nigusu's account. Police and military officials did not respond to questions about Nigusu's case and other individual accounts. Last week, Reuters visited 10 Tigrayan-owned coffee shops, bars and restaurants in Addis Ababa that had notices posted on their doors saying they had been closed by city authorities. A notice posted at a coffee shop in the Haya Hulet area said it had been closed for \"disturbing the area.\" Another's doors were papered shut by a notice stamped by the Peace and Security Office of Addis Ababa's Bole district. No reason was given. Lidia Girma, deputy head of Addis Ababa City Peace and Security department, told Reuters the government had acted against businesses connected to the TPLF. \"It wasn't random and has nothing to do with ethnicity. It was based on investigations,\" she said. RESTAURANT WORKERS HELD A Tigrayan resident of Addis Ababa told Reuters his family restaurant had been shut down last week, and his younger brother and their 80-year-old father arrested along with 25 employees. They were released after two days, he said, requesting anonymity for safety reasons. A Tigrayan woman said police came to her house in Addis Ababa before dawn on July 1, searched it, and took her to a camp in the city's Kality district that is usually used for vagrants where she said hundreds of Tigrayans were being held. She said they were fed only one serving of bread per day but she was not beaten or questioned. She said she was not told why she was detained, paid 3,000 birr to a policeman and was released five days later. ($1 = 43.8932 birr) ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["a number of Tigrayan-owned businesses","Tigrayan","number","10 Tigrayan-owned coffee shops, bars and restaurants","Harmony Hotel and Kaleb hotel"]},{"role":"Date","values":["recently"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Bole neighbourhood in Addis Ababa","ADDIS ABABA","Addis Ababa"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["alleged links to the TPLF","TPLF","disturbing the area","area"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Bat Fest canceled after city denies permit for Saturday concert on Congress Avenue Bridge","document":"Saturday's annual Bat Fest concert event on the Congress Avenue Bridge has been canceled after city officials denied the festival's permit, event presenter Roadway Productions announced via social media on Wednesday evening. The post read, \"It is with utter shock and great disappointment that we must announced that we were notified via email at 4:57 pm by the City of Austin (COA) Special Events Program Manager-Austin Center for Events, that our special event permit was denied for this Saturday's Bat Fest. Therefore we have been strong armed into cancelling our event.\" RELATED:Photos from Bat Fest 2019 Rapper Fetty Wap and other artists were scheduled to perform. According to city officials in a statement, the permit was denied \"out of an abundance of caution\" in regard to surging COVID-19 cases. \"In this current environment, some events cannot provide for or implement sufficient safety and health protocols necessary to prevent the spread,\" the city's statement read. \"Additionally, public health conditions continue to strain local medical services, including hospital resources with Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacities. These strains can impact the City’s delivery of emergency-related services and the provision of City services required to support government functions.\" RELATED:ACL Fest to require negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination for all attendees Bat Fest's social media post claimed that their COVID-19 safety plan was previously approved by the city. Organizers also wrote that they had been in contact with the city since Aug. 11 \"to communicate and make sure that our event would go on.\" The fest claimed that its staff was emailed by the city on Monday, \"assuring us that we would have the event this Saturday.\" Bat Fest's post added that \"all indications from the City of Austin were that we had all of our ducks in a row as we have had for the other 15 previous years for this event. Now at the 11th hour we have been denied our permit and forced to cancel. We are shocked and devastated as this is a huge financial blow and harmful to our reputation as event producers. … We feel our event has been singled out arbitrarily and discriminated against.\"","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["annual Bat Fest concert event"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["City of Austin","Austin","City","city","Congress Avenue Bridge"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["city officials denied the festival's permit","permit","surging COVID-19 cases"]}]} {"event_trigger":"As only shelter in The Pas closes for repairs, homeless people 'sleeping anywhere and everywhere'","document":"Dozens of people in The Pas have been forced to sleep on the street after the only homeless shelter in the northern Manitoba town closed its doors for renovations earlier this month, leaving some wondering how Manitoba Housing allowed it to fall into such disrepair in the first place. With nowhere else for people to sleep, the sudden closure of Oscar's Place sent the local friendship centre scrambling to buy enough tents and sleeping bags so the town's homeless wouldn't freeze. \"You see these lost souls on the street with nothing,\" said Dena Johnson, executive manager of The Pas Friendship Centre. \"They're sleeping anywhere and everywhere.\" The closure came just as the Canadian Mental Health Association took over operations of the shelter, which is owned by the provincial agency Manitoba Housing. Manitoba Housing and the CMHA closed the shelter for eight weeks on Sept. 1 for badly needed repairs, necessitated by vandalism this summer and years of wear and tear. The shelter also needs time to hire more staff, after facing a severe shortage since a COVID-19 outbreak last October. Johnson said she has seen the effect of the closure on clients of her centre, which runs a daily lunch program. She was told one night, six men were forced to crowd into a three-man tent without a working zipper. \"They were struggling to keep warm there … because it's getting cold at night,\" she said. Lionel Daniels, who was a regular at Oscar's Place, now spends his nights at makeshift camps around the town. The group he sleeps with is forced to move locations frequently, for fear their stuff will be stolen if anyone discovers them. Sleeping outside in the summer isn't too bad, he said, but he relies on Oscar's Place whenever it rains or when temperatures plummet in the winter. With that colder weather on the horizon, \"I want to go to jail,\" Daniels, who has a court date in a few days, told CBC News. \"I want to hibernate.\" But in the meantime, he and others want a new shelter while Oscar's Place is being renovated. The Canadian Mental Health Association says it had no choice but to close the shelter temporarily while work is being done to bring it up to code. The decision \"was not something that we wanted to make,\" said James Wigley, the executive director of the CMHA's Swan Valley branch. Before the shelter can reopen, Manitoba Housing has a long list of repairs, including flooring, bathroom renovations, new windows, a new security system, a locking metal door and fire safety upgrades. A spokesperson for Manitoba's Families Department said the goal is to reopen by Nov. 1, after tenders were put out for the repairs with a Sept. 23 deadline. Manitoba Housing, which has owned Oscar's Place since 2018, has known the shelter was in need of repairs since 2019, after it received an inspection report from the non-profit organization that operated the shelter at the time, according to a spokesperson for the agency. The spokesperson says attempts by Manitoba Housing to address the repairs in September 2020 were unsuccessful because a contractor couldn't be secured. The shelter was previously run by Stand Up for Oscar's Place, a volunteer board. Its former chair, David Brauer, couldn't say why Manitoba Housing didn't get the repairs completed earlier, but thinks they could get the job done before Nov. 1. \"I believe Manitoba Housing has the money to hire a crew from anywhere and get this done immediately,\" he said. \"They need to step up and do it.\" Wigley said the CMHA inherited a host of issues when it took over operations of the shelter on Sept. 7. Under the new agreement, the CMHA will get an annual grant of $355,000 from the provincial government. While the shelter staff can take on the basic cleaning duties, the bigger repairs have to be done by Manitoba Housing, Wigley said. When the CMHA took over the building, the flooring was not up to code. It was so bad that a staff member's foot went through one of the floorboards, Wigley said. A lack of staff contributed to the problem by giving people the opportunity to vandalize the place. That meant it often wasn't safe to operate. Running the shelter overnight requires six staff members, but it only had three when it closed on Sept. 1. Wigley said the CMHA is now aggressively trying to hire. Officials with Manitoba Housing admit that when the decision was made to close the building, they knew there was nowhere to house residents in the interim. A interview request for Families Minister Rochelle Squires, the minister responsible for Manitoba Housing, was denied. This is not the first time the shelter has faced closure. It was once owned and operated by the local friendship centre. Facing mounting financial pressure in 2017, the centre said it couldn't afford to run the shelter anymore and would have to close it. Manitoba Housing stepped in and bought the building in 2018, with Stand Up for Oscar's Place running the shelter. A spokesperson for the Families Department said multiple repairs were done at that time. The friendship centre's Johnson said there is widespread frustration over the lack of a contingency plan to house everyone during the current closure. Some people in the community seem to feel homeless people won't live in The Pas if they aren't offered services, she said. \"So not everybody is willing to open their doors and welcome them.\" The town's mayor said the larger issue is the lack of resources his small community has to offer to people who are often coming from nearby First Nations. \"The town of The Pas just can't do it on its own,\" said Mayor Herb Jaques. There is currently nowhere in town that could be used as a shelter on an emergency basis, he said. He also says most of the shelter's residents struggle with addictions issues and need a treatment centre. \"The province of Manitoba has done a terrible job with those issues in our community,\" he said. \"You don't have to look very far to see the shortcomings.\" ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Oscar's Place","Oscar","Place","place"]},{"role":"Date","values":["earlier this month","earlier","eight weeks","Sept. 1","2017"]},{"role":"Location","values":["northern Manitoba town"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["badly needed repairs","severe shortage since a COVID-19 outbreak","mounting financial pressure"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Florida Georgia Line The Latest Band To Cancel 2021 Concert Dates Due To Covid-19— See Full List","document":"Florida Georgia Line announced Friday they had canceled all shows scheduled for the remainder of the year, joining an expanding list of bands and solo artists that have canceled concerts due to concerns related to the surging number of Covid-19 cases throughout the United States. NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 06: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard of Florida ... [+] Georgia Line perform on stage during day 1 of 2019 CMA Music Festival on June 06, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images) Florida Georgia Line said in a message on Instagram, they were “bummed” to have to cancel the rest of their fall tour, but ultimately made the decision due to the Covid surge, saying, “everyone’s continued safety has been weighing heavy on us.” BTS also cancelled its “Map of the Soul” world tour which was rescheduled due to the pandemic last year, Rolling Stone reported Thursday, with BTS’ company, Big Hit Music, saying changing conditions with Covid-19 have made it “difficult to resume performances at the same scale and timeline as previously planned.\" PROMOTED On Wednesday, Nine Inch Nails announced they had canceled all shows scheduled for the remainder of the year, saying in a statement on their website, the tour was \"intended to be a cathartic and celebratory return to live music\" when initially planned, but \"with each passing day, it's becoming more apparent we're not at that place yet.” The band, which has not performed live since being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last November, informed fans that if they bought tickets for their shows scheduled for September in Cleveland, Ohio, they would be able to receive refunds through their point of purchase. On Wednesday, country legend Garth Brooks announced the cancelation of his remaining 2021 concert dates, stating refunds would be offered for the approximately 350,000 tickets sold in advance. Brooks, whose wife, fellow performer Trisha Yearwood, had previously contracted Covid, said in a statement that when he restarted his tour in July, he \"sincerely thought the pandemic was falling behind us,\" but after \"watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight, and I must do my part.\" Last week, Stevie Nicks, citing the rise in Covid-19 cases, which she stated \"should be of concern to all of us,\" canceled each of the five performances she was scheduled to make over the remainder of 2021. In a Twitter post, the 73-year-old Nicks said that while she is vaccinated, she is \"still being extremely cautious.\" On Aug. 9, less than a week after performing in front of a full-capacity crowd at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Limp Bizkit announced the cancelation of their summer tour \"out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the band, crew and most of all the fans.\" With the delta variant sweeping throughout the country, the U.S. is averaging more than 140,000 new coronavirus cases a day, the highest daily average since early February. Several popular bands, ranging from Phish and Maroon 5 to The Foo Fighters and Dead & Co., have recently declared they will require proof of full vaccination against Covid-19 or a recent negative test as a prerequisite to attend their shows. Earlier this week, Jason Isbell and his band, the 400 Unit, pulled out of the 19th annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion after the festival said it would not require proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test for entry. In a statement, the festival's organizers explained, \"after exploring all options, we have concluded that we cannot impose a vaccine mandate or negative test policy at this time without a state mandate.\" \"I'm all for freedom, but I think if you're dead, you don't have any freedoms at all,\" Isbell told MSNBC in an interview last week. \"So it's probably important to stay alive before you start questioning your liberty.\" It's not just artists that have decided to cancel shows. Last week, the New Orleans Jazz Fest announced that due to the \"current exponential growth of new Covid cases in New Orleans and the region and the ongoing public health emergency,\" the event scheduled to take place in mid-October would be pushed back to next spring. The Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam, a country music festival scheduled for Labor Day weekend in Florida, has also been called off and moved to June 3-5, 2022. Here Are The Bands Requiring Fans To Provide Proof Of Vaccination Or A Negative Covid Test To Attend Their Shows (Forbes) Musician Jason Isbell: I'll Only Perform For Audiences That Are Vaccinated Or Show A Negative Covid Test (Forbes) ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["all shows scheduled","shows scheduled","“Map of the Soul” world tour","remaining 2021 concert","each of the five performances","summer tour"]},{"role":"Date","values":["remainder of the year","remainder","the remainder of 2021","last year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["United States"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["concerns related to the surging number of Covid-19 cases","Covid","Covid-19 cases","Covid-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Imagine Music Festival planned for Chattahoochee Hills canceled due to rain","document":"Imagine Music Festival, metro Atlanta’s largest electronic dance music event, was canceled Wednesday due to predictions of rainy weather, just a day and a half before it was slated to begin. “We are devastated to share this news, however, mother nature leaves us no option with the remains of Hurricane Nicholas causing severe weather throughout the region,” wrote the festival organizers on its Facebook and Twitter feeds. Some 30,000 to 40,000 EDM fans were expected at the 8,000-acre Bouckaert Farm in the tiny Chattahoochee Hills community this weekend, planning to be entertained by Adventure Club, Excision, Griz, Illenium, Kaskade and dozens of other EDM acts. Three-day tickets, starting at $250, were sold out. The Midtown Music Festival is also planned for Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 18-19, on four stages at Piedmont Park. Scheduled acts include 21 Savage, Miley Cyrus and Megan Thee Stallion. This would have been the first time the Imagine festival was staged at the Bouckaert Farm, having begun life seven years ago at the Masquerade Music Park, and then at the Atlanta Motor Speedway facility. Plans for last year’s festival were scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but organizers Maddy and Glenn Goodhand were optimistic about this year’s event. “Overwhelmingly, even the experts are saying we’re likely to be at a point (with vaccines and case numbers) where we can put a bunch of people outside in early fall,” Glenn Goodhand told former AJC music writer Melissa Ruggieri earlier this spring. “It’s tough, but for the most part, I think everyone wants to start getting out there, and we want to make sure it’s safe to do so.” Now those fans are grousing on social media about the last-minute cancellation. “Spent thousands to get here and you say rain or shine,” said one on Facebook. “Where the heck is it ok to cancel less than 24 hrs of opening. I want my money back now so I can get home instead of spend the rest of my time here doing nothing.” Old hands remember the disaster of the huge TomorrowWorld festival, held in the same location in 2015. An event that attracted 150,000 the year before was marred by rain and bad planning in 2015, stranding thousands without food, water or transportation. The result of the TomorrowWorld debacle was the bankruptcy of the organizers and the end of Atlanta’s version of the festival. “As someone who was at TomorrowWorld . . . this is a smart decision,” wrote another commenter, on the Imagine Music Festival Facebook page. This year’s Imagine Music Festival, ironically named “An Aquatic Fairytale,” would likely have been similarly muddy, and more aquatic than the planners wanted. The refund policy listed on the Imagine Music Festival’s website specifies that there will be no refunds. “If the Event is canceled in whole, or in part, due to a Force Majeure Event (as defined below), You will not be entitled to a refund,” says the policy. “Force Majeure” is defined to include severe weather, along with terrorism, tsunami, flood, strike or other labor action. The terms and conditions can be seen on the organizer’s website. The Bonaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee was canceled last month, two days before it was set to begin, due to severe weather from Hurricane Ida.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Maddy and Glenn Goodhand","Glenn Goodhand"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Imagine Music Festival","The Midtown Music Festival","The Bonaroo Music and Arts Festival"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday","a day and a half before","Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 18-19","last year","last month"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Atlanta","Manchester, Tennessee"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["severe weather from Hurricane Ida","severe weather","predictions of rainy weather","COVID-19 pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Here Are The Houston-Area Schools Closed By Nicholas","document":"Town Square is on the air now! Join the conversation: Call 888.486.9677 | Email talk@townsquaretalk.org | Listen Live Houston ISD and other districts are set to reopen on Wednesday. Updated 7:08 a.m. CDT Wednesday All schools districts have reopened except for the following: Angleton ISD schools are closed through Wednesday. All after-school events and activities — including practices — are canceled. Brazosport ISD Brazosport ISD schools are closed through at least Wednesday. Clear Creek ISD On Tuesday, Clear Creek ISD announced schools will reopen Wednesday with the exception of Hyde Elementary and League City Elementary, which remained without power at the time. The district added that if power was restored it would notify families by 6:30 a.m., and those schools would open as normal Wednesday. High schools have late arrival on Wednesday. All absences are excused. Danbury ISD Danbury ISD will be closed through Wednesday, including after-school activities. Dickinson ISD Dickinson ISD schools will be closed through Wednesday. Fort Bend ISD Classes and activities resume at Fort Bend ISD elementary, middle and high schools Wednesday, except for the below schools impacted by power outages: Galveston ISD Galveston ISD is closed through Wednesday, and all school events and activities are canceled. Hitchcock ISD Hitchcock ISD is closed through Wednesday. Huffman ISD Falcon Ridge Elementary, Huffman Middle and Hargrave High School will be open Wednesday. A determination for classes at Huffman Elementary and DAEP was set to be announced by 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. Pasadena ISD South Houston Intermediate School will be closed Wednesday. Santa Fe ISD Santa Fe ISD will be closed through Wednesday, with afternoon activities canceled. All SBISD schools return Wednesday except Memorial High School and Rummel Creek Elementary School, which were still without power as of Tuesday night. Stafford Municipal School District Schools are closed Wednesday, though some student activities may continue as planned. Sweeny ISD Sweeny ISD schools and offices are closed through at least Wednesday. Texas City ISD Texas City ISD is closed through at least Wednesday. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Hitchcock ISD","Texas City ISD","Angleton ISD schools","All after-school events and activities — including practices","Brazosport ISD schools","Danbury ISD","Dickinson ISD schools","Galveston ISD","Pasadena ISD South Houston Intermediate School","Santa Fe ISD","Stafford Municipal School District Schools","Sweeny ISD schools and offices"]},{"role":"Date","values":["through Wednesday","Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Houston"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["power outages"]}]} {"event_trigger":"WHO Points To Wildlife Farms In Southern China As Likely Source Of Pandemic, with evidence found in farms and markets already closed","document":" Bamboo rats are among the wild animals farmed for food in China and other parts of Asia. A member of the World Health Organization team investigating the coronavirus pandemic says its report will conclude that such animal farms are likely the place where the pandemic began. Above, a live rat is on sale at a food market in Myanmar. Jerry Redfern/LightRocket via Getty Images Bamboo rats are among the wild animals farmed for food in China and other parts of Asia. A member of the World Health Organization team investigating the coronavirus pandemic says its report will conclude that such animal farms are likely the place where the pandemic began. Above, a live rat is on sale at a food market in Myanmar. A member of the World Health Organization investigative team says wildlife farms in southern China are the most likely source of the COVID-19 pandemic. China shut down those wildlife farms in February 2020, says Peter Daszak, a disease ecologist with EcoHealth Alliance and a member of the WHO delegation that traveled to China this year. During that trip, Daszak says, the WHO team found new evidence that these wildlife farms were supplying vendors at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan with animals. Daszak told NPR that the government response was a strong signal that the Chinese government thought those farms were the most probable pathway for a coronavirus in bats in southern China to reach humans in Wuhan. Those wildlife farms, including ones in the Yunnan region, are part of a unique project that the Chinese government has been promoting for 20 years now. \"They take exotic animals, like civets, porcupines, pangolins, raccoon dogs and bamboo rats, and they breed them in captivity,\" says Daszak. The agency is expected to release the team's investigative findings in the next two weeks. In the meantime, Daszak gave NPR a highlight of what the team figured out. \"China promoted the farming of wildlife as a way to alleviate rural populations out of poverty,\" Daszak says. The farms helped the government meet ambitious goals of closing the rural-urban divide, as NPR reported last year. \"It was very successful,\" Daszak says. \"In 2016, they had 14 million people employed in wildlife farms, and it was a $70 billion industry.\" Then on Feb. 24, 2020, right when the outbreak in Wuhan was winding down, the Chinese government made a complete about-face about the farms. \"What China did then was very important,\" Daszak says. \"They put out a declaration saying that they were going to stop the farming of wildlife for food.\" The government shut down the farms. \"They sent out instructions to the farmers about how to safely dispose of the animals — to bury, kill or burn them — in a way that didn't spread disease.\" Why would the government do this? Because, Daszak thinks, these farms could be the spot of spillover, where the coronavirus jumped from a bat into another animal and then into people. \"I do think that SARS-CoV-2 first got into people in South China. It's looking that way.\" First off, many farms are located in or around a southern province, Yunnan, where virologists found a bat virus that's genetically 96% similar to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19. Second, the farms breed animals that are known to carry coronaviruses, such as civet cats and pangolins. Finally, during the WHO's mission to China, Daszak said the team found new evidence that these farms were supplying vendors at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, where an early outbreak of COVID-19 occurred. The market was shut down overnight on Dec. 31, 2019, after it was linked to cases of what was then described as a mysterious pneumonia-like illness. \"There was massive transmission going on at that market for sure,\" says Linfa Wang, a virologist who studies bat viruses at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. He's also part of the WHO investigative team. Wang says that after the outbreak at the Huanan market, Chinese scientists went there and looked for the virus. \"In the live animal section, they had many positive samples,\" Wang says. \"They even have two samples from which they could isolate live virus.\" And so Daszak and others on the WHO team believe that the wildlife farms provided a perfect conduit between a coronavirus-infected bat in Yunnan (or neighboring Myanmar) and a Wuhan animal market. \"China closes that pathway down for a reason,\" Daszak says. \"The reason was, back in February 2020, they believed this was the most likely pathway [for the coronavirus to spread to Wuhan]. And when the WHO report comes out ... we believe it's the most likely pathway too.\" The next step, says Daszak, is to figure out specifically which animal carried the virus and at which of the many wildlife farms.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["wildlife farms","farms","Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan","Wuhan","Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market"]},{"role":"Date","values":["February 2020","overnight on Dec. 31, 2019"]},{"role":"Location","values":["China"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 pandemic","COVID-19","early outbreak of COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Alabama postpones Laughlin concert","document":"LAUGHLIN — The legendary country music group Alabama has postponed its concert in Laughlin for a little more than a year. The band, in the middle of its heralded 50th Anniversary Tour, was scheduled to play Sunday at the Rio Vista Outdoor Amphitheater at Harrah's Laughlin, a night after playing at the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey's in Stateline, Nevada. Alabama announced on its website that both of those dates have been pushed to consecutive nights in 2022 — Stateline on Sept. 9 and Laughlin on Sept. 10. Postponement of the Lake Tahoe appearance comes as parts of that area are under evacuation orders because of the Caldor Fire, which is threatening South Lake Tahoe and likely will jump from the California side of the border into Nevada. “We've been advised by local officials that the fires are making conditions too unsafe for us to perform this Saturday and South Lake Tahoe is currently under evacuations in the area,” the band said on its website's tour listings. “We have worked with the casino to reschedule the date of Sept. 9, 2022.” No specific reason was given for the Laughlin postponement at a venue about 400 miles away from Tahoe. “Due to circumstances beyond our control, Alabama is postponing the show... to a new rescheduled date of Sept. 10, 2022.” For both Nevada shows, tickets already purchased will be honored on the new dates and refunds will be available for 30 days. “For all guests who have purchased tickets for the original concert this Sunday, their tickets will be honored at the rescheduled show,” said Barbie Greenwood, marketing communications/public relations manager for Harrah's Laughlin. ‘If they are unable to attend the new date, they will be able to request a refund at the point of purchase until Oct. 1, 2021.” The original concert had not been sold out; tickets still were available early Monday afternoon. Later in the day, ticket links began showing the new concert date next year. Alabama is scheduled to resume its tour in the Midwest, playing Sept. 16 in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the following night in Oklahoma City before moving to Dayton, Ohio, on Sept. 24 and Pittsburgh on Sept. 25. The Nevada concerts aren't the first to be canceled by the popular group. The band has twice rescheduled a concert appearance with the Beach Boys in Wichita, Kansas. The original date of July 31, 2000, was postponed because of the COVID-19 precautions — many of the band's tour stops were postponed last year for that reason — and was rescheduled for March 27 of this year. It was postponed again and rescheduled for Feb. 12, 2022. Several other earlier dates in 2021 also have been rescheduled, mostly due to COVID-19 and public health concerns. The band also rescheduled more than 20 dates in 2019 — when the 50th Anniversary Tour actually began — because of health issues surrounding lead singer Randy Owen. Greenwood said there have been no other changes in the lineup of acts coming to the Rio Vista Outdoor Amphitheater. “The next concert in the Rio Vista ... is Los Tigres Del Norte concert on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, followed by Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening on Friday, Oct. 22, and Justin Moore on Saturday, Nov. 6,” she said.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2022 — Stateline on Sept. 9 and Laughlin on Sept. 10","Laughlin","Sunday","a little more than a year","Saturday","July 31, 2000"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Laughlin"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 precautions","COVID-19","Caldor Fire","health issues surrounding lead singer Randy Owen"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Redcar Council buys M&S shop to demolish as part of revamp","document":"A council has bought an empty Marks & Spencer shop which could be demolished as part of a town revamp. The former store in High Street, Redcar, previously had a guide price of £1.29m. Redcar and Cleveland Council would not disclose what it paid, describing it as \"commercially sensitive\". The local authority has received £25m as part of the government's Towns Fund which is aimed to rejuvenate the coastal town. Council leader Mary Lanigan has previously promised to \"make every penny count\" of the government cash. The store closed in 2014 and property has entrances from the High Street and The Esplanade. It will make way for a scheme linking the High Street with the seafront which will provide an events space and allow existing and pop-up businesses to trade outdoors. Redcar councillor Neil Baldwin, an independent representing the Coatham ward, said it was the council's \"intention to demolish\" the building. \"We have rundown areas all through the borough and there are places and buildings which are never going to be re-inhabited, and the council can take the first step and hammer away in terms of regeneration.\" The council is thought to be in discussions to potentially buy other buildings in the town, but these have not been made public, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. \"Officers are continuing to work with our partners on the Redcar Town Deal board to make sure this huge opportunity to transform the town is grabbed with both hands,\" a spokesman said. \"A key element of the scheme is opening up a new events and cultural space between the seafront and the town centre and it is as part of those plans that the former Marks & Spencer building freehold has been bought. Other plans include a proposed outdoor watersports centre at Coatham, a family activity centre on The Esplanade, renovating properties in Station Road, along with an improved library for the town and a clean energy education hub at Redcar & Cleveland College. Loftus, in east Cleveland, which was awarded £5.8m from the Future High Streets fund, has seen public funds being used to buy the former Grade II-listed Barclays Bank building, as well as a former church and derelict chapel. Former council leader, Labour's Sue Jeffrey, has questioned whether it was value for money. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Marks & Spencer shop","Marks"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2014"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Redcar"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["part of a town revamp"]}]} {"event_trigger":"U.S. says ransomware attack on meatpacker JBS likely from Russia, which lead some business' closure","document":"CHICAGO, June 1 (Reuters) - Brazil’s JBS SA (JBSS3.SA) told the U.S. government that a ransomware attack on the company that disrupted meat production in North America and Australia originated from a criminal organization likely based in Russia, the White House said on Tuesday. JBS, the world's largest meatpacker, said on Tuesday night it had made \"significant progress in resolving the cyberattack.\" The \"vast majority\" of the company's beef, pork, poultry and prepared foods plants will be operational on Wednesday, according to a statement, easing concerns over rising food prices. The cyberattack followed one last month by a group with ties to Russia on Colonial Pipeline, the largest fuel pipeline in the United States, which crippled fuel delivery for several days in the U.S. Southeast. JBS halted cattle slaughter at all its U.S. plants on Tuesday, according to union officials. On Monday, the attack caused Australian operations to shut down. \"Our systems are coming back online and we are not sparing any resources to fight this threat,\" said Andre Nogueira, chief executive of JBS USA. With North American operations headquartered in Greeley, Colorado, JBS controls about 20% of the slaughtering capacity for U.S. cattle and hogs. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the United States contacted Russia's government and that the FBI was investigating. \"The White House is engaging directly with the Russian government on this matter and delivering the message that responsible states do not harbor ransomware criminals,\" Jean-Pierre said. JBS sells beef and pork under the Swift brand, with retailers like Costco Wholesale Corp (COST.O) carrying its pork loins and tenderloins. JBS also owns most of chicken processor Pilgrim's Pride Co (PPC.O), which sells organic chicken under the Just Bare brand. Ongoing shutdowns of JBS plants would threaten to raise meat prices further for American consumers during summer grilling season and to disrupt meat exports at a time of strong demand from China. \"The supply chains, logistics and transportation that keep our society moving are especially vulnerable to ransomware, where attacks on choke points can have outsized effects and encourage hasty payments,\" said threat researcher John Hultquist with security company FireEye. The disruption quickly had an impact on Tuesday, industry analysts said. U.S. meatpackers slaughtered 22% fewer cattle than a week earlier and 18% than a year earlier, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Pork processing was also down. Prices for choice and select cuts of U.S. beef shipped to wholesale buyers in large boxes each jumped more than 1%, the USDA said. A general view of the JBS USA Worthington pork plant, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, in Worthington, Minnesota, U.S., October 28, 2020. REUTERS/Bing Guan The USDA contacted several major meat processors to encourage them to keep supplies moving and slaughter additional livestock when possible, according to a statement. The agency also urged meatpackers to make their IT and supply-chain infrastructure more durable. Federal agencies including the USDA and Department of Homeland Security are closely monitoring meat and poultry supplies, a White House official said. The agencies are also working with agricultural processors to ensure no price manipulation occurs as a result of the cyberattack, the official said. AFFECTED SYSTEMS SUSPENDED JBS said it suspended all affected systems, notified authorities and that backup servers were not affected. A representative in Sao Paulo said there was no impact on Brazilian operations. The company said Sunday's cyberattack affected its North American and Australian IT systems and \"resolution of the incident will take time, which may delay certain transactions with customers and suppliers.\" U.S. beef and pork prices are already rising as China increases imports, animal feed costs rise and slaughterhouses face a dearth of workers. Any further impact on consumers will depend on how long JBS plants remain closed, analysts said. JBS Beef in Cactus, Texas, said on Facebook that there would be no production for fabrication, slaughtering or rendering on one shift on Wednesday. Another shift will have regular start times for employees. An early shift was also canceled on Wednesday at JBS' beef plant in Greeley after the cyberattack, but a later shift was scheduled to resume normally, representatives of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 7 said in an email. A pork plant in Ottumwa, Iowa, will have no \"harvest production\" on its first or second shifts on Wednesday, according to a Facebook post that said the company was \"continuing to work through our IT issues.\" Some other aspects of the plant are operating, according to the post. JBS Canada said in a Facebook post that it operated a shift at its beef plant in Brooks, Alberta, on Tuesday, after canceling shifts earlier in the day and on Monday. The United States Cattlemen's Association, a beef industry group, said on Twitter that it had reports of JBS redirecting livestock haulers who arrived at plants with animals ready for slaughter. Last year, cattle and hogs backed up on U.S. farms and some animals were euthanized when meat plants were shut during coronavirus outbreaks among workers. Over the past few years, ransomware has evolved into a pressing national security issue. A number of gangs, many of them Russian speakers, develop the software that encrypts files and then demand payment in cryptocurrency for keys that allow the owners to decipher and use them again. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["cattle slaughter","Australian operations","meat plants"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday","Monday","Last year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S. plants"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["crippled fuel delivery for several days","coronavirus outbreaks among workers"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Comings & Goings: Staffing shortages still stymie service industry","document":"New hours are 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and noon to 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays. It just reopened July 22 after being closed for 16 months. Owner Samir Abughannam did not give a reason for the recent temporary closure. The restaurant is at 301 B St. ———— Comstock’s Magazine had a nice feature recently on Konditorei Austrian Pastry Cafe. It said Albert Kutternig, 66, hopes to retire within two years. He owns the bakery with his wife Gloria. Konditorei started in the early 1990s in downtown Davis. It’s been at its 3,000-square-foot custom-built building at 2710 Fifth St. since 2000. The story said Albert hasn’t found someone willing to take on the long, early-morning hours of his business, and may have to close it when he retires. ———— Citing staffing shortages, Tommy J’s Grill — aka Froggy’s Bar & Grill — recently joined the list of restaurants that are closed on Mondays. That remains in effect at least through the end of October. If you’ve tried to eat out on a Monday — especially for lunch — it’s a challenge. With UC Davis students back in town, hopefully staffing and business profits will improve. Meanwhile, practice patience (and please don’t post a nasty review on Yelp). ———— One great choice for lunch on Mondays and other weekdays is Musette, which recently rebranded from Pannier. It has a ton of filling, plant-based grain bowl and salad choices, along with its already amazing sourdough bread, focaccia — and some big, brown-butter chocolate chip cookies (topped with coarse salt!) that look dangerously delicious. It’s inside University Mall at 825 Russell Blvd., Suite 27. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. ———— The long-awaited new 7-Eleven at 400 Mace Blvd. opened Sept. 15. It includes a gas station as well as a convenience store. The company never responded to my messages regarding the delayed opening, but I assume it was because of staffing. ———— The ASUCD Coffee House in Memorial Union reopened on Wednesday, the same day in-person classes resumed at UC Davis. Hours are limited to weekdays, and shorter than usual, due to staffing constraints. Swirlz Bakery is open from 7:30a.m. to 4 p.m. Mandalay Express (sushi and pho) serves from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Hours for TxMx Grill and Fickle Pickle Deli are 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Ciao (pizza) remains closed. These remain in effect until Dec. 10 unless they can fill job vacancies. ———— Explorit Science Center plans a grand reopening Oct. 2 and 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The center, at 3141 Fifth St., has been closed for 18 months, except for some limited outdoor camps. The event will include public hours and craft activities. Face masks are required. Explorit board president Sheila Allen said, “It will be nice to safely have visitors again. I hope people will come by and enjoy some family science fun.” To limit crowds, the event requires registration. Visit https://www.explorit.org/grand-reopening to secure a morning or afternoon spot. Admission is $4 for nonmembers ages 3 and up. ———— Bizarro World celebrates its 30th anniversary this month, with an event on Sept. 30. The store’s inventory includes old and new comic books; sci-fi and manga books; toys; gaming and trading cards; board, role-playing and video games. It’s at 223 E St. Check its Facebook page for updates on its anniversary. ———— Fusion Boba & Sandwiches closed on Sept. 18. The business ran as a kiosk inside Westlake Market, 1260 Lake Blvd. In an announcement on social media, Fusion said it plans to open a new store in Woodland. I have confirmed that Jeremiah’s Pick Coffee plans to fill the space. The San Francisco-based company started as a supplier to supermarkets, restaurants and natural food stores. It sells and makes socially and environmentally responsible coffee. ———— Local Jump bikes vanished in the pandemic but there’s a new bike rental company in town: Joe Bike. Its pop-up shop is at 903 Third St. Hours are 2 to 6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Check it out online at https://thejoebike.com/. The San Francisco-based company had a soft-launch starting in March but it’s busy now that UC Davis students are back. Its target market is college towns, including Palo Alto and Austin, Texas. Joe Bike offers monthly bike subscriptions: $24 for a single-speed and $29 for a three-speed cruiser. “The service also includes both damage and theft protection,” the company said in a news release. Each bike comes with a lock. “Should a Joe Bike need repairs or get stolen, it will be serviced or replaced within 24 hours, at no extra charge.” These green-and-white cruisers with front racks are more traditional than the heavy, electric-assisted red Jump bikes popular in Davis before the pandemic. Jump bike services were shut down in March 2020 by its then-parent company, Uber. It was later acquired by Lime, known best for its electric scooters. Jump bikes do not appear to be returning to Davis. ———— Another business adjusting its hours is Helmus Optometry. It recently eliminated Saturdays, attributing it mostly to the labor shortage. It’s open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ———— Davis Shoe Shop is back to regular hours, with high hopes of maintaining them. It’s open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays at 223 C St. ———— For those wondering, I have tried to check in on the status of Uncle Vito’s and Delta of Venus, two of the last restaurants in town that remain closed since March 2020. Still, no response. ———— Green River Brewing & Taproom in Winters closed temporarily after a vehicle drove into the side of its building early on Sept. 19. It reopened Sept. 20 with a limited menu. Co-owner John Neil told The Winters Express that its self-serve beer wall will be out of service until its damaged portion is fixed. It’s at 4513 Putah Creek Road. ———— I keep track of Davis businesses on my Google spreadsheet, which includes more than 325 Davis businesses affected by COVID-19. It’s at https://bit.ly/DavisBusinesses. In it, there are sheets for Restaurants-open, Restaurants-closed, Businesses-retail, Businesses-service, and more. Email me (address below) to suggest updates. — Wendy Weitzel is a Davis writer and editor. Her column runs on Sundays. Check for frequent updates on her Comings & Goings Facebook and Instagram pages. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Tommy J’s Grill","Grill","Jump bikes","Konditorei Austrian Pastry Cafe","Ciao (pizza)","Explorit Science Center","Fusion Boba & Sandwiches","Uncle Vito’s and Delta of Venus","Green River Brewing & Taproom"]},{"role":"Date","values":["closed for 18 months","closed","since March 2020","2020","March 2020","Sept. 18","Sept","early on Sept. 19","for 16 months","on Mondays","at least through the end of October","until Dec. 10"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Winters","downtown Davis","3141 Fifth St","inside Westlake Market"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["did not give a reason","job vacancies","affected by COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Largest Amsterdam Dance Event party, AMF, cancelled over Covid rules","document":"The Amsterdam Music Festival (AMF), the largest party of the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), will not take place this year due to the coronavirus restrictions. The organizers announced that it cannot organize the event with only 75 percent of attendees, as per the new restrictions announced by the cabinet on Tuesday. The AMF was scheduled for October 16 with 40 thousand attendees at full capacity and performances by DJs Afrojack, Tiesto, Nicky Romero, Armin van Buuren and David Guetta. The event was already sold out. This is the second year the AMF can't happen due to the coronavirus. \"We need your love on that special night on the 16th of October in the beating heart of Amsterdam - the Johan Cruijff ArenA. We need your energy. We need your beautiful smiling faces. We need you to embrace each other again. We need you to make AMF your escape and take this journey with us once again. But the Dutch Government has other plans,\" AMF said on Facebook. \"We did all we could to reunite with you on the dancefloor again, but the world is still in a very surreal place and we will have to sadly miss you for one more year.\" Festival organizer ALDA said it hopes to be able to hold the AMF next year, on Saturday October 22.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["ALDA"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Amsterdam Music Festival"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this year","October 16"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Dutch"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["coronavirus restrictions"]}]} {"event_trigger":"UNESCO, UNICEF say closed Afghan girls' schools violates fundamental right to education","document":" Published: 20th September 2021 Both UNESCO and UNICEF said that Afghanistan has made significant gains in education, especially in girls' education, and they should be preserved Representative Image The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) said that closing Afghan girls' schools violates the fundamental right to education. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said in a statement that if the girls' schools continue to remain closed, it would constitute a significant violation of the fundamental right to education for girls and women. \"UNESCO warns about the irreversible consequences if girls are not allowed to return to school at all levels of education swiftly. In particular, the delayed return of girls to secondary school may risk them being left behind in education and ultimately, in life. It increases the risk of dropping out from education altogether and exposes them to negative coping mechanisms such as child marriage. It may further widen the learning disparities between boys and girls, and ultimately hinder girls' access to higher education and life opportunities,\" Azoulay said. Both UNESCO and UNICEF said that Afghanistan has made significant gains in education, especially in girls' education, and they should be preserved. Azoulay said educated boys and girls will shape the future of Afghanistan and they should equally benefit from the rights to an education. \"The future of Afghanistan depends on educated girls and boys. We, therefore, call upon all relevant actors in Afghanistan to ensure that all children have unhindered access to education in the framework of the announced gradual reopening of schools. The right to education for all learners, especially girls, must be upheld at this critical time,\" she said. In the meantime, UNICEF has also voiced its concerns over the unclear fate of Afghan girls and their education. While welcoming the gradual reopening of schools, UNICEF chief Henrietta Fore said in a statement that \"we are deeply worried that many girls may not be allowed back at this time.\" Fore said the girls must not be left behind and she called on relevant actors to address the problem. \"Girls cannot, and must not, be left behind,\" Fore said. The statement comes as boys' secondary schools reopened on Saturday, but the fate of girls' schools remains unclear. The Taliban education ministry of the caretaker cabinet on Friday announced that male students and teachers should appear in schools but did not mention anything about girls and female teachers. According to UNESCO, Afghanistan has made important gains in the education sector in the past two decades. Since 2001, the female literacy rate has almost doubled from 17 per cent to 30 per cent, and the number of girls in primary school has increased from almost zero in 2001 to 2.5 million in 2018. The number of girls in higher education institutions has increased from 5,000 in 2001 to around 90,000 in 2018. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Afghan girls' schools","schools","Afghan girls"]},{"role":"Date","values":["continue to remain closed"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Afghanistan"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"KISS is latest to postpone tour dates after Gene Simmons tests positive for COVID-19","document":"If you don’t think the Delta variant is real, a few performers and concert promoters might change your mind: KISS and Florida Georgia Line are the latest musical acts to announce they’re canceling or delaying shows because of the resurgent pandemic. Stevie Nicks, Nine Inch Nails, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Garth Brooks and other artists also have recently scrapped or postponed tour dates as the coronavirus’ highly contagious Delta variant continues to sweep across the United States and abroad. Several musicians have returned to the stage as the country gradually reopens for the first time since COVID-19 vaccines became widely accessible. But some have begun to back out of performances as the recent surge in coronavirus cases takes an increasing toll — primarily on the unvaccinated community. Other performers — such as Phoebe Bridgers, the Foo Fighters, the Eagles, Phish, Dead & Company and Maroon 5 — are requiring concertgoers to produce proof of immunization or recent negative test results before entering their shows. AEG Presents, the promoter of marquee music events such as the Coachella festival, recently announced a mandatory vaccination policy for staff and fans at upcoming shows. Meanwhile, some major festivals are already canceling this year’s dates, with more likely to follow suit. Music Coachella promoter AEG sets mandatory vaccination policy for fans and staff “We are aware that there might be some pushback, but I’m confident we will be on the right side of history” the Coachella and Stagecoach promoter said Thursday. Aug. 12, 2021 As of Aug. 20, 64% of Californians had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine — but hospitals are quickly becoming overwhelmed after seeing coronavirus hospitalizations multiply over the span of a few weeks. The new wave of live music cancellations is, of course, reminiscent of the beginning of the pandemic, when musician after musician — from BTS and Billie Eilish to Khalid and Mariah Carey — began scrapping their planned 2020 concert appearances slowly, and then all at once. Here’s a running list of artists who have altered their 2021 touring schedules so far. Rock band KISS delayed its next four appearances in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin after bassist and singer Gene Simmons tested positive for COVID-19. “While [guitarist and singer] Paul Stanley recently tweeted that he has recovered from COVID, Gene Simmons has now tested positive and is experiencing mild symptoms,” the group said in an Aug. 31 statement. “The band and crew will remain at home and isolate for the next 10 days. ... All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new dates once announced. More information will be emailed to ticket holders directly.” KISS’ End of the Road tour is expected to resume Sept. 9 at FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine. On Aug. 20, country music duo Florida Georgia Line canceled the remainder of their I Love My Country tour, citing safety concerns. In California, the “Cruise” hitmakers were expected to travel to San Diego, Mountain View, Wheatland, Fresno, Los Angeles and San Bernardino in November. Other stops on the itinerary spanned Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Connecticut, New York, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, North Carolina, Michigan, Illinois, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, Washington state and Washington, D.C. “While we’ve been able to see some of y’all at shows recently, everyone’s continued safety has been weighing heavy on us,” the group said in a statement. “We’re so bummed to have to cancel this tour, but we know in our hearts that we still have to make sure we’re keeping our fans and crew safe. We love y’all and can’t wait to be back out when the time is right.” Global pop supergroup BTS officially pulled the plug Aug. 20 on its highly anticipated Map of the Soul tour, long after postponing the North American leg of the tour in March 2020. “Our company has worked hard to resume preparations for the BTS Map of the Soul tour, knowing that all fans have been waiting eagerly and long for the tour,” the band’s record label, Bighit, said in a statement. “However, due to changing circumstances beyond our control, it has become difficult to resume performances at the same scale and timeline as previously planned. ... [Allow] us to offer our sincere apology to all fans who have waited for the BTS Map of the Soul tour to resume. We are working to prepare a viable schedule and performance format that can meet your expectations, and we will provide updated notices as soon as possible.” On Aug. 19, rock band Nine Inch Nails canceled the remainder of its 2021 concert appearances “with great regret.” “When originally planned, these shows were intended to be a cathartic and celebratory return to live music,” the group said in a statement. “However, with each passing day it’s becoming more apparent we’re not at that place yet. We are sorry for any inconvenience or disappointment and look forward to seeing you again when the time is right.” Country superstar Brooks announced Aug. 18 that his stadium tour would be going on hiatus while his team continues to “monitor the virus’ impact and watch how schools, sports, and other entertainment entities are handling this stage of the pandemic.” As a precaution, the singer has canceled five upcoming performances across Ohio, North Carolina, Maryland, Massachusetts and Tennessee. “In July, I sincerely thought the pandemic was falling behind us. Now, watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight and I must do my part,” Brooks said in a statement. “It is with a heavy heart we announce the decision to cancel all 5 shows but with a hopeful heart, we will reschedule and start over when this wave seems to be behind us.” “The joy I have seen in everyone’s faces as live music returns has been more than worth our constant diligence to maintain safety protocols not only for the fans, but for our band, the crew and the hard working staff in these stadiums,” he added. “Their dedication to safety for the people who fill those seats has been a miracle to watch and a blessing to receive. I am truly grateful.” Opinion Op-Ed: Garth Brooks, bringing some unity through country music Having Brooks onstage was a way to reach out to the entire country, including his fans in red states. Jan. 20, 2021 California metal band Korn canceled and rescheduled a slew of concert dates Aug. 16 after frontman Jonathan Davis tested positive for COVID-19. “On Saturday, we received the unfortunate news that Jonathan tested positive for Covid, and needless to say, we had to postpone the show last minute,” the group said in a statement. “As always, our primary goal is to ensure the safety of everyone involved, so this is something that has to be done. Jonathan’s spirits are high, and he’s resting and recovering now. We’re as disappointed as you are about the circumstances, but we’ll get through it though, and we can’t wait to see you once we’re back, firing on all cylinders once again.” Some of Korn’s August shows in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire were postponed to late September and early October, while performances in New York have been canceled. After performing back-to-back, sold-out shows with frequent collaborator Lady Gaga in early August at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, famed crooner Bennett will no longer go on tour this fall as planned. “There won’t be any additional concerts,” Bennett’s son told Variety Aug. 12. ”This was a hard decision for us to make, as he is a capable performer. This is, however, doctors’ orders. ... He’ll be doing other things, but not those upcoming shows.” Earlier this year, Bennett’s family revealed that the veteran musician had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to his health complications, Bennett’s advanced age — he just turned 95 — places him firmly in the high-risk category for COVID-19. Music Tony Bennett turns 95 and celebrates with big news about final album with Lady Gaga Lady Gaga announces “Love for Sale,” her second album with Tony Bennett. She and the birthday boy, who has Alzheimer’s, perform tonight and Thursday. Aug. 3, 2021 “It’s not the singing aspect but, rather, the traveling,” his son told Variety. “Look, he gets tired. ... [D]oing concerts now is just too much for him. We don’t want him to fall onstage, for instance — something as simple as that.” Titled “One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga,” the singer’s recent appearance in the Big Apple already had hinted at Bennett’s retirement from live performing. Still on the horizon, however, is his second and final joint album with Gaga, “Love for Sale” — out Oct. 1. pic.twitter.com/mPbeGYaEdL On Aug. 10, legendary Fleetwood Mac rocker Nicks, 73, announced her reluctant decision to abort a string of upcoming tour dates in Colorado, California, Texas and Louisiana. “These are challenging times with challenging decisions that have to be made,” the “Edge of Seventeen” hitmaker explained via Twitter. “I want everyone to be safe and healthy and the rising Covid cases should be of concern to all of us. “While I’m vaccinated, at my age, I am still being extremely cautious and for that reason have decided to skip the 5 performances I had planned for 2021. Because singing and performing have been my whole life, my primary goal is to keep healthy so I can continue singing for the next decade or longer. I’m devastated and I know the fans are disappointed, but we will look towards a brighter 2022.” Music The moonlight confessions of Stevie Nicks On the eve of the release of a solo concert film, Fleetwood Mac star Stevie Nicks opens up on Lindsey Buckingham’s exit and looking for love in her 70s. Sept. 30, 2020 Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd pulled out of its forthcoming shows in Ohio, Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama on Aug. 9 after longtime guitarist Rickey Medlocke tested positive for COVID-19. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Aug. 13 appearance in Atlanta was moved to Oct. 23. “Rickey is home resting and responding well to treatment,” the group said in a statement. “We will continue to update you on his condition.” Music ‘DaBaby will no longer be performing’: Rapper’s list of canceled festival gigs grows From Lollapalooza to ACL, here’s a running list of music festivals that have scrubbed rapper DaBaby from their lineups after his homophobic rant. Aug. 4, 2021 Canadian singer-songwriter Bublé also amended his touring schedule on Aug. 6 “due to concerns over the rising number of Coronavirus infections.” The “Just Haven’t Met You Yet” artist’s August concert appearances in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida have all been rescheduled to October, while new dates for the South American leg of the tour “will be announced shortly,” according to Bublé's Twitter account. On Aug. 7, rap-rock band Limp Bizkit, which performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago late last month, indefinitely postponed the remainder of its August tour dates “out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the band, crew and most of all the fans,” according to a statement. “In short, the system is still very flawed,” frontman Fred Durst told Billboard. “Even if the performers, crews, staff, and promoters do their best to ensure safety on and behind the stage, that doesn’t ensure the safety of the audience as a whole.” Tickets purchased online for shows in New York, New Hampshire, Virginia, Nebraska and Texas will be automatically refunded. https://t.co/cXRBBhOMYY pic.twitter.com/5blU12dEsL On Aug. 11, Grateful Dead cover band Joe Russo’s Almost Dead postponed its upcoming indoor shows in Wisconsin and Missouri to late March, while canceling multiple appearances in Michigan and New Orleans. “After much consideration and discussion, we believe it’s in the best interest of our fans, band and crew to err on the side of safety and caution at this time,” the group said in a statement. “As of now, we will continue playing [select] shows with ... additional safety precautions. ... As the year progresses, we will make decisions based on the best data available with the health and safety of ourselves and our fans in mind. We apologize for the bad news and deeply appreciate your understanding.” pic.twitter.com/pFmSvfko8V On Aug. 12, Colorado jam band the String Cheese Incident canceled its weekend performances in Kentucky and Ohio after one of its members tested positive for COVID-19 — “despite all being vaccinated.” “We are super bummed we can’t play music for y’all, but this is how the world seems to run these days,” the group said in a statement. “Thanks for the continued support, and we look forward to crossing paths soon.” The band also canceled appearances in late August at the Big Top and the Backwoods Festival at Mulberry Mountain, but its website says it will play shows in October and later in the year. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["slew of concert","concert","2020 concert","shows","upcoming indoor shows","remainder of its 2021 concert","remainder","remainder of its August tour","tour","stadium tour","remainder of their I Love My Country tour","love","Love","Map of the Soul tour","Map","Soul tour","string of upcoming tour","String","major festivals","five upcoming performances","weekend performances","Big Top and the Backwoods Festival"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Aug. 19","19","Aug. 20","Aug","20","Aug. 18","Aug. 16","Aug. 6","late August","this year","year","this fall","fall"]},{"role":"Location","values":["United States and abroad"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Jonathan Davis tested positive for COVID-19","COVID-19","COVID","Covid","one of its members tested positive for COVID-19","One","resurgent pandemic","coronavirus’ highly contagious Delta variant","safety concerns"]}]} {"event_trigger":"One in three travel destinations still fully closed to international tourists: UN agency","document":"Around a third of 217 world travel destinations surveyed remain completely closed to international tourists, as concerns grow over the impact of new coronavirus variants, and some governments reverse efforts to ease restrictions, according to a new report released by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on Monday. Among the destinations now off limits, more than half of them have been inaccessible to overseas travelers since 27 April last year. UNWTO 9th travel restrictions report is out?!?32% destinations are completely closed for int'l tourism?34% destinations are partially closed?32% destinations request a PCR or antigen test✈️2% destinations lifted COVID-19 restrictions Find more: https://t.co/rIBUkAvgt1 pic.twitter.com/OM11pN0H3x Moreover, most of the former tourist draws affected, are in Asia, the Pacific and Europe, according to the UNWTO Travel Restrictions Report. On the other side of the coin, more than a third of global tourism destinations are now partially open to international visitors, with Albania, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, North Macedonia and Tanzania, lifting all COVID-19 related travel restrictions. Noting that travel restrictions have been widely used to restrict the spread of the virus, Zurab Polilikashvili, UNWTO Secretary-General, stressed that “as we work to restart tourism, we must recognise that restrictions are just one part of the solution.” He further underscored that travel restrictions must be based on the latest data and analysis, and consistently reviewed “so as to allow for the safe and responsible restart of a sector upon which many millions of businesses and jobs depend.” The report shows a growing trend in international destinations “adopting a more nuanced, evidence and risk-based approach” to coronavirus linked travel restrictions, said the UN agency in its news release on the report. More countries are requiring tourists to present a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) or COVID-19 antigen test for entry, as well as providing contact details for tracing purposes. Just over 30 per cent of all worldwide destinations have made presenting negative test results their main requirement for entry, which the same proportion are making tests a secondary or tertiary measure. So far 70 world destinations have adopted such an approach, with additional quarantine requirements. Around a third of these destinations are Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Americas. According to UNWTO, many governments have advised their citizens to avoid non-essential travel abroad, including governments of the top ten destinations who have adopted that policy, which received 44% of all international tourists worldwide, according to figures from March 2018. How they review policies in the light of the pandemic, will play a critical role in restarting and restoring global tourist flows in the months ahead, said the report. Following an “annus horribilis” of death, disaster and despair, 2021 must be a year of transformation, Secretary-General António Guterres told the UN’s 193 Member States on Thursday. A new report from the UN’s air transportation agency confirms there was a “dramatic” fall in international air travel due to COVID-19, of around 60 per cent over the course of last year, to levels last seen in 2003.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Around a third of 217 world travel destinations","Around","third","around"]},{"role":"Date","values":["since 27 April last year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["international tourists"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["restrict the spread of the virus"]}]} {"event_trigger":"An all-star show was eventually stopped halfway","document":"An all-star show to celebrate the city’s emergence after the hardships of the pandemic, even as the spread of the Delta variant has driven up cases again, was stopped halfway through. By Ben Sisario It was supposed to be a glorious celebration of the re-emergence of New York City after more than a year of pandemic hardship — a concert bringing thousands of vaccinated fans on Saturday evening to the Great Lawn of Central Park to hear an all-star lineup. And for the first couple of hours, it was, with messages of New York’s resilience sandwiched between performances by the New York Philharmonic, Jennifer Hudson, Carlos Santana, LL Cool J and Earth, Wind and Fire, among others. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["An all-star show"]},{"role":"Date","values":["after more than a year of pandemic hardship","Saturday evening"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New York City"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Pittsfield cancels 2021 Halloween Parade","document":"PITTSFIELD, Mass. (NEWS10) — The city of Pittsfield has canceled the 2021 Halloween Parade. A tentative trick-or-treat event will be hed from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on October 30, and the city is also encouraging residents to participate in its free virtual Halloween contest. From October 1 to October 24, you can submit a photo of a decorated pumpkin, costume, or a decorated home. There will be prizes for the winners of different categories. The contest is open to all ages, and you must be a Pittsfield resident. Judging will take place the week of October 25, and the winners will be announced on October 29. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Halloween Parade"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["The city of Pittsfield","Pittsfield"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Covid-19: India school closures 'catastrophic' for poor students","document":"The prolonged closure of schools in India has led to \"catastrophic consequences\" for poor children, according to a recent survey. Only 8% of the children sampled were studying online regularly and 37% were not studying at all, the survey found. Primary and upper-primary schools in India have been closed for 17 month to curb the spread of coronavirus. The survey, supervised by leading economists, spoke to 1,400 children across India in August. Researchers focused on households in relatively deprived villages and slums, where children generally attend government-run schools. \"The picture that emerges from the survey is absolutely dismal, especially in rural areas,\" says the study, conducted by nearly 100 volunteers in 15 states and federally administered territories. The survey found that nearly half of the children sampled were unable to read more than a few words. And few children were studying online: 24% in cities, and just 8% in villages. One reason was a large number of these households had no smartphones - only about half of the households in the villages owned one. Even among those who did own a smartphone, only a third of the children were studying online in cities and about 15% in the villages. Only 9% of the children surveyed had their own phones. Another major hurdle, especially in villages, was that schools were not sending online study material or the parents were not aware of it. \"Most parents feel that their child's reading and writing abilities have gone down during the lockdown,\" the survey said. More than 90% of underprivileged parents who were surveyed wanted schools to reopen as soon as possible. India is among a handful of countries where primary schools have not reopened. \"An all-out reopening might not be advisable for now, but asking children to attend schools in batches once or twice a week would be a good start,\" economist Reetika Khera, one of the lead authors of the survey, told the BBC. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["prolonged closure","for 17 month"]},{"role":"Location","values":["India"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["curb the spread of coronavirus"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Sears is shutting its last store in Illinois, its home state","document":"The last Sears department store located in the retailer’s home state of Illinois is getting ready to close its doors for good. The shop, located in Simon Property Group’s Woodfield Mall, is scheduled to shutter on Nov. 14, the company confirmed to CNBC. A spokesman for the department store chain’s parent company, Transformco, said it will look for ways to revive the space with another tenant because it also manages the real estate. “This is part of the company’s strategy to unlock the value of the real estate and pursue the highest and best use for the benefit of the local community,” Transformco said in a statement. Sears Holdings, which also owned Kmart, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 2018. Transformco later acquired Sears out of bankruptcy and has since closed dozens of the remaining Sears and Kmart locations across the United States. Kmart’s last location in Manhattan recently shut. It will be replaced by a Wegmans grocery store. A spokesperson for Transformco declined to confirm how many Sears and Kmart stores are still open. The company’s websites list 35 Sears locations, including the one at Woodfield Mall, and 22 Kmart stores. Sears was founded in Chicago in the 1890s. Its business blossomed through much of the 20th century, as it sold everything from homes to apparel. Sears was once the largest retailer in the nation, boasting thousands of stores. The company had about 700 stores, many of them barren of goods, when it filed for bankruptcy protection. Scott Carr, president of Transformco’s real estate division, said in a statement that the company plans to maximize the value of the Woodfield Mall property through a redevelopment.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Sears department store"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Nov. 14"]},{"role":"Location","values":["state of Illinois"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["part of the company’s strategy to unlock the value of the real estate and pursue the highest and best use for the benefit of the local community"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Motor Bella cancels Wednesday activities due to rain","document":"Pontiac — The Detroit Auto Dealers Association canceled Motor Bella's second industry and press day scheduled for Wednesday after heavy rain hit Metro Detroit, the auto event organizers said late Tuesday. Teams will now be prepping the M1 Concourse grounds in Pontiac for public days of the show that are scheduled for Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 23-26. The mostly outdoor event is taking place this year instead of the indoor North American International Auto Show, which is also organized by the DADA. “After a very successful and highly anticipated first day, we had a significant amount of rain hit the facility, resulting in flooding and water damage to exhibit areas,” said Rod Alberts, DADA executive director, said in a statement Tuesday night. “With the significant amount of rain forecasted to continue well into tomorrow, we unfortunately are forced to cancel all activities scheduled for tomorrow and focus on ensuring the facility is ready for public days.” The National Weather Service's office in White Lake had not published a rainfall total for Pontiac late Tuesday evening, but the agency said 1.86 inches of rain fell in Farmington and 1.34 inches was recorded in Bloomfield Hills. More rain is expected. Metro Detroit residents could see 4 inches to 6½ inches of rainfall by late Thursday, the weather service said. The worst of the rain is expected Wednesday and a flood watch is in effect through Thursday for Huron, Saginaw, Tuscola, Sanilac, Shiawassee, Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Livingston, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Wayne, Lenawee and Monroe counties. Public days are scheduled to open at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 23 with more than 350 vehicles on-site from 35 brands, ride-along activities and a 120,000-square-foot off-road track. Public days continue through 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Motor Bella's second industry and press day"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Metro Detroit"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["heavy rain"]}]} {"event_trigger":"More Americans couldn’t get enough to eat in 2020, while places like schools, offices and restaurants were closed in initial months of the pandemic","document":" Zheng Tian's work related to this article was supported in part by the United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under project #2020-51150-31870 and by the Pennsylvania State University and NIFA Multistate/Regional Research Appropriations under project #NE1749. Stephan J. Goetz receives funding from the United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under project #2020-51150-31870 and the Pennsylvania State University and NIFA Multistate/Regional Research Appropriations under project #NE1749. Penn State provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation US. The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. Americans in households with annual incomes from $50,000 to $75,000 experienced the sharpest increase in food insufficiency when the COVID-19 pandemic began – meaning that many people in the middle class didn’t have enough to eat at some point within the previous seven days, according to our peer-reviewed study that will soon be published in the Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. We also found that food banks, food pantries and similar emergency services helped reduce food insufficiency, especially for middle-income Americans, by the end of 2020. When we averaged Census Bureau survey data collected after April 23, 2020, we saw that food insufficiency rates rose among Americans at all income levels. To be sure, Americans in households earning less than $50,000 annually are the most prone to food insufficiency. That remained true during the initial months of the pandemic when places like schools, offices and restaurants remained closed to restrict the spread of COVID-19. But food insufficiency grew at a high rate for all Americans in households with yearly earnings of up to $75,000 from April to December 2020. The rate rose most sharply – by a half-percentage point from 0.98% to 1.48% – among households with incomes in the $50,000-$75,000 range. This situation is rare in households with incomes above $150,000. That didn’t change during the early months of the pandemic. Separately, we studied whether the presence of more food banks and similar services made a difference in terms of food insufficiency in a given state. We found that it did, because rates fell the most quickly in states with more of those organizations per 10,000 residents. This was especially true for middle-income households earning from $50,000 to $75,000 annually. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, there was widespread concern about food-supply disruptions and the possibility that many more people than usual would have trouble getting enough to eat. After millions of workers were laid off due to lockdowns, often on short notice, widely distributed photos of long lines of cars and people awaiting food donations reinforced these fears. The share of households experiencing food insufficiency subsequently did rise. The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that it increased from 9.5% as of April 23, 2020, to 13.4% as of December 21, 2020. This growth no doubt would have been higher without several short-term policy changes and a series of economic relief and stimulus packages that supplemented U.S. incomes. Food banks and similar organizations also played a role. They helped provide emergency food aid to at least 60 million Americans in 2020, according to Feeding America, the nation’s largest anti-hunger organization. The middle-income people who sought help from food banks and similar organizations may have turned to them because they were less familiar with government benefits than lower-income people. For example, they may not have known at first how to enroll in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. People unaccustomed to needing help making ends meet needed time both to learn about food assistance options available to them, and how to apply, according to news reports. Obtaining emergency food assistance tends to be faster and easier than enrolling in SNAP. It remains unclear whether food banks and similar organizations are cost-effective compared to government-run nutrition programs. Because SNAP distributes benefits through a special kind of debit card accepted by a wide array of retailers, administering the program requires little overhead. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["places like schools, offices and restaurants"]},{"role":"Date","values":["initial months of the pandemic","pandemic"]},{"role":"Location","values":["The U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["restrict the spread of COVID-19","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Singapore’s school management policy during COVID-19","document":"Singapore’s predominantly state-based school system and agile policymaking ensure minimal impact of the pandemic on its children This article is part of the series Children and the Pandemic: An Analysis Across Countries In an ideal year, students in Singapore attend school for 200 days. However, in 2020, Singapore’s primary and secondary school students physically attended 150 days (approx.) of school. The rest of the days of schooling were completed through home-based or blended-learning model. This article takes a look at the challenges faced by students during the COVID-19 pandemic and the policies adopted by the Singapore government to alleviate them. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Singapore government took an incremental and adaptive approach to school management. It implemented staggered breaks in school and suspended large whole school assemblies as early as 4 February 2020. This was followed by suspension of inter-school activities and reduction in tutorial class sizes. The government also imposed additional precautionary measures such as cleaning of school premises and limiting the number of visitors to create a safe physical learning environment. Such measures allowed Singapore to have two months of face-to-face classes for students. In 2020, Singapore’s primary and secondary school students physically attended 150 days (approx.) of school. The rest of the days of schooling were completed through home-based or blended-learning model. However, the rapid increase in daily cases, from just four in the beginning of March to about 74 at the beginning of April, blunted the effect of the precautionary measures. By the end of March, the government announced the start of a blended learning model—that involved one day of home-based learning a week—which was then converted into full home-based learning from 8 April to 4 May 2020. This decision had varying effects on the learning and well-being of students. At school, all students have the same learning space (e.g., classroom), similar resources (e.g., computers, playgrounds, etc.) and similar learning time. These factors vary widely when students are unable to attend school. Students who live with their grandparents, younger children, or unemployed household members may have less space and time to devote to their studies at home, compared to students without such constraints. Similarly, students from families with higher income and wealth can afford better resources like electronic devices, a study table, separate rooms, and private tuition. Apart from students, home-based learning also puts additional pressure on the parents and the family. A greater amount of time must be spent on supervising and caring for the children, which can mean a reduction in work hours. This could also lead to a reduction in care for other dependent members of the family, like the elderly. Some family members, especially women, might even be forced to leave their jobs, contributing to an increase in gender inequality. The government also imposed additional precautionary measures such as cleaning of school premises and limiting the number of visitors to create a safe physical learning environment. The Singapore government understood these challenges. For instance, it announced that the schools would provide access to electronic devices to students who could not purchase one. It also kept the government childcare centres open, especially for essential healthcare workers. However, alleviating space and time constraints is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for students who are of primary and secondary school going age. Schools provide an equitable environment, as described above, which is impossible to achieve in any kind of online-based learning arrangement. Yet, the circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak hindered the return of students to school, as cases in the community also started to affect school children. To tackle this problem, the government brought forward the school holidays from June to May 2020. This change in holiday schedule reduced the number of home-based learning days. When schools reopened in June 2020, the blended-learning mode was still in place, but as soon as the first wave of COVID-19 ended, the government switched to face-to-face classes. This required safe management measures and staggered resumption of activities. These included scheduled cleaning and wiping of school premises, immediate testing on discovery of COVID-19 cases, strict adherence to mask and social distancing mandates and education of children regarding the pandemic. School activities were also resumed in a staggered manner; for instance, starting with low-risk activities and then moving to other high-risk co-curricular activities (e.g., playing wind instruments). When schools reopened in June 2020, the blended-learning mode was still in place, but as soon as the first wave of COVID-19 ended, the government switched to face-to-face classes. For the rest of the year, students enjoyed face-to-face classes. Singapore’s ability to provide such a high number of school days to students is a result of its high physical, human resource, and institutional capacity. Historically, Singapore’s placement of high value on school education has meant that the country has actively developed excellent school infrastructure (i.e., school buildings, playgrounds, etc.) and adequately trained its teachers and school administrators. Such infrastructure and highly skilled personnel were important to implement many of the measures listed above. For instance, large and spacious school environments are essential for safe distancing. Availability of running water and clean toilets is essential for hand washing and general hygiene. At the same time, highly skilled personnel are important for conveying safe management measures to children and making sure that they follow them at school. Such measures also require the development of class activities that are easier to conduct safely. Along with such factors, the agile policy response of the government also helped in avoiding loss of school days. The use of a blended-learning model and adjustment of holiday schedules were important steps in helping reduce the burden placed on parents and children. Rather than thinking in binaries of school closure and reopening, the government took a more nuanced approach to school management. The agile policy response of the government also helped in avoiding loss of school days. The use of a blended-learning model and adjustment of holiday schedules were important steps in helping reduce the burden placed on parents and children. Finally, at the institutional level, Singapore’s public ownership of schools allows the implementation of coordinated and standardised policy response (Table 1). Source: Ministry of Education, Singapore Government dominance in education enables it to steer the system in the needed direction for the benefit of society. If private schools occupied the major share of Singapore’s education sector, then it would have been a mammoth task for the government to coordinate a unified policy response to the pandemic. Overall, Singapore has successfully provided a high number of school days to its students. While there is limited research in Singapore on the impact of this short-term school closure, studies conducted globally show mixed results in terms of the impact of school closure on pandemic containment and negative results on the health, well-being, and learning of students. Needless to say, these outcomes are mediated by the contextual factors, such as availability of internet, digital literacy, other non-school based nutrition programmes for children and housing condition. Singapore continued to provide cash-based meal subsidies to parents irrespective of their children’s school attendance during the circuit breaker. For Singapore, such contextual factors were supportive. The country has high internet penetration and digital literacy. At the same time, the housing policy of Singapore has ensured that more than 90 percent of the residents own their houses, which are built by the Housing Development Board (HDB), Singapore’s public housing champion. Finally, Singapore continued to provide cash-based meal subsidies to parents irrespective of their children’s school attendance during the circuit breaker. In 2021, the government has moved towards vaccinating students who are eligible, institutionalising its safe management measures and giving a more targeted response to outbreaks (e.g., shifting individual schools to home-based learning for shorter time periods). We have three learnings from Singapore. Firstly, school closure decisions must be made keeping in mind the magnitude of the benefits it provides. While there were doubts initially, but as time passed, evidence was clear that school closures had a marginal impact on controlling transmission. Secondly, the cost of school closures is high, especially in countries where non-school-based meal programmes and learning infrastructure are not in place, and therefore, operating schools with proper safety measures might be more suitable. Finally, if, and when, countries decide to close schools, they must avoid binary thinking (closure versus opening) and adopt a more nuanced approach towards managing schools. The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews. Mohnish is a PhD Candidate at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), National University of Singapore. He holds a Master of Public Policy from LKYSPP and a Master of China Studies from the Yenching Academy (YCA) of Peking University. Mohnish has previously >> Set up in 1990, ORF seeks to lead and aid policy thinking towards building a strong and prosperous India in a fair and equitable world. It helps discover and inform India’s choices, and carries Indian voices and ideas to forums shaping global debates. ORF provides non-partisan, independent analyses and inputs on matters of security, strategy, economy, development, energy, resources and global governance to diverse decision-makers (governments, business communities, academia, civil society). ORF’s mandate is to conduct in-depth research, provide inclusive platforms and invest in tomorrow’s thought leaders today.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["primary and secondary school","primary","secondary school","inter-school activities","School activities","large whole school assemblies","tutorial class"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2020","8 April to 4 May 2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Singapore"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 pandemic","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Schools in remote coastal B.C. First Nations community closed due to COVID-19","document":"Students in British Columbia have been back to school for almost two weeks now and yet in a small First Nations community off the west coast of Vancouver Island classrooms sit empty. Ahousaht is a rural village on Flores island about 30 minutes by boat from Tofino that has both an elementary and secondary school. According to Rebecca Atleo, Ahousaht's director of education, both schools will remain closed until at least Sept. 27 to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 cases in the close-knit community. Atleo said that of about 900 Ahousaht First Nation members living on the island, nine people currently have the virus and the risk of spreading it to more households is too great to open the schools. She said while the community is working toward a 100 per cent vaccination rate, and the majority of people are double vaccinated, the risks of breakthrough cases and infecting children who are too young to be immunized is too high. \"It's disconcerting when those people who are double vaccinated actually contracted the COVID,\" said Atleo, speaking Thursday to CBC's On The Island host Gregor Craigie. Atleo said the later start date is also out of an abundance of caution after many community members attended a fall fair on the second weekend of September in Port Alberni, about a two hour drive from Tofino. \"I'm a little concerned about the fallout after, so it's a wait and see,\" she said. British Columbia announced 661 new cases of COVID-19 and seven more deaths on Wednesday. Two of those deaths were in the Island Health region which services 850,000 people in comparison to two deaths in the Vancouver Coastal Health region which services 1.25 million. On Thursday, there were 638 active cases in Island Health with 24 people in hospital — including 13 in critical care. The Health Ministry said in a statement that from Sept. 8 to 14, people who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 76.1 per cent of cases. \"What worries me were the children who were getting it,\" said Atleo, adding there have already been a couple of children under 12 who have been infected. The complete school reopening plan for the community is on the Ahousaht Education Authority's website. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["an elementary and secondary school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["until at least Sept. 27"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Ahousaht","west coast of Vancouver Island"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 cases"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Hoopfest 2021 faced cancellation again this year due to CORONAVIRUS","document":"UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 26, 2021 The continued prevalence of the coronavirus claimed another summertime event in Spokane on Wednesday, as organizers announced the cancellation of Hoopfest 2021. The 3-on-3 basketball tournament had been scheduled for Sept. 11-12. In a letter posted to Hoopfest’s website on Wednesday afternoon, organizers said the increase in COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant of the coronavirus led to cancellation of the event for the second straight year. The cancellation was made in consultation with the Spokane Regional Health District and regional health care providers. “This decision has been excruciatingly difficult, especially because the circumstances have significantly worsened in just the past 48 hours,” the letter reads. Hoopfest had been planning for a tournament with about 3,200 teams, roughly half the size of a traditional competition, Executive Director Matt Santangelo said Wednesday. Those teams may now request a partial, 20% refund, or donate their entry fee to the nonprofit in charge of running the competition. Organizers had announced the 20% refund earlier this month, made necessary because some costs had already been incurred to hold the event in September. The Hoopfest nonprofit reported $1.1 million less in revenues in 2020 compared to the previous year after not holding a tournament because of the pandemic. Team captains will receive an email soon with the choice of donating their fee or requesting a refund, Santangelo said. Refunds will be processed by the end of September. MultiCare Rockwood Clinic, a Hoopfest sponsor, applauded the move in a statement. “As the Inland Northwest community continues to see an increase in the number of COVID-19 delta variant cases and the region’s hospitals experience record-breaking COVID-19 hospitalizations, MultiCare agrees with our partners at the Spokane Regional Health District and Hoopfest that it is in the best interest of our community, potential visitors and all MultiCare staff to cancel the Hoopfest basketball tournament for 2021,” said Alex Jackson, president and chief operations officer of MultiCare Rockwood Clinic, in a statement. Dr. Francisco Velazquez, the interim health officer of the Spokane Regional Health District, commended Hoopfest for trying to pull an event off even as cases continued to rise. “Matt and his team have worked diligently for months to make Hoopfest as safe as possible, and it is unfortunate that the exponential spread of the virus and its Delta variant has caused the event to be canceled,” Velázquez said in a statement. Each team member will receive a T-shirt and each team a Hoopfest branded basketball, regardless of whether they ask for a refund. Organizers had made the decision not to require participants to receive vaccination against COVID-19. The cancellation of Hoopfest follows the decision to cancel Pig Out in the Park earlier this month. Hoopfest had originally been moved to the September weekend from its usual date in June. That weekend, temperatures climbed above 100 degrees in an unusual bout of early summer heat that turned deadly. Kate Hudson, public relations manager for the nonprofit community booster group Visit Spokane, said it was fair to estimate the financial loss to the community from the event’s cancellation “in the millions.” “I think what’s kind of a gut punch is that we thought we were kind of in the clear,” Hudson said. “We had this movement in a positive direction. To have this setback, it’s tough.” She said hotels, restaurants and other businesses were looking forward to “a sense of normalcy” with the return of Pig Out and Hoopfest, after the second straight cancelation of an in-person Bloomsday in May. The Spokane County Interstate Fair is still scheduled to take place Sept. 10-19 as of Wednesday, said Jessica McLaughlin, fair coordinator. The 2022 edition of Hoopfest is scheduled to take place June 25-26. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Hoopfest 2021"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sept. 11-12"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Spokane"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["increase in COVID-19 cases","increase","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"A hint of what’s to come for dying malls: Phoenix mall owner sells out as property is rezoned for other uses","document":"The future of the suburban shopping mall could look something like a mini community, with far fewer places to shop. The U.S. mall owner Macerich announced Thursday it’s sold a majority stake in Paradise Valley Mall in Phoenix, for $100 million, to a joint venture with an affiliate of the Phoenix-based, mixed-use real estate company RED Development. The partners will convert the 92-acre site into a community with homes, offices and a grocery store. The 1970s-era Paradise Valley Mall has been rezoned to allow the sprawling plot of land to include high-end grocery options, restaurants, 3.25 million square feet of residential space, office buildings and some retail shops. “As the retail landscape continues to evolve here in Arizona and around the country, our decision to realize the market value of this non-core asset makes sense for Macerich,” Macerich President Ed Coppola said in a statement. Malls packed full of clothing, footwear and other retail shops are looking for a new life, as more consumers buy online and skip trips to dated department stores and archaic food courts. This transition was only accelerated by the Covid pandemic, which has kept many Americans stuck at home, surfing the web. Market share and shopper traffic has also increasingly shifted to off-mall retailers such as Target and Walmart. One consumer research firm, Coresight Research, has estimated that 25% of America’s roughly 1,000 malls will close by 2025. Often, as one or two department stores in a mall close, that triggers a wave of closures by other businesses within the mall, leaving the owner no choice but to look for new uses or get rid of the property entirely. “America’s malls have reached the end of their useful life,” said Mark Toro, a managing partner in Atlanta of real estate developer North American Properties. “Communities across the U.S. have turned their backs on what was once their center.” “These properties often occupy real estate that would best be repurposed to better serve the community,” he said. A few malls are becoming e-commerce warehouses to meet retailers’ rising demand for industrial space. Amazon, for example, opened a distribution facility where Randall Park Mall used to sit in North Randall, Ohio. It’s also taken over Euclid Square Mall in Euclid, Ohio. Inside a mall in Burlington, Vermont, meantime, kids are now attending high school in what used to be a Macy’s department store. The future of each struggling mall will likely be case by case, dependent upon the surrounding town’s needs, experts say. It could entail demolishing the property entirely, and undergoing rezoning, for a new community. In some instances, developers will view the land that the mall sits on as worth more than the mall itself. Macerich, which owns or has interests in 47 regional shopping centers, said the transaction with RED Development closed Monday and generated net proceeds of about $95 million. It will retain a 5% stake in the project through the venture. Macerich shares were up less than 1% on Thursday, having risen about 10% year to date. The real estate owner has a market cap of $1.94 billion.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Macerich"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Paradise Valley Mall in Phoenix","Phoenix","Paradise Valley Mall"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["The U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["looking for a new life","more consumers buy online"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Survey details ‘catastrophic’ impact of school closures across India","document":"A teacher gives a lesson inside a classroom at a government school, in New Delhi. Photo used for representation purpose only. | Photo Credit: Reuters The prolonged closure of primary and upper primary schools during the pandemic months has led to “catastrophic consequences” for school students, particularly in rural India, says an emergency report. Based on the School Children’s Online and Offline Learning (SCHOOL) survey conducted by researchers, who worked in coordination with eminent economist Jean Dreze, the ‘Emergency Report on School Education’ says that only 8% of school students in rural India have been able to access online education, while at least 37% have stopped studying altogether. “The SCHOOL survey makes it clear that the reach of online education is very limited: the proportion of school children who were studying online “regularly” was just 24% and 8% in urban and rural areas respectively. One reason for this is that many sample households (about half in rural areas) have no smartphone,” found the survey that was conducted by around 100 volunteers across India. The report covered 1,362 sample households spread across 15 States including Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The survey also found that the Dalit and Adivasi children were at a greater disadvantage as a mere 5% of the children from these groups had access to online classes. According to the findings, access to online education among students in those houses with smartphones is also handicapped by the fact that the smartphones are mainly used by the working adults who are not always able to share the gadgets with the school going children at home. Another casualty of the prolonged closure of schools has been the relation between the teachers and students in both urban and rural sectors with 51% of the respondents in the urban areas and 58% in rural India saying that they had not met teachers during the month preceding the survey. Researchers also found that there have been many teachers who went out of their comfort zones to help students during the 17 month closure of schools. In addition to education, the closure most importantly affected the level of nutrition among the children in rural schools where the mid day meals have been stopped. “Midday meals have been discontinued in all the sample States with the closure of schools. Among parents with a child enrolled in a government school, about 80% reported receiving some food (mainly rice or wheat) during the preceding 3 months as a substitute for their child’s midday meals,” stated the report about the condition of midday meals in the surveyed States. Most parents surveyed have supported reopening of the schools at the earliest. Ten percent of the parents in urban areas had some hesitation in sending their children to school but overall 97% of parents supported reopening of schools. The report said the prolonged school lockdown, one of the longest in the world, has led to a “colossal disaster”. “It will take years of patient work to repair this damage. Reopening schools is just the first step, still being debated. In fact, even preparations for that first step (such as repairing school buildings, issuing safety guidelines, training teachers, enrolment drives) are virtually invisible in many States,” said the researchers. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["primary and upper primary schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["prolonged","during the 17 month closure"]},{"role":"Location","values":["India"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"The 20 Biggest Stores That Closed for Good In 2020","document":" It was a difficult year for everyone, and it’s no secret that many retailers — and, sadly, their employees — took a huge financial hit in 2020. The ease of online shopping (and movement away from shopping malls) has affected brick-and-mortar stores for at least a decade, and the pandemic and shutdowns caused even more major stores to shutter. While some companies downsized and closed only the worst-performing stores, others closed all stores forever. A few companies decided to reimagine themselves solely as online retailers, though not all have managed to achieve that goal just yet. Unfortunately, no matter what 2021 year brings, retail analysts say that the closure trend will likely continue as people stay home, malls continue to disappear and consumers stick to online shopping to fulfill their retail needs. In the meantime, here are some of the beloved retailers who have been forced to shut their doors forever. Founded in 1935 in Pittsburgh by David Shakarian, GNC grew through the decades as more Americans began to embrace the idea of good nutrition. After several years of financial pressure, the pandemic crushed its refinancing plans. In June 2020, GNC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, planning to close at least 800 to 1200 stores. Pier 1 Imports began as a single store in San Mateo, California in 1962. They sold the requisite 60s home decor including bean bag chairs and incense. The company expanded rapidly across the country, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2012. But by April 2019, pressured by online sales of home goods retailers, Pier 1 already was in financial trouble and said it would close up to 15 percent of its almost 1000 stores. In February 2020, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It continued to close its remaining stores, transitioning to an online presence only by year's end. Founded in 1977, the company became the largest lingerie retailer in the U.S. for decades. The iconic fashion shows and \"Angels\" attracted a generation of devoted shoppers. RELATED: 11 Best Wireless Bras for Every Cup Size Perhaps more at home time meant fewer women wanted lacy underthings and push up bras? Sales declined by 37 percent in the first quarter of 2020. By May, the company announced it would close approximately 250 stores out of its more than 1000 in the U.S., and it said it expected to close more through 2021 and 2022. Owned by the same parent corporation as Victoria's Secret, Bed Bath & Beyond already had been battling the shift in consumer spending from brick-and-mortar stores to online shopping. Even their famous coupons couldn't help. The company's sales plummeted 49 percent in the first quarter, though online sales increase by 82 percent. Still, it wasn't enough to save the approximately 1,000 stores in the chain, and, in July 2020, the company announced that about 200 stores would close over the next two years. The company dates back to 1908, when the Stein family opened its first retail store in Greenville, Mississippi. The first Stein Mart opened in 1964, featuring mill closeouts and irregulars at big discounts. The company grew rapidly into the 1990s. Stein Mart already was struggling against much larger off-price competitors such as TJ Maxx. By August 2020, they announced they would be closing all 279 stores across 30 states permanently. Founded by James Cash Penney in 1902 in Kemmerer, Wyoming, this venerable old company has seen plenty of internal struggles with multiple CEOs in the past decade. Once a popular middle-class destination for families, especially in the 80s, the chain had lost money in eight of the last nine years, totaling $4.5 billion. By May 2020, the chain announced it was filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closing about 200 of its 850 stores permanently. By year's end, the company had emerged from bankruptcy as a private company. The world's largest retailer of diamond jewelry, Signet Jewelry, is the parent company of Kay Jewelers, Zales and Jared The Galleria of Jewelry. The company operates more than 3,000 stores nationwide. But it had already reduced its number of stores in the last few years and continued to pull out of malls. Plans to continue closing underperforming stores were accelerated during the pandemic. About 150 stores across the company's various brands were not re-opened after the mid-March closures, and at least 150 more stores were slated to close by February 2021. But a little good news: Signet focused on building its online shopping, which helped them increase online sales during the holidays by 60 percent. Men's Wearhouse, part of the Tailored Brands, Inc. group, has been in business for 45 years, helping guys pick suits for interviews or tuxes for formal events. You're not the only one who's spent plenty of time in your athleisure this year. The company already was facing a more relaxed dress code in most business environments. But the work-from-home pandemic put additional financial pressure on the parent company, which also owns men's retailer Jos. A. Banks, which was founded in 1905. By August, Tailored Brands files bankruptcy and announced plans to close up to 500 of its almost 1500 retail stores permanently. The video game retailer GameStop has a strong following, but sales have slumped as more gamers prefer digital downloads, not trips to the store. It alsos was affected because many shoppers held off on purchases because a new generation of gaming consoles was scheduled to be introduced in late 2020. The company has closed almost 800 stores since the beginning of 2019. But the pandemic pushed closure of another 100 stores. In good news, the company experienced strong sales over the holidays and its stock skyrocketed in January 2021. But it's too early to tell the outcome. This popular off-price retailer was founded in 1974 by Lloyd Ross, who came up with the idea of selling left-over inventory from the big brands. He hosted a huge garage sale in a Dallas warehouse on a Tuesday morning, and the ideas was born. The store grew to 700 locations by 2020. With the shutdown, Tuesday Morning was hit particularly hard--mainly because they have no e-commerce business. The company filed for bankruptcy in May 2020, closing approximately 230 stores. Founded in 1969, Gap and its other brand, Banana Republic, already had been shifting toward moving stores out of malls. In October 2020, Gap announced it would be closing about 220 stores by 2023 and decreasing its existing presence in malls. Its sister company, Banana Republic, said it would close around 130 stores. But it wasn't all bad news for the company: Its other brands, Old Navy and Athleta, announced plans for opening more stores. Founded in 1983 as a boutique selling folk art on Sanibel Island, Florida, the company specialized in bright, bold colors and styles. It grew to 600 stores across the country. Chico's already had started scaling back traditional retail operations in 2019, announcing the closure of 250 stores out of 1,400 during the next three years. In light of the financial strains during 2020, the company said any other underperforming stores would be re-evaluated as well. Lord & Taylor, founded in the 1820s in New York City, has long been associated with style and quality. The iconic chain became a favorite among middle-class women in the 1950s, who loved their affordable, fashionable dresses. The 21st century wasn't kind to the company, and it suffered several changes in ownership as well as a partnership with WalMart, which many analysts said was, in a word, nuts. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and planned to reopen some of its stores, then said it would close the remaining 38 stores. Supposedly, they will announce an online-only shopping experience soon, but the website wasn't yet online in early 2021. Once an icon of American retailing, Sears had a long, slow decline over the past decade. During its heyday, the company had 3,900 stores. The company filed bankruptcy in 2018, closed hundreds of stores and tried to re-invent itself. But 2020 brought even more woes as the stores were forced to close during the shutdown. Some reopened but further closures of an undisclosed number were announced. Kmart was founded in 1897 and originally called Kresge's, changing its name to Kmart in 1977. There were more than 2,000 stores nationwide at one point. But troubles began as far back as the 90s when 200 stores were closed in 1995. Declining sales pushed the company into bankruptcy in 2002, the largest retailer ever to do so. Kmart acquired Sears in 2005, which didn't help things. Another company acquired both Sears and Kmart in 2019, but it also wasn't able to turn things around. New closures were announced to begin in December 2020. Only about 30 Kmarts remain. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["David Shakarian","James Cash Penney","Lloyd Ross"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["GNC","Tailored Brands","Gap","Banana Republic","Kmart","Sears","major stores","Pier 1 Imports","Angels","Bed Bath & Beyond","Stein Mart","Signet Jewelry","GameStop","Chico's","Lord & Taylor"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the last few years","years","By August","August 2020","permanently","2020","June 2020","February 2020","July 2020","October 2020","December 2020","April 2019","2019","beginning of 2019","May 2020","continue closing","2018","1995"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["ease of online shopping","online shopping","pandemic and shutdowns","pandemic","pressured by online sales","online sales"]}]} {"event_trigger":"School closes after almost half of pupils and teachers test positive for Covid","document":"A whole primary school has been sent home in Powys after almost half the school tested positive for Covid.40% of pupils and half of staff have tested positive at Cradoc Primary School in Brecon over the last few weeks. The local authority said the school was left with no alternative but to close.Lynette Lovell, interim chief executive of Powys County Council, said: “We can confirm that Cradoc Primary School has closed due to rising Covid cases.“Despite the school’s best efforts to mitigate the risk of infection among pupils and staff, including limited contact groups, daytime cleaning, handwashing, ventilation and outdoor learning, the number of positive cases within the school has increased significantly over the past couple of weeks with approximately 40% of pupils and 50% of staff currently testing positive.” Year 9 at Cwmtawe Community High School near Pontardawe have also been sent home for a week due to high cases.A Neath Port Talbot council spokesman said: “Staff at the school have taken regular LFD tests. Staff have now taken every precaution to safeguard pupils and themselves. However, the impact of staff illness and self-isolation has made it impossible to operate the school safely for all year groups this week.“The health and safety of our pupils and staff is of paramount importance, so, from Monday September 20 up to Friday September 24, Year 9 pupils will move to home learning.“We will continue to closely monitor the situation throughout the week. All Year 9 pupils should log on to Microsoft Teams via Hwb and follow their usual timetable. Teachers will make every effort to ensure appropriate work is available and, where possible, live lessons will take place.”Ahead of the new term a Welsh government plan said it should be \"business as usual\" in schools where possible, and that decisions would be taken with local risk factors in mind.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Cradoc Primary School"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Powys"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["rising Covid cases"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Nearly 1 in 4 hospitals treating Covid in Afghanistan have shut down, the W.H.O. warns.","document":"Over the past 20 years, significant health gains have been made in Afghanistan in reducing maternal and child mortality, moving towards polio eradication, and more. Those gains are now at severe risk with the country’s health system on the brink of collapse. There has been a surge in cases of measles and diarrhea. Almost 50 percent of children are at high — at risk of malnutrition. The resurgence of polio is a major risk, and 2.1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine remain unused. Unless urgent action is taken, Afghanistan faces an imminent humanitarian catastrophe. Health workers are leaving, creating a brain drain that will have consequences for years to come. We visited a hospital where we met some nurses who have stayed. My heart broke when they told me they have not been paid in three months. The focus of our efforts now is to support and sustain the Sehatmandi Project, which is the backbone of Afghanistan’s health system, providing care for millions of people through 2,300 health facilities, including in remote areas. But a funding pause by major donors — only 17 percent of these facilities are fully functional. And two-thirds have stockouts of essential medicines. Afghanistan’s Health System Is on the ‘Brink of Collapse,’ W.H.O. Says By Lauren Katzenberg Nearly one-quarter of the hospitals treating Covid-19 in Afghanistan have closed in recent weeks, and the country’s efforts to respond to the pandemic have declined, World Health Organization officials said Wednesday. The W.H.O. issued an urgent warning on Wednesday, saying that Afghanistan is on the brink of “an imminent humanitarian catastrophe.” The notice followed a recent visit to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, where W.H.O. leaders met with the leadership of the Taliban, which is now in control of the country. The W.H.O. officials also met with United Nations partners, health care workers and patients. “Cuts in donor support to the country’s largest health project, Sehatmandi, has left thousands of health facilities without funding for medical supplies and salaries for health staff,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the W.H.O., and Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, the organization’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said in a joint statement on Wednesday. Roughly two-thirds of the country’s health facilities are part of Sehatmandi, a three-year, $600 million project administered by the World Bank and financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the European Union, the World Bank and other donors. Because funds for the project were funneled through the Ministry of Public Health, donors withdrew their support after the Taliban seized power. Now, only one-sixth of all Sehatmandi facilities are fully functional, according to the W.H.O. “Many of these facilities have now reduced operations or shut down, forcing health providers to make hard decisions on who to save and who to let die,” the statement said. Officials also said that nine of the 37 hospitals treating Covid-19 in Afghanistan have closed, and coronavirus surveillance, testing and vaccination efforts have contracted. Afghanistan, which emerged from a surge in virus infections at the end of June, is starting to see cases rise again, this time involving the highly contagious Delta variant. Before last month, the W.H.O. said, about 2.2 million people, or about 6 percent of Afghanistan’s population, had been vaccinated against Covid-19. But in recent weeks, the organization said, vaccination rates have slowed markedly, and some 1.8 million vaccine doses in the country remain unused. The country’s acting health minister and last remaining holdover from the pre-Taliban Cabinet, Dr. Wahid Majrooh, stepped down on Tuesday. Martin Griffiths, the U.N.’s under secretary for emergency relief, said on Wednesday that he was releasing $45 million to help prevent Afghanistan’s health care system from collapsing. “Medicines, medical supplies and fuel are running out in Afghanistan,” Mr. Griffiths said in a statement. “Cold chains are compromised. Essential health care workers are not being paid.” On top of the threat of a public health crisis, new figures released by the World Food Program suggest that 95 percent of Afghans lack secure access to adequate food, a situation that could worsen in the winter, when many remote communities are likely to be cut off from outside support for several months.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Nearly one-quarter of the hospitals treating Covid-19","hospitals treating Covid-19"]},{"role":"Date","values":["recent weeks"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Afghanistan"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["brain drain","funding pause by major donors"]}]} {"event_trigger":"DaBaby’s Kansas City concert at Azura Amphitheater canceled","document":" by: Juan Cisneros MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JULY 25: DaBaby performs on stage during Rolling Loud at Hard Rock Stadium on July 25, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images) KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The upcoming DaBaby concert scheduled for Aug. 14 at Azura Amphitheater has been canceled, according to the venue’s website. Refunds are available for fans who already purchased tickets through Ticketmaster and the amphitheater’s box office. FOX4 has reached out to Azura Amphitheater for comment on the cancellation. The cancellation comes after the rapper made headlines for homophobic comments he made while performing at the popular music festival Rolling Loud on July 25. The comments brought an immediate fallout from his music industry peers and several other scheduled shows were cancelled in the days since, including the Austin City Limits Music Festival. The Grammy-nominated rapper, who is no stranger to controversy, apologized via Instagram, but has since deleted his apology.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["DaBaby concert","several other scheduled shows","Austin City Limits Music Festival"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Aug. 14"]},{"role":"Location","values":["KANSAS CITY, Kan"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["homophobic comments he made"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Many shops in the city remain shut despite first day of reopening of 11 economic activities","document":"KUALA LUMPUR: Many shops inside shopping malls in the city remained closed to customers despite it being the first day of the reopening of 11 economic activities today. Checks around the Damansara Perdana and Mutiara Damansara areas in Petaling Jaya as well as Subang Jaya saw several shops such as hair salons and carwash premises still shut. Some premises decided to reopen only tomorrow as staff were seen sanitising the premises and making preparations before their could welcome back customers. Other premises such as supermarkets and book stores, which have been allowed to operate for some time now, were seen abiding by the standard operating procedures of tight checks at their entrances. At IPC shopping centre, many furniture shops, fashion and accessory retailers as well as hair and beauty salons were still shut. The New Straits Times learnt that some of these shops decided to only resume their operations tomorrow. A similar sight was seen at the Empire shopping mall in Subang Jaya, as many businesses remained closed. However, some operators decided to take the opportunity today to sanitise their premises so that they can reopen tomorrow. One popular retail outlet at Empire would reopen starting at 1pm tomorrow. A supervisor who works at the retail outlet, Muhammad Aniq Amiruddin, said the delay in reopening the shop was due to the fact that they needed time to prepare things before welcoming customers again. He said the outlet's management wanted to ensure the highest quality of safety can be provided to their customers. \"In the past, we would operate from 10am till 8pm. However, when we reopen tomorrow, we will begin operating at 1pm, so that we can use the morning shift to finalise our store preparations. \"We need to prepare adequate gloves for customers as well as the staff. We require everybody, including customers to wear the gloves when are at the outlet. \"We are also finalising preparations on staff rotation, such as who would guard the entry points and do the necessary things such as scanning body temperatures and making sure everyone scans their MySejahtera app. We would also need to check the customers' vaccination status upon entry.\" Aniq said the shop would only allow those who had completed their vaccination doses into the shop. He was told that staff members must have their first dose of the vaccine before they are allowed to be on duty to entertain customers. When asked about how he felt about many shops reopening, he said he was okay with it. However, he said he feared any situation where big crowds gathered in any shop. \"The fear of being in a crowd is always there, especially with the existence of the new variant of Covid-19.\" However, Aniq said such worries can be addressed if every person adheres to the SOP. \"It's important to adhere to the SOP, monitor our hygiene, sanitise, wear gloves when we're out shopping and wear double face masks while observing physical distancing. \"I believe if we strictly adhere to these regulations, we'd be okay, inshaAllah\". Meanwhile, shopper Fatin Athirah, 26, was not able to buy the clothes she intended to purchase at Empire as most of the clothes shops at the mall were closed to customers. However, she was happy about the government's decision to reopen businesses. \"It is a great opportunity, especially for those businesses that have been struggling to keep their business alive. They have been suffering as some businesses have had zero income these past few months. \"Although it is worrying to reopen these shops as the number of Covid-19 cases are still high, our vaccination rates are high as well. That really helps,\" said the engineer who lives in Shah Alam. She also said the requirement to only allow fully vaccinated people into these shops would motivate more people to go for their vaccinations. The government had, on Sunday, announced that several restrictions on businesses and recreation would be relaxed in states under Phase 1 of the National Recovery Plan starting today. These include car wash businesses; electrical and electronic shops; house and kitchen appliances shops; furniture shops; sports equipment outlets; car accessory outlets; car sales and distribution centres; morning and farmers' markets; fashion and accessory shops; jewellers; and, hair salons and beauty centres (only for basic haircuts).","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["One popular retail outlet at Empire","Empire","several shops such as hair salons and carwash premises","hair salons","Many shops inside shopping malls","many furniture shops, fashion and accessory retailers as well as hair and beauty salons","many businesses"]},{"role":"Date","values":["remained closed"]},{"role":"Location","values":["KUALA LUMPUR"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["the number of Covid-19 cases are still high","Covid-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"NDP calls for early warning system for potential school closures, reinstatement of contact tracing","document":"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.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["potential","this summer"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Alberta"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Thousands of Albertans are infected with COVID-19 every week","COVID-19","Albertans"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Idaho COVID-19: New hospitalization record; Kuna school closes | Idaho Statesman","document":"Idaho’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have hit yet another high, with a record 760 people in facilities statewide as of Monday, including a record 202 patients in intensive care. The state’s seven-day moving average stayed above 1,000 new COVID-19 cases per day for the 13th consecutive day, at 1,205.6. Crisis standards of care were implemented statewide last week, at the request of the St. Luke’s Health System. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare added 1,354 cases and 25 deaths to the state’s fast-rising totals on Wednesday. Among those deaths was an individual between the ages of 18 to 29, while eight individuals were 80 or older, five were in their 70s, five were in their 60s, four were in their 50s and two were in their 40s. Idaho has lost 2,687 residents to the virus, with a case fatality rate of about 1.09%. Before the most recent surge, the previous high for COVID-19 hospitalizations in Idaho was 496 on Dec. 10, 2020. Two weeks ago, Idaho’s virus hospitalizations stood at 613, according to data from Health and Welfare. St. Luke’s hospitals were caring for 279 COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday, with 87.81% of those being unvaccinated. Of the 61 St. Luke’s patients in ICU, 98.36% are unvaccinated. Saint Alphonsus is caring for 153 COVID-19 patients. As of Wednesday, there are 16 adult ICU beds that are open, staffed and available for occupancy in Idaho, according to Health and Welfare. Pi STEM Academy, a public charter school in Kuna, will be closed Thursday and Friday because of COVID-19, according to a letter sent Wednesday from the school’s executive director to parents. “We do have a positive case in our staff and it is an individual that interacts with students and teachers in every building,” the letter from Jill Hettinger reads. “Additionally, we currently have a fair number of students that are out with COVID or COVID symptoms awaiting tests. “To date, we have not linked any of our COVID cases to interactions at school, but I have concerns that this may not still be the case.” The school’s board is scheduled to meet Friday night to assess the situation and decide how instruction will be conducted moving forward. Parents are asked to notify the school of any COVID-19 symptoms or positive tests to obtain “a clearer picture of the number of cases that we currently have in our Pi STEM community.” Citing the current surge in COVID-19 cases and the harm it has done to Idaho’s health care system, the Idaho Supreme Court announced it is taking additional measures to slow the spread of the virus. Starting Monday, Sept. 27, most court hearings will be online, with the exception of all trials on a petition to terminate parental rights and all felony sentencing hearings. Courts must provide a publicly accessible livestream any time that the public cannot be physically present in a courtroom for a proceeding traditionally open to the public. No new jury trials will begin between Sept. 27 and Dec. 6, and no new grand juries may be impaneled during that time frame. Existing trials or grand juries are allowed to continue. Anyone in a publicly accessible space of a building used solely for court business must wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth and must maintain 6 feet of social distance from people who do not live in their household. In a mixed-use building that contains both court and non-court operations, anyone entering a courtroom, a clerk’s office or counter area, or other spaces used for court business, must comply with masking rules. The order also provides discretion for local administrative judges to take further steps to protect public health and safety. The Boise Farmers Market canceled its walk-in market on Saturday and instead is encouraging the public to use its drive-thru market. The market reversed course after it had announced that it would require vendors and customers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test within 48 hours to attend the market earlier this week. The market hasn’t announced its protocols for October. The deadline to order drive-thru products has been extended to noon on Thursday. “We will be working closely with the city to find a plan that honors our commitment to safety, public health and supports our farmers, and makers,” the market said in a press release Wednesday. “We will continue to assess our plans and communicate with our customers about what they can expect moving through the month of October, which will mark the end of our regular season.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a letter Wednesday asking all temple patrons and workers to wear masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19. “Our desire is to keep temples open,” the letter reads. “As cases of COVID-19 increase in many areas, we want to do everything possible to allow temples to remain open. “Therefore, effective immediately, all temple patrons and workers are asked to wear face masks at all times while in the temple. These safety protocols are temporary, based on COVID-19 conditions, and will be rescinded as soon as circumstances permit.” The letter from President Russell M. Nelson and his counselors also encouraged COVID-19 vaccination to “do all you can to protect yourself and others.”","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Pi STEM Academy"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday and Friday","Thursday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Idaho"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19","COVID"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Fauci Says Children Could Get Shots by Halloween: Virus Update","document":"The U.S. death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic surpassed the number of fatalities in the 1918 influenza pandemic, a milestone many experts say was avoidable after the arrival of vaccines. The White House announced the most sweeping change to U.S. travel policies in months, widening the gap in rules between vaccinated people -- who will see curbs relaxed -- and the unvaccinated. Ther regulations will replace existing bans on foreigners’ travel to the U.S. from certain regions, including Europe. Pfizer Inc. and partner BioNTech SE said their vaccine was safe and produced strong antibody responses in younger children in a large-scale trial. The shot may be available by the end of next month, Anthony Fauci said. India said it will restart exports of vaccines for the World Health Organization’s Covax initiative starting in October. China’s Fujian outbreak has disproportionately affected children, according to a vice premier. Japan could lift its state of emergency at the end of September. A member of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s delegation to the United Nations was put in isolation after testing positive for Covid-19 in New York, adding to concerns that the general assembly this week could trigger a spike in coronavirus cases in the host city. The diplomat, part of a mission that preceded Bolsonaro’s arrival, had tested negative before leaving Brazil, according to a person familiar with the situation at the Brazilian foreign ministry. The person, who requested anonymity and isn’t authorized to discuss the matter in public, said the diplomat didn’t have contact with president -- who has refused to get a Covid shot, saying he still has antibodies from a previous infection last year. Brazil’s foreign ministry is now tracking dozens of people with whom the person has been in touch in New York, the Brazilian press reported, citing unnamed diplomatic sources. President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser said that a vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 will likely be available before Halloween. “There’s a really good chance it will be” available before the Oct. 31 holiday, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases, said during an interview on MSNBC. He also said he would be in favor of schools mandating shots for kids once they are fully approved. Fauci’s comments came after Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE said their shot safely produced strong antibody responses in younger children. Nebraska is re-activating an online dashboard tracking Covid-19 cases amid an increase in hospitalizations, the Omaha World-Herald reported Monday. Republican Governor Pete Ricketts has been criticized by the medical community for closing the site when the state’s Covid-19 emergency declaration expired in June, saying the data is vital to stopping the pandemic, according to the newspaper. The U.S. capital will require vaccines for all adults who regularly enter schools and child-care facilities by Nov. 1, according to Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser. There will be no testing opt-out. Student athletes 12 and older will also required to get the shots to participate in school-based sports. New York City will increase its frequency of student testing to once a week instead of its current two-week interval, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. The city’s powerful teachers union on Sunday called for weekly testing. The union demand came after the city was forced to shut down P.S. 79, a special education school in Manhattan. All of the positive cases were among staff members, city officials said Friday, with 16 confirmed cases as of Sept. 16. Citywide, 77 classrooms were closed and 60 more are partially closed, according to the city Education Department. Since schools opened Sept. 13, 445 classrooms have been closed, according to the Department of Education. The U.S. will require that most adult foreigners be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter the country as part of a plan to ease some pandemic travel restrictions, according to a person familiar with the matter. The measures, to be announced by President Joe Biden’s administration on Monday, amount to a sweeping reform of strict entry rules imposed on visitors to the U.S. to try to curb the spread of the virus. The person asked not to be identified ahead of the announcement. The U.S. will relax entry rules for travelers from the U.K. and European Union who are vaccinated against Covid-19, according to a report in the Financial Times, a measure that will spur a rebound in trans-Atlantic travel. The move is a significant easing of pandemic travel restrictions that President Joe Biden held in place as infections spread throughout the country this summer, driven by the delta variant of the virus, even as U.S. vaccination levels continued to inch higher. Pfizer and BioNTech said their Covid-19 vaccine was safe and produced strong antibody responses in children ages 5 to 11 in a large-scale trial, findings that could pave the way to begin vaccinating grade-school kids within months. Pressure to immunize kids has been on the climb in the U.S., where a new school year has started just as the delta variant is fueling a surge in cases. In a trial with 2,268 participants, two shots of a 10 microgram dose -- one-third the adult shot -- produced antibody levels comparable to those seen in a trial of 16-to-25-year-olds who got the adult dose, the companies said, with similar side effects. India will restart exports of Covid-19 vaccines for the World Health Organization’s Covax initiative from the quarter beginning October, even as it races to inoculate its own massive adult population, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said Monday. The country will also resume some vaccine donations, he added, but gave no details. Home to the world’s largest vaccine-manufacturing industry, India had been expected to be a significant supplier to the equitable vaccine initiative on which most of the world’s poor countries rely. But the government halted exports in April after the delta variant began sweeping through its major cities. Indonesia said it will allow workers in non-essential business sectors back in the office as it loosens mobility curbs further. The country added 1,932 Covid-19 cases on Monday, the lowest since Aug. 24 last year, and 166 new fatalities, according to health ministry data. Italy started giving a third-dose of anti-covid vaccines to its most fragile citizens, the country’s Health minister Roberto Speranza said a statement on Monday. “It’s a step forward to protect those who have a weaker immune system,” he said. Last week, Italy’s government decided to make Covid-19 “passports” mandatory for all public and private sector workers from Oct. 15. The country is boosting its vaccination campaign, said Covid Emergency Czar Francesco Paolo Figliuolo. — With assistance by Ian Fisher, Yueqi Yang, Linus Chua, Russell Ward, Yanping Li, Thuy Ong, Andreo Calonzo, Henry Goldman, Vincent Lee, and Vincent Del Giudice","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["445 classrooms"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sept. 13"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Covid-19 pandemic","Covid-19","Covid"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Stevie Nicks cancels tour over Covid fears: ‘At my age, I am extremely cautious’","document":"Jason Isbell, Limp Bizkit and Lynyrd Skynyrd also cancel concerts as Covid-19 cases continue to rise in the US Last modified on Wed 11 Aug 2021 10.47 BST Stevie Nicks has cancelled her solo concerts for 2021, citing her fear of catching Covid-19. The Fleetwood Mac star said: “While I’m vaccinated, at my age I am still being extremely cautious and for that reason have decided to skip the five performances I had planned for 2021.” She added: “These are challenging times with challenging decisions that have to be made. I want everyone to be safe and healthy and the rising Covid cases should be of concern to all of us.” Nicks had been due to perform at festivals in California, Colorado, Texas and Louisiana. The last of those events, New Orleans jazz and heritage festival, has been cancelled outright, with organisers citing the “current exponential growth of new Covid cases in New Orleans and the region and the ongoing public health emergency”. Louisiana has one of the lowest rates of vaccine uptake in the US, and experienced 16,000 new cases last weekend. Country singer Jason Isbell has cancelled a concert in Houston, Texas, after the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion venue “was not willing to comply with the band’s updated health and safety standards”. On Monday, Isbell tweeted: “We’re now requiring proof of vaccination or a current negative test to attend all our shows, indoors or out. If the venue won’t allow that, we won’t play.” Speaking on MSNBC, Isbell said of the live music industry: “The problem is they’re just getting so much pushback from some of the governors of certain states who want to kowtow to their political base, and try to make people think their freedom is being encroached upon.” Texas governor Greg Abbott has resisted the mandating of mask wearing and social distancing, despite a spike in Covid hospitalisations that has required him to allow the state’s department of health to recruit medical staff from outside Texas. Isbell added: “I’m all for freedom but I think if you’re dead, you don’t have any freedoms at all. So it’s probably important to stay alive before you start questioning your liberty.” Other artists cancelling US concerts this week due to the pandemic include Limp Bizkit, who cancelled their August tour. Speaking to Billboard, frontman Fred Durst said: “The system is still very flawed. Even if the performers, crews, staff, and promoters do their best to ensure safety on and behind the stage, that doesn’t ensure the safety of the audience as a whole. We are all in this together, and we all – individually and as a whole – have to make our best efforts to be as responsible and proactive as possible moving forward to combat and stop spreading Covid.” Counting Crows have postponed shows due to a member of their touring party contracting Covid, and Lynyrd Skynyrd have cancelled their tour after guitarist Rickey Medlocke was diagnosed with the virus. Earlier this week, Michael Bublé postponed his US tour until October, and dates in Argentina, Brazil and Chile will also be rescheduled.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["tour","solo concerts","concert","New Orleans jazz and heritage festival"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021","this week","August"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Houston, Texas","Texas","US"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Covid-19 cases continue to rise","Covid-19","Covid"]}]} {"event_trigger":"A Western Massachusetts school canceled classes due to confirmed cases of COVID-19","document":" Less than a week into the school year, a Western Massachusetts school canceled classes due to confirmed cases of COVID-19. Farmington River Elementary School, a Berkshire County school with just over 100 children enrolled, closed Friday while awaiting testing results of students and staff. The elementary school began the 2021-2022 school year on Monday. The school year began with COVID protocols set in place last month by state education officials. A mask mandate for all Massachusetts public school students and staff went into effect last Wednesday. “Effective immediately, public school students (age 5 and above) and staff in all grades are required to wear masks indoors in schools,” the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said in a statement. “Masks are not required when outdoors. All visitors are also expected to wear a mask in school buildings.” The mandate will remain in effect until at least Oct. 1, at which point “the Commissioner will revisit the requirement in the near future to revise it as warranted by public health data,” the department said. “The mask requirement is an important additional measure to keep students safe in school at this time,” Following this decision, a similar measure was enacted for day care centers and after school programs. The Board of Early Education and Care voted unanimously this week to align its masking policies with the COVID regulations set in place for public K-12 schools. Starting Sept. 7, all staff and children age 5 and older enrolled in state-licensed day care, after-school and out-of-school programs are required to wear a mask indoors. Children between the ages of 2 and 5 are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings as well. The early education decision was placed in effect without an end date while K-12 schools may see a shift in policies come Oct. 1. Staff and students in Massachusetts middle and high schools can forgo masks starting in October if they have a vaccination rate of at least 80%. The mask mandate would remain in effect for unvaccinated employees and students. The Food and Drug Administration granted authorization for the Pfizer COVID vaccine for children as young as 12 years old in May. In the months since, 65% of children ages 12 to 15 in Massachusetts have received at least one dose, as have 68% of individuals ages 16 to 19, according to data from the state Department of Public Health as of Aug. 17. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Farmington River Elementary School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Less than a week into the school year","school year","2021-2022 school year on Monday","Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Western Massachusetts"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["confirmed cases of COVID-19","COVID"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Mall department stores were struggling. The pandemic has pushed them to the edge of extinction.","document":"Adrienne Whyte used to go to the mall twice a week, where she might meet up with her personal shoppers at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue or scour Macy’s for bedding and kitchenware. But it’s been well over a year since she set foot in a department store — and she isn’t sure when, or whether, she will again. “Now if I need something, I buy it online,” said the 72-year-old retiree from Falls Church, Va. “The department store is a one-stop shop, but so is the Internet.” Department stores, once a middle-class mainstay of convenience and indulgence, had been spiraling downward long before the pandemic turbocharged online shopping and helped tip a number of big-name retailers into bankruptcy. Nearly 200 department stores have disappeared in the past year alone, and another 800 — or about half the country’s remaining mall-based locations — are expected to be shuttered by the end of 2025, according to commercial real estate firm Green Street. Those closures, analysts say, will have a cascading effect on American shopping malls, which already are battling record-high vacancy rates and precipitous drops in foot traffic, as well as on the commercial real estate market and the broader economy. “There’s nothing department stores have done to make themselves particularly relevant in the 21st century, and the pandemic has only made that more clear,” said Mark Cohen, director of retail studies at Columbia Business School and former chief executive of Sears Canada. “They have too many stores, too many things, too many brands. The customer who used to be handcuffed to their local department store is no longer tethered because they have an online alternative that’s become even more attractive in the last year.” Baby boomers, to retailers’ surprise, are dominating online shopping The pandemic set off an economic chain reaction that rippled through the country’s department store chains, forcing several into Chapter 11 proceedings. Neiman Marcus, Stage Stores and J.C. Penney filed for bankruptcy last May, followed by Lord & Taylor and, most recently, Belk in February. Even companies on relatively stable footing, like Macy’s, are shuttering dozens of stores as they try to move away from traditional shopping malls. Overall sales at department stores plunged more than 40 percent at the beginning of the pandemic and have yet to make up for lost ground, according to Commerce Department data, as Americans do more of their shopping online and gravitate to specialty brands and discount chains. Major brands like Macy’s, Nordstrom and Kohl’s have reported steep sales declines during the coronavirus crisis, which slashed demand for the clothing, shoes and formalwear that disproportionately fill their stores. However, analysts say, the pandemic’s most disconcerting legacy may be its imprint on consumer behavior, raising questions about the sector’s ability to win back customers and properly rebound even after life returns to normal. Whyte, for example, has built up a roster of specialty retailers she now buys from directly: Rothy’s for shoes, Lands’ End for clothing, Sephora for makeup. The former management consultant also has found that she can simply do with less. “It used to be ‘see it, want it,'” she said. “But during the pandemic, I’ve realized I don’t need as much as I thought I did.” *** The earliest American department store, Arnold Constable, was founded nearly 200 years ago in Manhattan. It sold an array of clothing, jewelry, handbags and stationery, earning it the nickname “the palace of trade.” The chain eventually expanded throughout New York and into Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It ended its run in 1975, after filing for bankruptcy. By then, Americans had fallen in love with department stores. Shopping malls proliferated across the country, anchored by national chains including Macy’s, J.C. Penney, Marshall Field’s and Bealls that offered the ease of one-stop shopping and an air of attainable luxury. But such retailers have lost much of their allure in the past decade, analysts say, as Americans were presented with more alternatives, including discounters like TJ Maxx and Ross Dress for Less and online specialty retailers like Stitch Fix and Everlane. The erosion of the middle class has also chipped away at the fortunes of chains such as Macy’s and J.C. Penney. “In the old days, department stores offered convenience,” said Greg Portell, a partner in the consumer and retail practice of consulting firm Kearney. “But now that we can get that without leaving the couch, it’s no longer enough. Department stores have to offer more: They need smart curation, high-touch service and personalization.” Malls are dying. The thriving ones are spending millions to reinvent themselves. To that end, Saks Fifth Avenue is spinning off its website into a stand-alone company, in hopes of doubling down on e-commerce. Nordstrom is offering virtual styling appointments and recently launched an online channel, where shoppers can buy merchandise during live-streamed events. At Neiman Marcus, the first department store chain to file for bankruptcy during the pandemic, executives say they have invested heavily in e-commerce, hosting “shoppable” virtual events and making store employees available by text, email and video chat. “We’ve never had to make so many changes at once like we did in the past year,” said Lana Todorovich, president and chief merchandising officer of the Dallas-based retailer. “Everything, including our product assortments, changed in an incredibly short period of time.” The company, she said, is stocking its shelves more frequently with “buy now, wear now” products and is seeing a resurgence in bridal wear, as well as swimwear and jewelry. Overall retail spending rebounded sharply in March, rising 9.8 percent after an unexpected dip in February, the Commerce Department reported this week. Department store sales rose 13 percent from a month earlier, boosted by recent stimulus checks and burgeoning demand for clothing and shoes, though they have yet to reach pre-pandemic levels. Americans are starting to buy real clothes again But analysts say retailers’ challenges extend beyond short-term sales figures. They also must grapple with questions about the viability of shopping malls, for which vacancy rates hit 11.4 percent in the first quarter, compared with 10.5 percent the preceding three months, marking the biggest spike on record, according to Moody’s Analytics’ commercial real estate division. Already struggling mid- and lower-tier malls have been disproportionately affected, adding to the widening gap between the country’s most profitable malls — which tend to be newer, well-lit properties with restaurants and in-demand chains like Apple, Lululemon and Sephora — and the rest of the industry, analysts said, though the latest round of bankruptcies and liquidations has created new challenges throughout the industry. Even the country’s newest and most expensive mall hasn’t been immune: American Dream, a $5 billion megaplex in New Jersey, opened shortly before the pandemic with an indoor ski resort, hockey rink and water park. But many of its largest retail spaces remain dark, after Barneys New York, Lord & Taylor and Century 21 pulled plans for anchor stores following bankruptcy filings. “The department store as an all-encompassing emporium is a product of the 20th century and a victim of the 21st,” said Cohen of Columbia Business School. The best will prevail, he added, because people are not going to settle as they once did, “simply because they don’t have to.” Pandemic bankruptcies: A running list of retailers that have filed for Chapter 11 *** Joe Edwards recently stopped by a department store for the first time in years. He wasn’t there to browse, though; he was there for his coronavirus vaccination. The excursion to an abandoned Gordmans store in Champaign, Ill. — where, as a child, he used to watch Nickelodeon while he waited for his mother to shop — brought back a flood of memories for the 26-year-old. It also felt “profoundly dystopian,” he said. “Here I am sitting in a foldout chair, getting my vaccine surrounded by old mannequins and clothing fixtures,” said Edwards, a graduate student at the University of Illinois who now buys most of his clothes at thrift stores. “The whole time I’m thinking: Wow, this is what this place has come to?” The store, which closed during the pandemic, is one of hundreds of department stores to fold in recent years. The country’s largest department store chains have shuttered roughly 40 percent of their locations since 2016, according to a Washington Post analysis of corporate earnings releases and annual reports. Some of those locations have found new life — most recently as coronavirus testing or vaccination centers, but also as Amazon warehouses, community colleges, medical offices and car dealerships. Commercial real estate experts say the sprawling properties left behind in U.S. shopping malls are often well-positioned, with large parking lots and easy access to highways and public transportation. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) Abandoned malls are sputtering back to life with megachurches, rooftop pools and homeless shelters “Many of these malls built in the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s were economic development projects, so they’re surrounded by great infrastructure,” said Thomas Maddux, a principal at commercial real estate services firm KLNB. “The question now is: What’s the next chapter in this story? Malls may not have five or seven department store anchors like they once did, but they may have other uses: A grocery store or a car dealership or a hotel. We just have to live through the cycle.” In Chicago, Kimber Russell isn’t much interested in going back to the way things were. Before the pandemic, the 47-year-old attorney bought most of her clothes at Loft and Express, and occasionally stopped in at Nordstrom or Macy’s. These days she orders everything online and has set up subscriptions for items like dog food, toilet paper and disposable masks. She can’t imagine going back to shopping in person, she said. “If I were to walk into a department store right now and see all of those choices — teens, petites, misses, juniors, sportswear — I’d just be like, ‘No!,'\" she said. “There is just so much stuff to sift through, and the pandemic has made me realize I don’t need more choices. It’s too overwhelming.” ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Neiman Marcus, Stage Stores and J.C. Penney","Neiman Marcus","Penney","Barneys New York, Lord & Taylor and Century 21","Lord","Taylor","Nearly 200 department stores","Belk","Macy’s","thrift stores","The country’s largest department store chains"]},{"role":"Date","values":["February","the past year alone","last May"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["pandemic","Pandemic","nothing department stores have done to make themselves particularly relevant"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Another classroom at Ecole Elsie Mironuck School closed due to COVID","document":"Another classroom at Ecole Elsie Mironuck Community School has been closed due to numerous cases of COVID-19. On Wednesday, Regina Public Schools announced the school was closing a Grade 3 classroom and moving to remote learning starting Thursday. On Thursday, the division announced a Grade 5/6 English classroom was closing and students were to begin online learning on Monday, since Friday is a professional development day. In-person classes are to resume Sept. 30 if students don’t have symptoms. Parents are to hear from their child’s teacher with more details for remote learning. It’s the third time this week a public school has closed classrooms due to COVID cases. On Tuesday, Henry Janzen School moved to remote learning in a number of classes after multiple cases were reported. The division reported cases had been detected at three other schools as well. Two cases were reported at Henry Janzen School, with one each at Harbour Landing School and Thom Collegiate.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Henry Janzen School","Another classroom at Ecole Elsie Mironuck Community School","Grade 3 classroom","Grade 5/6 English classroom"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["numerous cases of COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"What the data say about border closures and COVID spread","document":" Travel restrictions left many travellers stranded in foreign countries.Credit: Alonso Cupul/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock As countries in Europe rush to close their borders to the United Kingdom to prevent transmission of a new — and potentially more transmissible — variant of SARS-CoV-2, research has estimated the effect of international travel restrictions on COVID-19 spread earlier in the pandemic. Models have found that strict border closures could have helped limit viral transmission in the pandemic’s early days. But once the virus started spreading in other countries, border closures provided little benefit. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries had only ever imposed border restrictions on select countries where disease outbreaks were concentrated. In most instances, scientists thought that such measures were largely ineffective. Influenza infections, for example, often go undetected, and so travel restrictions aren’t worth the social and economic trade-offs, says Karen Grépin, a health economist at the University of Hong Kong. When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the highly infectious coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 a public-health emergency, the agency advised nations to keep borders open. But almost every country ignored the advice, and many countries even closed their borders to all nations, contributing to an unprecedented drop-off in global travel that continues today. “We had no idea that governments around the world would be willing to impose total border closures and related measures that would cost the global economy some US$400 billion every month,” says Steven Hoffman, an international lawyer and epidemiologist at York University in Toronto, Canada. Most of the studies looking at the effect of travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic rely on theoretical models. Scientists say that these are helpful in the absence of time-consuming observational studies. In a review of 29 studies posted on medRxiv last month1, Grépin and Kelley Lee, a researcher who studies global health at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, found that most models show that travel restrictions and border closures reduced the arrival of people with COVID-19 in many countries early in the outbreak. The pandemic has shown public-health researchers that, in some situations, travel restrictions help to keep epidemics under control, says Lee. “The general feeling before was that they don’t work at all and undermine human rights,” says Lee. But only one study2 in the review accounted for the effect of the ban on people leaving the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the pandemic started, and found that it prevented nearly 80% of COVID-19 infections from spreading to countries outside China in the weeks after it was imposed. So some models probably overestimated the benefits of international border closures compared with the Wuhan lockdown, says Grépin. The gains from border closures were also short-lived when they weren’t combined with other measures such as testing, contact tracing and quarantining to prevent local transmission. Another modelling study3, published in The Lancet on 7 December, estimated the effect of sustained travel restrictions on reducing viral spread. The authors found that, with no reductions in movement, international travellers in May would have contributed to more than 10% of total COVID-19 cases in 102 countries that month. But by September, the contribution of international travellers to most countries’ COVID-19 case count had dropped significantly. This suggests that travel restrictions weren’t justified later in the pandemic except in highly connected countries, or in regions with low transmission that wanted to keep the virus out, says co-author Mark Jit, an infectious-disease modeller at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Preventing travel from high-prevalence countries would be sufficient to reduce exposure in many regions, says Jit. “Countries shouldn’t instinctively say that, just because there is a pandemic, we should have travel restrictions.” Hoffman says that observational studies are now needed to tease out the effectiveness of countries completely shutting their borders. “There is a good chance that a whole lot of what we are doing is causing more harm than good.” The WHO’s decision to advise against travel restrictions at the beginning of the pandemic was probably informed by the pushback it faced in its response to the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), says Grépin. At the time, the agency advised against essential travel to regions across China, where the outbreak began, and places with sizeable outbreaks, such as Toronto, Canada. Some researchers argued that the decision placed an unfair economic burden on those regions and disincentivized member states from reporting infectious-disease outbreaks. Researchers say the latest evidence suggests that the WHO’s advice on travel restrictions during disease outbreaks needs to be more nuanced, and should move beyond a yes-or-no recommendation. In the case of COVID-19, “the WHO said one thing and the world did something else”, says Grépin. The WHO said in an e-mail that it is reviewing the evidence on travel mitigation measures and will publish scientific reports on this, which will also help countries assess the risk of lifting travel restrictions.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["border","Wuhan lockdown"]},{"role":"Date","values":["early in the outbreak","outbreak","sustained"]},{"role":"Location","values":["countries in Europe","countries","Countries","many countries"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["limit viral transmission"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Schools closed, large gatherings banned as new Covid-19 outbreak spreads in Thailand","document":"THE Thai government has decided to close all schools, while large gatherings and other high-risk activities will be suspended for two weeks from Sunday to control the spread of the new Covid-19 outbreak. However, prime minister, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha said there will be no curfew. He has also ordered officials to seek more sources of coronavirus vaccines from Russia and the United States. According to the Bangkok Post, the vaccination programme was progressing slowly with just 0.9 per cent of the population receiving the vaccine so far. Spokesman Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin said the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) decided against a curfew because it would affect people's incomes, especially those at the grassroots level. Instead, it decided to close schools and educational institutions, except international schools which had to organise examinations, he said. Also banned are any activities where more than 50 people gather, except approved activities including those at quarantine venues. Entertainment and service places including pubs, bars, karaoke shops and massage parlours will be closed. The CCSA declared 18 provinces red or maximum-control zones. They are Bangkok, Khon Kaen, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Tak, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phuket, Rayong, Songkhla, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Sa Kaeo, Suphan Buri and Udon Thani. The new rules were issued as the country reported a record 1,582 new coronavirus cases yesterday. That brought the five-day total since Monday to 6,400 — more than 50% higher than the number of infections seen nationwide in the first nine months of the outbreak last year. In the \"red\" provinces, dining at restaurants is allowed until 9pm and sales of takeaway food until 11pm. \"This is to keep businesses alive,\" Dr Taweesilp said. However, consumption of alcoholic beverages is banned at restaurants. Shopping centres, department stores and community malls will close at 9pm, an hour earlier than usual, and visitor numbers must be limited. They are not allowed to organise promotional events or open amusement parks and game arcades on their premises. Convenience stores, supermarkets, flea markets and walking streets must close from 11pm to 4am. Sports fields, exercise venues, gymnasiums and fitness clubs must close at 9pm. Sports competitions are permitted with limited numbers of spectators. The remaining 59 provinces have been designated orange or control zones, where restaurants can open for dining and takeaway sales until 11pm. Consumption of alcoholic beverages is banned, though. The same rules that apply to malls and department stores in red zones apply in the orange zones, but there are no restrictions at convenience stores, supermarkets, flea markets, walking streets and venues for sports and exercise. According to The Post, provincial authorities were also allowed to impose disease-control measures in their areas as they see fit. The CCSA asked people to delay holding parties. Employers are urged to let staff work outside offices, to come in on alternate working days, or to implement other measures to reduce infection risk. The Covid task force also ordered health, administrative and security authorities to find more locations suitable to set up field hospitals and quarantine facilities, possibly at schools, hotels, auditoriums and private properties, Dr Taweesilp said. The new restrictions come at a time when the country is struggling to ramp up vaccinations against the coronavirus. So far, fewer than 600,000 people, or 0.9 per cent of the population, have received at least one shot. Limited supplies of vaccines have been a problem, as large quantities of the AstraZeneca vaccine that is the cornerstone of the national programme will not be available until June. Farah Hanum, [17.04.21 10:05] However, Gen Prayut said on Friday that he had ordered officials to seek imports of more vaccines from Russia and the United States. \"I've told the Government Pharmaceuticals Organization and the Food and Drug Administration to coordinate and facilitate them,\" he said, referring to Sputnik V of Russia but declining to be specific about the American vaccines, which could be from Pfizer or Moderna.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Shopping centres, department stores and community malls","department stores","Convenience stores, supermarkets, flea markets and walking streets","convenience stores","supermarkets","flea markets","walking streets","schools and educational institutions","schools","large gatherings and other high-risk activities","Entertainment and service places including pubs, bars, karaoke shops and massage parlours","Sports fields, exercise venues, gymnasiums and fitness clubs"]},{"role":"Date","values":["for two weeks from Sunday","at 9pm","from 11pm to 4am"]},{"role":"Location","values":["THE Thai"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["control the spread of the new Covid-19 outbreak","control"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Bonnaroo is canceled because of flooded grounds","document":"August 31, 2021 One of Tennessee’s largest music festivals, Bonnaroo, is canceled because of flooded grounds. “We are absolutely heartbroken to announce that we must cancel Bonnaroo,” the festival wrote on Twitter Tuesday afternoon. “While this weekend’s weather looks outstanding, currently Centeroo is waterlogged in many areas, the ground is incredibly saturated on our tollbooth paths, and the campgrounds are flooded to the point that we are unable to drive in or park vehicles safely.” Rain has been washing over Middle Tennessee as remnants of Hurricane Ida sweep in from the south. The festival was already offering refunds, saying the weather would force them to limit crowds. But in the end, Bonnaroo determined the amount of rainfall made it too unsafe to host up to 80,000 people at its grounds in Manchester. Fans who purchased their tickets through Front Gate Tickets will be able to get a refund within the month. While they may be disappointed, the cancellation means a major monetary loss for vendors who already flew to Tennessee for the event. “For some of us, this was the first chance to show our art and make some money for the first time in over a year and a half,” says artist Terrance Ryan, who flew in Saturday from San Francisco. “It’s a little soul crushing at the moment but, man, Mother Nature.” Ryan makes screen-printed concert posters using the name “Lil Tuffy.” He says he hopes to set up a pop-up shop in Nashville to recoup some of his losses. “Hopefully we’ll be able to set something up,” he says, “and have a little bit of a recovery.” The cancellation is also a financial loss for the state of Tennessee. An economic impact analysis done on the 2019 Bonnaroo festival shows that it accounted for $52 million for the state. This is the second year in a row that Bonnaroo was canceled — although last year the cancellation was due to the pandemic. This year, the festival was going to require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test for entry.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Bonnaroo"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday afternoon","last year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Tennessee"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["flooded grounds","the pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Macy’s is closing dozens of stores this year. Here’s the full list","document":"Macy’s is closing dozens of department stores this year, in a bid to move out of underperforming malls and trim a real estate empire that isn’t as valued as it once was. The closures, first reported by CNBC on Tuesday, are part of a previously announced plan by Macy’s to shut 125 locations by 2023, which the retailer outlined last February. In turn, the company has said it plans to focus on investing in the best malls across the United States and grow off-mall. Liquidation sales have already started at some of the locations that are closing. The rest are slated to start later this month. (See a full list of the closing stores and recently closed locations below.) In 2020, Macy’s closed about 30 locations. The closures by Macy’s will add to the glut of retail real estate that has gone back on the market in recent years, pummeling landlords. In 2020, retail businesses from boutique apparel chains to department store operators announced more than 11,000 closures, according to tracking from the real estate firm CoStar Group. Mall owners like Simon Property Group and Macerich have been tasked with filling a plethora of empty spaces. The pressures have been too much for some to handle: Two mall owners — CBL and Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust — filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November. Macy’s currently operates 544 of its namesake department stores, along with 34 Bloomingdale’s locations, 19 Bloomingdale’s outlets and 166 Bluemercury shops, according to its website. Here’s the full list of Macy’s stores expected to close this year: 1. Paradise Valley, AZ 2. El Cajon Parkway, CA 3. Hilltop, CA 4. Brass Mill Center, CT 5. Crystal Mall, CT 6. Port Charlotte Town Center, FL 7. Volusia Mall, FL 8. Greenbriar, GA 9. Hyatt Regency (Maui), HI 10. Grand Teton Mall, ID 11. Water Tower Place, IL 12. College Mall, IN 13. Marlow Heights, MD14. Independence Center, MO 15. Northpark Mall, MO 16. West Park Mall (MO), MO 17. Sangertown Square, NY 18. White Plains Galleria, NY 19. Great Lakes Mall, OH 20. Richland Mall, OH 21. Tri-County Mall, OH 22. The Avenue Carriage Crossing, TN 23. Old Hickory Mall, TN 24. Golden Triangle, TX 25. Post Oak Mall, TX 26. Rivercenter, TX 27. Rolling Oaks, TX 28. Vista Ridge Mall, TX 29. Commons at Federal Way, WA 30. Northtown, WA31. Monterey, CA (Furniture)32. Winter Haven, FL 33. Cambridgeside, MA 34. Lima, OH 35. Lloyd Center, OR36. Santa Monica, CA (Bloomingdale’s)37. South Towne Center, UT These stores are already closed: 1. Park Place, AZ 2. Oakbrook, IL (Furniture)3. Woodfield, IL (Furniture)4. Commack, NY 5. Eastland, OH (Furniture Clearance)6. Harrisburg, PA 7. Medinah Temple, IL (Bloomingdale’s) 8. Southwest Plaza, CO*9. Dover Mall, DE**Macy’s has closed these locations to in-store shopping and has converted them into fulfillment centers.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["retail businesses from boutique apparel chains to department store","department store","Macy’s","Park Place","Oakbrook","Woodfield","Commack","Eastland","Harrisburg","Medinah Temple","Southwest Plaza","Dover Mall"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this year","start later this month","2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["AZ","IL","NY","OH","PA","CO","DE"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Maryland parents dread quarantine notifications as first weeks of classes see school shut down, dances canceled","document":" With more than two weeks of school under their belts, Baltimore-area school districts are beginning to see COVID-19 cases emerge in larger numbers — forcing hundreds of students into quarantine and prompting systems to alter plans and cancel events. Parents have been forced to rearrange their schedules to care for kids at home. Those who haven’t say they are dreading a call they feel is inevitable. And what if their child needs to quarantine more than once? So far, schools here have not reached the level of cases experienced in districts across the country that began the school year earlier. Across the South, dozens of school systems have halted in-person classes, according to data gathered by online event tracking firm Burbio. And some districts, such as one north of Charlotte, North Carolina, have reported more than 10% of students quarantined at a single time. While COVID cases are starting to filter through soccer teams and history classes, cafeterias and school buses, parents and students in Maryland say they’re overjoyed to be returning to full schools for the first time in months, despite the storm cloud overhead. Stephanie Brown is among the parents who have already had to make adjustments. When she heard that her sixth and eighth graders would have to stay home from Northwest Middle School in Carroll County after a spike in cases, she was hardly surprised. ”It really wasn’t frustration and it definitely wasn’t shock,” the Westminster mom said. But she said she thought school district officials “could have handled this better” by requiring students to wear masks or offering the option of online classes. Masks were mandated in schools statewide last week; while other districts required them earlier, Carroll didn’t follow suit until the state mandate. The Taneytown middle school that Brown’s children attend closed Tuesday and Wednesday after 18 people tested positive. For each of those positive tests, another 15 to 20 close contacts typically have to quarantine, as well, said county health officer Ed Singer. In Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard counties, the percentage of students quarantining due to a positive test or exposure hovered between 1% and 2%, or between 900 and 1,500 students, according to the most recent data, posted online Friday. Baltimore City’s rate was lower, with 423 students quarantining, or 0.5% of the student population, as of Wednesday, the latest date for which the city provided data. The highest rates in the Baltimore area Friday were in Carroll and Harford counties, with about 5% and 3.8%, respectively. That’s about 1,200 to 1,400 students quarantined in each district. Enacting stringent quarantine protocols is a critical step, but officials in districts with increasing rates must ask themselves what they’re doing to support those students, said Brian Castrucci, an epidemiologist and president and CEO of the Bethesda-based de Beaumont Foundation, a charitable organization focused on public health. Castrucci said getting students safely through the rest of the academic year will require a “Swiss cheese” approach, especially around the holidays when some families travel to areas with lower vaccination rates. ”If you have a single slice of Swiss cheese, you can see the holes. But if you stack 10 pieces on top of the other, you can’t see through the holes.” “It’s a layered approach — strong quarantine protocols, mask-wearing, requirements for teachers to be vaccinated — they work together to make sure kids stay safe.” Initially, no Baltimore-area districts offered live lessons this fall for quarantined students, although some provided tutoring for students stuck at home. But Thursday, Anne Arundel schools announced expanded plans due to the growing number of such students. Starting Oct. 4, virtual teachers will give their own lessons and directly assign students work, rather than helping students get and complete assignments from their regular teacher. The climbing caseload has also pushed officials in Anne Arundel County and Baltimore County to cancel all homecoming dances — at least for the time being. That was disappointing news for Stacey Montagne, who had begun planning with her son, a freshman at Arundel High School in Gambrills, for the mid-October dance. Luckily, they hadn’t spent any money on an outfit, but some parents had. “He’s bummed out,” she said. “He does want to participate in all the school activities.” Now, Montagne says she might plan a “faux-coming” dance for her son and his friends, maybe featuring a platter of Chick-fil-A nuggets and a speaker blasting dance music in a backyard. She wonders if the school might be able to plan an outdoor dance or festival to make up for the traditional, indoor event. “I definitely think it’s a double standard,” she said. “You’ve got kids in football stadiums — yes, it’s outside — but they’re playing soccer games. They’re doing all of those things. They’re going to school, they’re in classrooms with 30 of their closest friends. They’re not socially distancing. Let’s be real.” Experts say lunchtime, when students remove masks, and dismissal times, when students may cluster in groups to chat, are among the trickiest parts of the school day — and the most difficult to track. The uncertainties surrounding such contacts have left some parents wondering just how likely they are to learn their child was exposed at school. With younger students, the difficulties multiply. Virginia Ryan, a paraeducator at Wolfe Street Academy in Baltimore, said it is sometimes difficult to keep pre-K students from roaming the classroom to play with friends or grab a toy. Educators do the best they can to keep students from getting too close to each other, and keep track of where they sit using a chart. They battle to keep students’ masks effective. “A lot of them, they bring it down and put it in their mouth. So, sometimes we replace the masks because they’re too wet,” she said. For Allison Ciborowski, a Carroll County mother of two, news that she’ll have to quarantine her first and third grader feels inevitable. “That call is going to come. Every day I’m like: ‘OK, this could be the day that I need to completely change my work schedule,’” she said. “It’s going to happen. It’s just a matter of when.” Ciborowski, a single mom, knows she’ll have to coach her first grader through online lessons, which won’t involve a live instructor. At some unexpected moment, she’ll have to reschedule work meetings and cancel others. “There’s no dashboard where you can go to say, ‘OK, what’s the chance that my kid’s going to have to quarantine this week?’” she said. It’s frustrating that Carroll County didn’t initially require masks, Ciborowski said. Before the state requirement went into effect, she told her children to wear theirs, but they became confused when staff members told them masks were optional. Ciborowski said she’s also concerned that Carroll County isn’t conducting any randomized COVID-19 testing for students. There’s only one permanent COVID-19 testing center at a Carroll County school, at Westminster High. Baltimore City is the only district in the area conducting surveillance testing for students so far to pick up on cases without symptoms. Others have said they’re considering it. For some students, the return to the school building is something of a godsend. Baltimore City College ninth grader Serena Marie Bostic said it’s allowed her to consider a swath of new extracurricular activities. She’s interested in learning American Sign Language, joining the debate team and participating in cheerleading, volleyball and softball. She’s discovered a love of math in geometry and algebra classes, now that they aren’t conducted through a computer screen. “It’s crazy because for so many years, I was like, ‘Man, that’s like the hardest class,’” she said. “But now, suddenly, it became my favorite class.” The 14-year-old said she hasn’t been vaccinated but is warming up to the idea, and would need to be to participate in winter and spring sports under a Baltimore City Schools mandate for athletes. She said her mind is at ease about possible transmission because students are conscious about wearing their masks indoors and eating lunch in a courtyard. ‘It’s always a risk. It’s always scary, especially with the variant,” she said. “But I’m not too worried because I see my peers and we all take the mask thing pretty serious.” ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["dozens of school","School","school","Northwest Middle School","Taneytown middle school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday and Wednesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Baltimore-area","Baltimore","Baltimore area","area"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 cases emerge in larger numbers","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Pandemic puts 1 in 3 nonprofits in financial jeopardy","document":"NEW YORK (AP) — More than one-third of U.S. nonprofits are in jeopardy of closing within two years because of the financial harm inflicted by the viral pandemic, according to a study being released Wednesday by the philanthropy research group Candid and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. The study’s findings underscore the perils for nonprofits and charities whose financial needs have escalated over the past year, well in excess of the donations that most have received from individuals and foundations. The researchers analyzed how roughly 300,000 nonprofits would fare under 20 scenarios of varying severity. The worst-case scenario led to the closings of 38% of the nonprofits. Even the scenarios seen as more realistic resulted in closures well into double digit percentages. Officials of Candid, which includes the philanthropic information resources GuideStar and Foundation Center, and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, which analyzes charitable giving during crises, said the most dire scenarios could be avoided if donations were to increase substantially — from the government as well as from private contributors. “If you are a donor who cares about an organization that is rooted in place and relies on revenue from in-person services, now is the time probably to give more,” said Jacob Harold, Candid’s executive vice president. Among the most vulnerable nonprofits, the study said, are those involved in arts and entertainment, which depend on ticket sales for most of their revenue, cannot significantly their reduce expenses and don’t typically hold much cash. Other studies have concluded that smaller arts and culture groups, in particular, are at serious risk. Californians for the Arts, for example, surveyed arts and culture nonprofits in the state and found that about 64% had shrunk their workforces. Roughly 25% of them had slashed 90% or more of their staffs. And a report last week from New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found that employment in New York City’s arts, entertainment and recreation sector tumbled 66% during 2020. “It really has been devastating,” said Kristina Newman-Scott, president of BRIC, a Brooklyn arts institution best-known for its community TV channel and Celebrate Brooklyn! concert series. “We have a lot of empathy for our colleagues and friends in the arts space who, based on their model, see things that are just not going to be the same for them. They will be navigating a very different financial pathway.” Newman-Scott said BRIC has been helping sustain smaller arts nonprofits and offering artists unrestricted $10,000 grants through its Colene Brown Art Prize. “We are anxious to get back to in-person events,” she said. “But we want to do it as part of a community. We don’t want to be the only one. We want other organizations that are and have been doing extraordinary work, especially the smaller folks who have it harder because they just don’t have as many resources. We want them to be around us also.” Harold, the Candid executive, said that while arts and entertainment groups may be at particular risk, nonprofits from all sectors are in danger. According to the study, the District of Columbia was expected to lose the most nonprofits per capita, followed by Vermont and North Dakota. The most vulnerable nonprofits may try to reduce costs this year by narrowing their focus or by furloughing workers. Some may seek a merger or an acquisition to bolster their financial viability, Harold noted, although doing so would still mean that fewer nonprofits would survive. “A lot of nonprofit boards were able to say, ‘Oh, this is going to end soon’ and ‘We’re fine for a year,’” Harold said. “But they might not be fine for two years. So if they dragged their feet last year, they may find themselves really having to scramble this year to make the structural changes now.” The perils that nonprofits face are similar to the economic damage from the pandemic that forced so many restaurants to either close or operate at deep losses over the past year. An estimated 110,000 restaurants — roughly one in six — closed in 2020 and, according to the National Restaurant Association, the pandemic could force 500,000 more to shut down. President Joe Biden last week ordered the Small Business Administration to prioritize businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 20 employees in the awarding of loans through the Paycheck Protection Program. “Since the beginning of this pandemic, 400,000 small businesses have closed — 400,000 — and millions more are hanging by a thread,” Biden said. “It’s hurting black, Latino and Asian American communities the hardest.” Harold said that while the federal government’s focus on small businesses and small nonprofits will help some of them survive, “it’s not going to have a huge impact.” The Candid/Center for Disaster Philanthropy study found that $20.2 billion was donated to combat COVID-19 in 2020, with 44% of it coming from corporations. It was one of many notable shifts in philanthropy during the pandemic. “We were definitely seeing more grants for flexible operating expenses and general support,” said Grace Sato, Candid’s director of research. “More grants were explicitly designated for vulnerable communities, communities most impacted by the pandemic.” The pandemic also made some major foundations recognize how burdensome their grant process has been and finally took steps to simplify it, Harold said. “One of the dominant emotional dynamics is guilt,” he said. “They finally crossed the threshold. We saw that with hundreds and hundreds of foundations.” ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["More than one-third of U.S. nonprofits","nonprofits","one","One","estimated 110,000 restaurants","400,000 small businesses"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Since the beginning of this pandemic","pandemic","within two years","2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["financial harm inflicted by the viral pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Popular Westerville event canceled due to city’s public health state of emergency","document":" by: Eric Halperin Posted: Sep 22, 2021 / 09:05 PM EDT Updated: Sep 22, 2021 / 11:13 PM EDT by: Eric Halperin Posted: Sep 22, 2021 / 09:05 PM EDT Updated: Sep 22, 2021 / 11:13 PM EDT WESTERVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) – A popular central Ohio festival will not be happening as originally planned this Friday. 4th Fridays in Uptown Westerville happen from May through October, but this week’s event is canceled after the city declared a public health state of emergency Tuesday. Earlier Wednesday, Uptown Westerville posted on social media, announcing the cancelation. In addition to the state of emergency, the group said the cancelation is also coming out of care and concern for the community. According to Westerville, the state of emergency is in place in large part due to the overwhelming situations at central Ohio hospitals. Megan Lee Designs, which participates in the event, said 4th Fridays are usually one of the business’ best days, but understand why the call was made. “It’s not ideal from a small business revenue perspective, but I do believe everybody’s heart is in the right place in essence,” said Erik Weitz, Megan Lee Designs’ vice-president. “It’s like the greater good, we’re all trying to come together to make sure we can get back to business as usual, or the new business as usual.” To be 19 months into the pandemic and still have events canceled, people are disappointed, but also understand why the decision was made. “I think it’s disappointing it has to be canceled, but I also want to do whatever is going to be the safest for the community,” said Westerville resident Dawn Puster. Weitz said he saw the message from the city about area hospitals being overwhelmed and said he understands why 4th Friday will not be happening this week. “This event is sponsored by Mount Carmel Health, so it would be probably unwise and a little contradictory, I think, if they were to have it, so I completely understand why it’s canceled,” he said. While other events in the city have been canceled for the next six weeks, there is no word on next month’s 4th Friday event. Unless the situation at central Ohio hospitals improves, the city said it will reevaluate the public health state of emergency on Nov. 2.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["A popular central Ohio festival"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this Friday","Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Westerville","WESTERVILLE"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["overwhelming situations at central Ohio hospitals","central Ohio hospitals"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Schoolchildren worldwide have lost 1.8 trillion hours due to COVID-19","document":"We are facing an education crisis. For nearly 77 million children, the pandemic has taken away their classrooms for the past 18 months. Schoolchildren worldwide have lost 1.8 trillion hours and counting of in-person learning due to COVID-19 lockdowns. The right to go to school and learn is central to every child’s development, safety and well-being. Yet in too many countries classrooms remain closed while social gatherings continue to take place in restaurants, salons and gyms. This generation of children and youth cannot afford any more disruptions to their education, which is why we’re calling on governments to #ReopenSchools as soon as possible and get education back on track. “Children should return to in-person learning as soon as possible” The cost of school closures on students’ learning, health and well-being has been devastating. The repercussions for every child, their family, their community and their economy will be felt for years to come. Many children will never catch up. School closures impact every child, but the most vulnerable children hardest. Some students have been able to access remote learning during school closures, but many of them have struggled due to a lack of support. At least a third of the world’s schoolchildren had no access to remote learning at all. “At least 1 in 3 schoolchildren had no access to remote learning during school closures” School closures have led to reduced physical activity and poorer diets, increased levels of anxiety and self-harm, and exposure to domestic violence. For many children the alternatives to school are child labour, child marriage and teenage pregnancy. Once this happens, it can be impossible for girls or boys to return to school. Keeping children at home has also resulted in parents having to leave their jobs, especially in countries with no or limited family leave policies. And this is despite the evidence showing that to date schools have not been a main driver of COVID-19 transmission in communities. The World Health Organization recommends that it is only in extreme cases that school closures should be considered. And then only as a temporary measure of last resort. It’s clear: Governments need to prioritize support for schools and take all possible measures to reopen safely. The future of the next generation depends on it. “Schools should be the last to close and the first to reopen” “I miss them [teachers and classmates] a lot.” Brithany, 11, Ecuador \"[E]very second is important to be able to study,\" Alisha, 15, Pakistan “All kids around the world should go to school in person.” Favour, 12, South Africa “It’s better to go to school because it’s the gateway to the future.” Darina, 16, Spain Schoolchildren worldwide have lost 1.8 trillion hours and counting of in-person learning due to COVID-19 lockdowns, says UNICEF Schools still closed for nearly 77 million students 18 months into pandemic – UNICEF First day of school 'indefinitely postponed' for 140 million first-time students around the world – UNICEF Repeated school closures due to COVID-19 leading to learning loss and widening inequities in South Asia, UNICEF research shows","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the past 18 months","18"]},{"role":"Location","values":["worldwide","Ecuador","Pakistan","South Africa","Spain"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 lockdowns","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Two Colbert County elementary schools closed Friday","document":" by: Bobby Stilwell COLBERT COUNTY, Ala. – Due to what Superintendent Chris Hand calls a “tragic incident,” two elementary schools in Colbert County will not be in session Friday. In a note to parents, Hand said Cherokee and Leighton Elementary schools will be closed Friday. Hand asked for continued support for those affected by the incident. “Please join us in your thoughts and prayers for everyone who has been touched by this tragic incident,” Hand said. “Thank you to all of you who have already reached out with a kind word or gesture towards the family. There are many friends, family members, students, and colleagues who are grieving so let’s lift them up in prayer and be a help to those who are in need at this moment.”","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Hand"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Cherokee and Leighton Elementary schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Colbert County","COLBERT COUNTY"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["what Superintendent Chris Hand calls a “tragic incident,"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Pet Helpers spay/neuter clinic temporarily closed due to understaffing","document":" by: Chase Laudenslager Puppies are shown at the Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Thursday, May 5, 2011. A constant flow of people searching for their lost animals following last weeks tornado visit the shelter each day. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Pet Helpers on Monday announced that their spay/neuter clinic is temporarily closed as they struggle with a staffing shortage. According to the organization, vital positions such as associate veterinarian and veterinary assistant are currently vacant. Executive Director, Melissa Susko, explained that the organization’s top priority “is to ensure the safety of the animals that come through [the] clinic doors,” and that is not possible without “experienced support staff.” Understaffing in spay/neuter clinics causes what Susko described as a domino effect that has a significant impact on the rate at which animals are adopted out: “It ripples down tot he shelter as animals’ length of stay is extended due to an overworked veterinary team trying to juggle 120 shelter animals, on top of performing low-cost spay/neuter surgeries weekly for community cats brought in through [the] Trap Neuter Release program (TNR).” According to Susko, the scarcity of qualified veterinary staff is an issue that shelters across the state have been facing amid an ongoing capacity crisis. Despite the challenges, Pet Helpers will continue operating their vaccine clinics on Thursdays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Appointments can be made by emailing spay@pethelpers.org.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["spay/neuter clinic"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday","temporarily closed"]},{"role":"Location","values":["CHARLESTON, S.C"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["struggle with a staffing shortage"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Delhi govt directs all state-run liquor shops to stock up","document":"New Delhi: The Delhi government on Thursday has directed all state-run alcohol outlets to maintain sufficient stocks to deal with a possible shortage in the coming days as all private liquor shops are set to wind up their business by September 30 under its new excise policy. As per the new excise policy of the Delhi government, liquor will be sold in Delhi from November 17. But private liquor shops will be shut down on 30 September. Around 260 privately-run liquor vends in the city will close down. Of the total around 850 liquor shops in Delhi, only those operated by Delhi government agencies will continue retail sale till November 16. In these circumstances, private liquor shops are no longer asking for new stock of liquor and the remaining stocks are getting exhausted quickly too. But a problem for a lot of shopkeepers is that these shops are going to be closed down forever. The consumers have started experiencing the shortage as their favourite liquors brands are missing owing to the winding up of business by privately-run liquor shops. At one of the private liquor shops on Vikas Marg in east Delhi, several liquor lovers were seen returning empty handed. They said they were told whisky or vodka brands were not available there. \"Our owner has asked us to sell whatever stock is there and lock the shop. We have already sold all other liquors and now only beer is left,\" said a worker managing the sale counter of the vend. The liquor stores in Star City Mall in Mayur Vihar were also rapidly emptying their shelves before putting their shutters down permanently. \"We are sorry to return back our regular customers as stocks are depleting. We stopped restocking and placing fresh orders after it was decided by the government to close private shops,\" said manager of a liquor store in the mall. A senior Excise department officer said steps are being taken to ensure that there is no shortage of liquor by strengthening retail sale from government vends. \"It's a transition period of one and half month after which things will become normal. We have already asked the government agencies running liquor stores up to November 16 to maintain stock according to demand,\" said the officer. Naresh Goel, president Delhi Liquor Traders Association, said the private liquor vends in some areas like Saket have already shut their shop after selling out the remaining stocks. \"Shortage is bound to occur as private vends used to be better stocked. Closure of all the private shops in the city in one go will create shortage as government shops cannot handle the demand as they are also in the process of winding up before November 17,\" Goel said. Amit Sharma, president of Delhi Liquor Sales Association, that represents workers at the liquor stores in the city, claimed around 3,000 people will be out of jobs after private stores close down. With the closure of private vends on September 30, there will no retail liquor sale in 26 of the 272 municipal wards. Also, there are no liquor vends in 80 wards. The New Excise Policy of Delhi government seeks to ensure equitable distribution of liquor vends across the city by dividing it into 32 zones. Each zone covering 8-10 wards will have nearly 27 liquor vends that will provide customers walk in experience and a choice of their preferred brands. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Around 260 privately-run liquor vends"]},{"role":"Date","values":["by September 30","forever"]},{"role":"Location","values":["The Delhi","Delhi"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["new excise policy of the Delhi government","Delhi government","new excise policy","New Excise Policy"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Mentor On Tap & Uncorked Is Canceled This Year","document":"MENTOR, OH — The popular Mentor On Top & Uncorked event has been canceled this year due to staffing challenges. The event will not be rescheduled. Originally slated for Oct. 2, city officials said a combination of too few workers and logistical hurdles made putting on the event impossible this year. \"This is a fun and popular event but unfortunately, the effects of the pandemic are still with us,\" said Ante Logarusic, community relations administrator. \"It has been difficult obtaining and maintaining commitments from brewers, food vendors, and other suppliers due to staffing shortages.\" Mentor On Top & Uncorked usually attracts 600 attendees per year. The event was canceled due to COVID-19 in 2020 and was then rescheduled twice in 2021, before being canceled this year as well. \"We appreciate the continued support of our attendees, as well as our sponsors who help present events such as these to the public; and look forward to resuming our full event schedule next year,\" Logarusic said.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Mentor On Top & Uncorked event","Mentor","Top"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this year","Oct. 2","2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["MENTOR, OH","Mentor"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["too few workers and logistical hurdles","effects of the pandemic","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Mitsotakis’ tour of Ground Zero church canceled","document":"A tour by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas at Ground Zero in New York, due to take place on Friday, has been canceled. The prime minister, who is in New York to attend the 76th UN General Assembly, was to be guided through the structure by Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America Elpidophoros. However, it has emerged that the prime minister will meet with the management of the Wall Street Journal instead. The change in the prime minister’s itinerary comes after the government criticized Elpidophoros over his presence at an official event organized by Turkey and attended by the Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, in New York. “We were irritated by the actions of the archbishop. The Greek government expresses its displeasure,” said government spokesperson Υiannis Oikonomou responding to a relevant question during a press conference on Thursday. At the event, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the Turkish House, or Turkevi Center, which will house the Turkish representation to the United Nations as well as delegates from the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The event was also attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Evangelos Venizelos, a former deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs, said the government’s criticism of Elpidophoros was “deeply ahistorical” and “myopic.” Crushed by the collapsing south tower, the original Saint Nicholas has been replaced by a glass-domed shrine designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Elpidophoros is due to unveil the building on November 2 in a ceremony that will be attended by Patriarch Vartholomaios – conditions allowing – while the church is slated to resume services as usual next year.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["A tour by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas","Saint Nicholas"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New York"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["government criticized Elpidophoros over his presence"]}]} {"event_trigger":"The Looming Crisis of Kids and COVID","document":"‘The next two weeks are going to be critical,’ one stakeholder says of the rising coronavirus cases recorded among children returning to schools. The Looming Crisis of Kids and COVID School staff survey a classroom in preparation for the upcoming start of school on September 2, 2021 in New York City.(Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) The number of school closures due to COVID-19 is increasing alongside pediatric infections as the country's public school system fully reopens – in many places with low vaccination rates and mask-optional policies. Read: More than 1,400 schools across 278 districts in 35 states that began the academic year in person have closed, according to Burbio, an organization that's tracking how schools respond to the ongoing pandemic. The figures are up from 698 schools across 158 districts in 25 states. While the spike in the school closure count is startling many education officials whose well-laid back-to-school plans have been foisted by the highly contagious delta variant and is creating major challenges for parents, they make up just a fraction of the 98,000 public schools across the country. In more than half of the closures, the schools pivoted to virtual instruction, but roughly 40% of schools that closed for a period of time did so without any remote learning plan in place, according to Burbio. A little less than 5% of schools delayed school start – some due to logistical issues like hiring enough bus drivers – and about 3% moved to a hybrid format, where students receive both in-person and virtual instruction. The delays, closures and pivots back to virtual learning reflect the recent spike in COVID-19 cases among children. While symptomatic and severe cases in kids remain less common than for other age groups, states and counties with mask-optional policies and where vaccination rates remain low are experiencing a harrowing increase in pediatric infections. More than 51,000 students in Texas have tested positive for COVID-19 since the first week of school in August. The same is true for 20,000 students in Mississippi. Meanwhile, in Florida, more than 26,000 children tested positive just last week, and children under the age of 12 became the age group with the highest new COVID-19 case count. In Georgia, cases in children 11 to 17 years old quadrupled over the last month since schools reopened. According to the state's public health officials, Georgia is experiencing the highest number of COVID-19 outbreaks since the pandemic began – more than half of which are connected to K-12 schools. \"I'm not surprised,\" Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told MSNBC on Tuesday. \"And the reason is the delta variant is very serious and it's very contagious. And a lot of school districts aren't doing the things that are necessary.\" he said. For all the criticism heaped upon the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the government's top public health officials have been clear about how school leaders can return students to classrooms safely – by deploying a series of risk-mitigation strategies, one layered upon the other. The more coronavirus safety measures a school implements, the safer it is, with the gold standard being high vaccination rates among educators, staff and eligible students. And over the course of three relief packages, the federal government has directed $190 billion to K-12 schools so that, among other things, every child could return to a classroom this school year. Yet a recent analysis of 100 large and urban school districts, including the 30 biggest in the country, showed that 66% require masks for at least some and 68% have policies on contact tracing. But only 10% required vaccinations for school staff and just 18% required testing. \"Kids should be getting tested once a week,\" Jha said. \"It's a really important part of preventing outbreaks. It doesn't just identify people who are infected, but it prevents those from spreading it any further.\" \"It's very possible to get kids back safely, but you have to follow the science,\" he said. Education officials are watching the next two weeks closely and say it will likely be a bellwether for what to expect from the country's public school system this year. \"The next two weeks are going to be critical,\" says Chip Slaven, the interim executive director and CEO of the National School Boards Association. \"We're going to start to see how bad COVID really is with kids.\" One of the biggest tests will come next week, when New York City schools reopen Sept. 13 for more than 1 million children. With the exception of medically fragile children, all students will learn in person. \"What I'm hearing in my discussions with health officials is that kids are being impacted more by the new variant than by the original COVID strain,\" he says. \"We're going to have to see how school openings go and how many are able to keep the buildings open, how many have to return to virtual, whether it's going to be better or worse. We don't know that yet. We are in a national crisis due to a health emergency and people need to remember that.\" Tags: education, online education, elementary school, middle school, high school, coronavirus, pandemic ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["More than 1,400 schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["for a period of time"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New York City","the country","country","35 states"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19","COVID","highly contagious delta variant","logistical issues"]}]} {"event_trigger":"NYC School Closes After First Week of Classes Due to COVID Cases, Will Go to Remote Learning","document":"A school in New York City was forced to close after its first week of classes due to 19 staff members testing positive for COVID-19. P.S. 79 in East Harlem will shut down starting Monday until September 28 due to \"possible widespread exposure and transmission in the school,\" according to Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer in a tweet Saturday. Learning will be conducted remotely, and the school will ensure every student has a device and meals will be able to be picked up daily, Brewer said. The cases were linked to staff orientation. \"All my efforts are focused on supporting the principal, making sure parents are notified so they don't show up on Monday & that the students and families have access to the devices they need,\" Brewer tweeted. This is an unfortunate situation & we need the city's leadership to take responsibility.\" In an earlier Twitter post on Friday, Brewer wrote of the latest case count at the school: \"This is exactly what we feared would happen—and why a remote option should have been offered to parents in the first place.\" In a statement to Newsweek, Nathaniel Styer, a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Education, said: \"The health and safety of our school communities is our top priority, and we do not hesitate to intervene to stop the spread. \"We follow stringent guidance from health experts to prevent any further transmission by quarantining close contacts, closing classrooms, and, if necessary, entire buildings. Learning will continue during quarantine and we will provide the school resources and support to have a successful school year.\" Since schools opened on September 13, there have been 812 total COVID-19 cases in New York City schools—487 students and 325 staff members have tested positive for the virus, according to the NYC Department of Education. The East Harlem school is the first to be closed due to COVID-19 cases. Teachers and staff members are required to have at least one dose of the vaccine by September 27. The New York City school system has over 1 million students, making it the largest school district in the nation, according to the city's Department of Education. Schools across the country have been forced to shut down due to a high number of students and staff members testing positive for the virus. A school district in Tennessee closed for one week at the end of August due to an increase in cases. In Los Angeles County, more than 8,000 students and 1,200 staff tested positive less than one month into the school year. Child COVID-19 cases have grown \"exponentially\" since schools began to open in August, although severe illness among children remains rare, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Children younger than 12 years old are not eligible for vaccination.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["79 in East Harlem","East Harlem","The East Harlem school","Schools across the country"]},{"role":"Date","values":["after its first week of classes","starting Monday until September 28","for one week at the end of August"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New York City","Tennessee","Los Angeles County"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["19 staff members testing positive for COVID-19","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Economies are at peril if the employment gender gap isn’t closed","document":"Whilst the pandemic has affected all genders and almost everyone around the world, women are still getting the shorter end of the stick as the employment gender gap increases. A widening employment gender gap is affecting women everywhere — even though they have generally tried to improve their employability and skills more than men when the pandemic hit. According to McKinsey, women’s jobs are 1.8 times more vulnerable to the Covid-19 crisis than men’s jobs. Women make up 39% of global employment — but account for 54% of overall job losses. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that projected jobs growth in 2021 for women will exceed that of men. However, it asserts that it will be insufficient to bring women back to pre-pandemic employment levels. Many factors come into play. One is that the pandemic has significantly increased the burden of unpaid care — that’s disproportionately carried by women, says McKinsey in the report “COVID-19 and gender equality: Countering the regressive effects”. A common sight in Malaysia, mothers often have to grapple with juggling their children while also working as most workers are forced to work from home amidst strict lockdowns. This essentially means that women’s employment is dropping too quickly, and faster than average — even after taking into account the difference in sectors. Whilst the WEF acknowledges that men have increased their contribution to unpaid work in the household since the outbreak of the pandemic, a majority of the responsibilities still fall on women. Access to childcare continues to be an important enabler of women’s ability to participate in the labor market on equal terms. The organization attributes this widening labor force gender gap to factors such as school closures and changes to care routines. These are some of the responsibilities that have disproportionately fallen on the shoulders of women due to deeply entrenched, unequal gender norms. From this, and historical data, it’s clear that women have been, and are continuing to be — more negatively affected in multiple areas. In this case, it’s in a labor market that’s exacerbated by the rise of automation; the added burden of unpaid domestic labor, and the pandemic’s gender-skewed, negative impacts on job sectors. Some of the grave effects of the pandemic include higher incidences of domestic gender-based violence against women. However, things haven’t been better for women in the workplace either. Women employees and founders in tech have faced more workplace harassment, especially sexual, despite the rise of recent movements like #MeToo. Employees of the video game company, Activision Blizzard, hold a walkout and protest rally to denounce the company’s response to a California Department of Fair Employment and Housing lawsuit and to call for changes in conditions for women and other marginalized groups, in Irvine, California, on July 28, 2021. (Photo by DAVID MCNEW / AFP) There’s no two ways about it — women are more vulnerable to Covid-19–related economic effects because of existing gender inequalities, asserts McKinsey. And countries and businesses should really be putting more effort into ensuring equity, equality, and safety for the other majority gender — women. The ILO found that, during the pandemic, women fared considerably better in countries that took measures to prevent them from losing their jobs — and which allowed them to re-enter employment as early as possible. The ILO’s brief, “Building Forward Fairer: Women’s rights to work and at work at the core of the COVID-19 recovery” emphasizes the criticality of placing gender equality at the core of recovery efforts by countries. This means putting gender-responsive strategies in place, such as : Similar sentiments are echoed by the World Economic Forum (WEF), whose leaders stated that an economic recovery starts with growth, jobs, skills, and equity, in an inclusive way. While upskilling isn’t the panacea for women (or anyone, really), it still can improve an individual’s employability to an extent. More importantly, economic recovery for a Covid-19 ravaged world is predicated on job availability — especially in a volatile labor market burdened by even more depressed wages. McKinsey observed that, in a gender-regressive scenario in which no action is taken to counter the effects of reduced employment by women, the estimated global GDP growth could be US$1 trillion lower in 2030 (than it would be if women’s unemployment simply tracked that of men in each sector). The firm stressed that this impact could be more severe than the one they modeled in the report, “if factors such as increased childcare burdens, attitudinal bias, a slower recovery, or reduced public and private spending on services such as education or childcare make women leave the labor market permanently”. Echoing the ILO’s and WEF’s stances, McKinsey additionally argues that the advancement of gender equality could add US$13 trillion to the global GDP in 2030. However, they warned that a middle path where action is only taken post-crisis would reduce the potential opportunity by over US$5 trillion. To put that into perspective, the cost of that delay “amounts to three-fourths of the total global GDP we could potentially lose to COVID-19 this year”. Traditional gender roles still affect the way men and women manage work and family interactions. According to the United Nations, women around the world earn less, save less, have less access to social protections and financial resources, and are the majority caretakers at home. The ship where employers and/or governments claim to champion women’s equality and rights but do little to show for it — has long sailed. There isn’t any more time for virtue-signaling marketing, low-impact CSR initiatives aimed at padding yearly reports — action must be taken now to address unequal women labor participation. Whilst nobody expects these remnants of the artifact that is patriarchy to die out anytime soon, governments need to put in place more supportive and empowering policies for women to return to — and importantly, remain in the workforce. At the same time, employers as well as society at large need to work to understand the burdens women face and make accommodations for women staff to continue employment, especially women in the informal sectors and those working from home. Additionally, there can be more financial support and an improved startup environment for women entrepreneurs, who have always been at a disadvantage when seeking to raise investments. Unconscious bias, stereotyping, a lack of diversity in venture capital, structural barriers, and the hostility women have to deal with within traditionally male-centered spaces — these are all more than well documented. The detrimental long-term effects of reduced workforce participation by women will affect not just individual economies, but the world at large. If this pandemic isn’t a clarion call to put an end to the archaic mentality that domestic duties ought to be the domain of women, then, honestly, I don’t know what else can. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["since the outbreak of the pandemic","pandemic"]},{"role":"Location","values":["around the world","World","world","around","Malaysia"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Mile Zero Meltdown concert cancelled","document":" DAWSON CREEK, B.C. – The Mile Zero Meltdown concert has been cancelled due to unforeseen production issues, according to the Ovintiv Events Centre. The concert was rescheduled in April to take place on October 8th and was set to feature Buckcherry, and Bif Naked. The venue announced the cancellation on Thursday and released refund information for those who already purchased tickets. Anyone who bought tickets with a credit card will have the ticket price, plus the per-ticket fee, automatically refunded back to their account starting September 30th. Credit card refunds can take between five to 10 days to show up on a bank statement. Contact the Tiger Box Office Plus at the Ovintiv Events Centre at BoxOffice@dawsoncreekeventscentre.ca if a credit card refund has not occurred by October 14th. For cash and debit purchases, customers are asked to call the box office manager at 250-795-3306 to schedule an appointment to process a refund. Only the purchaser of the tickets, with valid photo ID, may receive the refund in the form of the original payment method. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Mile Zero Meltdown concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["October 8th"]},{"role":"Location","values":["DAWSON CREEK, B.C"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["unforeseen production issues"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Articles at closed Mahila Mall taken away, say entrepreneurs","document":"A notice saying rooms are available for rent pasted outside the now closed down Mahila Mall in Kozhikode city on Wednesday. Ragesh As many as nine entrepreneurs at the now closed down Mahila Mall in Kozhikode on Wednesday claimed that the articles they had stored in their shops were taken away without their knowledge. The husband of one of the entrepreneurs noticed on Tuesday evening that all the gift articles at their shop had been removed. Similar incidents happened at 10 other shops as well. There were 78 shops in the building, and 30 of them had occupants. Ten of them were under the custody of the group which ran the mall. Some others settled for compensation after the venture run into losses. The nine entrepreneurs who have now come with the complaint have losses up to ₹30 lakh. They pointed out that the front portion of the building had been locked, and that they could not get inside to assess the losses. The mall was closed down in 2020 March during the first lockdown. Though the entrepreneurs managed to get a court order to reopen the building, no steps were taken in that direction. Later, they approached the district administration, talks were held, and the mall was opened. But it ran only for four days. It was closed down again after pending power bills were not cleared. The Kozhikode Corporation claimed that the issue was between the operator of the mall and the entrepreneurs, and that the civic body was not involved in the row. The entrepreneurs said they would file a complaint with the Nadakkavu police station. Meanwhile, United Democratic Front (UDF) workers staged a demonstration outside the building in support of the entrepreneurs. Kozhikode District Congress Committee (DCC) president K. Praveenkumar and UDF councillors were present.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Mahila Mall"]},{"role":"Date","values":["now closed down","2020 March"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Kozhikode city"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["lockdown"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Diplo’s baseball concert cancelled amid sexual assault allegations","document":"The Baltimore Orioles baseball team has announced an upcoming Diplo postgame concert has been cancelled following sexual assault allegations made against the DJ/producer. Sharing news of the cancellation on social media, the team tweeted: “The Orioles will not hold the upcoming postgame performance on July 24 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Fans who purchased field passes with game tickets to the Diplo concert on July 24 will receive a refund.” There was no mention of exactly why the gig was cancelled, but it came hours after the Baltimore Sun published a letter sent to its editors questioning how the team could continue with the performance after Diplo was recently accused of sexual assault. “The Orioles always promote being a family-friendly entertainment option in our great city. They also have done great things for women and women’s rights, including celebrating the 100th anniversary of women’s voting rights,” the letter stated. “This is very concerning in light of the news that came out on July 7 that Diplo is accused of sexual assault after he forced a fan to perform oral sex on him after a show in Vegas in 2019, which she has claimed he filmed… If the Orioles are such a family-friendly team, and truly care about women, they need to separate themselves from Diplo and stand up and cancel this post-game concert.” Last week, Diplo was accused of sexual assault by a woman who alleges he coerced her into performing oral sex and recorded it without her consent. According to documents obtained by TMZ, the alleged incident happened at an after party following one of the Major Lazer star’s Las Vegas shows at the Wynn in 2019, where he allegedly gave her and other attendees weed and alcohol. The woman alleges that Diplo (real name Thomas Wesley Pentz) invited her to his personal room during the after party, and that his security team allegedly punched a male friend of hers in the face when they started escorting people out and he refused to leave without her. It’s then alleged that Diplo told the woman she couldn’t leave until she performed oral sex on him. The woman says she agreed to do it after alleging there was no other way out of the situation. She also claims that Diplo filmed the encounter without her consent. Diplo has denied all allegations. The world’s defining voice in music and pop culture: breaking what’s new and what’s next since 1952.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Diplo postgame concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["July 24"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Oriole Park at Camden Yards"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["sexual assault allegations made against the DJ/producer"]}]} {"event_trigger":"The Rolling Stones cancel Buffalo concert, reschedule other US tour dates","document":"FILE - Ron Wood, from left, Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones perform during a concert in Pasadena, Calif. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Western New York rock fans can’t get no satisfaction. The Rolling Stones have officially canceled their Buffalo concert. The Mick Jagger-led rock band announced its rescheduled U.S. tour dates Thursday, and left the Buffalo Bills’ Highmark Stadium off the list. The Stones were originally scheduled to perform at the Buffalo stadium on June 6, 2020, but the show was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. New York state is left off the schedule entirely — likely due to the Bills’ NFL schedule — with the closest stops set for Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Oct. 4, 2021) and Ford Field (Nov. 15, 2021). “We want to thank you all for your patience during this very difficult and unprecedented time,” the Rolling Stones said in a statement. “All previously purchased tickets will be honored at the rescheduled dates, unfortunately, there are a few dates that we were unable to reschedule - Ticketmaster will communicate directly with all purchasers of these tickets with more information. Where feasible, a priority offer for ticketholders will be available for nearby shows.” The tour also includes some new dates added in New Orleans, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Tickets for those shows will go on sale Friday, July 30. The Rolling Stones last played Buffalo in 2015. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, featuring Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood, have released 30 studio albums, featuring hits like “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Wild Horses,” “Paint It Black,” “Street Fighting Man,” “Sympathy for the Devil” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” RELATED: Upstate NY concerts: See our huge list of shows from Buffalo to Syracuse to Albany for 2021-2022 St. Joe’s Amp concert tickets won’t get you free admission to NYS Fair this year Elton John’s Syracuse concert nears sellout: Here are the cheapest tickets you can get ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Buffalo concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["June 6, 2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New York state"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["coronavirus pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"The Cake Shop will close on August 9","document":"A bakery told customers yesterday it was working hard to “regroup” and open its doors again after a tough year caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Cake Shop, on Curving Avenue, Pembroke, posted a message on Facebook to explain why it had yet to reopen after what was intended to be a temporary closure in August for renovations. The post read: “The past year has been strenuous on all businesses. “We have experienced something none of us ever imagined. “Smaller and larger organisations were forced to make very difficult decisions.” The post said: “While some of us were able to keep our doors open, our client base was extremely limited due to the island-wide closures and our bottom lines took a serious hit. “Nevertheless, we persevered in an all-out attempt to keep our business afloat and our employees employed.” The post said Shawn Thomas, the owner, had used his personal resources to keep the business afloat and that it was \"truly a struggle“. It added: “As we continue to push forward through an already strained economy, we ask your patience and understanding as we regroup and find the best way forward to serve you once again with excellence and provide the full range of products that you have come to know and love. “We are eager to reopen our doors.” The Cake Shop shut on August 9 for what was said to be cleaning and minor renovations and was scheduled to reopen on September 1. The store suffered a break-in the day before the Good Friday holiday on April 2 when armed robbers escaped with cash and baked goods.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Shawn Thomas"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Cake Shop"]},{"role":"Date","values":["August 9"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Curving Avenue, Pembroke"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Covid-19 pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Reynolds High School closed for two days before full week of “short-term” distance learning","document":"Due to COVID-19 exposures, the 2,680 students at Reynolds High School in Troutdale will revert to distance learning until Sept. 27. There will be no school Sept. 16 and 17 to give educators time to transition to distance learning. “Community spread of the COVID-19 virus continues and while the number of students or staff who have tested positive are small, these cases have required large numbers of students to quarantine due to possible exposure in the last few days,” said district officials in a message shared Wednesday. A flash alert message from the district wasn’t sent until Thursday at 5:35 a.m. According to the district’s COVID-19 dashboard, there are eight positive cases among students and staff, districtwide, with 1,112 students and staff in quarantine. Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Ore. Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB All Reynolds High students have been in school since Sept. 8. Since Sept. 6, the district reports 875 high school students and staff members have had to quarantine, with four people testing positive for COVID-19. Among the high school’s other measures, administrators are asking families to voluntarily provide vaccination status for their students, and there are no spectators allowed at sporting events “until further notice.” Only players, coaches, and support staff will be allowed. Officials also said they will be implementing “reinforced seating charts” for classrooms and buses. Schools all over the state have delayed the start to the school year, or closed individual schools due to COVID-19 associated problems, like staffing shortages. Districts are not required to have any metrics or threshold of COVID-19 cases or exposures to go back to distance learning. The Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority have said its up to school districts and local public health departments to determine when to return to remote learning. School is back in session, but the pandemic isn't over. Vaccines and the delta variant have changed everything.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Reynolds High School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["until Sept. 27","Sept. 16 and 17"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Troutdale","all over the state"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 associated problems, like staffing shortages","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"25% of U.S. malls are expected to shut within 5 years. Giving them a new life won’t be easy","document":"What is going to happen to America’s dead malls? That’s a million-dollar question plaguing retailers and real estate developers. With a report circulating earlier this month that the biggest U.S. mall owner Simon Property Group has been in talks with Amazon to convert some shuttered Sears and J.C. Penney department stores into fulfillment centers, many industry analysts have been pontificating on the future of malls as logistics hubs. The consensus seems to be that turning old retail space into new warehouses might not be so easy, even though it might seem like a logical solution. Demand for logistics buildings is skyrocketing as e-commerce sales balloon. But the hurdles include the need to have properties rezoned, which could be met with pushback from local municipalities. “Just because retail space has gone vacant or remained fallow does not mean that it is automatically a good candidate for repurposing into industrial space,” the head of Moody’s Analytics commercial real estate economics division, Victor Calanog, said in a report released Thursday. “One cannot simply build industrial buildings in areas zoned for commercial use,” he explained. “Often, that requires rezoning areas — a long and tedious process with a low probability of success.” “State and local governments typically tax industrial properties at anywhere from half to two-thirds the rate of commercial properties, so municipalities have little incentive to rezone areas from commercial to industrial use, as they will collect less tax revenues,” Calanog said. Demand for various commercial real estate asset types is expected to shift noticeably because of the coronavirus pandemic, with more people now working from home, flocking to the suburbs for space and buying online things they used to browse for in stores. According to data pulled by Moody’s Analytics REIS, apartment development in the U.S. is expected to be down 15.6% in a post-Covid-19 world. Office development is set to drop 10%, it said, while retail falls 15.7%. Industrial development, meantime, is expected to pick up 3.6%. The firm did find five markets where it said it would make the most sense to covert vacant retail space into warehouse space, based on where retail has been underperforming and where warehouse demand is hot. Those are: Central New Jersey, Northern New Jersey, Long Island, Memphis and Detroit. But shopping malls are likely going to be shuttering in suburbs all across the country, as store closures grow in number and landlords capitulate. Another new report out this week from Coresight Research estimates 25% of America’s roughly 1,000 malls will close over the next three to five years, with the pandemic accelerating a demise that was already underway before the new virus emerged. The malls most at risk of going dark are classified as so-called B-, C- and D-rated malls, meaning they bring in fewer sales per square foot than an A mall. An A++ mall could bring in as much as $1,000 in sales per square foot, for example, while a C+ mall does about $320. There are roughly 380 C- and D-rated malls in the U.S., according to an analysis by the commercial real estate firm Green Street Advisors. It has said malls rated C and below “are not viable retail centers long term.” CBL & Associates, a Tennessee-based mall owner that has a number of B- and C-rated malls in its portfolio, has said it plans to file for bankruptcy by Oct. 1, highlighting just how much pressure these landlords are facing. Even high-end malls are under pressure, though. No one is really immune. An upscale mall owner in Miami, Bal Harbour Shops, is currently moving to evict the luxury department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue for not paying rent since mid-March. It owes Bal Harbour roughly $1.9 million, according to court documents. “Despite being given months to honor its past due rental obligations and despite Saks’ impressive post-COVID sales at Bal Harbour Shops, Saks steadfastly refused to make any effort to pay any part of its rent,” Bal Harbour Shops President and Chief Executive Matthew Whitman Lazenby said in a statement. “Bal Harbour Shops has worked tirelessly to ensure our business and our tenants can survive and thrive in this environment,” he said. “Regrettably, this injudicious behavior has left us with no other option than to terminate the Saks lease and sue to evict Saks from Bal Harbour Shops.” A representative from Hudson’s Bay-owned Saks was not immediately available to comment. About 90% of occupants in U.S. malls are either experiential tenants like movie theaters, or department store chains and apparel retailers, according to the Coresight analysis. This makes malls the most vulnerable type of shopping centers to the Covid-19 impact, it said, compared with other properties like strip centers that have grocery stores and outlet centers that offer consumers bargains. During the pandemic, movie theaters and clothing shops have faced long windows of being closed, while consumers could still flock to strip centers for food, cleaning products and other essentials. In some states, such as New York and California, movie theaters remain closed to this day. And so with minimal revenue coming in, these are the businesses that are most likely requesting rent reductions, or not paying rent at all. Mall developers had up until now been courting entertainment companies like Dave & Buster’s and iFly indoor skydiving, and restaurants like Cheesecake Factory, to lessen their dependence on shrinking retailers. But those businesses have also not fared well in an age of social distancing. So, if not warehouses and entertainment complexes, analysts have pondered other potential use cases for so-called dead malls: Churches, medical facilities, office spaces and even apartment complexes. But even office space is a risky bet now, as the working-from-home trend could become permanent for some. Workers in JPMorgan Chase’s corporate and investment bank, for example, will cycle between days spent at the office and at home, keeping the ability to work remotely on a part-time basis. The world’s biggest Wall Street bank by revenue has said it could shutter backup trading floors located outside New York and London as a result of the move. The outdoor retailer REI is also looking to sell its recently completed corporate campus in suburban Seattle, shifting instead to more satellite offices, as a result of the pandemic. “Unfortunately, this whole Covid thing has thrown the experiential pitch out the window,” Moody’s Calanog said in a phone interview. “Until we resolve this pandemic, I suspect we are going to be in a holding pattern with hollow retail space.” ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["movie theaters and clothing shops","movie theaters","Sears and J.C. Penney department stores","shopping malls"]},{"role":"Date","values":["long windows of being closed","closed","earlier this month"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S","Central New Jersey, Northern New Jersey, Long Island, Memphis and Detroit"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["coronavirus pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"WelcomeFest concert canceled for 2021","document":"Editor's Note: Due to an unanticipated security staff shortage, which is a national issue, the 2021 WelcomeFest concert has been canceled. The Division of Student Affairs is grateful to Program Council for their work planning this event and disappointed to cancel for reasons outside of their control. We are working to plan another concert soon. Don't miss Buffs on the Roam on Aug. 21, a night out with your herd. Download the CU Boulder Life app for event details. Original announcement: Freddie Gibbs will headline the 2021 WelcomeFest concert Saturday, Aug. 21, at Farrand Field. EDM artists Lucii and Covex and local openers Roses & Rubies and Don’t Tell Nora also will perform. The annual concert is part of Fall Welcome and is sponsored by Program Council. The doors open at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free for all CU Boulder students who provide their Buff OneCard at wristband locations, including first-year students, transfer students, returning students, graduate students and law students. Wristbands will be distributed between Farrand Hall and Farrand Field starting at noon on Aug. 21. Additionally, a second wristband location will open up at 4 p.m. at the tents beside Imig Music. Wristbands are needed for entry to the event. Please check out the Program Council website for more information on wristband locations and permissible items to bring to the event. Freddie Gibbs is an American hip-hop artist originally from Gary, Indiana. He has released over a dozen albums or mixtapes across the last decade, including his most recent album Alfredo, which was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards and became his first to land in the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 Album Chart. Lucii, also known as Lucii the Alien, is an up and coming EDM artist known for her high energy and melodic tracks that incorporate a variety of EDM subgenres. Part of Liquid Stranger’s record label WAKAAN, Lucii has a large following on Spotify and SoundCloud and her profile has grown with a series of releases and appearances at high profile festivals over the past several years. Covex was born and raised in Boulder and attended CU Denver. His debut album A Change of Perspective will be released Aug. 18. Covex has played alongside and received support from many artists such as Illenium, San Holo, Said the Sky, Slow Magic and more. Covex will be performing at Red Rocks with Big Gigantic and NGHTMRE in September 2021. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["the 2021 WelcomeFest concert","2021 WelcomeFest concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday, Aug. 21"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Farrand Field"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["unanticipated security staff shortage"]}]} {"event_trigger":"France canceled an event celebrating US-French relations amid outrage over a scrapped submarine deal","document":" France is upset with the US and others after it was cut out of a lucrative international defense deal. Amid tensions, France decided to cancel an event celebrating ties with the US in Washington, DC, The New York Times first reported Thursday afternoon. A spokesman for the French embassy told Insider \"the celebration of the 240th anniversary of the Battle of the Capes has been made more sober,\" explaining that \"a reception on Friday Sept. 17 at the Residence of France, in Washington D.C., has been canceled.\" The move comes after a submarine deal worth tens of billions of dollars went sideways. France and Australia agreed in 2016 for a fleet of French-built conventional submarines. A production contract was signed in 2019, and the multi-billion-dollar deal was reconfirmed by French and Australian leadership only two weeks ago. But, this week, the US, UK, and Australia announced a new security partnership that upended the deal with France and put Australia on a path to acquire nuclear-powered submarines elsewhere. French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Thursday that \"the American choice to exclude a European ally and partner such as France\" was \"regrettable,\" adding in another discussion of the latest developments that \"this brutal, unilateral, and unpredictable decision reminds me a lot of what Mr. Trump used to do.\" He also expressed frustration with Australia, which he said \"betrayed\" French trust. He called the Australian decision to scrap the original deal a \"stab in the back.\" French officials in Washington told The New York Times that France was blindsided by the Biden administration's moves and that US actions undermine bilateral trust. US officials, however, have insisted that they were in contact with their French counterparts ahead of time. Under the current circumstances, an event commemorating the Battle of the Capes, a decisive naval battle that helped the Americans secure their independence from Great Britain, and the alliance between the US and has been canceled, a French official told The Times. The French official said that having an event celebrating ties between the US and France would have been \"ridiculous\" given the state of relations between them. France's top naval officer, who came to Washington for the celebration originally scheduled for Friday, is reportedly returning to Paris early. The French embassy said that while the reception in DC has been canceled, other parts of the celebration, including a wreath laying in Annapolis and port visits by two French naval vessels, will continue as planned. Speaking to reporters Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that \"we value our relationship and our partnership with France on a variety of issues facing the global community.\" Update: This article has been updated to include details and comment from the French embassy in Washington, DC.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["event celebrating ties with the US","US","event celebrating ties"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday Sept. 17"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Washington, DC","Washington","DC"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["upset with the US and others","US"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Shopping malls to close, groceries and food outlets can remain open","document":"KUALA LUMPUR: For two weeks from Tuesday, as part of the nationwide total lockdown, shopping malls have been ordered to close. However the shops within these malls that fall under essentials, such as grocery stores and food outlets can remain open. Senior minister (security cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said dine-ins are still not allowed. He said other stores inside the shopping malls would not be allowed to operate. \"The government also allows supermarkets and hypermarkets to operate throughout the first phase of the lockdown, but limited to the food and beverage sections as well as other necessary items,\" he said. Also allowed to operate are grocery shops, convenience stores, mini marts, departmental stores with food and daily essentials sections and pharmacies. Restaurants, food outlets and stalls including those operating by the roadside, he said, were allowed to operate, but only for take-away and delivery services. Laundry shops including self-service laundry premises will also continue to operate during the lockdown period. The Senior Defence Minister added that shops selling pet food and care items would be allowed to operate. \"Optometrists and shops selling optical items are allowed to operate since it is a necessity. \"For instance, people can still get their spectacles repaired should the items break during the two-week period,\" he said, adding that hardware shops and vehicle workshops were also allowed to operate. All activities, he said, in the business sectors, were only allowed to operate from 8am to 8pm. \"We want to streamline the operating hours. And all the standard operating procedures (SOP) that I have announced just now are applicable nationwide. \"There are no states exempted from adhering to the SOPs,\" he said. He also announced the operation hours permitted for the following activities in the economic sector: * Daily markets: from 6am until 2pm * Controlled Fresh Markets: 7am until 12noon * Permanent Farmers' Market, MyFarm Outlet and Area Farmers' Association Complexes: 6am until 4pm * Wholesale markers: 12.01am until 6am and 11am until 4pm. * Petrol station: 6am until 8pm \"Petrol stations along the highway are allowed to operate 24 hours daily,\" he said.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["shopping malls"]},{"role":"Date","values":["For two weeks from Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["KUALA LUMPUR"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["nationwide total lockdown"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Garth Brooks cancels Gillette Stadium concert over COVID concerns","document":" By Kevin Slane Garth Brooks has canceled his planned Gillette Stadium concert this fall due to COVID-19 concerns, only six weeks after the country star initially announced he would be coming to Foxborough. Brooks announced on his website that the approximately 350,000 fans who were expected to attend one of his next five shows would all receive refunds, including ticket-holders for his Saturday, Oct. 9, show at Gillette. Brooks’s Foxborough concert would have been his first-ever visit to the home of the Patriots and his first New England concert in six years. “In July, I sincerely thought the pandemic was falling behind us,” Brooks said in a statement. “Now, watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight and I must do my part.” According to the press release, Ticketmaster will automatically issue refunds to the original method of payment used at time of purchase for Brooks’s Gillette show, as well as scheduled dates in Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Nashville. Brooks said he was “sincerely hoping” that he would be back on tour before the end of 2021, but a tour spokesperson said the team would continue to monitor the impacts of the virus before making a decision, with a rescheduled show likely to come in 2022. Brooks isn’t the only country megastar forced to delay a Gillette concert this year due to COVID-19 concerns: In March, Kenny Chesney announced that his already-delayed Chillaxification Tour, which was scheduled to culminate at Gillette Stadium on Aug. 27 and 28, 2021, would be delayed until 2022. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Gillette Stadium concert","Chillaxification Tour"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Aug. 27 and 28, 2021","2021","Saturday, Oct. 9"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Gillette"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 concerns"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Coronavirus | Shopping complexes, cinema halls closed, embargo in markets in West Bengal as COVID death touch new record","document":"A policeman asks people to wear protective face masks, as coronavirus cases surge across the country, at New Market area of Kolkata. | Photo Credit: PTI The West Bengal government on Friday announced a series of restrictions, which includes closure of all shopping complexes, malls, beauty parlours, cinema halls, restaurants, bars, sport complexes, gyms, spas and swimming pools with immediate effect. The decision comes at a time when the State registered a record number of infections and deaths on Friday. West Bengal on Friday registered 96 deaths and 17,411 new cases. On Thursday, the State had registered 89 deaths and 17,403 cases of infections. “ All social/cultural/academic/entertainment related gatherings and congregations shall remain prohibited,” the notification issued by the State’s Chief Secretary said. “Bazaars will remain open only from 7-10 a.m. in the morning and 3-5 p.m. (essential services like medical shops, medical equipment shops, grocery, etc. will remain outside the confines of the embargo),” the notification said. The State government has also added that any violation of these orders will be liable to be proceeded against as per provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and besides legal action under the Indian Penal Code and other laws of the land will be applicable. The order comes two days before counting of votes for the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021. The State government’s notification added, “All activities related to counting processes and victory rallies/procession will be guided by the guidelines already issued by the Election Commission of India”. The Election Commission has imposed a ban on victory processions and had made it mandatory for all counting agents to have to produce COVID negative certificates. Despite a spike in the number of infections and deaths, the number of samples tested for COVID-19 has remained the same in the State. Patients with symptoms have to wait for days to get samples tested. Meanwhile, the State Health Department has empowered the principals of medical colleges and Chief Medical Officers of Health in district to increase the number of COVID-19 beds. About 200 new beds were added with the help of a private company at a sports stadium in the city. In another important development, the State government has decided to cancel all examinations of Class XI, and for Class XII the students can write their examination in their own schools. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["all shopping complexes, malls, beauty parlours, cinema halls, restaurants, bars, sport complexes, gyms, spas and swimming pools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["The West Bengal","West Bengal"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["registered a record number of infections and deaths","registered","deaths","infections"]}]} {"event_trigger":"6 ways the coronavirus pandemic has forever altered the retail landscape","document":"Few in retail could have predicted that a newly discovered virus would spread widely beyond China’s borders earlier this year, morph into a pandemic, lead to a recession and change the trajectory of many businesses. When the outbreak began, some companies spoke about Covid-19 but described it as a temporary inconvenience or a supply chain challenge. Best Buy CEO Corie Barry told investors on a late February conference call that the company viewed the coronavirus “as a relatively short-term disruption that does not impact our long-term strategy and initiatives.” In recent remarks, Walmart Chief Financial Officer Brett Biggs reflected on the retailer’s expectations in the early months of the year. He noted that in its script for its mid-February analyst day, the world’s largest retailer addressed the coronavirus only once. Roughly one month later, in March, the spread of Covid-19 brought the U.S. economy to a near halt. Americans stayed home for weeks during shelter-in-place orders. Grocery stores, pharmacies and home improvement stores stayed open as essential businesses. Consumers filled up their shopping carts, jockeyed for grocery delivery slots and cleared shelves of staples, from hand sanitizer and toilet paper to ground beef, rice and beans. Shopping malls with apparel stores were temporarily shuttered. Retailers saw a shift toward e-commerce, as it became a safer option — and in some cases, the only option, for shopping. As the global death toll reaches 1 million people, retailers stare down a new reality. The pandemic has altered not only their financial outlook for the year but their long-term direction. Some retailers have filed for bankruptcy, laid off thousands of employees and are in the process of liquidating stores. Others, such as Target, Home Depot, Peloton and Lululemon, have benefited as consumers fix up their homes, look for ways to entertain themselves and adapt their daily routines and wardrobes. Here’s a closer look at some ways that the pandemic has forever altered the retail landscape. Before the pandemic, a big part of shopping was the hands-on experience: Eating samples at the grocery store. Spending an afternoon in the fitting room. Trying a lipstick at the beauty counter. Swiping a credit card on a long-desired purchase. Many retailers are now trying to stand out for the opposite reason: They are making it easier for consumers to avoid shared surfaces and limit interactions with employees or other customers. That’s led to investment and expansion of contactless checkout approaches — particularly by grocery stores. Several grocers, including Price Chopper, have expanded availability of smartphone apps customers can use to scan items and tally up orders. Pittsburgh-based grocery store Giant Eagle is piloting a system that allows customers to skip the checkout line with technology that resembles that of Amazon Go. Lowe’s is installing lockers at its stores where customers can retrieve online purchases by scanning their phone. Walmart’s strategy reflects this newfound eagerness. Two years ago, the retailer expanded its Scan & Go app, which shoppers can use to ring up purchases with a smartphone, to its SuperCenters — only to quietly shut down the project. This month, however, Walmart said access to the app is one of the key perks of its new membership program, Walmart+. Customers shopped online before the pandemic, but a desire to limit trips to stores unleashed new demand and encouraged retailers to roll out new options. The result: new habits. Americans will continue to shop at stores, but they also may schedule curbside pickup or sign up for grocery delivery services. Retailers also ratcheted up their use of stores as fulfillment centers. Gap said it doubled down on turning stores into mini warehouses, particularly when people couldn’t visit malls to shop. Target said it used stores to fulfill more than 90% of its second-quarter sales. In the U.S., over the course of 2020, almost 36% of online nonfood spending will be supported by physical stores, according to research by GlobalData. This is up by 2.6 percentage points since the start of the year. GlobalData also said about 68% of U.S. shoppers say they are going to use curbside pickup at stores more in the future and nearly 60% say they will collect more of their online purchases from inside stores. The shift is redefining how stores use their employees. Both Walmart and Target said they are anticipating increased need for people to fulfill online orders and to ready items for curbside and in-store pickup this holiday season. Both are working to cross-train employees to have more flexible duties that will allow them to pivot as customers’ needs change. Many retailers that have thrived during the pandemic share a commonality: They’re big-box retailers. Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Home Depot and Lowe’s have seen sales soar as many consumers skipped the mall and shopped at the big-box store or website instead. Leaders of Walmart and Target, in particular, have attributed their success to a diverse mix of merchandise. Target CEO Brian Cornell has touted the retailer’s role as a “one-stop shop.” In the early weeks of the pandemic, consumers flocked to stores to stock up on pantry staples and hand sanitizer. But as the pandemic stretched on, they shopped for bikes, puzzles, hair color and other items to help them entertain themselves or adjust to more time at home. And even sales in specific categories illuminate that contrast. Apparel revenue is expected to drop industrywide by 20% to 30% this year, according to McKinsey & Co. Mass retailers such as Target and Walmart, on the other hand, are expected to see apparel revenue grow by 10% to 20% in 2020 compared with last year. That sharp divide between retail’s haves and have-nots will make off-mall and “everything stores” more likely to thrive and specialty retailers more likely to struggle. The coronavirus pandemic has heightened a longstanding wealth disparity among American consumers. The rich are stowing away even more money into their savings accounts — money that they’re saving by not commuting to work, eating out at nice restaurants or traveling. The poor are forced to cut back even more, with some entirely reliant upon unemployment benefits that are running out. “Every year since the dawn of time, the higher-income quintiles spend more ... and that same pattern will continue,” said Craig Johnson, founder of the retail consulting group Customer Growth Partners. “But it’s not just about income right now, it’s whether or not you have a job.” As the rich splurge online, and the poor flock to budget-friendly shops, it’s players in the middle such as department stores and specialty retailers that are struggling the most. A number, including J.C. Penney and Ann Taylor parent Ascena Retail Group, have filed for bankruptcy protection this year. “We view the health of the consumer as ‘bifurcated,’” Cowen & Co. retail analyst Oliver Chen said in a note to clients earlier this month. “Positives include personal savings trending at 18[%] to 19%. ... On the other hand, negatives include a U.S. unemployment rate of ~8%, negative wage growth, and volatile consumer confidence.” The divide is likely to shape holiday spending. Deloitte estimates sales during the November-to-January time frame will rise between 1% and 1.5%, amounting to between $1.147 trillion and $1.152 trillion, compared with growth of 4.1% in 2019. It said its predictions hinge on how much splurging high-income consumers do and how much belt-tightening takes place throughout lower-income households. This will shape up to be especially true if unemployment benefits run out. Some economists are calling for a K-shaped recovery — a scenario where certain types of industries see gains while others are left out. Unlike so-called U- or W-shaped recoveries, growth in a K-shaped rebound is unevenly split between income groups. “We are going to see groups of consumers recover differently,” from the pandemic, said Rod Sides, a vice chairman at Deloitte and its retail and distribution sector leader. Malls were already facing an uphill battle before the pandemic, as shoppers shifted more spending online. But lost sales from weeks of shuttered storefronts made the slog even more challenging. Shops that were deemed nonessential were shuttered in March to help halt the spread of Covid-19. The biggest U.S. mall owner, Simon Property Group, turned its lights out on March 18. Taubman Centers, Washington Prime Group, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and others quickly followed. Simon Property CEO David Simon said it lost roughly 10,500 shopping days, across all its properties on a combined basis, during its fiscal second quarter because of the crisis. Shopping mall owners are now collecting less in rent. Some retailers argued they couldn’t pay their bills after their sales dried up. The pandemic also accelerated the rate of bankruptcy filings by mall-based retailers. Dozens, including Brooks Brothers, J.C. Penney and J.Crew, have wound up in bankruptcy court in 2020. Some of these names plan to close hundreds of stores, as they restructure their business. Others, such as Lord & Taylor, are liquidating entirely. As more and more stores go dark at the mall, some major retail executives are looking to grow outside of it — a tactic they hadn’t touted so publicly before. Macy’s, for example, said in early September it’s planning to open a smaller-format Bloomingdale’s department store away from the mall. It’s also looking to test smaller-format Macy’s stores off-mall. “We continue to believe that the best malls in the country will thrive,” CEO Jeff Gennette explained. “However, we also know that Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s have high potential [off]-mall and in smaller formats.” Even as malls reopen, they aren’t necessarily welcoming huge crowds, with the appeal of eating in a mall food court or catching a movie at a theater waning and new outbreaks reviving concerns. Coresight Research put out a forecast in August predicting 25% of America’s roughly 1,000 malls will close over the next three to five years. The malls most at risk are classified as so-called B-, C- and D-rated malls, meaning they bring in fewer sales per square foot than an A-rated mall. Another trend hitting malls is how Americans are changing their wardrobes and where they’re shopping for apparel. Take a look around, and it seems everyone is living in sweatpants and pajamas now. Walmart spotted the onset of the trend known best as “Zoom dressing” back in March, when it said sales of tops were up but not bottoms. People only cared about their appearances from the waist up — on video calls. Meanwhile, sales of pajamas online surged 143% in April compared with March, according to data from Adobe Analytics, as consumers quickly started to favor comfort over style. The trend has stuck around, prompting marketing messages such as: “Cozy is in,” “Work-from-home wardrobe” and “Zoom-ready styles.” It’s led to the success of some brands — and the peril of others. Jos. A. Bank-owner Tailored Brands, known for its professional menswear such as suits and ties, is on a list of companies that have sought Chapter 11 protection during the pandemic, alongside denim makers Lucky Brand and True Religion. Meantime, consumers have been stocking their wardrobes with new workout apparel, such as leggings and tank tops. Lululemon reported a surprise revenue increase during its latest quarter, as its online sales soared 157%. And teen retailer American Eagle recently reported a smaller-than-expected loss as its Aerie division, known for its soft bras and lounge wear, saw strong demand from tweens, teens and young adults looking for comfortable clothing. Peloton also said its apparel sales were up during the latest quarter, as people stocked up on sports bras and hoodies embellished with the bike maker’s logo. Nike has been another pandemic winner. It said its women’s apparel sales were up nearly 200% during the quarter ended Aug. 31. “Athleisure is more relevant than ever,” Mary Beth Laughton, the president of Gap Inc.’s Athleta division, told CNBC. “Customer behavior continues to evolve every day, but I think [the consumer] has gotten used to wearing comfortable clothes.” ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Shops that were deemed nonessential","shops","Brooks Brothers, J.C. Penney and J.Crew","Penney","Lord & Taylor","Taylor","Shopping malls with apparel stores"]},{"role":"Date","values":["March","during shelter-in-place orders","2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["spread of Covid-19","spread","Covid-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Associations Plead Govt To Let Malls Open In July Or Else 50% Of Them Will Close For Good","document":"The retail and mall groups said that 20 to 30% of shops in malls have been closed over the past 16 months, with 300,000 staff personnel being laid off. By Daranee Balachandar — 24 Jun 2021, 10:25 AM Associations representing Malaysian shopping mall and retail industries released a statement on Tuesday, 22 June, appealing to the government to allow them to reopen for business next month Retailers that were considered non-essential businesses were ordered to close during the latest round of the Movement Control Order (MCO) that began on 1 June.The joint statement was released by the business groups that consist of the Malaysia Shopping Mall Association, Malaysia Retailers Association, Malaysia Retail Chain Association, Bumiputera Retailers Organisation, and the Selangor and KL Electrical Home Appliances Dealers' Association, reported Malay Mail.Among the concerns expressed was that more businesses would be forced to close for good if the current restrictions were to continue in July.The business groups also emphasised that economic recovery may be a difficult feat once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.\"Presently, already 20-30% of shops in malls have been closed due to the adverse conditions of the past 16 months, and with 30% of staff being laid off, this amounts to 300,000 personnel,\" the statement read. Image for illustration purposes only. The business groups predict that there will be another 50% of the mall and retail industry that will close their doors for good if they are not reopened in the beginning of July Retailers who risk closing for good include street-front shops, prominent domestic, and international retail brands. Their employees are also at risk of being laid off.The business groups warned that once international brands exit Malaysia, it would be twice as hard to pull them back into the country.\"With these massive lay-offs and shop closures, the entire retail and shopping malls industries will be grievously and critically damaged and will need massive efforts and time to rebuild the malls' ecosystem or the malls themselves will permanently close, and the retail supply chain will be deeply fractured,\" the statement read. They also cited the Ministry of Health (MOH) data, saying the retail and shopping sector contributed to only 0.8% of overall COVID-19 cases recorded in May \"We should not be unduly penalised with closure from operating. Therefore, we believe the retail and shopping sector should be reopened immediately to provide essential and other services to the community without risk of infectivity,\" the business groups stressed.They argued that shopping malls only allow entry to individuals whose MySejahtera status is 'Low Risk' and display body temperature that is below 37.5ºC, reported New Straits Times.They said other than having shoppers' visits cut down to a maximum of two hours, shoppers were also diligent in practising social distancing and wearing masks.The business groups argued that shopping malls are safe places to not only stock up on necessities, but could serve as avenues of mental and physical relief. This will be especially refreshing for the public since activities involving crowds, promotional events, and congregations of any sort are banned.\"We appeal to the government to take all these positive factors into account in the upcoming review and allow the immediate reopening of all trades in the malls, except for those in the negative list,\" the groups said. Last week, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced the government's four-phase recovery plan Muhyiddin said that each phase of the recovery plan will be based on factors consisting of the daily COVID-19 case average numbers, the capacity of the public health system, and the vaccination rate of the general population.\"During this Phase 3, all sectors of the economy will be allowed to operate except activities listed on the negative list, such as activities that have a high risk of spreading COVID-19 or involving large crowds,\" he said.The prime minister believes the country will be able to reach Phase 3 by the end of August. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["20 to 30% of shops in malls","shops","malls"]},{"role":"Date","values":["over the past 16 months"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Malaysia"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 pandemic","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Delhi unlocks further as restaurants, malls open today. Check what remain closed","document":"Delhi Unlock 3.0: Salons, beauty parlours, barber shops closed since the imposition of lockdown on April 19, will also reopen Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced further ease in Covid-related restrictions in the city. The CM announced the resumption of all economic activities except some that will continue in a restricted manner. While announcing the easing of restrictions for Delhi Unlock 3.0, Delhi CM Kejriwal said this will be done on a trial basis for a week and if cases increase, stricter restrictions will be imposed. Delhi had been reeling under a brutal second wave of the pandemic that had swept the country, claiming a massive number of lives daily, with oxygen supply shortage adding to the woes. Delhi Unlock 3.0: What's allowed from today \"All activities, except certain prohibited ones, will be allowed from 5 am on Monday. There are also certain restricted or partly allowed activities announced last week that will continue,\" Kejriwal said in an online briefing. Delhi Unlock 3.0: What will remain closed Schools, colleges, educational and coaching institutes, cinema halls, multiplexes, theatres, gyms, spas, Yoga institutes, swimming pools, auditoriums, banquet halls, amusement and water parks, and public parks and gardens will continue to be closed till 5 am on June 21, according to an order issued by Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). All social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural/religious, festival-related and other gatherings and congregations, stadia, sports complexes barring those used for training or any national or international event, business to business exhibitions, are also prohibited. No weekly market will be allowed on roadsides. It will have to be set up at suitable grounds where precautions against COVID-19 could be maintained. There will be no restriction on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods, and no separate permission or e-pass will be required for such movements. Delhi Unlock 3.0: Delhi Metro Delhi Metro officials said services will continue with 50 per cent seating capacity only as per guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Delhi Metro had resumed services on June 7 after a hiatus of four weeks in view of the improved Covid situation in the national capital, albeit with 50 per cent seating capacity and no provision for standing travel for commuters. The DMRC, in a statement, said, \"Delhi Metro services will continue with 50 per cent seating capacity only as per guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.\" \"Passengers will be allowed to travel by seating only on alternate seats with no provision for standing travel till further directions,\" a senior official said. Partly allowed activities announced in Delhi Unlock 2.0 The partly allowed activities announced last week and earlier, including the opening of government and private offices with 50 per cent staff, marriages at home or in the court, operation of Delhi Metro trains and public transport buses with 50 per cent seating capacity, permission for a gathering of 20 persons during funerals, running of autos, e-rickshaws and other last-mile vehicles, will continue up to June 21 morning, it added. Delhi Covid-19 tally The national capital recorded 255 new COVID-19 cases and 23 fatalities, the lowest since April 7, on Sunday. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Salons, beauty parlours, barber shops","Schools, colleges, educational and coaching institutes, cinema halls, multiplexes, theatres, gyms, spas, Yoga institutes, swimming pools, auditoriums, banquet halls, amusement and water parks, and public parks and gardens"]},{"role":"Date","values":["April 19","19","June 21"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Delhi"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["precautions against COVID-19","Covid","COVID-19","Covid-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"COVID-19 outbreak prompts school closure in Chilliwack","document":"An elementary school in Chilliwack, B.C., is shifting to online classes effective immediately as a result of an outbreak of COVID-19 among staff and students. An announcement on Promontory Heights Elementary School's website Wednesday said the school will be temporarily closed and in-person learning will be paused. Fraser Health has since officially declared an outbreak at the school. A statement said 20 students and staff have tested positive for the illness. \"Promontory Heights Elementary School will be closed to in-person instruction while Fraser Health undertakes case and contact management,\" an emailed statement read. The school's medical health officer said cases have risen over the past 10 days. In-person learning is expected to return on Monday, Oct. 4. The superintendent of the Chilliwack School District, Rohan Arul-pragasam, declined an interview on Thursday. But in a statement, he said he believes Chilliwack schools are safe. \"It is key to note that COVID-19 cases in our schools directly reflect community transmissions in Chilliwack, and we must continue to be vigilant as a larger community,\" he said. He said it is important that the public follows provincial health guidelines, including getting vaccinations. \"These steps will ensure that we work together to keep our vulnerable populations, including our children, safe,\" said Arul-pragasam. Fraser Health said \"it is critically important\" for people living in the Fraser Health region to get tested as soon as they have COVID-19-like symptoms, even if they're mild ones. \"Please don't wait,\" the statement said. On Wednesday, 214 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Fraser Health region, where there are now 1,734 active cases of the virus. Stephanie Higginson, president of the B.C. School Trustees Association, told CBC's The Early Edition on Thursday that she supports the decision to close the school and switch to online learning. \"I'm really proud of the way the Chilliwack School District has responded so quickly,\" she said. The outbreak declaration comes just days after B.C. officials reversed their previous decision not to notify parents of COVID-19 exposures in schools. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday feedback from parents and teachers made it clear they wanted to be informed about transmission of the virus. A new plan is expected to be in place by the end of this week. \"We have asked our team to get together right now to make sure that we can notify schools in a timely, less intrusive and more sustainable way and that parents will have access to that information rapidly,\" she said during a Tuesday press briefing. Parents and educators are still waiting to learn what the province's new notification system will be. \"We're not sure what Dr. Bonnie Henry means when she says less intrusive and more sustainable,\" said Gord Lau, chair of the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council. Higginson is also in the dark on the details. \"We do not know what it's going to look like yet,\" she said. \"We look forward to understanding more about it.\" With files from The Early Edition ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Promontory Heights Elementary School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday","temporarily"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Chilliwack, B.C","Chilliwack"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["outbreak of COVID-19","outbreak","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Two rural Alberta schools close due to COVID-19 infections among students","document":"Two schools in rural Alberta are closing their classrooms over the number of students not attending because of COVID-19 infections. The Big Valley School and Donalda School, both in central Alberta's Clearview Public Schools, announced Monday that too many students are away from school to continue in-person classes. \"At the time of writing this letter, the percentage of students away continues to be over 10 per cent with reported cases of COVID-19,\" the school authority said in a release. The schools have closed their classrooms to in-person learning for students in Grades 1 through 9 starting Monday until Oct. 1. Kindergarten and playschool classes will continue to be held. \"Instruction and learning opportunities will be offered using a combination of online and paper-based materials,\" the release says. \"Classroom teachers will provide a detailed schedule so that students will have direct access to them at specified times during the day.\" The announcement came on the first day of the Alberta government's new proof-of-vaccination program that allows some businesses and public facilities to operate without capacity limits and other public health measures. The program was implemented in a bid to clamp down on Alberta's surging fourth wave of COVID-19. Businesses that don't require proof of vaccination will also be subject to capacity limits. Those limits won't apply to schools. More school closures are likely, said Opposition NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman \"We know that hundreds of cases of this deadly virus have been reported among students attending schools across Alberta,\" she said in a release. \"We're beginning to see some schools closed and students forced to learn at home yet again.\" An Alberta Education spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. Alberta's devastating fourth wave of the pandemic hit 20,614 active cases on Monday — more than twice as many as any other province or territory and the first time the numbers have surpassed 20,000 in the province since mid-May. The province is leading the country by a wide margin in daily new COVID-19 cases and active cases. As of Monday, there were 954 people being treated in hospital, 216 of whom were in intensive care beds. Earlier Monday, the province released more details about which businesses and institutions come under its Restriction Exemption plan. Retail stores, libraries, hotels and post-secondary institutions will not be required to take part in the program, nor will worshippers at a church, employees on a worksite or students on a school trip. Some restrictions will still apply. Stores must limit shoppers to one-third of normal capacity, for example. Entertainment facilities from restaurants to nightclubs to art galleries are all eligible to participate in the program, allowing them to operate normally as long as they require patrons to show proof of vaccination. Eligible facilities that choose not to participate must work under public health rules that include capacity limits and mask requirements for indoor public spaces. Premier Jason Kenney announced the program last week. Retail stores and libraries were initially on the list of eligible organizations but were removed on the weekend. Kenney had previously opposed a vaccine passport over what he said were privacy concerns. He switched to support for passports as Alberta's hospitals faced the prospect of being overwhelmed in the pandemic's fourth wave. Starting Sunday, immunized Albertans could download proof-of-vaccination cards, but some pointed out they were easily altered. A health ministry spokeswoman said work continues on a more secure QR code that would be available in the coming weeks.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Big Valley School and Donalda School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["starting Monday until Oct. 1"]},{"role":"Location","values":["rural Alberta"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 infections","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"WelcomeFest 2021 Concert cancelled amid security shortages","document":"On Thursday, August 19, the University of Colorado Program Council announced that it would cancel the 2021 WelcomeFest. The announcement was made on Instagram and CU Boulder Today. They cited a nationwide shortage of security personnel. “Due to an unanticipated security staff shortage, which is a national issue, the 2021 WelcomeFest concert has been canceled,” the council said via CU Boulder Today. The WelcomeFest concert featured three artists: Freddie Gibbs, Lucii the Alien, and Boulder native Covex. Covex will perform live at Red Rocks, opening for Big Gigantic and NGHTMRE in September. The Program Council encouraged students to attend Buffs on the Roam on Saturday, as an alternative to the festival. Those who want more info should download the CU Boulder Life app for more information. Further details on Fall Welcome 2021 events can be found at the new student & family programs webpage. Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Alexander Edwards at alexander.edwards@colorado.edu. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["2021 WelcomeFest"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Colorado","colorado"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["unanticipated security staff shortage"]}]} {"event_trigger":"MCO 3.0+: Eateries, malls to close at 8pm [NSTTV]","document":"KUALA LUMPUR: Eateries and shopping malls will only be allowed to open until 8pm under a stricter movement control order (MCO) 3.0. This new ruling will come into effect May 25 for the Peninsular and Labuan. Opening hours would be at 8am, affecting business premises that were previously allowed to operate from 6am to 10pm. This was announced by Senior Minister (security cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in a press conference today. Business activities and business premises affected by the new operating hours are restaurants, food stalls and kiosks, food trucks as well as take-away and drive-through services. The same applies to grocery stores, convenience stores and pet food stores, petrol stations (except those located along highways) and launderettes. Night markets previously allowed to open from 4pm to 10pm will also be subjected to the 8pm closure order. The operation hours for pharmacies however remain unchanged and they can open until 10pm. \"The new operation hours and additional restrictions are to reduce movement of the people and subsequently help the government to reduce the spread of Covid-19,\" he said.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Eateries and shopping malls","Night markets"]},{"role":"Date","values":["May 25","the 8pm closure"]},{"role":"Location","values":["KUALA LUMPUR"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["reduce the spread of Covid-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"‘Major stones unturned’: COVID origin search must continue after WHO report, say scientists","document":" Members of the World Health Organization team investigating the origin of the virus SARS-CoV-2 visit the closed Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, China.Credit: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Scientists say that the hunt for the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic must continue, after a World Health Organization (WHO) team’s visit to China produced no answers to key questions about how the coronavirus started infecting people. At a press briefing on 9 February in Wuhan, China, members of the WHO team reported conclusions from their month-long investigation into the origin of the coronavirus, which was first reported as cases of ‘viral pneumonia’ in Wuhan in December 2019. The researchers largely discounted the controversial theory that the virus accidentally leaked from a laboratory, and suggested that SARS-CoV-2 probably first passed to people from an animal — already a leading hypothesis among researchers. But the team also offered two hypotheses promoted by the Chinese government and media: that the virus, or its most recent ancestor, might have come from an animal outside China, and that once it was circulating in people, it could have spread on frozen wildlife and other cold packaged goods. Meet the scientists investigating the origins of the COVID pandemic Researchers have given a mixed assessment of the findings. “There are still major stones that need to be unturned, because any investigation into virus origins won’t be accomplished in two weeks,” says Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Georgetown University who is based in Seattle, Washington. “But what’s important is that this lays the groundwork for a longer investigation in collaboration with the Chinese government.” Some researchers say that the group, which included 17 researchers from China and 17 international scientists, asked relevant questions and accessed large amounts of data. “It seems the WHO team and their Chinese collaborators are taking a measured approach, weighing the available data appropriately and talking to the right people,” says David Robertson, a virologist at the University of Glasgow, UK. He hopes finer details will be published in the investigation report, which is expected soon. But other scientists say that it’s not clear what evidence led the team to some of its conclusions. The findings don’t change the existing, widely held view that the virus originated in animals, Nikolai Petrovsky, an immunologist at Flinders University in Adelaide, told the Australian Science Media Centre. And the assessment goes further than expected because it emphasizes the two hypotheses promoted by the Chinese government. He says there is limited evidence — “beyond relatively weak data already in the public domain” — for the idea that early transmission in China was linked to the ‘cold food chain’, the transportation of frozen goods such as meat. However, he acknowledges that the team might have access to information that is not currently public. Dominic Dwyer, a medical virologist at New South Wales Health Pathology in Sydney, Australia, and a member of the WHO team, says there is some evidence that the coronavirus could have spread on contaminated fish and meat at Chinese markets, and more details will be included in the written report. The World Health Organization investigation team discussed the conclusions of its investigation at a press conference in Wuhan, China, on 9 February.Credit: Kyodo News/Getty Another focus of the WHO’s investigation was the idea that the virus leaked from a lab — a scenario that the team found unlikely. Peter Ben Embarek, a food-safety and zoonosis scientist with the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, who headed the investigation, said at the press conference that the team had conducted extensive discussions with staff at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has been at the centre of the speculation, and similar labs nearby. He said a leak is unlikely because the virus was not known to scientists before December 2019. Dwyer says that the team didn’t see anything during its visits to suggest a lab accident. “Now, whether we were shown everything? You can never know. The group wasn’t designed to go and do a forensic examination of lab practice.” The investigation provides context and insight into what was happening in Wuhan, says Jason Kindrachuck, a microbiologist at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. But the divide between the theories of a lab leak and natural origins has grown deeper as the pandemic has progressed and become politicized, he says. “This isn’t going to put a nail in the coffin for the debate.” Much of the investigation centred on the early days of the outbreak in Wuhan and tried to pin down the timing of the city’s first infections. The team reviewed health records in the city and surrounding Hubei province from the second half of 2019, looking for unusual fluctuations in influenza-like illnesses and severe respiratory infections, pharmacy purchases for cold and cough medications, and deaths specifically related to pneumonia. It also retrospectively tested some 4,500 patient samples for SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA, and analysed blood samples for antibodies against the virus. The researchers found no evidence that the virus was circulating in the city before December 2019. Where did COVID come from? WHO investigation begins but faces challenges But the lack of clear signals of transmission does not mean that the virus wasn’t already established in the community, says Dwyer. The team’s analysis was based on limited data and a surveillance system not designed to catch a virus that could spread silently. To assess properly whether the virus arrived earlier, researchers would have to track what was happening in the wider community, not just in health facilities, he says. And although the investigation team threw its weight behind the animal-origin theory, it didn’t identify the kinds of animal that could have passed the virus to people. Ben Embarek said that Chinese researchers had tested many domestic, farmed and wild animals in the country but found no evidence that the virus was present or continued to circulate in these species. Petrovsky says that the animal-transmission findings could hold an important lesson: “If this pandemic was due to a natural transmission event, then we can expect multiple further transmissions of similar, related coronaviruses from the same animal host to humans over coming years.” The WHO team said that investigations in Wuhan and nearby areas should continue, in particular to track down the earliest cases, which could help researchers to understand how the pandemic started. It recommended analysing older samples from blood banks in the province and other areas of interest, including using antibody tests that could turn up traces of infection. The researchers also said that more studies are needed to improve understanding of the possible role of frozen wildlife in viral transmission, and of whether people can be infected through this route. More extensive testing of animals that could act as viral reservoirs is also needed, the group said. Scientists call for fully open sharing of coronavirus genome data “I’d like to hear more about plans for more work,” says Rasmussen. There are supposedly virus samples stored in labs that haven’t been sequenced, she says, but sequencing them requires planning and money. The WHO team also recommended broadening the search for the virus’s origin beyond China. Scientists say this is justified, especially given fresh reports of coronaviruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2 being found in bats in Japan, Cambodia and Thailand. In a study1 published in Nature Communications on 9 February, scientists report finding a new coronavirus, which they’ve named RacCS203, in acuminate horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus acuminatus) captured in a cave in Thailand in June 2020. The virus shares 91.5% of its genome with SARS-CoV-2. Although more closely related viruses have been found, the result shows that relatives of the pandemic virus are currently circulating in southeast Asia. “Without any doubt, if I had only one chance to survey now, I would survey in southeast Asia rather than inside China,” says Linfa Wang, a virologist at Duke–National University of Singapore Medical School, who led the work. Researchers have identified several other coronaviruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2 in frozen bat samples stored in Cambodia and Japan. Others have extensively sampled bats in China over the past 15 years. The closest known relative to SARS-CoV-2, named RaTG13, was found in China, in intermediate horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus affinis). The two viruses share 96% of their genomes. “If we put the same effort and money and the same talent into southeast Asia, we may get more closely related viruses,” says Wang.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Huanan seafood market"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Wuhan, China","China","Wuhan"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 pandemic","COVID"]}]} {"event_trigger":"School year starts with anger, classroom closures","document":"“The disruption of a classroom closing three days after school began due to COVID exposure is annoying,” said Tamika Hall, a parent of three school-aged children. “Not only that, the DOE policy of still sending siblings of exposed children to school makes zero sense. They have no policy in place for cross-contamination and that is a HUGE misstep when trying to control the spread. “Parents have to work.” This week, critics’ and parents’ worst fears came true when classrooms were closed along with one entire school because of suspected or confirmed positive COVID tests. According to the Department of Education statistics, as of Tuesday evening, there were 1,487 confirmed cumulative positive COVID cases between Sept. 13 and Sept. 21. Of those, 985 were students. There were 170 students recorded on Sept. 21 alone. One school, P.S. 79 in East Harlem had to close completely after 19 positive COVID tests. According to Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, most of the positive tests could be traced back pre-school orientation. So, what does New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio think about this? Stay the course. “There’s not a perfect algorithm or chart,” the mayor said. “It really depends on the individual circumstances. Remember those twin imperatives that I feel strongly, President Biden has enunciated, the CDC has enunciated, health and safety first and maximum school attendance. So, we’re always trying to figure out where that balance point is, and it has to be done looking at all the facts. Whether there’s a way to keep a certain number of people in school while keeping them safe or whether a fuller closure is needed.” There is some good news. New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul released numbers that showed that 82.8% of New Yorkers 18 and above have at least one dose of the vaccination and 74.3% of all adults have been fully vaccinated. In New York City, according to City Hall, 68.9% of residents, of all ages, got at least one dose of the vaccination. Sixty-two percent of NYC residents are fully vaccinated. But how much will that mean with the Delta variant, which is a more transmissible form of the coronavirus, making up 99% of all positive COVID tests (as of Sept. 4)? “The criteria that we use to determine what we call widespread transmission in a school, is what determines when that high threshold is met for school closure,” stated City Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi during a news conference this week. “And that’s evidence of multiple sources of infection, in multiple spaces or cohorts within a school. When we’re finding preliminary evidence of this, an investigation occurs by our disease detectives. And based on their determination, if there is a reasonably high likelihood that ongoing transmission is occurring within the school, as opposed to you know, in a home setting or the community setting, that’s what warrants the school closure.” “We are you making individual decisions, always with the best interest of the children in mind,” added Mitchell Katz, president and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals. “We look at the number of cases. We look at what the circumstances were in terms of whether or not there was mask wearing, whether or not the children were able to stay apart. And based on that, we make a decision as to what to do with the school.” As of Sept. 27, unvaccinated and masked students, who follow all social distancing guidelines, won’t have to quarantine even if they were in close contact with someone who tested positive and all COVID testing would move from bi-weekly to weekly (something that the United Federation of Teachers called for). However, only 10% of all unvaccinated students will submit to weekly testing at the behest of their parents. Tajh Sutton, president of Community Education Council District 14 and member of Black Lives Matter at School NY, said that the mayor’s desire to make things normal again is clouding his judgment. That his desire for a big score before he leaves office is superseding doing the right thing. “Our mayor refused to listen to community expertise and instead made it his mission to reopen the largest school system in the country, not because he cares about our children’s emotional health or academic wellbeing, but because he hopes to go out with a bang,” said Sutton. “A mayor who truly believed in-person education was most beneficial for all children would have put the measures in place to make it sustainable.” Because of this new step back for the mayor, the Department of Education has stepped in to be an additional voice challenging certain rumors and beliefs. A parent posted on Twitter that the city hadn’t yet tested all positive cases in some classrooms. DOE officials said that the accusations were false. They told the AmNews that most positive cases are investigated and closed out the same day with a small number reported in afterhours. Those cases would close out the next morning. Testing is provided through the City’s Test and Trace Corps. “The health and safety of our school communities is our top priority, and we do not hesitate to intervene to stop the spread,” said DOE spokesperson Nathaniel Snyder. “We follow stringent guidance from health experts to prevent any further transmission by quarantining close contacts, closing classrooms, and, if necessary, entire buildings. Learning continues during quarantine, and we ensure the school has the resources necessary to come back and have a successful school year.” Parent Amanda Reisman said, however, that she was told by an employee that there were some difficulties with the process. That it was slow and tedious because of the number of tests being performed. “You know, the contact tracer who I spoke to? He said that they’ve just been overwhelmed since the start of school,” Reisman stated. When asked if she thought the city should have seen this coming she said, “Absolutely. Absolutely.” Last fall, the city premiered the “Situation Room” looking to alert schools and the community at-large to positive COVID tests as soon as possible. Some parents believe that this could be avoided if there was a remote option for their children. According to a poll from The Education Trust-New York, 79% of all parents in New York City said they would choose a remote option if one were available. Across the state 72% of Black parents said they would use the remote option followed by 69% of Latinx parents and 55% of white parents. This despite 89% of parents in the state agreeing that, in a perfect world, in-school learning is better for their children. Eighty-three percent of parents polled in the state supported precautions, such as mask mandates, in schools. “In this unprecedented moment, we can and must do better for New York families, and that starts with listening to the people who know their children best—parents,” said Dia Bryant, executive director of The Education Trust–New York, in a statement. “Our district leaders must respect the wishes of parents and offer families the specific supports they need to ensure that their children can learn, grow, and thrive—now and in the future.” Reisman she felt ignored by the DOE and the city in general when calling for requests that she felt couldn’t be answered on the city’s website. “I am pretty angry about how my daughters’ school never responded to emails about quarantine when we got back from the UK and then said—send her in after I tested her—no one—absolutely no one—was in charge of screening students when they returned from summer,” said Reisman in a text message to the AmNews. “I really don’t understand how or why the DOE didn’t require Covid testing to return to school—and I’m not talking about the ridiculous health screening app, but each student should have been screened with a PCR before returning to school.” PCR stands for polymerase chain reaction. It’s a lab technique used to detect the genetic material from specific organisms, like a virus. It’s also known as a molecular test. PCR tests, as opposed to antibody tests, use swabs and not blood samples to test for COVID-19. Because of recent developments the United Federation of Teachers sent to de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter and First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan are calling for the return of weekly testing (which the city eventually obliged to). “Given that the virus is not yet under control and that most kids still cannot get vaccinated, it was irresponsible for city hall and the DOE to not have a remote learning option in place,” said Liu, in a statement responding to the EdTrust-NY poll. “In-person instruction is best, but only when parents feel secure about the health and safety of their children.” P.S. 79’s schooling will continue starting next week with remote learning. According to Brewer, the school will provide “grab-and-go” lunches daily or direct them to a school that’s closer to home with a parent’s recommendation. New York City Council Member and Education Committee Chair Mark Treyger didn’t respond to requests for comment.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Meisha Porter"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["entire school"]},{"role":"Date","values":["This week"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New York City"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["suspected or confirmed positive COVID tests"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Fort McMurray Welcome Centre carries on despite its own pandemic challenges","document":"Fort McMurray's Welcome Centre, which helps connect newcomers to non-profits, has been helping fewer people during the pandemic, since the organization has operated virtually without the accessibility of a physical location. The Welcome Centre was previously operating out of the Wood Buffalo Regional Library at MacDonald Island Park. Alexandra Tarasenco, volunteer coordinator for the Welcome Centre, said the physical location has been closed since the beginning of the pandemic. That's affected the of the number of people using their services, because the location at MacDonald Island Park saw heavy foot traffic. Now, they're relying more on Facebook, email and phone calls. \"With the newcomers … not everyone is on Facebook, not everyone is connected through social media,\" said Tarasenco. \"It is a challenge.\" The Welcome Centre connects newcomers with organizations in the community that can help them settle in, whether that's help finding a job, training, finding housing or transportation. Tarasenco said she just wants to make sure people know the Welcome Centre is still operating. During the pandemic, Tarasenco said most of the time people are reaching out to her for employment. Edmund Obike, a refugee from Nigeria, came to Fort McMurray in 2019. He spent three months unable to find work, and living in a shelter. He was about to move away, when he was introduced to Tarasenco. \"I even bought my ticket, booked my flight to move down to Toronto, but she [Tarasenco] encouraged me to stay,\" said Obike. \"It was very difficult for me.\" He said he found it difficult to get work, because many of the oil jobs require tickets and specific training. Tarasenco helped Obike find a job and even helped with things like paying for bus tickets. \"I wouldn't have gotten the job, I wouldn't have even gotten assistance for transportation, my movement; it really helped,\" said Obike. Glenda Little-Kulai, program chair for the Language Instruction for Newcomers of Canada, which is part of the steering committee for the Welcome Centre, said it's been difficult for newcomers to connect with the centre without a physical location. \"That creates a barrier, especially for newcomers that might have low digital literacy or low language skills, because they're not able to access,\" said Little-Kulai. She said the centre was able to help out greatly during the flood in April 2020, with spreading information about health and safety in nine languages. \"Hopefully we'll be able to provide in-person services again, but for now just sharing the word that we have a welcome center for newcomers … that we are offering virtual services.\" Therese Greenwood, executive director of the Multicultural Association of Wood Buffalo who is also on the steering committee, said the association is trying to find \"a solution to these COVID challenges that's going to let us return to an in-person model in the near future.\" Greenwood said she expects to have an announcement about the welcome centre in the near future, but declined to give further details. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Welcome Centre","welcome centre"]},{"role":"Date","values":["since the beginning of the pandemic"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Fort McMurray"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Twin Donut Plus closed in July 2018 is in preparation for the grand opening","document":"Coffee lovers, get ready! Workers are putting the finishing touches to the remodeling of the once popular, “Twin Donut Plus,” in preparation for the grand opening of a new Starbucks branch in Norwood. The former coffee and donut outlet, located at 3396 Jerome Avenue and East 208th Street, which was part of the Twin Donut franchise founded in Boston in 1959, closed in July 2018, as previously reported by Norwood News. The site has remained vacant ever since. According to a filed “RPTT and RETT” document with the Office of the City Register, the property appears to have been sold by Alice L. Kulick 1, LLC to Senior Poncholo Restaurant Corp in 2008. Both RPTT and RETT are taxes that apply to real property transfers when the ownership percentage being transferred, granted, assigned or surrendered is more than 50 percent. Meanwhile, according to NYC Department of Finance, RPTT applies whenever the sale or transfer is worth more than $25,000. An amount of $93,000 was listed as the “document amount,” with the City Register in relation to 3396 Jerome Avenue. However, in another section of the City Register site, the owner of the property is listed as Alice L Kulick. Norwood News has reached out to the City agency for clarification on the current property ownership and will update this story upon receipt of any feedback. Prior to its closure, the donut shop had been in operation for more than 50 years, according to Liz Camcran, an employee of the Twin Donut franchise company who spoke to Norwood News at the time of the closure in 2018. According to Camcran, the building was “under renovation” and she said at the time, “they’re selling the franchise.” Chris Cheong, a worker at that time for Wok Wok restaurant, located across from Twin Donut Plus, said at the time, “It might be because of the rent.” The business did reopen for one evening on the night of Oct. 1, 2018, but not to the public. On that occasion, it was used as a movie set for a brief scene from the film, “Joker,” starring Joaquin Phoenix. Calls to the local Starbucks manager, as well as to the corporate office in Chicago, IL., were unsuccessful. However, one local Starbucks official told the Norwood News on Monday, Sept. 20, the new location would be open in a matter of days. Reaction to previous Starbucks branch openings in the Bronx has been mixed, as reported. When a newsstand that used to sell coffee, located inside One Fordham Plaza, was allegedly precluded from doing so following the arrival of a new, nearby Starbucks branch, the resulting backlash caused a subsequent reversal of the decision. As noted, the Norwood branch of Twin Donut Plus was part of a franchise and closed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. An economic report on the impact of the pandemic on the Bronx, published in June 2021 by the New York State comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, found that the borough is comprised of mostly small businesses, and in the ten years leading up to the pandemic, businesses in The Bronx increased by 15.3 percent, as reported. This was a faster growth rate than seen in both Manhattan and Staten Island. The report found that the sudden and dramatic closure of businesses amid the pandemic across New York City hit the leisure and hospitality sector the hardest, as an earlier report from DiNapoli detailed. In the Bronx, it meant the loss of 9,600 jobs , a 45.6 percent drop in that sector by the summer of 2020. Since most businesses in the borough are small businesses, the measures put in place to combat the health impacts of the COVID-19 virus forced many of these small businesses to close. Some, but not all, business owners were able to rely on economic relief to stay afloat. The comptroller’s report also found that programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans served as vital resources to some but were slow to reach all businesses in the borough. Meanwhile, aside from its coffee business, Starbucks also runs a foundation, the mission of which is “to strengthen humanity by transforming lives across the world, with a focus on enabling community resiliency and prosperity and uplifting communities affected by disaster.” The foundation supports “thriving communities through grants to nonprofit organizations, from its hometown in Seattle and neighborhoods across the country, to coffee and tea-growing communities around the world.” According to the foundation’s website, its neighborhood grants are investments that help build sustained, local impact and inspire increased partner volunteerism with nonprofit organizations that work in local communities. Through the program, the foundation invites Starbucks partners to nominate a local organization in their community. Since 2019, Starbucks partners have nominated “thousands of organizations across the U.S. and Canada, with more than 2,500 organizations receiving grants amounting to more than $5 million.” The foundation also works “to strengthen communities affected by disaster by investing in response and preparedness programs.” In 2020, according to its website, the foundation supported local and global COVID-19 initiatives that extended emergency assistance to those in need while also helping build a path toward recovery and resilience, including more than 400 Neighborhood Grants to support COVID-19 community response. Jennifer Tausig, executive director of the Jerome Gun Hill BID, which is based in Norwood, said, “We’re thrilled to welcome Starbucks to the neighborhood, and as a member of the BID. Tausig said the BID believes the new outlet is a great compliment to the existing food and coffee options on Jerome Avenue. “We are grateful that Starbucks recognized Norwood as a clean, safe, good place to do business,” she added. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Twin Donut Plus","businesses","leisure and hospitality sector"]},{"role":"Date","values":["July 2018","2018"]},{"role":"Location","values":["3396 Jerome Avenue and East 208th Street","3396 Jerome Avenue","New York City"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["selling the franchise","franchise","building was “under renovation","might be because of the rent","pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Reopening schools cannot wait","document":"PARIS/NEW YORK, 12 July 2021 – “It’s been 18 months since the COVID-19 outbreak started and education for millions of children is still disrupted. As of today, primary and secondary schools are shuttered in 19 countries, affecting over 156 million students. “This should not go on. Schools should be the last to close and the first to reopen. “In their efforts to limit transmission, governments have too often shut down schools and kept them closed for prolonged periods, even when the epidemiological situation didn’t warrant it. These actions were frequently taken as a first recourse rather than a last measure. In many cases, schools were closed while bars and restaurants remained open. “The losses that children and young people will incur from not being in school may never be recouped. From learning loss, mental distress, exposure to violence and abuse, to missed school-based meals and vaccinations or reduced development of social skills, the consequences for children will be felt in their academic achievement and societal engagement as well as physical and mental health. The most affected are often children in low-resource settings who do not have access to remote learning tools, and the youngest children who are at key developmental stages. “The losses for parents and caretakers are equally heavy. Keeping children at home is forcing parents around the world to leave their jobs, especially in countries with no or limited family leave policies. “That’s why reopening schools for in-person learning cannot wait. “It cannot wait for cases to go to zero. There is clear evidence that primary and secondary schools are not among the main drivers of transmission. Meanwhile, the risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools is manageable with appropriate mitigation strategies in most settings. The decision to open or close schools should be based on risk analysis and the epidemiological considerations in the communities where they are situated. “Reopening schools cannot wait for all teachers and students to be vaccinated. With the global vaccine shortages plaguing low and middle-income countries, vaccinating frontline workers and those most at risk of severe illness and death will remain a priority. All schools should provide in-person learning as soon as possible, without barriers to access, including not mandating vaccination prior to school entry. “Ahead of the Global Education Meeting on July 13, we urge decisionmakers and governments to prioritize the safe reopening of schools to avoid a generational catastrophe. “Closing schools mortgages our future for unclear benefits to our present. We must prioritize better. We can reopen schools safely, and we must.” ##### UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. Follow UNICEF on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in education, scientific collaboration, cultural dialogue and the free flow of information. More information at www.unesco.org More than 45,000 children released from detention during COVID-19 pandemic; evidence that child-friendly justice solutions are possible – UNICEF","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["primary and secondary schools","primary","secondary schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["been 18 months"]},{"role":"Location","values":["19 countries"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 outbreak","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Westfield Sends Alert About Flood Risk; Event Postponed","document":"WESTFIELD, NJ — Now that a flash flood watch was issued for Union County through Friday morning, Downtown Westfield has postponed the nighttime portion of its Girls' Night Out event. The daytime portion is still on, and the evening portion will take place Thursday, Sept. 30. READ MORE: Downtown Westfield Event, Girls' Night Out, Returns Thursday Also, the Westfield Police sent this alert Thursday: \"Showers and thunderstorms are expected ahead and along a slow moving cold front this afternoon through early Friday. There is a flash flood watch in effect from 4 p.m. this afternoon until 8 a.m. Friday across NE NJ, NYC, Nassau County NY, Fairfield County CT and the Lower Hudson Valley. There is a marginal risk of severe thunderstorms as well.\" The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for Union, Hudson, Passaic, Bergen, and Essex counties from 4 p.m. Thursday through 8 a.m. Friday. The rain predicted for Thursday night is up to two inches, about a fifth of what spotters say fell in Union County during the dangerous Tropical Depression Ida, but a significant amount if it falls quickly. The Thursday night forecast says, \"Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Low around 59. South wind 7 to 11 mph becoming west after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.\" The updated forecast is here. The last severe storm in the area, Tropical Depression Ida, caused at least 30 deaths in New Jersey, news outlets reported. There were rescues and mass flooding in Westfield, Cranford, and elsewhere in Union and Essex counties. Now, forecasters are keeping an eye on the newly formed Hurricane Sam, which, if headed toward the East Coast, is at least a week away. Track Hurricane Sam here. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Girls' Night Out event","Night","night"]},{"role":"Date","values":["nighttime portion"]},{"role":"Location","values":["WESTFIELD, NJ","Westfield"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["flash flood watch"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Bluefield Elks Lodge 9/11 event canceled by COVID","document":"Sep. 6—BLUEFIELD — An event honoring local first responders during the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has been canceled as a precaution due to rising numbers of COVID-19 cases. The Bluefield Elks Lodge was planning to host this year's event at the Elks Lodge on Whitethorn Street on Sept. 12 this year. During previous events, local firefighters, law enforcement agencies, EMTs and veterans were recognized for their service to their communities and country. The Elks had planned to host a 2021 event, but then local numbers of COVID-19 cases started to increase, said Dr. Randy Stevens, the lodge's president. Sponsors of tables at the event, and the event's corporate sponsor, Princeton Community Hospital, discussed whether to have this year's festivities. \"We thought that with the surge in the COVID numbers of the people being diagnosed and hospitalized, it would be ill-advised to have a gathering with 150 to 200 people inside,\" Stevens said. \"We decided to cancel it, and hopefully we can do it on another date or next year for sure when the world gets back to normal.\" This year the event had 50 table sponsors, which is the most the Elks ever had, he said. \"Everyone was wanting to do something for the first responders,\" Stevens stated. \"We've returned their money. We'll be calling them again when the world gets back to normal.\" — Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["event honoring local first responders during the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sept. 12 this year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["BLUEFIELD","Bluefield Elks Lodge","the Elks Lodge on Whitethorn Street"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["rising numbers of COVID-19 cases","COVID-19 cases","COVID"]}]} {"event_trigger":"'30 pct of shops at malls have closed; 300,000 workers lost jobs over past 16 months'","document":"KUALA LUMPUR: As the impending review of the Movement Control Order 3.0 nears, shopping mall and retail industries nationwide are appealing to the government to judiciously research the data and incidences of Covid-19 cases by economic sector and by locality. They said the current MCO 3.0, which will end on June 28, has been drastically and tragically damaging to business and the economy. They described the recently-announced National Recovery Plan, which is based on the threshold of absolute numbers of Covid-19 infections, as \"too broad-brushed\" and imprecise as it could result in unnecessary losses. In an open letter to Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the Malaysia Shopping Malls Association (PPK), Malaysia Retailers Association (MRA), Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA), Bumiputra Retailers Organisation (BRO) and the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Electrical Home Appliances Dealers' Association (SWEDA) said the Health Ministry's data showed that the retail and shopping sector contributed merely 0.8 per cent of overall cases in May. This was prior to the MCO 3.0 on June 1 and the significantly improved and extremely low figures was a testament to the retail and mall industries' strict adherence to the Standard Operating Procedures. \"We should not be unduly penalised with closure from operating. Therefore, we believe the retail and shopping sector should be reopened immediately to provide essential and other services to the community without risk of infectivity. \"Activities that are not able to comply with the social distancing requirements and crowding have already been listed in the negative list, while congregation and promotional events have been barred. \"The public have also cut down their mall visits to a maximum of two hours while diligently practising physical distancing and wearing masks at all times. \"Malls only allow entry of those whose MySejahtera status is 'Low-Risk' and whose body temperature is below 37.5 degrees Celsius. \"Therefore, malls are safe places to be and serve as avenues for some relief, both physically and mentally, while shopping for necessities. \"We appeal to the government to take all these positive factors into account in the upcoming review and allow the immediate reopening of all trades in the malls, except for those in the negative list,\" the associations said in a statement today. They added that that currently, up to 30 per cent of shops in malls have been closed due to the adverse conditions of the past 16 months amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which also saw some 300,000 personnel losing their jobs. The associations foresee that in the event the mall and retail industry, including street front shops are not reopened by early July, another 50 per cent of the remainder will be closing their doors for good. They said these closures may include prominent domestic and international retail brands with more employees at risk of being laid off. They also cautioned that once international brands exit from Malaysia, it will be doubly difficult to attract these brands to return. \"With these massive lay-offs and shop closures, the entire retail and shopping malls industries will be grievously and critically damaged and will need massive efforts and time to rebuild its ecosystem, or it will permanently close and the retail supply chain will be deeply fractured. \"Any prolongation in reopening will cause irreparable damage to both the retail and shopping mall industry which may not recover for the next few years, leaving us far behind in the economic recovery process. \"Therefore, we seek the government's urgent consideration to mitigate the catastrophic but real scenario as predicted,\" they said.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["up to 30 per cent of shops in malls","Malls","shops","retail and shopping sector","Retail","retail","shopping sector","congregation and promotional events"]},{"role":"Date","values":["past 16 months"]},{"role":"Location","values":["KUALA LUMPUR","Kuala Lumpur"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Covid-19 pandemic","Covid-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Foo Fighters report COVID-19 case, postpone weekend concert that would have reopened Forum","document":"The Foo Fighters have postponed their Saturday concert at the Forum in Inglewood after someone affiliated with the band tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Tickets purchased for this weekend will be valid for the new date, which “will be announced shortly,” according to the musical act’s social media pages. The highly anticipated performance was supposed to mark the Forum’s first first full-capacity show and first ticketed event in more than a year. “Despite having made every effort to follow CDC Covid protocols and local laws, there has been a confirmed Covid-19 case within the Foo Fighters organization,” the band said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the band, crew and most of all the fans, Saturdays show at the Los Angeles Forum is being postponed to a later date.” Important information about the July 17th Forum show. The COVID-induced delay comes about a month after the “Pretender” artists played their first full-capacity performance since the beginning of the pandemic. The intimate set — held at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills for 600 lucky fans — required proof of vaccination to attend and sparked a backlash among unvaccinated community members who accused the venue and the Foo Fighters of discriminating against them. Shortly thereafter, the rock musicians kicked off their world tour with a comeback performance at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden, which was also limited to fully vaccinated patrons. Saturday’s stop at the Forum has since been removed from the Foo Fighters’ website, which lists forthcoming tour dates in Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis, Mexico City, Boston and more cities worldwide. Music After protests, Foo Fighters will reopen the Forum with first full-capacity crowd Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters announce a July concert at the Forum. With California reopened, guests will self-attest as to their vaccination status. June 22, 2021 During the first weekend of August, the Foo Fighters are set to headline Chicago’s annual Lollapalooza music festival alongside Miley Cyrus, Tyler the Creator, Post Malone, DaBaby, Marshmello and the Grammy Awards’ 2021 new artist of the year, Megan Thee Stallion. Earlier this year, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and his bandmates participated in Global Citizen’s “Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World,” at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium. The event, which also featured Jennifer Lopez, J Balvin, Prince Harry, Selena Gomez and more, was aimed at encouraging people to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. “Dude,” Grohl mused onstage before playing to an in-person crowd. “I remember this.” The complete guide to home viewing Get Screen Gab for weekly recommendations, analysis, interviews and irreverent discussion of the TV and streaming movies everyone’s talking about. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["concert","Concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Forum in Inglewood","Forum","Inglewood"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["someone affiliated with the band tested positive for the novel coronavirus","novel coronavirus"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club partially closed after staff infected with coronavirus","document":"Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida has been partially closed after some of its employees were infected with the coronavirus, according to an email sent to club members Friday afternoon. “As some of our staff have recently tested positive for COVID-19, we will be temporarily suspending service at the Beach Club and à la carte Dining Room,” club management said, according to an email obtained by The Washington Post. “Banquet and Event services remain open,” the email said. The Trump Organization declined to say how many workers were affected. The Palm Beach club — which includes the former president’s home as well as restaurants and banquet facilities — has dozens of employees during the winter season. “Out of an abundance of caution we have quarantined some of the workers and partially closed a section of the club for a short period of time,” a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization said in a statement to The Post. Lee Lipton, a member at the club, said he received a phone call Friday saying his dinner reservations were canceled for Friday and Saturday nights. “But they said the car show was going on Sunday, and the hotel rooms are fine,” he said. The partial closure of the club was first reported by the Associated Press. Palm Beach County, which includes the club, still requires that all guests wear masks, except while “actively consuming food and beverage.” Last weekend, Mar-a-Lago hosted two large fundraisers for a charity called Big Dog Ranch Rescue, including one event at which Trump appeared, praising the group. Photos from those events show that few attendees were wearing masks. Trump, who had covid-19 in the fall and was vaccinated earlier this year, also did not wear a mask. Two people familiar with the club said that Mar-a-Lago waiters wore masks during the events. A spokesperson for the charity declined to comment about the event. The club has not forced members to adhere to a mask policy, though they have suggested masks be worn and provided them to guests, according to people who have visited. In January, a Florida state representative asked the county to shut down Mar-a-Lago after photos from a New Year’s Eve event showed that many guests were not wearing masks. In response, Palm Beach County sent the club a formal warning letter, saying that Mar-a-Lago had violated county code and could faces fines up to $15,000 if there was another violation. Patrick Rutter, assistant Palm Beach County administrator, who oversees the county’s covid enforcement efforts, said he hadn’t heard of Mar-a-Lago partially closing, but that it would be up to the club’s leadership to decide whether to close in case of an outbreak. “Businesses would make their own decisions of that was the case,” Rutter said. Omari Hardy, the state representative who had asked for Mar-a-Lago to be closed down, said workers were paying the price of the club’s lax mask policy. “No one around the president wears a mask. The guests at Mar-a-Lago have photographed themselves partying and carousing not wearing masks,” said Hardy, whose district includes a town just a few miles from Mar-a-Lago that is home to many essential workers who staff the clubs and restaurants on Palm Beach. “Now the workers, who can least afford to get sick, are paying for it with their health.” Rozsa reported from West Palm Beach, Fla. The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Donald Trump"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Mar-a-Lago Club"]},{"role":"Date","values":["for a short period of time"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Florida"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["some of its employees were infected with the coronavirus"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Coronavirus pushes biggest U.S. mall developer to close all properties","document":" America's largest mall operator finally caved in to the reality that the coronavirus outbreak makes it nearly impossible for their properties to open when the public's health and safety requires social distancing. Simon Property Group, owner of major malls such as Roosevelt Field in East Garden City, N.Y. and Stanford Mall in Palo Alto, Calif., said on Wednesday it was closing all of its U.S. properties, including 106 malls and 69 outlets center, through March 29. The malls will go dark as of 7 p.m. Wednesday in the mall's local time zone. The owner of Westfield malls later said its U.S. properties would be shut too during that period. The news is hardly surprising given how many of Simon's retail tenants have announced store closings as the severity of the outbreak has become clearer. The most recent was struggling department store chain J.C. Penney which had initially shortened store hours, but on Wednesday decided to close all stores would close for two weeks. Penney's decision followed similar announcements from Macy's, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Gap Inc., Abercrombie & Fitch, Apple, and Urban Outfitters, all of which operate numerous stores at Simon malls. What's more, the Centers for Disease Control have urged people to avoid gathering in groups of more than 10. Earlier this week, New Jersey ordered all malls closed, while major centers like Hudson Yards in New York and Mall of America in Minnesota closed on their own. The pressure isn't just on mall stores. Many retailers with stand-alone locations or strip-mall stores, such as Best Buy, Home Depot, Target, and Walmart have announced reduced hours. Others, like Ulta Beauty, which depends on in-house beauty treatments to bring customers into the stores, have closed shop until at least March 31. All told, according to fresh estimates from GlobalData Retail, some 11.4% of all shops in the U.S. are closed or will close. The research firm now estimates retail sales will fall by nearly 6% in both March and April. And with e-commerce only providing a partial offset, it's shaping up to be a brutal spring for retailers and mall developers alike. With the federal government considering industry bailouts, the International Council of Shopping Centers, which represents U.S. operators of malls, outlet centers, and shopping centers has asked the Trump administration for aid. \"These closures are placing an insurmountable strain on our members, and we believe federal government action is urgently needed,\" ICSC chief executive officer Tom McGee said in a letter on Tuesday. He called on the federal government to \"guarantee or directly pay for business interruption coverage for retailers, restaurants and other tenants as well as landlords.\" McGee noted that states and local governments get $400 billion a year in taxes from the shopping center industry in making his case. The National Retail Federation also asked the Trump administration for help in the form of delays in tax filings and loans, as well as other initiatives, to help stores deal with liquidity until they can resume business. \"The decisions being made in Washington this week will have lasting effects on our businesses, our associates and the communities we serve,\" NRF chief executive Matt Shay wrote in his letter. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Mall of America","America","mall","106 malls and 69 outlets center","all of its U.S. properties","properties","all malls","malls","Ulta Beauty","some 11.4% of all shops"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday","Earlier this week","week","two weeks","until at least March 31"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New Jersey","New York","U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["coronavirus outbreak"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Applefest canceled for second year in Warwick, affecting nonprofits","document":"Warwick’s Applefest, shown here at its 2018 event, was canceled in May for the second year in a row. Now, residents wonder how they can help the 40 nonprofits that usually benefit from the annual fall event that attracts tens of thousands of visitors. Every fall, Applefest typically draws massive crowds for a harvest celebration held in the Village of Warwick since 1989. By 2019, the craft and food fair had grown into a major event, with 30,000 visitors coming from neighboring states. However, the event, produced by the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce, has been put on pause for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to cancel this year’s fall festival came in May, and was made jointly by officials from New York State, the Department of Health, Orange County, and the Town and Village of Warwick. Some residents called that May announcement premature for a fall event that is based outdoors. Other large outdoor events still remained on the schedule this summer and fall in the area, including the Orange County Fair and the weeks-long New York Renaissance Fair in nearby Tuxedo Park. In a press release announcing Applefest’s cancellation, organizers said the reason other large events could move forward and not this one was because there are no gates in the Village of Warwick to control the number of visitors to Applefest or require or check for masks. The one-day festival typically welcomes more than 200 craft and food vendors, in addition to several music stages that set up across three blocks. Festival proceeds benefit 40 nonprofit organizations, including Grace Community Church and a number of other churches, the Orange County Audubon Society, Warwick Fire District, Northern Academy of the Arts, Warwick Valley Humane Society, Warwick Lions Club, and more. With the loss of two years’ worth of fundraising, local nonprofits have struggled, said Michael Johndrow, executive director of the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce. “It has a tremendous impact on both nonprofits and the downtown [businesses],” said Johndrow of the event cancellation. “Nonprofits make enough money in one day that they don’t really need to fundraise for the rest of the year.” Nonprofits raise funds at the event through efforts like selling hot dogs and bottled water, and they raise awareness by handing out information on their organizations to attendees. With the absence of Applefest for the past two years, the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce is exploring other ways to support these organizations. Johndrow said one idea is to list the 40 nonprofits in their local newspaper and ask residents to consider donating. The chamber also hosted its first annual golf outing, where some of the proceeds went to nonprofits. The festival also acts as a gateway for tourists to learn more about the Warwick area, said Johndrow. “It brings a lot of tourists from three states,” said Johndrow. “They can come and see we have a historic village here.” However, not everyone believes Applefest should have grown to the scale it did. One resident, who has gone to almost every Applefest since its start, said the two-year hiatus could allow the festival to return in a different fashion. “When it first started out, it was trying to promote local businesses, along with being a way for some of the nonprofits to do fundraisers,” said Edward Mullins. “Then it became so popular that people were coming from miles and miles away.” He said that some locals weren’t able to be involved in it as much as they would have liked due to more outside vendors coming in. “It needs to scale back and get back to its roots, where the local people are upfront,” said Mullins, who also commended the Applefest committee for the planning they’ve done for over 30 years. The committee did not respond to comment by the time of press. Although Applefest is cancelled, the area doesn’t lack orchards and wineries that celebrate the region’s fall bounty. There are four apple orchards and four wineries in the town, including Doc’s Orchard at Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery that offers apple picking and live music, and Apple Dave’s Orchard, whose distillery serves colonial-era, frozen Applejack. — Six NY prisons to close, including Downstate Correctional Facility — Rockefeller Christmas Tree not coming from New York — Route 17: To widen or not to widen — No bail for trooper charged with girl’s death ‘a rare decision’ Don’t miss a headline. Sign up for the Hudson Valley 5 newsletter. Cloey Callahan is a lifelong Hudson Valley resident who was born and raised in Brewster, lived in New Paltz for four years while she attended college, and now resides in Newburgh on Liberty Street. On a sunny day, she strolls through Newburgh enjoying the 19th-century architecture on her way to the Hudson River waterfront. You can reach her at cloey.callahan@hearst.com to say hi or with pitches.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Applefest"]},{"role":"Date","values":["fall","2018"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Warwick"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["no gates in the Village of Warwick to control the number of visitors","visitors","Village","Warwick","number","village","COVID-19 pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Cincinnati concert cancellations, new announcements this week","document":"Throughout 2020, we were announcing concert cancellations left and right as COVID-19 wiped out the entire summer concert calendar. Then, in the past few months, we rejoiced at all the new show announcements as we edged closer to normal life. We are sorry to say that as we hit another wave from the delta variant, we're back to seeing more concert calendar adjustments. We're sure things will continue to change as the days and weeks go by, but here's the latest batch of new event announcements, postponements and cancellations. More:Updated, again: Cincinnati's 2021 concert calendar ?? More:Will you need a COVID-19 vaccine to go to concerts? Here's what we know so far Sept. 21: U.S. Women's National Soccer Team vs Paraguay International Friendly, TQL Stadium. Nov. 14: Nelly, Andrew J. Brady Icon Music Center. With Blanco Brown and Harper Grace. Nov. 17: David Cross, Bogart's. Dec. 10-11: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Andrew J. Brady Icon Music Center. With Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives. Aug. 26: Buddy Guy, PNC Pavilion. With Robert Randolph & the Family Band. Aug. 27: Pablo Cruise, Ludlow Garage. Sept. 1: Goldpark with Liberty Deep Down, Top Cats. Sept. 8: Drowning Pool, Blue Note Harrison. Sept. 18: Garth Brooks, Paul Brown Stadium. Sept. 23: Yung Bleu, PromoWest Pavilion at Ovation. With Ann Marie. Sept. 30: Florida Georgia Line, Riverbend Music Center. With Russell Dickerson and Lauren Alaina and Redferrin. Oct. 28: Jeanne Robertson, Taft Theatre. Oct. 13: Toadies, Madison Theater. With Reverend Horton Heat and Nashville Pu--y. New date TBA. Oct. 9-17: Disney's Descendants: The Musical, Taft Theatre. This show postponed to the Children's Theater of Cincinnati's 22-23 season.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["entire summer concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Throughout 2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Popular festivals, events that have been canceled because of COVID-19 concerns","document":"CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As COVID-19 cases continue to surge in the Charlotte area, many popular events are being impacted. Here’s a list of festivals and shows that have been canceled or postponed because of the pandemic. Lincoln County Apple Festival The 2021 Lincoln County Apple Festival scheduled for Oct. 16 has been canceled. Taylorsville Apple Festival The 32nd annual Taylorsville Apple Festival scheduled for Oct. 16 has been canceled. Cleveland County Fair The Cleveland County Fair was set to run Sept. 30 - Oct. 10. Carolina BalloonFest The 2021 Carolina BalloonFest scheduled for Oct. 15-17 has been canceled for the second year in a row. Cabarrus County Fair The fair was scheduled to take place Sept. 10-18, but has been canceled. The dates for next year are Sept. 9-17, 2022. Cheerwine Festival In January, organizers were hopeful to host an in-person event when they pushed the date from May 15 to Sept. 18, but on Aug. 30 it was announced that the 2021 event would be canceled. [ ALSO READ: Yiasou Greek Festival shifts to ‘drive-thru’ event this year ] WNC Bigfoot Festival Organizers of the annual WNC Bigfoot Festival, which was originally scheduled for Sept. 17-18 in Marion, have postponed the event until May 27-28, 2022. Charlotte SHOUT! Festival The Charlotte SHOUT! festival originally scheduled for Sept. 17 - Oct. 3 has been postponed until 2022. Charlotte Pride Festival The Charlotte Pride festival, concert, and parade have been canceled as venues transition to smaller events due to COVID-19 concerns. The festival and concert were originally scheduled for Sept. 17-18 and then postponed until Oct. 16. The Charlotte Pride Parade was scheduled for Oct. 24 in uptown. Garth Brooks at Bank of America Stadium Garth Brooks announced that he was canceling five fall tour dates, which included his Sept. 25 stop at Bank of America Stadium. Hickory Oktoberfest The festival, which celebrates the city’s German heritage, was originally scheduled for Oct. 8-10, but has been canceled. Mallard Creek BBQ For the second straight year, organizers have decided to cancel the annual Mallard Creek BBQ, traditionally held on the fourth Thursday in October. Matthews Alive The Matthews Alive Labor Day festival was canceled for the second year in a row. The festival was originally scheduled for Sept. 3-6.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Lincoln County Apple Festival","Taylorsville Apple Festival","Cleveland County Fair","Carolina BalloonFest","Cabarrus County Fair","Cheerwine Festival","five fall tour","Hickory Oktoberfest","annual Mallard Creek BBQ","The Matthews Alive Labor Day festival"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sept. 30 - Oct. 10","Sept","Sept. 10-18","Sept. 3-6","Oct. 16","Oct","Oct. 15-17","Oct. 8-10","fourth Thursday in October","2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["CHARLOTTE, N.C","Charlotte","Bank of America Stadium","Bank","America Stadium"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 cases continue to surge","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Hootie’s Homegrown concert not happening, Firefly fall series postponed due to COVID-19","document":" Updated: November 16, 2021 @ 5:07 pm An Igali king in Nigeria has just been coronated. That means… One of country music's newest stars who earlier this year fa… Darius Rucker typically performs for the Hootie and the Blowfish Homegrown Concert at the former Volvo Car Stadium, now Credit One Stadium. Here, he performs in 2011 to a full house. File/Staff Hootie’s Homegrown Roundup, a concert and school supply drive that typically benefits the Charleston County School District, will not take place this year due to the renewed COVID-19 pandemic. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Hootie’s Homegrown Roundup"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Charleston County School District"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["renewed COVID-19 pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Ransomware attack leads to shutdown of major U.S. pipeline system","document":"A ransomware attack led one of the nation’s biggest fuel pipeline operators to shut down its entire network on Friday, according to the company and two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. While it is not expected to have an immediate impact on fuel supply or prices, the attack on Colonial Pipeline, which carries almost half of the gasoline, diesel and other fuels used on the East Coast, underscores the potential vulnerability of industrial sectors to the expanding threat of ransomware strikes. It appears to have been carried out by an Eastern European-based criminal gang — DarkSide, according to a U.S. official and another person familiar with the matter. Federal officials and the private security firm Mandiant, a division of FireEye, are still investigating the matter, they said. The Cybersecurity 202: A group of industry, government and cyber experts have a big plan to disrupt the ransomware crisis “We are engaged with the company and our interagency partners regarding the situation,” said Eric Goldstein, executive assistant director of the cybersecurity division at the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA. “This underscores the threat that ransomware poses to organizations regardless of size or sector. We encourage every organization to take action to strengthen their cybersecurity posture to reduce their exposure to these types of threats.” President Biden was briefed on the incident on Saturday morning, a White House statement said. It said the federal government is working to assess the incident’s implications, avoid disruption to supply and help Colonial Pipeline restore operations “as quickly as possible.” Colonial Pipeline said in a statement on Friday that it had temporarily shut down all its pipeline operations after learning it had been hit by a cyber attack on some of its “information technology” or business network systems that day. As a result, the firm said, it “proactively took certain systems offline to contain the threat.” Early on Saturday afternoon, the company confirmed that the attack “involves ransomware.” It said it had notified law enforcement and other federal agencies. Colonial’s 5,500 miles of pipelines carry fuel from refineries on the Gulf Coast to customers in the southern and eastern United States. It says it transports 45 percent of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, reaching 50 million Americans. Ransomware attacks, in which hackers lock up computer systems — usually by encrypting data — and demand payment to free up the system, are a global scourge. In recent years, they have affected everyone from banks and hospitals to universities and municipalities — almost 2,400 organizations in the United States were victimized last year alone, one security firm reported. But the attackers are increasingly targeting industrial sectors because these firms are more willing to pay up to regain control of their systems, experts say. “The downtime for industrial companies can cost millions,” said Robert M. Lee, the chief executive of Dragos, a major cybersecurity firm that handles incidents in the industrial control sector. U.S. officials and experts in industrial control security said such attacks are more common than is publicly known and that most just do not get reported. “There are absolutely cases in industrial operations where ransomware impacts operations,” but often the stories don’t hit the news, Lee said. “There are lots of industrial control companies that are battling ransomware around the United States.” The Cybersecurity 202: Lawmakers scramble for legislative solutions to a growing ransomware crisis The trend exploded in the last three years after the WannaCry and NotPetya computer worms showed cyber criminals how targeting companies in critical industrial sectors is more likely to make companies pay out, Lee said. The DarkSide group has hit utility firms before, said Allan Liska, intelligence analyst at the cyber threat research firm Recorded Future. In February, ransomware attacks disrupted operations at two Brazilian state-owned electric utility companies, Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras (Eletrobras) and Companhia Paranaense de Energia (Copel), he said. Private firms that investigate cyber intrusions say they are handling cases involving DarkSide using ransomware to target American industrial companies. But there are many other ransomware groups that seem to be targeting such firms in greater numbers than ever before, analysts said. Carrying off a ransomware attack does not require great technical sophistication, Liska said. In the world of criminal ransomware operations, some crews specialize in gaining access and others pay for that access and then lock up the data, he said. DarkSide generally falls into the lock up crew category, he said. “The last few years have been incredibly busy” because the proliferation of vulnerabilities in firewalls and virtual private networks have allowed ransomware criminals to gain access to networks at an unprecedented scale, Lee said. “To put it simply, we are on the cusp of a global digital pandemic driven by greed,” former top DHS cyber official Christopher Krebs told Congress on Wednesday. He called the ransomware emergency a “digital dumpster fire.” Last year, CISA warned pipeline operators about the threat of ransomware. CISA responded to a ransomware attack on a natural gas compression facility in which the attacker gained access to the corporate network and then pivoted to the operational network, where it encrypted on various devices. As a result, the firm shut down operations for about two days, CISA said. The DHS warning to operators came after members of Congress in 2018 urged the agency to do more to protect pipelines from cyber attacks. Though there is as yet no known foreign government nexus to the Colonial Pipeline incident, the U.S. government has in the past asserted links between Russian spy services and ransomware rings. Last month, the Treasury Department stated that the Russian internal security service, FSB, “cultivates and co-opts criminal hackers, including” a group called Evil Corp., “enabling them to engage in disruptive ransomware attacks.” Treasury sanctioned Evil Corp. in late 2019. Cybersecurity researchers believe that DarkSide operates mostly out of Russia, which U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts have accused of harboring cyber criminals. These criminals avoid targeting victims in Russia, experts say. In January 2019, the Director of National Intelligence, Daniel Coats, warned at an annual worldwide threat briefing that China has the ability to launch cyber attacks that cause temporary disruptive effects on critical infrastructure, “such as disruption of a natural gas pipeline for days to weeks” in the United States. He did not specify what type of cyber tool or mention ransomware explicitly. A task force of more than 60 experts from industry, government, nonprofits and academia last month urged a series of coordinated actions by industry, government and civil society. Their recommendations include mandating that organizations report ransom payments and requiring them to consider alternatives before making payments. Governments, they said, could provide support to help firms hold out longer. The recommendations also call for global diplomatic and law enforcement efforts to induce countries from providing safe havens to ransomware criminals. “Proposing this framework is merely the first step,” the task force said, “and the real challenge is in implementation.” The Biden administration is expected in the coming weeks to issue an executive order aimed at shoring up the cybersecurity of federal civilian agencies. Though it will not specifically address private critical infrastructure, it is expected to drive standards for federal contractors that experts hope will ripple across the private sector. Last month, the White House and Energy Department launched a 100-day action plan focused on boosting the cybersecurity of electricity sector industrial systems. The idea is to eventually expand that effort to gas pipelines and water systems. Prices for refined oil products are slumping on the Gulf Coast because of the shutdown. Analysts say that depending on how long the pipelines are out of service, prices for gasoline and jet fuel could rise in the New York area, as they did in 2017 when a hurricane forced a shutdown. Bob McNally, founder of the Rapidan Energy Group, said although the shutdown of the Colonial system is “massive,” if the company is able to restart operations within a couple of days, he does not expect an impact on fuel prices. “The critical thing now is the duration,” he said. “Right now, everything depends this weekend on news that the market gets about the duration of the outage.” Storage in both the Gulf Coast region and the Northeast “can largely mitigate the impact of a short-term event,” said Bernadette Johnson, senior vice president of power and renewables at a company called Enverus. But if the shutdown lasts much longer than a few days, there could be a cascade of dramatic impacts, including higher prices and consumer hoarding of gasoline supplies, McNally said. Gasoline prices have been edging higher in recent weeks, in line with typical seasonal trends. The Colonial pipeline system “is an irreplaceable, vital jugular for fuel supply to the East Coast,” McNally said. “It’s the major artery and there are no real other good options to replace it.” One of Colonial’s two pipelines ruptured last summer in North Carolina, spilling 1.2 million gallons of gasoline, the largest spill in the state’s history. On March 29, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), a division of the Department of Transportation, informed Colonial that its investigation of the North Carolina spill raised serious concerns about safety. “PHMSA’s ongoing investigation indicates that conditions may exist on the Colonial Pipeline System that pose a pipeline integrity risk to public safety, property or the environment,” it said in a proposed safety order. “The conditions that led to the failure potentially exist throughout the Colonial Pipeline System. Further, Colonial’s inability to effectively detect and respond to this release, as well as other past releases, has potentially exacerbated the impacts of this and numerous other failures over the operational history of Colonial’s entire system. ... It appears that the continued operation of the Colonial Pipeline System without corrective measures would pose a pipeline integrity risk to public safety, property, or the environment.” In 2016, a Colonial pipeline exploded and released 4,400 barrels of gasoline into a pond in Shelby County, Ala. One worker was killed. Recovery and repair procedures were hampered by dangerous clouds of gasoline and benzene vapors, PHMSA reported. Later that year, an underground leak of more than 7,000 barrels was discovered by a mine inspector in Alabama. That leak was attributed to pipe fatigue caused by improper preparation of the soil beneath it. For both incidents, the company agreed to pay the state $3.3 million to cover damages and penalties. The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Colonial Pipeline","Colonial pipeline"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["ransomware attack","Ransomware attack"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Chand raat bazaars, shopping malls, public places to remain closed from May 8-16 across Pakistan","document":"Chand raat bazaars, shopping malls, public places, and recreational spots will all remain closed from May 8-16, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) said Thursday. The NCOC, in a statement, said: \"The current spike of COVID-19 in the country merits effective measures to arrest its further spread with special emphasis on reducing mobility during forthcoming Eid-ul-Fitr.\" In this regard, it has announced comprehensive “Stay home, stay safe\" guidelines for Eid-uI-Fitr-2021 to curb the spread of the virus. The restrictions will be in place from May 8-16. All markets, businesses, and shops will remain closed except essential services, which include: Moreover, the ban on chand raat bazaars extends to mehndi, jewelry/ornaments and clothing stalls, the NCOC said. A complete ban on tourism would also be observed for both locals and foreigners. All tourist resorts, formal and informal picnic spots, public parks, shopping malls will remain shut. All hotels and restaurants around tourist and picnic spots will remain closed. \"Travel nodes leading to tourist/picnic spots closed; focus on Murree, Galiyat, Swat-Kalam, Sea View/beaches, and Northern Areas and other tourist destinations,\" the statement said. Locals, especially people of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, would be allowed to travel back home, the statement said. A complete ban on inter-provincial, inter-city, and intra-city public transport will be observed except for private vehicles, taxis, rickshaws, with 50% occupancy. \"Additional trains to manage extra passenger load till May 7, thereafter normal train operation [will] be resumed. 70% occupancy along with stringent COVID SOPs [should] be ensured,\" it said. Moreover, Eid-ul-Fitr holidays in Pakistan would be observed from May 10-15, NCOC said. Pakistan's coronavirus positivity ratio jumped to 9.6% today after the country reported over 5,000 new infections in the last 24 hours. According to the official data provided by the NCOC, 5,480 people tested positive for the coronavirus, after 57,013 tests were conducted across the country. The total tally of COVID-19 cases now stands at 815,711, with most cases reported in Punjab. The number of recoveries nationwide has reached 708,193 so far, while the number of active cases in the country stands at 89,838 as of today. A day earlier, Pakistan reported the highest single-day death toll recorded since the pandemic started last year with over 200 new fatalities. The \"fake news\" claims SSGC specified hours of the day during which gas will be supplied to domestic consumers Nazim Jokhio was held hostage and tortured at warehouse in Jam House, say police Immediately stop airing Noor Mukadam CCTV footage, PEMRA instructs TV channels COVID-19 killed 11 more people in last 24 hours, NCOC data shows Secretary Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Sukkur announces results of Intermediate Science and Arts groups PDM fighting for the country's survival and it will win in this struggle, PDM chief Fazl says","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["All tourist resorts, formal and informal picnic spots, public parks, shopping malls","shopping malls","raat bazaars, shopping malls, public places, and recreational spots","raat bazaars","All hotels and restaurants around tourist and picnic spots","picnic spots","Eid-uI-Fitr-2021","All markets, businesses, and shops"]},{"role":"Date","values":["from May 8-16"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Pakistan"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["spike of COVID-19","COVID","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Multiple fall festivals in Phoenix canceled due to COVID-19 concerns","document":"SCOTTSDALE, AZ — A handful of outdoor fall festivals in the Valley have been canceled due to increasing concerns surrounding the spread of the delta variant amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The AZCentral Wine & Food Experience, Arizona Taco Festival, Spooktacular Hot Air Balloon Festival, and Tempe Oktoberfest have all been canceled, organizers announced Tuesday. Recent Stories from abc15.com The Arizona Taco Festival was scheduled for Oct. 23 & 24, 2021, Spooktacular Hot Air Balloon Festival on Oct. 29 & 30, and AZCentral Wine & Food Experience on Nov. 6, 2021, all at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, near Scottsdale, and part of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Tempe Oktoberfest was scheduled for Oct. 8-10, 2021, at Tempe Beach Park. Producers for the Arizona Taco Festival cited \"heightened public health concerns amid the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) and others\" as the reason for the cancellation of this year's event. That event has now been rescheduled for two weekends in 2022: a spring festival on April 9 & 10 and a fall festival on October 22 & 23. A spokesperson said those who purchased tickets to the taco festival would receive an email with information by Aug. 31, including refund options. However, tickets will be honored for the new spring festival dates. The Spooktacular event will be rescheduled for fall 2022, while another event is being planned for the spring, organizers said. In a statement to ABC15, Jason Taylor, president of USA Today Network Ventures, said the Wine & Food Experience was canceled \"out of an abundance of caution.\" \"Our priority is to ensure that we celebrate our communities in a safe environment. Given the current COVID-19 indicators, we will evaluate rescheduling in the near future,\" he said. A rescheduled date has not been announced. \"Given the current situation surrounding the Delta variant, potential local government restrictions, and the financial burden to produce the event, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Four Peaks Oktoberfest,\" organizers said in a statement. \"We look forward to sharing live music, brats, and beer with you next year for the 50th annual Four Peaks Oktoberfest,\" the statement read. Other events, however, are moving forward as planned. Related: 18 art, food, and music fall festivals happening around the Valley Yoga in the Outfield on Nov. 7, 2021, and AZ Barrels, Bottles & Brews on Nov. 13, 2021, will both remain scheduled as planned at Salt River Fields, but with more social distancing between attendees, organizers said. David Tyda, who produces the Phoenix Pizza Festival in downtown Phoenix, said in a brief text message that his festival, set for Nov. 13 & 14 at Margaret T. Hance Park, was \"so far still a go.\" ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["AZCentral Wine & Food Experience","AZCentral Wine","Food Experience","The Arizona Taco Festival","Arizona Taco Festival","Spooktacular Hot Air Balloon Festival","Tempe Oktoberfest","outdoor fall festivals"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Oct. 23 & 24, 2021","Oct. 29 & 30","Nov. 6, 2021","Oct. 8-10, 2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["SCOTTSDALE, AZ","Scottsdale"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["increasing concerns surrounding the spread of the delta variant amid the COVID-19 pandemic","public health concerns"]}]} {"event_trigger":"West Side initiative hopes to revitalize closed school in Austin","document":"A $120 million effort, led by the Westside Health Authority, would turn the vacant Robert Emmet Elementary School into a hub for job development, housing and retail opportunities. In 2013, Mayor Rahm Emanuel shut down 50 schools across the city. Now, eight years later, one of those schools will be transformed into a multi-use resource facility for West Side residents. Four years after it was closed, Austin’s Westside Health Authority acquired the Robert Emmet Elementary School through a CPS auction. According to Morris Reed, the Health Authority’s CEO, they were up against one other group who wanted to turn it into a medical facility. But the community rejected the idea, Reed said, and asked for something that could be built with residents’ suggestions. The Health Authority, which uses community input to promote community wellness and development, saw an opportunity to provide what many were asking for. “The community always felt like the school was a very visible symbol of our failures to meet the needs of our young people and to put youth on a path to have careers, to be employed, to improve the quality of life for young adults in the city of Chicago, particularly in Austin and on the West Side,” said Reed. Now, Reed and his organization plan to generate economic growth through their Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation, to be built in the former elementary school at 5500 W. Madison St. Plans call for work to start next spring. “We’re at a critical time in our community,” said Reed. “But now we have an opportunity for the rebirth of the West Side. So what’s really important for us is to make sure that there’s the infrastructure and structural mechanisms where ordinary people can take a part of this new economic growth.” The Health Authority will renovate the existing building, then lease space in it to other groups that provide services such as workforce development, job placement, banking, or helping residents find affordable housing. The center is the spearhead of a larger initiative, one that would use several community organizations to bring a multitude of resources to the West Side. By The Hand Club For Kids, Austin Coming Together and the Austin College and Career Academy are the Health Authority’s partners for the initiative. That effort calls for expanding to other sites in central Austin where other services could be offered, such as early childhood education, or help with buying a home. It also wants to help bring other retail businesses to the area. The Health Authority met with Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th), whose ward covers most of Austin, to discuss the project on Sept. 10. Taliaferro said later that he’s looking forward to the project. “Now we’ll have a project that will help build up the West Side,” Taliaferro said. “Historically, we’ve been disinvested. This is an opportunity for the community to come together with education, jobs and other resources.” Westside Health Authority has also sent their proposal to U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., whose congressional district includes Austin. “It’s not easy to redevelop communities that are old, that are distressed,” Davis said. But, he added, bringing jobs back into the community is one of the best ways to spur redevelopment. “We’ve got to track jobs back to the inner city, where the large Black population is,” Davis said. The Health Authority hopes to get some funding from President Joe Biden’s infrastructure proposal, if it passes Congress, Reed said. Taliaferro estimated the project could cost about $25 million, but added it was impossible to be too precise on the final price tag. The overall Aspire Initiative is expected to cost $120 million over the next 10 years, Reed said. Besides potential federal funding, it will raise money from private investors and grants and seek other capital support from the city. It also could qualify for tax credits. Reed said the state already has awarded his organization a $10 million grant for the Aspire Center project, and he also hopes to secure some funding from the city. Cheyanne M. Daniels is a staff reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times via Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster the paper’s coverage of communities on the South and West sides. Kevin Tinker was shot to death while standing on a sidewalk Sunday evening in the 200 block of West 110th Place, Chicago police said. Sure it was the Lions, but a win is a win. The Bears benched starting cornerback Kindle Vildor in favor of Artie Burns, and more. After the verdicts were read, Wanda Cooper-Jones thought of her son’s supporters at the Glynn County Courthouse who shouted \"Justice for Ahmaud!\" every day. \"I finally got a chance to come out of those courtroom doors and say, we did it, we did it together.\" The city reached that goal a month early, but many neighborhoods on the South and West sides still lag behind.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Robert Emmet Elementary School","50 schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2013","eight years later"]},{"role":"Location","values":["city of Chicago","Chicago"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Disney Store closings: More locations are closing but here’s the list of stores staying open — for now","document":"The Walt Disney Co. previously announced plans to close nearly 60 of its full-size retail locations across the country \"on or before\" Sept. 15. As of Sept. 14, the store locator tool didn't indicate which locations may have already closed and which are ending liquidation sales Wednesday. Another two locations are set to close \"on or before\" Sept. 22. After the latest closures, about two dozen stores will remain, the store locator showed Tuesday. The closings don't affect more than 600 stores inside Disney theme parks and other locations, including small Disney shops inside Target stores. ►Happy Meal toys:McDonald's Disney toys arrive in Happy Meals to mark Disney World's 50th anniversary ►New Disney Store locations:Target to add more than 100 Disney Store locations by the end of 2021, releases top toy list The company said in March that it was reducing the number of stores to focus on its e-commerce business. It announced nearly 40 closures . \"While consumer behavior has shifted toward online shopping, the global pandemic has changed what consumers expect from a retailer,” Stephanie Young, president of consumer products, games and publishing, said in a statement at the time. The closures come as Target plans to open more than 100 new Disney shops inside its stores by the end of 2021. It's also right before Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary. California, which is losing 18 stores after the Sept. 22 closure of the Sacramento store, will have five remaining stores, which is the most of any state. Texas will have four stores, but many states will have a single location left.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["nearly 60 of its full-size retail","18 stores","Sacramento store"]},{"role":"Date","values":["\"on or before\" Sept. 15. As of Sept. 14","after the Sept. 22"]},{"role":"Location","values":["across the country","California","Texas"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["focus on its e-commerce business"]}]} {"event_trigger":"BHG Bugis Junction closed until Aug 30; Covid-19 cluster grows to 61","document":"SINGAPORE — The BHG Bugis Junction department store will be closed to the public for another five days until Aug 30 to break any potential chain of Covid-19 transmission linked to it. The Ministry of Health (MOH), which announced this in its nightly update of the coronavirus situation on Wednesday (Aug 25), said that there are now a total of 61 cases linked to the Bugis Junction cluster after 38 more were added for the day. Of these 61 cases, 51 are people who work at the mall — of whom 46 are workers of BHG, a department store. The remaining 10 are visitors to the mall. MOH said that staff members who have been working in the affected shops at the mall are being tested and that close contacts of the confirmed cases will be quarantined. The ministry had on Tuesday extended free Covid-19 testing for members of the public who had visited the retail shops or used the services or facilities at the mall. Separately, MOH said that there were 10 new cases linked to the Selarang Halfway House, bringing the total number of infections there to 19. The Selarang Halfway House is a facility located on Upper Changi Road North that runs programmes to help former prisoners better reintegrate into society. Among the 19 infected there, 17 are supervisees (the ex-offenders) and two are household or workplace contacts of these supervisees. By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis. “All staff of Selarang Halfway House and residents of the affected block have been tested for Covid-19, and all close contacts of cases and supervisees living in the same block will be placed on quarantine,” MOH said. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The BHG Bugis Junction department store"]},{"role":"Date","values":["another five days until Aug 30"]},{"role":"Location","values":["SINGAPORE"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["break any potential chain of Covid-19 transmission"]}]} {"event_trigger":"School closure, opening decisions for Wednesday, Sept. 15","document":"As rains from Tropical Storm Nicholas move through Acadiana, school districts are updating on openings/closures. Below is a list of decisions from school districts for Wednesday, September 14. We have reached out to each district and will update this list with information as we receive it. ACADIA PARISH The Acadia Parish School System will be open Wednesday, September 15th. We will continue to monitor weather conditions overnight and announce any changes - if needed - as early as we possibly can in the morning. Students that have difficulty getting to school due to any reasons associated with the weather will be excused. CALCASIEU PARISH All Calcasieu Parish schools and facilities will be open Wednesday, September 15. All SOWELA campuses were closed Tuesday, September 14, in preparation for Tropical Storm Nicholas. For official updates, students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to follow SOWELA.edu. If assistance is needed, contact info@SOWELA.edu. All SOWELA Technical Community College campuses will be open on Wednesday, September 15. If students, faculty, or staff need assistance, please contact the College at info@sowela.edu. EVANGELINE PARISH Evangeline Parish Schools and District offices will be closed on Wednesday, September 15. According to Superintendent Darwan Lazard, the closure is due to flooded roads and road closures in the parish from Nicholas. Schools will implement remote learning where possible, he says. Sacred Heart School in Ville Platte is also closed Wednesday due to road closures. IBERIA PARISH Iberia Parish Public Schools will have remote learning on Wednesday, September 15. JEFF DAVIS PARISH All Jeff Davis Parish Schools/Offices will be open on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. We understand that there will be low-lying areas where excessive water prevents buses from passing or parents from being able to transport students to school. Students in this situation will be excused from school tomorrow as student safety is our primary concern. All students who checked out Chromebooks from the school are expected to return Chromebooks tomorrow. Students unable to get to school tomorrow are strongly encouraged to continue to participate in virtual learning. In these cases, Chromebooks will return to school when students return. LAFAYETTE PARISH All Lafayette Parish schools and facilities will be open on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. As a precaution, buses will not travel on roadways that appear to have high water levels because drivers cannot accurately determine the depth of standing water. Based on your individual circumstances, parents and guardians may decide attendance is not best for your family at this time. If you feel conditions are not safe, you may choose to keep your student home. Carencro Catholic will be open on Wednesday, September 15. Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy will be open on Wednesday, September 15. Westminster Christian Academy will resume on-campus classes on Wednesday, September 15. Lafayette Christian Academy will reopen on Wednesday, September 15th. ST. LANDRY PARISH All St. Landry Parish schools and facilities will be open Wednesday, September 15, 2021. St. Landry Charter School will be closed Wednesday, Sept. 15 due to water damage. The school will resume classes on Thursday, Sept. 16. All JS Clark Leadership Academy - Opelousas schools and facilities will be open Wednesday, September 15. ST. MARTIN PARISH All St. Martin Parish Schools will be open Wednesday, September 15. ST. MARY PARISH All St. Mary Parish schools will open as scheduled on Wednesday, Sept. 15. VERMILION PARISH Vermilion Parish schools will be open Wednesday, September 15. It will be a full day, not a 1/2 Professional Development day as previously planned. Students will report all day. Leblanc Elementary and JH Williams Middle will be closed as they were previously scheduled to be closed all day for School Wide In-Service Vermilion Catholic will return to school Wednesday, September 15th. DIOCESE OF LAFAYETTE Due to weather, some Catholic schools in the Diocese of Lafayette will be closed on Wednesday, September 15: Catholic High in New IberiaSt. Edwards in New Iberia OTHER DECISIONS LSU Eunice will be open on Wednesday, September 15 for normal instruction and business hours. All South Louisiana Community College campuses will be open Wednesday, Sept. 15 and classes will be held as planned. If you are a student living in a low-lying area and can't attend class, please contact your instructors. If you are an employee who lives in a low-lying area and can't make it to work, please contact your supervisor.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["All SOWELA campuses","Evangeline Parish Schools and District offices","Sacred Heart School","IBERIA PARISH Iberia Parish Public Schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday, September 15","Wednesday","September 15","15","Tuesday, September 14"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Acadiana"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["flooded roads and road closures in the parish from Nicholas","Nicholas","Parish","PARISH","road closures","rains from Tropical Storm Nicholas","Tropical Storm Nicholas"]}]} {"event_trigger":"The first day the two shopping malls in Jurong East reopened for business after a mandatory two-week closure","document":"SINGAPORE - Dinner-time crowds were thin at Jem and Westgate on Sunday (June 6), the first day the two shopping malls in Jurong East reopened for business after a mandatory two-week closure. The two malls were linked to a Covid-19 cluster that numbered 63 cases as at Saturday. When The Straits Times visited the malls at 7pm on Sunday for two hours, some shoppers said it was not as crowded as it was on weekends before the closures. The malls had been closed since May 23 for deep cleaning of the premises, after investigations by the Ministry of Health found likely ongoing transmission among visitors to the two malls. Both malls told ST that they have completed deep cleaning and disinfection works prior to the reopening. The air in Westgate's air-conditioned areas will be purged daily before the mall opens for business each day, said CapitaLand, which operates Westgate. Air dampers in the building are also fully opened to improve air intake in the mall's kitchens and toilets. CapitaLand said it has also ramped up cleaning protocols in the mall. After the mall closes for the day, autonomous ultraviolet (UV) disinfection robots will be deployed to disinfect the premises. This comes on top of other precautions including placing disinfection floor mats at key entrances and coating high contact areas with an anti-microbial disinfectant. Jem will continue to maintain its enhanced cleaning regime and safe distancing protocols, said its operator Lendlease Singapore. Lendlease head of asset operations Jenny Khoo said: \"Jem reopened smoothly today after completing all the required disinfection and deep cleaning works in collaboration with our tenants. We are excited to welcome shoppers back, with the roll-out of attractive perks for shoppers to enjoy.\" On Sunday evening, a number of retail stores and eateries were closed in both Westgate and Jem. Shoppers were sparse at popular haunts like Ikea and Don Don Donki, both located in Jem. Mr Ang Won Leong, 28, who works in security at Changi Airport, said he took the opportunity to visit Ikea, as he has not been there since the furniture store opened on April 29. Mr Ang, who was with his girlfriend, said: \"We just wanted to leave our house and walk around for a bit to do some shopping and buy food. I wouldn't say we're worried - it's just another day.\" A shopper who wanted to be known as Ms Mondal, 35, said her five-year-old daughter had been asking to leave the house, so she decided to visit Jem for her daughter's haircut and grocery shopping. \"There're very few people around. I was expecting more people, especially since it's dinner time,\" said Ms Mondal, who works in the oil and gas industry, adding that she typically visits both malls around twice a week prior to the closures. A shopper, who gave his name only as Ze, said he came to Jem to do grocery shopping at the FairPrice supermarket with his wife. \"There're a lot fewer people today, perhaps because some of the shops are not open and the no dining-in rule takes away a lot of crowd,\" said the 37-year-old who works in a bank. \"We always use the free hand sanitiser they put up everywhere in the mall and we do what we can to safeguard ourselves, so we think it's okay to come out.\" Mr Kaunt, who is from Myanmar and goes by one name, said he is less worried, as he had received his second Covid-19 vaccination jab a few weeks ago. He was waiting for his wife outside Jem's FairPrice supermarket with his daughter, aged four. Said the 42-year-old engineer: \"I feel the community cases situation is more under control now, compared to when we had the circuit breaker last year, so that's why more people are relieved and feel safer to come out.\"","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Jem and Westgate","Westgate","Jem"]},{"role":"Date","values":["two-week","week","since May 23"]},{"role":"Location","values":["SINGAPORE","Singapore"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Covid-19 cluster that numbered 63 cases","Covid-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"The BHG department store was shut on Tuesday for cleaning and disinfecting works","document":"SINGAPORE - The BHG department store in Bugis Junction was shut on Tuesday (Aug 24) for cleaning and disinfecting works, after a member of its staff tested positive for Covid-19. BHG announced on Tuesday the store closure on its Facebook page, saying its staff member had tested positive the day before. “We have since informed all staff who had been in close contact to self-quarantine and undergo swab tests,” BHG said. It added that the Bugis Junction store will reopen on Thursday. The news comes as the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday announced 20 new infections linked to the shopping mall. A spokesman for Bugis Junction said the mall has “taken the necessary environmental cleaning measures in accordance with the authority’s guidelines”. They include increasing the frequency of cleaning common touchpoints, and enhancing air circulation in the mall by conducting daily air purging and fully opening air dampers to maximise outdoor air intake. These are among the guidelines spelt out in a directive issued by the Building and Construction Authority, National Environment Agency and MOH in May. The suddenness of the news seems to have affected shoppers. Businesses in the mall saw slower sales. “Usually, by 3pm, we would have already sold 100 cups of tea. Today, we sold only 40,” said Ms Lee Su Teng, 21, a saleswoman at ShareTea, which is at an open area near BHG. Nearby, bag accessory shop Bratpack saw zero sales for most of the morning and early afternoon. “Our business has been reduced by at least 50 per cent. Usually by 3.30pm, we’ll have 15 customers. Today - not even a single one,” said Ms Kam Yok Chan, a staff member at the shop. Some shops remain hopeful that the footfall will pick up. “Bugis Junction is quite popular, so (it) having a cluster is a sooner or later thing. I think other malls will face this problem as well,” said a store owner, who would only give his name as Ken. “It’s no big deal. Nowadays, a lot of places are closing down because of the virus. Like I think West Gate was closed twice - even Jewel also got it.” Staff members working in the mall are taking things in their stride. Ms Koong Wei Heong, who works at Ya Kun Kaya Toast in the mall, said: \"We are feeling pretty calm because we get tested every two weeks. We were just tested on Aug 20.\" Ms Koong was referring to the fast and easy test (FET) workers in higher-risk settings, like dine-in eateries, have to undergo every 14 days. The FET regime can include antigen rapid tests. She added that she is waiting to find out if she needs a swab test as well, following the emergence of the cluster linked to the mall. \"Not many people visited the mall on Wednesday. They are probably afraid after hearing news of the cluster,\" said Ms Koong.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The BHG department store"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Bugis Junction","SINGAPORE"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["a member of its staff tested positive for Covid-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Some shops have closed temporarily due to a cluster of Covid-19 cases emerged","document":"SINGAPORE - Businesses at Bugis Junction are reeling from the drastic drop in footfall since a cluster of Covid-19 cases emerged at the mall on Aug 24. Infections there ballooned to 246 on Thursday (Sept 2), from 20 cases initially. Some business owners and employees at units ranging from clothing stores to restaurants said footfall had plummeted by about 90 per cent in the past week, despite measures such as deep cleaning and quarantining. Some shops have closed temporarily as it was not worth operating at present, or because employees had been infected with the virus. The manager of a clothing store, who gave his name only as Mr Eric, said this had been the worst drop in customers that he has seen this year. Ms Cheng Wei Li, 35, an employee at a gadget shop, also said footfall had been low. \"Maybe it will get better after one or two weeks,\" she said in Mandarin. Mr Jaryl Foo, 22, who works at anime merchandise shop Otaku House, said he has seen close to zero sales in the past week. \"People want to avoid this place now,\" he said. \"At first I was very concerned about the cases as I am working here, but at least I am vaccinated.\" An employee who works at a food stall in the basement said many stalls had closed early because there was no business, and the queues at popular stalls had disappeared. Said the 28-year-old woman, who did not want to be named: \"Everyone is scared of this place. Normally the shops here have really long queues.\" Like other staff at the mall, she was sent for a mandatory Covid-19 swab test, one of several measures taken by the mall to weed out infections. In addition, close contacts of cases have been quarantined, and free testing was offered to members of the public who had visited shops or used the services at specific times. The mall management has carried out deep cleaning and disinfection of the mall's toilets and common areas on all floors in the past week. The air-conditioning filters were also replaced, said a Bugis Junction spokesman. The vaccination rate among Bugis Junction centre management staff is close to 100 per cent, and all tenants have completed a round of mandatory swab tests arranged by the Ministry of Health (MOH). The spokesman said in response to queries from The Straits Times: \"We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and together with our tenants, we will take the necessary measures as advised by the authorities.\" Those working at the mall said staff at department store BHG contributed to at least 70 cases, or more than a quarter of those in the Bugis Junction cluster. BHG staff said employees who were stationed at the outlet when the cluster emerged had been issued quarantine orders and all workers present since then were on rotation from other outlets of the chain. Like the rest of the mall, shoppers were sparse on the three levels of the BHG outlet when ST visited on Thursday afternoon. Brand promoters and staff were also spread thin, with many stands unmanned and fewer than five promoters left to keep tabs on a few dozen brands on the third level of BHG. It is understood that the majority of the outlet's original staff will return next week after completing their quarantine. When contacted, a BHG spokesman said the outlet was reopened to shoppers on Wednesday (Sept 1), after a week of thorough cleaning. Starting with Bugis Junction, safety ambassadors are being introduced in all their outlets to ensure shoppers and staff adhere to the rules. The store is also sanitised at least five times a day, including clothes that are returned after fitting. Staff and brand promoters will undergo regular swab tests and temperature tests as well, added the spokesman. The number of infections linked to Bugis Junction is creeping closer to the 253 cases in the KTV cluster, which emerged on July 12 and infected patrons and hostesses across many outlets. The KTV infections then sparked off Singapore's largest active Covid-19 cluster at the Jurong Fishery Port, which stands at 1,155 cases. Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, vice-dean of global health and Infectious Diseases Programme leader at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said the cases would continue to rise as Singapore has gradually relaxed restrictions on dining out and social gatherings. He added that Bugis Junction is \"a busy mall with high footfall, and therefore at potential risk of super-spreader events\" and advised staff to see a doctor if they experience any symptoms, or test positive on a self-test using an antigen rapid testing kit. Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases specialist from the Rophi Clinic, said the surge in cases at the mall could be because it was located at a busy intersection of two MRT lines. He added that he was most concerned about unvaccinated cases in the cluster, who are more at risk. \"Consistently, individuals who have been vaccinated would have very mild disease,\" he said, pointing out that among the thousands of vaccinated individuals who had fallen ill with Covid-19, only one elderly patient had died. He advised staff at the mall to practise social distancing, wear good quality masks that are tight against the face and to get vaccinated. \"This is progressively becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated,\" he said. \"If you are vaccinated, you are generally safe. (In most cases) vaccination takes the teeth out of a bite, rendering the virus a harmless bark.\"","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Some shops"]},{"role":"Date","values":["temporarily"]},{"role":"Location","values":["SINGAPORE","Singapore"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["cluster of Covid-19 cases emerged","Covid-19","cluster","19 cluster","Covid"]}]} {"event_trigger":"After 162 years, department store stalwart Robinsons is throwing in the towel","document":"SINGAPORE - After 162 years, department store stalwart Robinsons is throwing in the towel. It said on Friday (Oct 30) it is closing its last two department stores here at The Heeren and Raffles City Shopping Centre. The retailer said the decision to liquidate its stores was prompted by a range of factors, including changing consumer tastes and cost pressures such as rent. “The overarching business model of department stores is outdated,” it said in a statement. Robinsons also said decision to liquidate came after the stores' \"inability to continue operations due to weak demand at department stores\". While the retailer’s e-commerce platforms are no longer operational, shoppers can continue to visit its bricks-and-mortar stores for the time being. The last day for the two physical stores is not clear. Robinsons said the appointed liquidators are in negotiations with the landlords but “we hope that the stores will stay open for the coming weeks”. Robinsons stores in Malaysia, located at Shoppes at Four Seasons Place and The Gardens Mall, will also be liquidated. But other retailers under the Al-Futtaim Group, which include Marks & Spencer and Zara, will not be affected, a spokesman has confirmed. Mr Danny Lim, Robinsons' senior general manager, said: \"We regret this outcome today. Despite recent challenges in the industry, the Robinsons team continued to pursue the success of the brand. \"However, the changing consumer landscape makes it difficult for us to succeed over the long term and the Covid-19 pandemic has further exacerbated our challenges. \"We have enjoyed success over the years, and it has been an honour for Robinsons to serve the Singapore market. I am grateful for the dedication of our team, and for the support shown by our customers over the years.\" Robinsons said changing retail trends brought about by the rise of e-commerce and lower demand for department stores are to blame for slumping retail sales, a problem that has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Robinsons was bought by the Dubai-based Al-Futtaim Group in 2008 for $600 million. In 2016, the Al-Futtaim group, which owns Robinsons and other franchises such as John Little and Bebe, announced that it would be closing 10 or more stores in Singapore, citing the challenging retail environment. Robinsons suffered losses for at least the last six years from shrinking sales, The Business Times reported. In 2018, the chain sank $54.4 million into the red after revenue fell to $153.8 million. In comparison, turnover was $257.3 million in 2014. Its Raffles City store opened its doors in 2001 and the retailer later opened its flagship store at The Heeren in 2013, occupying six floors and 186,000 sq feet. Then in 2016, Robinsons launched its first e-commerce website and also closed the last John Little outlet in Plaza Singapura at the end of the same year. In the third quarter of this year, Robinsons closed its Jem outlet in Jurong East, which had opened in 2013. Following Robinsons’ announcement on Friday, OCBC Bank said it is cancelling its OCBC Robinsons Credit Card from April 15 next year. Mr Vincent Tan, head of cards business at OCBC, said: “We are grateful to have been able to partner Robinsons in a successful co-branded credit card platform in Singapore over the past 18 years.” Robinsons also encouraged all customers holding on to Robinsons gift cards and vouchers to redeem them as soon as possible. “The stores in Singapore will accept Robinsons...gift cards and vouchers during the liquidation process and for as long as the stores remain open,” it said. Customers at Robinsons stores here were also told on Friday that vouchers can be used only for purchases at least double the value of the vouchers. This means that a $20 voucher, for example, can be used only with a minimum spend of $40. Corporate advisory and restructuring firm KordaMentha's Mr Cameron Duncan and Mr David Kim have been appointed provisional liquidators, said Robinsons on Friday. The provisional liquidators will now take control of the company's assets and assess options to realise value in order to maximise returns to creditors. \"Subject to confirmation, the liquidators are hoping the stores will remain open for the coming weeks to facilitate final sales for customers before they are shuttered,\" Robinsons added in the statement. The retailer said that its employees were informed on Friday by management and the provisional liquidators of the liquidation, adding that they have been assured that the liquidators will now work to maximise returns to creditors, including employees. The company employs 175 staff here. Robinsons said its management has ensured that employees are supported with payments in keeping with the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act. They will be made to workers in the next payment cycle. “(This) is well in advance of the usual liquidation process timing which would usually take months,” the company added. The payments will be on top of employees’ salaries, which will be paid in full in line with the number of hours worked, said Robinsons. “All store operations staff under Robinsons Singapore and Malaysia will remain in the employment of Robinsons until further notice,” the company said. “Any staff movement will depend on the circumstances. We are doing our best to see how we can accommodate Robinsons staff in other brands.” KordaMentha will now aim to work with the Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers’ Union, the National Trades Union Congress' Employment and Employability Institute and the NTUC Job Security Council to ensure that employees are supported. The liquidators will also leverage existing government schemes such as SkillsFuture Singapore's SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package. For the liquidation of Robinsons’ two stores in Malaysia, Datuk Robert Teo Keng Tuan of RSM Malaysia was appointed on Friday as interim liquidator. When contacted, Raffles City Singapore said it is in discussions with Robinsons on the smooth handover of the premises. “Shoppers can look forward to a refreshed Raffles City tenant mix with the introduction of exciting offerings. More details will be shared in due course,” it added. Some shoppers like housewife Suyan Hong, 48, were \"totally stunned\" when told that Robinsons was in provisional liquidation. \"I knew that they were downsizing after they announced the closure of their (Jem) outlet. But usually when downsizing happens it's a cost-cutting measure that will help the business’ margins improve. I didn't expect them to shut down,\" she said. Ms Hong said that the department store introduced her to brands such as Jigsaw, Whistle and Trucco which she frequently buys from. \"I will miss the spontaneous experience of being able to find anything from clothes, homeware and children’s items in one place at Robinsons,\" she said. \"Robinsons is where I would go for last-minute shopping during the holiday season.\"","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["10 or more stores","stores","last two department stores","Robinsons stores","John Little outlet","Jem outlet"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2016","the third quarter of this year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["SINGAPORE","Singapore","The Heeren and Raffles City Shopping Centre","Heeren","Malaysia"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["a range of factors, including changing consumer tastes and cost pressures such as rent","Covid-19 pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Event schedule announced for 2021 Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree after twice cancellation","document":"Organizers of the annual Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree recently announced the schedule for the upcoming 2021 event, which is being held on October 29 and October 30 on Ocracoke Island. The Jamboree commemorates the last days of Blackbeard the pirate, who was killed off Ocracoke on Nov. 22, 1718. After being canceled in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and canceled in 2019 due to Hurricane Dorian, the annual Jamboree is returning to Ocracoke this year, although there are several changes due to the ongoing pandemic, and the post-Dorian landscape. “Ocracoke Island, like everyone else, is climbing out of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the island is also recovering from the flooding devastation from Hurricane Dorian in 2019,” stated an earlier update from event organizers. “So, Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree will go on Oct. 29 and 30, but will be scaled back this year.” “This year, too, the festival will focus more on history and colonial life and on family fun. Festival-goers will be urged to eat and drink in any of Ocracoke’s many restaurants.” Friday, Oct. 29 Artist vendors open from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Berkley Manor grounds Friday 7 p.m. inside the Berkley Barn – ‘The Incredible ‘Blackbeard’s Ghost’ Rocky Horror Picture Show!” including a discussion about Pirates and Fake News in 1718. Join us to watch the movie “Blackbeard’s Ghost” (1968) and shout our favorite lines from the movie. Popcorn & sodas for sale. Saturday, Oct. 30: 9 a.m. – The Colonial Village and Brigands Bazaar vendor fair on the Berkley Manor grounds opens as a cannon blast wakes up Ocracoke! Activities for all throughout the day until 6 p.m. 10 a.m. – A Pirate Parade! With anyone who wants to join in and the walking giant Blackbeard puppet and Jimmy Bones. Parade musters at Ride the Wind Surf Shop and parade ends at the encampment. 10:30 a.m. – Motley Tones perform in Community Square. 11 a.m. – A pirate ship (ADVENTURE) invades Silver Lake and is met by the Royal Navy (MEKA II). 11:30 a.m. Inside the Berkley Barn – Kevin Duffus presents a talk: “The Pamlico Pirates—Who were they? What did they do, and why did they do it?” 12 p.m. outside the Berkley Barn – Sword Circle gives a stage fighting demonstration. 1 p.m. inside the Berkley Barn – Kevin Duffus presents: “Who was William Howard—Pirate Quartermaster or Ocracoke owner?” 1:30 p.m. – Motley Tones perform (TBD) 2 p.m. – Three-boat battle in Silver Lake between Blackbeard and Maynard. “Battle of Ocracoke.” 4 p.m. at the Berkley Barn – The Sword Circle demonstrates stage fighting. 5 p.m. inside the Berkley Barn – The 13th Annual Blackbeard Pirate and Royal Navy Memorial Service","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree","Pirate Jamboree"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2019","2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Ocracoke Island"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["Hurricane Dorian","Coronavirus pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"COVID-19 in Florida classrooms results in school closures, concern","document":"VERO BEACH, Fla. — Just a month into the second year of \"pandemic school\" and Florida school districts are struggling to keep up. In Indian River County, positive cases and quarantine forced the district to close two of its schools this week. SPECIAL COVERAGE: Coronavirus \"It's just not sustainable when you don't have the people to run the school,\" said Scott Simpson, the principal at Treasure Coast Elementary. Recent Stories from wptv.com Indian River County is one of four Florida school districts that have already taken the drastic measure to close a school amid a widely spreading delta variant. Two small schools districts in North Florida had to shut down all of their schools this week due to the rampant spread of the virus on its campuses. \"I truly feel it is necessary in order to build a stop-gap measure that will prevent the virus from spreading more widely,\" Gulf County School Superintendent Jim Norton posted on the district's Facebook page. From school closures to dozens more classroom quarantines. We've discovered at least 50 classrooms across 11 school districts have been closed to students since the start of the new school year. In Pasco County, the virus has resulted in a half dozen full classroom quarantines impacting elementary, middle and high schools, according to district spokesperson Steve Hegarty. To date, more than 13,000 students in the district have been out due to a positive case or quarantine since the start of the year. \"All these numbers are very concerning, absolutely,\" Hegarty said. The closures are not just an inconvenience but a real challenge for districts still trying to figure out how to effectively educate students in quarantine. Since the state dropped the option for e-learning, districts are relying on virtual programs including Zoom and Google classrooms but teachers aren't a guarantee. \"You're right, we can't necessarily force teachers to do one thing or another and it depends on if the teacher is feeling up to it,” explained Hegarty. \"If the teacher is positive they may not be able to teach,\" he said. In Lee County, nearly three dozen classrooms have shut their doors to students temporarily this year. During a board meeting earlier this week, board member Chris Patricca shared her own son’s experience learning in quarantine. \"There was zero work in Google classroom,\" Patricca said. \"That was an epic failure for those two days for that one kid. He learned nothing,\" she told the district. In much larger Hillsborough County, the district is using a combination of virtual programs and will soon be offering a new 24/7 tutoring program for all students in grades 6-12 regardless of whether they are in quarantine. The district is hiring 10 teachers who will also offer tutoring to students in grades K-5.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["two of its schools","Treasure Coast Elementary","all of their schools","at least 50 classrooms across 11 school districts","nearly three dozen classrooms"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this week","since the start of the new school year","temporarily this year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["VERO BEACH, Fla","Lee County"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["positive cases and quarantine"]}]} {"event_trigger":"‘We Love NYC’ Concert Canceled at Halfway Point Due to Lightning Threat","document":" Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Maluma and the Killers were among those who never made it to the stage. By Chris Willman Music Writer UPDATED: “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert,” the Clive Davis-programmed concert in Central Park, was called off just past its halfway point Saturday due to lightning strikes occurring within a 10-mile radius of the Great Lawn. Artists like Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Maluma, Patti Smith and the Killers had yet to appear at the point it was shut down.Those who did get in stage time before the abrupt cancellation included Jennifer Hudson, Andrea Bocelli, Earth Wind & Fire, LL Cool J, Kane Brown, Journey, Santana, Jon Batiste and the New York Philharmonic. Polo G was the last performer to complete a set, albeit his consisted of just one song, the current hit “Rapstar” — still, it could be said that he headlined the massive gathering. The abrupt halt came in the middle of a Barry Manilow medley at 7:37 p.m, as the 60,000 fans in attendance and even those in the VIP area were told to exit immediately. Confusion reigned in the aftermath of the mass exit. Although an announcer could be heard on the CNN broadcast telling attendees that the show was “canceled,” in an effort to convince stragglers to leave, some fans on social media reported that Mayor Bill de Blasio had come out and suggested they take shelter nearby in case the show could be restarted later. Ironically, Manilow had made it far enough in his medley to sing “Copacabana,” “Mandy” and “Can’t Smile Without You,” but fell just short of being able to get to the planned capper to his set, “I Made It Through the Rain.” For nearly three hours afterward, as some of the performers who yet to play waited things out in their trailers, Clive Davis and other organizers talked with city officials with the idea that the show might resume without an audience and wrap up as a pure broadcast event. But the hope of a crowd-free resumption proved to be in vain, with host network CNN announcing just before 10:30 — with rain and lightning still in the area — that there was no possibility of even an impromptu, informal finale. The concert and broadcast were planned to last for five hours. It was two hours and 37 minutes into the show when Manilow, mid-verse in “I Can’t Smile Without You,” was interrupted by an announcer saying: “Attention. Please pay close attention to the following safety measures. Due to approaching severe weather, all persons should move quickly and calmly to the nearest exits and proceed to your vehicles and protected areas.” Some fans were reluctant to leave, but the announcer soon declared over the PA that the event was canceled. Even so, CNN urged viewers to stick around by putting a chyron on screen for much of the following three hours that read, “Concert may resume soon once severe weather passes.” That belief seemed to be more than just a faint hope, as anchor Anderson Cooper interviewed artists in their trailers who said they believed some sort of denouement, even a short one, could be in order, despite fans having been told the concert was off. CNN’s weather anchor said that city officials had previously revealed that the show would have to be called off if there were any lightning strikes within 10 miles, and once those occurred in the Rockaway and Battery areas, there was no choice but to call it off. The lighting strikes represented the passing outer flank of Hurricane Henri, 270 miles away from Manhattan as of showtime. “They called the show, and then everybody said, ‘Wait a minute, we might be back on,'” Costello told Cooper in a phone interview about two hours after the show was shut down. “There is, after all, a big old storm coming…. (But) if there’s a way we can go play a few tunes to bring it to some kind of musical conclusion, that would be great. Let’s see what happens.” It was not to be, even as Cooper kept interviewing stars who were in their trailers, or, in Patti Smith’s case, already offsite. Hearing that host Gayle King was in a trailer where the Killers and others were ensconced, the CNN host cajoled King into FaceTiming the network a live feed of the Killers doing an acoustic “Mr. Brightside,” after she initially balked, apparently in jest, saying she wanted to save it for her CBS show Monday morning. As the 10:00 hour hit, what looked to be about a hundred rain-drenched fans had been allowed back into the area, raising hopes that of a very belated coda for the show. Cooper kept going with what he called “our freeform jazz odyssey of a broadcast,” which got progressively sillier as he bantered with the rained-out stars, with some viewers comparing it to one of his loopier New Year’s Eve broadcasts. When word finally came that the show was canceled-canceled, Cooper went through the final stages of denial. “I’m like the last guy at the party who’s like ‘No! With the time change, we get an extra hour!'” he joked. “I’m being told in my ear that it’s done, but I really feel like I’m not ready to give this up yet… I just felt like we were bonding with all these people and having a fun time, and concerts backstage… Apparently the concert is not happening. This is the word. Is this official? It’s official. It’s not happening, I’m being told over and over. It is sinking in finally. I am superbummed.” “It’s such a shame,” Manilow told Cooper earlier. “They cut us off and threw us off the stage because they were afraid of lightning. It was getting very dangerous out there.” The singer then cued his music director to play “I Made It Through the Rain” on a keyboard over the phone, as Cooper waved his arms back and forth. Early highlights of the show included the revelation of just what Aretha Franklin song “Respect” star Hudson was going to perform: it was “Nessun Dorma,” the operatic piece that Franklin famously sang at the Grammys on little notice when Pavarotti had to pull out. Hudson sang with the Philharmonic, as did Andrea Bocelli, who performed “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “O Sole Mio.” Julia Michaels and JP Saxe joined forces for their duet “If the World Was Ending.” Most of the other performers were afforded two songs apiece, including Santana, who did one number with Wyclef Jean and another with Rob Thomas. Earth Wind & Fire were joined by Lucky Daye on vocals for “You Want My Love” and Babyface guesting on guitar. The biggest crowd response was for a (mostly) vintage rap medley, performed by what emcee DJ Cassidy described as “the Avengers of hip-hop”: LL Cool J and Rev Run (“Mama Said Knock You Out” and “It’s Tricky”), Melle Mel and Scorpio (“The Message”), Busta Rhymes and Spliff Star (“Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See”), French Montana, Fat Joe and Remy Ma (“All the Way Up” and “Lean Back”) and younger star A Boogie Wit da Hoodie (“Look Back on It”). Gayle King hosted, and figures called in for introductions included Sen. Chuck Schumer and de Blasio, who called the soon-to-be-truncated event “the greatest concert in the history of New York City.”","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["past its halfway point Saturday","7:37 p.m"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Central Park","Rockaway and Battery areas"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["severe weather","lightning strikes occurring within a 10-mile radius of the Great Lawn"]}]} {"event_trigger":"3 Popular Department Stores Closing in New York, Hudson Valley","document":" The final Kmart in all of the Hudson Valley will soon close its doors. The Kmart located on Tarrytown Road in White Plains is closing, according to a store closing list released by SB60 Capital Partners. The Westchester County Kmart is the final Kmart in the Hudson Valley, according to Kmart's website. In 2018, the final Kmart in Dutchess County closed. In 2017, the Kmart in Vails Gate also closed. In 2016, Kmart closed its doors on Route 9 in Poughkeepsie.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Kmart"]},{"role":"Date","values":["soon","2018","2017","2016"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Hudson Valley","Dutchess County","Vails Gate","Route 9 in Poughkeepsie"]},{"role":"Cause","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"StubHub giving refunds for canceled events","document":"MADISON (WKOW) -- If you missed out on a canceled event during the pandemic and bought a ticket through StubHub, you could get your money back. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and Wisconsin Department of Justice announced a settlement reached with StubHub, Inc. regarding the company’s refusal to pay refunds to Wisconsin consumers for events that were canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under its “FanProtect Guarantee,” StubHub offered consumers full refunds of the purchase price and fees they paid for tickets if their events were canceled. In March 2020, following the mass-cancellation of entertainment events, StubHub stopped honoring its refund guarantee and instead told its customers that they would receive account credits equal to 120% of their purchases to be used for future events and denied their requests for refunds. Customers who purchased tickets before the March 25, 2020 policy change and had their events canceled can receive full refunds of the amounts they paid for their tickets, or they can elect to retain their account credits. More than 8,663 Wisconsin event-goers who purchased tickets on StubHub’s marketplace under terms that included the FanProtect Guarantee are impacted. Consumers who have not been contacted by StubHub and believe they are entitled to a refund should contact StubHub at (866) 788-2482 or DATCP’s Consumer Protection Hotline at (800) 422-7128. Wisconsin is joined by nine other states and the District of Columbia in a multistate resolution with the company.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["entertainment events"]},{"role":"Date","values":["during the pandemic","March 2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Wisconsin"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"COVID-19 Cases Close Erie Day School For Two Weeks","document":"A cluster of COVID-19 cases at Erie Day School has closed the private school for a total of two weeks. The Head of School, Dr. Karen Tyler, confirms to Erie News Now that the building closed on Wednesday after several student cases. Remote learning is underway until the school re-opens on October 1. Tyler says there were six positive COVID-19 cases when the school closed this week. As of Thursday, there are a total of 17 positive cases. One staff member is among those testing positive for the virus. The closure comes soon after the start of the new year at Erie Day School, located along 6th Street in Erie. The new school year started on September 7. Tyler says the school has been abiding to the Pennsylvania school mask mandate, and has put other virus mitigation efforts in place. The COVID-prompted closure was made by schools leaders and through the recommendation of the Erie County Health Department.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Dr. Karen Tyler"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Erie Day School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["for a total of two weeks","Wednesday","until the school re-opens on October 1","soon after the start of the new year"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Cause","values":["cluster of COVID-19 cases"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Stop & Shop to close 19 in-store pharmacies, including Cohasset, Norwell","document":"QUINCY — The Quincy-based grocery chain Stop & Shop will close nearly two dozen of the pharmacies it runs stores in the next two months, including those in Norwell and Cohasset. Stop & Shop Spokeswoman Caroline Medeiros said in an email that the company will close 19 of the pharmacies in its grocery stories by early November. The closures come because of \"steadily declining prescription reimbursements by private and government third-party payors. That decline is impacting retail pharmacies across the country,\" she said. The store will continue top operate 200 pharmacies across the Northeast. Two of the 19 pharmacies that are closing are the Stop & Shop in Norwell and Cohasset, said United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 328 President Tim Melia. Medeiros did not respond to questions about what will happen to the pharmacists in the locations that are closing, where the closures are and what happens to those who have standing prescriptions at the soon-to-be-closed pharmacies. Melia said the only other pharmacy closing in his area, which spans from Rhode Island to the South Shore and down to the Cape and Islands, is in Seekonk. Melia's union represents pharmacy technicians. All pharmacy technicians will be transferred to other pharmacies. Those who are part time and don't want to move stores can stay and work as clerks, Melia said. A report by the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission in 2019 took aim at pharmacy benefit mangers by charging consumers more than it reimbursed pharmacies for prescription dugs and pocketing the difference. It also raised concerns among pharmacists about low reimbursement rates. RX COSTS:Do drug benefit managers reduce health costs? SECOND DOSE:Baker promises 'aggressive' booster vaccine rollout One of the biggest pharmacy benefit managers is CVS Caremark. It uses its buying power to set the prices insurance will reimburse for prescription drugs. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["two dozen of the pharmacies","pharmacies","Stop & Shop"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the next two months"]},{"role":"Location","values":["QUINCY","Quincy","Norwell and Cohasset","Norwell","Cohasset"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["steadily declining prescription reimbursements"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Kid Rock cancels Billy Bob’s concerts, saying band has COVID","document":" arts entertainmentPop Music By Dan Singer 7:56 PM on Aug 26, 2021 CDT Kid Rock’s weekend shows at Billy Bob’s Texas have been canceled, with the singer saying several of his band members have COVID. “I am pissed. Over half the band has [expletive] covid,” he wrote in an largely unprintable series of tweets Thursday, hours after the venue had announced his Friday and Saturday shows would not take place. The rapper, outspoken Republican, country singer and grandfather, 50, was not among those with the virus, he said, adding that he had been vaccinated. The cancellations cut short a two-weekend engagement Kid Rock had planned at the Fort Worth honky-tonk. He played two sold-out shows at the club last weekend, on Friday and Saturday, for about 4,500 people each. The venue is operating at 75% capacity. Asked about Billy Bob’s current health protocols, a spokesperson said the venue checks the temperatures of “all entertainers and their crews” and requires them to use hand sanitizer “when entering the backstage area of the club.” Guests have their temperatures checked by a thermal camera on their way into the building. Anyone over 99.5 gets a refund and a goodbye. In recent weeks, the music industry has moved toward requiring proof of vaccination or negative COVID tests from concertgoers, with artists and promoters leading the push. But a state law banning “vaccine passports” and a number of executive orders from Gov. Greg Abbott make it risky for Texas venues to enforce such policies. After Billy Bob’s did so at a concert earlier this month with Jason Isbell, who requested the protocols, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission gave the club a warning. Marty Travis, general manager of Billy Bob’s, said Kid Rock’s management warned him Wednesday night that members of the band weren’t feeling well. Since then, things had not improved. “This morning they called me and said, ‘Man, half the band is not feeling well right now. We don’t know if it’s COVID or not but, you know, we don’t feel comfortable traveling. And if we can’t give you a hundred percent then we’d rather just cancel the show and let’s redo something next year.’” Fans can get refunds at the point of sale they used to snag tickets. “I’d rather you tell me now than tell me later,” Travis said he told Kid Rock’s rep. A representative for Kid Rock didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, on Aug. 8, Kid Rock played an outdoor concert as part of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. More than 100 coronavirus infections have been linked to the rally, the Washington Post reported Thursday, with cases spread across five states. It wrapped up Aug. 15 after drawing more than half a million bikes to the town, according to the South Dakota Department of Transportation. Dan Singer, Entertainment & Events Editor. Dan Singer edits entertainment and events coverage for The Dallas Morning News.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["shows"]},{"role":"Date","values":["weekend"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Billy Bob’s Texas","Texas"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["several of his band members have COVID","COVID"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Closed the boarding schools and opened up CPS","document":" Updated: November 26, 2021 @ 2:35 am Claremore, Oklahoma STILLWATER – Oklahoma private applicators still have time to… BARTLESVILLE – Free public health services will be offered t… Kim Duncan’s three adopted daughters, from left, Shalyn, Shyanne and Shelbi, sit smiling with their watermelon in the summer heat. Cetan Sa Winyan, director of the American Indian Movement’s Indian Territory Oklahoma chapter, said all tribes – not just the four already petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court – should stand together against potential changes to the Indian Child Welfare Act in a case the court has been asked to review. “They closed the boarding schools and opened up CPS (Child Protective Services), but it’s the same thing – they’re still coming in and taking our children,” Winyan said. The ICWA was enacted in 1978 to help keep Indigenous children in Indigenous homes. In ICWA cases, the first preference for placement is that the child go to an extended family member, even if the relative is non-Native. Second preference is someone within the child’s tribe; third preference is another tribe. The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians of California and the Quinault Indian Nation of Washington are petitioning the Supreme Court to request that the bill remain intact. The state of Texas is challenging the constitutionality of ICWA, claiming it’s a race-based system that makes it more difficult for Native kids to be adopted or fostered into non-Native homes. Another argument is that the law commandeers states too much, giving federal law imbalanced influence in state affairs. A Supreme Court response to the tribes’ petition and the petition filed by the plaintiffs is due Oct. 8. Tribes and advocates argue that ICWA is culturally- and politically-based, not race-based, because tribal nations have political status as sovereign governments under federal law. Cherokee Nation Deputy Attorney General Chrissi Nimmo said the tribe will put all the resources it has into making sure ICWA is protected. “ICWA attempts to keep children connected to their tribe ... and an attack on that is absolutely an attack on tribal sovereignty,” Nimmo said. The bill was enacted to quell the disproportionately high rate of Indigenous children’s removal from their traditional homes, culture, language and dress. Before ICWA passed, 25% to 35% of all Indigenous children were being forcibly “assimilated” from intact Indigenous family structures to predominantly non-Indigenous homes. “There was this bias that would lead to children being placed in foster care for things that weren't abuse or neglect but things mainstream social services didn't understand,” Nimmo said. Te’Ata Loper, partnership grant coordinator for the Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Association, said ICWA is “vital to the continuation of our tribal nations and tribal families” and is optimistic the court will maintain tribal sovereignty given the legal precedent found “in countless Supreme Court case decisions.” The Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Association is a nonprofit supporting Indigenous families and children by providing advocacy, education, training and collaboration with Oklahoma tribes and partner agencies. AIM Indian Territory also provides a support system for tribal families trying to navigate the child welfare system. Winyan said the organization has been working to educate Oklahoma tribes about what’s been happening with ICWA in the courts. She knows some don’t understand the politics of it, or the severity, but Winyan said many can understand ICWA’s impact when it’s compared to the boarding schools era. “It’s just another form of saying, ‘Kill the Indian, Save the Man,’”she said. “It hasn't changed.” One mother from the Cherokee Nation has seen the impacts Indigenous children face when raised in non-Indigenous homes. Kim Duncan adopts and fosters children through the tribe. She and her husband, also an enrolled Cherokee member, became certified to foster and adopt in December 2017 and shortly thereafter took in two girls who were also Cherokee. The girls, then ages 9 and 10, had gone through six different non-Indigenous homes between Dec. 13 and Dec. 28 of that year, by the time Duncan and her husband became their seventh and final home. “The other six homes before us completely shut down and said, ‘we don't want any more kids,’” Duncan said. “That's how traumatic it was … They were probably the hardest two we've ever taken in and we ended up adopting them, and they are totally different kids now.” Duncan said leaving the Indian Child Welfare Act as it is would mean that Indigenous children like hers would still get to grow up in homes where they are surrounded by people that not only sometimes look like them but speak their language, understand their culture. A non-Indigenous home, she said, just can’t provide those needs to Indigenous children. Duncan said when they made a home for their two girls, they were immediately drawn to Duncan’s husband because he was perhaps a familiar – darker – face. “They just related to him more,” Duncan said. “My children are darker-skinned, most of them, and they related to them.” Duncan has fostered 14 children since 2017 and adopted three of them. “People that are non-Indian are not as passionate about keeping the language strong, the culture strong,” Duncan said. “If we allow our Indian children to be adopted by non-Indian homes, we're going to lose it.” ICWA applied in the adoption of Jennifer Bailey’s now 7-year-old Cheyenne daughter. Bailey is a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. The birth mother, Bailey said, walked away from the adoption agency and chose she and her husband to raise her child because the child and Bailey were of the same tribe. Bailey said she’s concerned that changing ICWA would lead potentially to long-term impacts on culture and language preservation, because it will keep Indigenous children from staying connected to their history and ancestry. Nimmo said if ICWA is ruled as unconstitutional, as “race-based,” it would open the door to dismantling other Indigenous laws using that argument. “Nothing else that we deal with as tribal people – land doesn't matter, money doesn't matter, language doesn't matter, artifacts don't matter if we don't have future generations,” Nimmo said. Nancy Marie Spears, a Gaylord News reporter based in Washington, is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For more stories from Gaylord News visit GaylordNews.net. We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story. Avis \"Darlene\" Searan, age 75, formerly of California, passed away at Restwell Home Plus in Oskaloosa, KS, on Tuesday, November 16, 2021. She was born the daughter of Leo Abraham and Avis Amelia (Gabbert) Searan in Claremore, OK, on June 25, 1946. Darlene loved watching baseball, especially,…","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["boarding schools"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Oklahoma"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["help keep Indigenous children in Indigenous homes","Indigenous homes"]}]} {"event_trigger":"COVID-19 concerns cancel some fall events, others continue with precautions","document":"RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The list of events being canceled this fall due to COVID-19 concerns is growing. “We made a difficult decision,” said James Millner with VA Pride. VA Pridefest, which averages 40,000 people in attendance, won’t happen at the end of September. The 2021 Richmond Oktoberfest has also been canceled due to coronavirus concerns. Organizers say the main reason why some of these events are being postponed is because of health and safety restrictions, which would take away from the experience. “We just felt that many people on browns Island even though that’s a fairly large space, it gets very crowded and it makes it very difficult to social distance if people wanted to and the vibe of the festival, pride fest is one in which people really want to come together,” said Millner. Other events slated to go on as planned including the Chesterfield County Fair, which kicks off Friday evening. The Richmond Folk Festival will continue as planned in early October. The 2nd Street Festival will still unfold the first weekend in October in Richmond’s Jackson Ward. “Something like a large fair or festival is much more difficult to identify exposure and then to be able to inform people who were there. And so that is something to think about for folks attending events,” said Rebekah Butterfield, COVID-19 Epidemiologist RHHD. The health department says, if you want to go to an event, here’s what you should look out for. “Outdoors is always best. We are recommending masking for those who are vaccinated and unvaccinated right now because our community transmission is so high,” said Butterfield. “Just be aware of where you are going and how crowded things are. Maybe aim for times that are a little bit less crowded.”","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["VA Pridefest","Richmond Oktoberfest"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the end of September","2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["RICHMOND, Va","Richmond"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 concerns","COVID-19","health and safety restrictions"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Mentor on Tap & Uncorked event canceled due to staffing challenges","document":"MENTOR, Ohio — The popular Mentor on Tap & Uncorked event planned for next month has been called off this year due to staffing and logistical challenges, according to the City of Mentor. Each year, Mentor on Tap & Uncorked draws in an average of 600 guests who come to taste creations from local brewers and vintners while enjoying live music and entertainment and dining at several food trucks on site. Recent Stories from news5cleveland.com But this year, the event had to be canceled with organizers citing the difficulties in staffing at local breweries and food vendors. “This is a fun and popular event but unfortunately, the effects of the pandemic are still with us,” said Ante Logarusic, Community Relations Administrator, in a press release. “It has been difficult obtaining and maintaining commitments from brewers, food vendors, and other suppliers due to staffing shortages.” Mentor on Tap & Uncorked was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns and was already rescheduled twice this year before being canceled Wednesday. The event was scheduled for Oct. 2. Tickets will be fully refunded, the City of Mentor said, and organizers hope to resume the event in full in 2022. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Tap & Uncorked event","Tap"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2020","Oct. 2"]},{"role":"Location","values":["MENTOR, Ohio","Mentor"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["staffing and logistical challenges","COVID-19 concerns"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Syracuse parents, school board candidates demand answers on Henninger High School closures","document":"SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Parents and school board candidates in the Syracuse City School District are demanding greater transparency on recent closures at Henninger High School, refusing to accept the superintendent’s remarks blaming construction for the disruptions. Less then 10 days into the new school year, the building was shut down to students once, closed early after a fire alarm was pulled, and the scene of many fights. Classes were canceled at Henninger on Thursday, one day after a fire alarm went off and a series of fights broke out at the school. There was also a report of a gun in the building, and a 17-year-old who is not a Henninger student was arrested for disorderly conduct. A district spokesperson confirmed that on Monday, students were escorted by a staff member if they needed to leave their classrooms. The spokesperson did not confirm how long that policy would continue. Additionally, a spokesperson said another fire alarm was pulled on Monday. MORE: Syracuse parents raise safety concerns after fights, report of a gun at Henninger Superintendent Jaime Alicea said three fights happened that day, but CNYCentral confirmed at least five fights. Alicea claimed ongoing renovations were the reason why classes were canceled, not the fights. All other Syracuse city schools were in session on Thursday. The “renovations” included new security cameras, covers for fire alarms and locks on doors. On Friday, students were dismissed early after a fire alarm went off again. Onondaga County dispatchers confirmed Syracuse firefighters responded to the school around 1:40 p.m. Monday, but school and city leaders have not responded to CNYCentral’s inquiries. Gia Palermo, who is running for a spot on the Syracuse school board and the parent of two Henninger students, said the district gave parents false information about what was happening. She said issues with the building itself allowed the fights to happen in the first place. “It was because of those errors that all hell broke loose in school on Wednesday,” Palermo said. “It was because those things weren’t finished that we ended up in the situation we are in.” Another school board candidate, Karen Cordano, said she would be “extremely upset” if she were a Henninger parent. “I'm hoping that this is a real wake-up call in terms of really assessing what is going on in these buildings that are under construction before we have students re-entering the buildings,” Cordano said. School Board President Dan Romeo sent out a statement Monday night. It reads, \"The Board of Education understands that any disruption during the school day takes away from students’ ability to learn. We also believe students and employees should feel safe while in school and parents should feel that their children are safe while at school. On Wednesday at Henninger that feeling of safety was shaken for a number of reasons. Since then, the superintendent and his team have been working to make sure they address all of the concerns raised by parents, students and staff. The Board has been updated along the way and will continue to monitor the situation. We are currently working on setting up a meeting with parents to make sure the plan going forward is clear and be sure that all of their concerns are addressed.” CNYCentral also reached out to the Syracuse Teachers Association for comment. We have not heard back.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Henninger High School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Less then 10 days into the new school year","Thursday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["SYRACUSE, N.Y","Syracuse"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["ongoing renovations"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Hogle Zoo’s ‘Boo at the Zoo’ event canceled due to COVID-19 concerns","document":" by: Craig Proffer SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Salt Lake City’s Hogle Zoo has canceled their wildly popular “Boo at the Zoo” event, citing a surge of COVID-19 cases in the state. In the announcement on their Facebook page, zoo officials noted the concern COVID-19 poses to the public, saying, “With an average of 10,00-15,000 guests in attendance at this event, we simply do not have the capacity to safely host all attendees during a pandemic.” “Thank you for your continued interest in Boo at the Zoo,” officials added in the post. While “Boo at the Zoo” may be canceled, Hogle Zoo will still host “BooLights”, a month-long Halloween lighting event hosted on the Zoo’s grounds. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["“Boo at the Zoo” event"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Salt Lake City","SALT LAKE CITY"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["surge of COVID-19 cases in the state","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Charlotte-area events being canceled due to COVID-19","document":"CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As COVID-19 cases rise, more events around the Charlotte area are being canceled. In Charlotte, the annual Labor Day parade has been called off. What's usually a joyful event for everyone involved is instead shuttered for 2021. \"I enjoy getting out here with the bull horn and starting the parade,\" said Ben Lee, the parade's chairman. Unfortunately, a tough decision had to be made, and Lee wishes things were different this year. \"The decision came after a lot of thought, concerning whether or not we could safely put on the parade,\" he said. RELATED: Charlotte Labor Day Parade canceled due to COVID-19 concerns The parade usually features around 500 people marching the streets of Uptown, but Lee says all those people aren't COVID-19 friendly. He said canceling the event was the right and responsible thing to do. Meanwhile, the approximately 80,000 people who usually attend the Cabarrus County Fair will have to wait another year. The decision to cancel was made because of high community virus spread and low vaccination rates. Again in Mecklenburg County, some events are adapting to the rising virus cases. The Greek Food Festival in Dilworth is playing it safe with a drive-thru format. RELATED: 'Extremely disappointing': Cabarrus County Fair canceled due to rising COVID-19 cases \"We're not making specific recommendations on canceling outdoor events at this point,\" Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris said. However, she did say safety is still the priority. \"We recognize that everyone wants to be back in normal situations as much as possible, outdoor events are safer but we really want people to pay attention to getting vaccinated,\" Harris said. Other events that have fallen victim to cancelation include the Matthews Alive festival and Mallard Creek BBQ.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Cabarrus County Fair","annual Labor Day parade","Matthews Alive festival and Mallard Creek BBQ"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Charlotte area"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 cases rise","COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Dave Chappelle, Joe Rogan concert scheduled for New Orleans this weekend is postponed","document":"Even though much of New Orleans could use a laugh right about now, the Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan show scheduled for Saturday (Sept. 4) at the Smoothie King Center has been postponed. In addition to the obvious reason — the damage and power outages across south Louisiana caused by Hurricane Ida — there is another complication: Rogan announced this week that he had contracted COVID-19. In an Instagram post Wednesday, the comic and podcast host said he started feeling bad after returning home following a show last weekend. Fatigue and a headache soon gave way to fevers, chills and a positive COVID test. \"We immediately threw the kitchen sink at it, all kinds of meds,\" Rogan said in his Instagram video. \"Monoclonal antibodies, ivermectin, Z-pak, prednisone, everything. And I also got an anti-D drip and a vitamin drip.\" The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration have cautioned against taking ivermectin, an anti-parasitic and de-worming drug generally used on animals, as a COVID treatment. The Rogan/Chappelle show scheduled for Friday (Sept. 3) in Nashville has been postponed to Oct. 24 because of Rogan's diagnosis. No new date for the New Orleans performance has been announced yet. A social media message from the Smoothie King Center advised ticketholders to hold onto their tickets and that more information about a new date would be coming next week. Rogan and Chappelle were originally slated to co-headline the Smoothie King Center in April 2020. That initial show was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. For now, the Smoothie King Center still has two other concerts on its September schedule: rapper Lil Baby on Sept. 14 and guitarist Eric Clapton on Sept. 18. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["The Rogan/Chappelle show","Rogan","Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan show","initial show","two other concerts"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday (Sept. 4)","Friday (Sept. 3)","April 2020","Sept. 14","Sept. 18"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New Orleans"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["the damage and power outages across south Louisiana caused by Hurricane Ida","he had contracted COVID-19","coronavirus pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Old Dominion concert canceled","document":"The concert with the country music band scheduled by Indigo Road Productions and the Jackson Generals/Jackson Baseball Club for July 17 has been canceled, according to an e-mail sent to those who’d bought tickets and a press release sent from the promoter. “The Generals and Jackson city government situation has become too toxic and uncertain, highlighted by the city locking out the Generals from the facility, for us to continue moving forward on a show of this magnitude,\" said Indigo Road Entertainment managing partner Denny Baxter in the message to the ticket-buyers. Baxter reiterated in a phone interview on Monday the stand Indigo Road made last fall with a press release saying the Generals staff were the only people they would work with in promoting concerts in Jackson. “There has to be an administrative piece to this,” Baxter said. “These shows we put on have a shared responsibility between that administration and us as the promoters with a focus on the artist and the event’s marketability. “We rely on the venue for administrative staff to operate the facility and concessions. There’s no liability insurance, no liquor license and none of the other administrative stuff that goes into putting on an event like this without them.” And Baxter said the Generals staff are that group for Indigo Road at The Ballpark at Jackson. “We’ve had a great relationship with them with past shows,” Baxter said. “We’ve enjoyed working with them because they’re the reason we were bringing our shows back there in the first place with an artist as big as Old Dominion. “Obviously things have changed quite a bit in those discussions with the toxic situation between the City and the Generals.” The City found the Jackson Baseball Club – owning organization of the Jackson Generals baseball franchise – in breach of contract when they had no team with an A, AA or AAA affiliation related to Major League Baseball. The club signed an agreement to bring the Winnipeg Goldeyes from Canada to play their home games in Jackson, but the City put a lock and chain on all stadium entrances last week after the gameday management agreement between the Generals and Goldeyes had been canceled. “The City had reached out ot me and suggested I sign a lease agreement with them, and I voiced the issues and concerns with them that I had regarding everything going on,” Baxter said. “They sent me a sample lease agreement and said I was free tow ork with whom I wanted to, but when they locked the club out that had just signed a lease with them, that was enough for me. “I don’t want to get involved in legal issues with someone who works like that.” This is the second nationally-known artist who’s canceled a concert at the stadium in less than a month after Snoop Dogg’s concert that was originally postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic was officially canceled, but Baxter said that was all COVID. “Snoop Dogg and his people had issues with COVID and still wanted to come but bring a show that wouldn’t be as big as we wanted to bring here,” Baxter said. “So the City issues had nothing to do with that.” When asked if there’s a possibility for Old Dominion to come to Jackson in the future, Baxter said it’s hard to say. “They usually tour with Kenny Chesney, and he shut his tour down this year because of the pandemic,” Baxter said. “That’s why they were available for this show. “Next year if Kenny goes back out on the road, I assume they would be with him, but we don’t know. Tours like that are hard to predict.” Reach Brandon Shields at bjshields@jacksonsun.com or at 731-425-9751. Follow him on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon or on Instagram at editorbrandon.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Snoop Dogg’s concert","concert","the city locking out the Generals from the facility","Generals"]},{"role":"Date","values":["July 17"]},{"role":"Location","values":["The City","City"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19 pandemic","COVID"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Siskin's StarNight 2021 event canceled amid COVID concerns","document":"Another event has been canceled as the number of COVID cases continues to rise in the Tennessee Valley. Siskin Children’s Institute canceled their StarNight 2021, previously scheduled for Saturday, September 25, citing the rising number of COVID-19 cases.? “We are saddened that we are having to cancel our 60th annual StarNight celebration. Our team has worked really hard in preparation for this event, but we have decided that it is in the best interest of our families, supporters, community, and staff to cancel this year’s event due to the increased risk of contracting COVID-19” said Derek Bullard, President and CEO of Siskin Children’s Institute.? Siskin thanked their numerous sponsors, which include: Hamico Inc., First Horizon Bank, Double-Cola, W.R. Grace, Pris & Robert Siskin, Commercial Metals Company, Charles & Betty Lebovitz, Jo Ann Yates, Helen Pregulman, Siskin Steel & Supply Co., Southeastern Salvage Home Emporium, ERMC Security Solutions, SimplyBank., Gerber-Taylor, UTC College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies, Movita Steiner, Husch Blackwell, Chattanooga Christian School, Pinnacle Financial Partners, the Binder Family, ACT Business Machines, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Reagan Outdoor Advertising-Chattanooga, Sunny 92.3, and WRCB Channel 3 Eyewitness News.? You can still support Siskin's work to improve the quality of life for children with special needs by making a donation at the Siskin Children’s Institute website.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["StarNight 2021"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday, September 25"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Tennessee Valley"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["the number of COVID cases continues to rise"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Kannapolis National Night Out event canceled","document":"KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — The city of Kannapolis was set to have its annual National Night Out on October 5 to celebrate with free food, live music, children's games, and much more. However, due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, and low vaccination rates in Rowan and Cabarrus counties, the event has been canceled. For the latest breaking news, weather and traffic alerts, download the WCNC Charlotte mobile app. RELATED: All North Carolina counties in the 'red' for high COVID transmission \"National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes a true sense of community and provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. The goal of National Night Out is to have police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safe and caring places to live.\" a statement released by the City of Kannapolis said. RELATED: NC just hits vaccination milestone, eight months after shots started \"Rowan County still has one of the highest test positivity rates in the state,\" according to the Rowan County webpage on COVID-19 data. The county has a positivity rate of 20%. \"Rowan County Public Health cannot emphasize to you enough about the importance of getting tested if you have any symptoms or if you have come in contact with someone that is COVID positive,\" the webpage explains. Rowan County has seen a total of 23,973 cases and 364 deaths. Cabarrus County has recorded 29,685 cases of COVID-19 with 292 deaths. Most recently, it saw a positivity rate of 12.6%.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["annual National Night Out"]},{"role":"Date","values":["October 5"]},{"role":"Location","values":["KANNAPOLIS, N.C","Kannapolis"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["surge in COVID-19 cases","COVID","COVID-19","low vaccination rates"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Rod Wave concert rescheduled from Tuesday to Sept. 14 because of storm","document":"The Tuesday Aug. 31 Rod Wave concert at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater has been rescheduled to Sept. 14. Birmingham-based booking agent Red Mountain Entertainment made the call due to rippling weather effects from Hurricane Ida. All tickets purchased for the Aug. 31 show will be honored for the Sept. 14 replacement date. The singer-rapper born Rodarius Marcell Green broke through via YouTube and TikTok with his 2019 single \"Heart on Ice,\" which rose to No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut disc from the same year, \"Ghetto Gospel,\" reached No. 10, his 2020 follow-up \"Pray 4 Love\" went to No. 2, and this year's \"SoulFly\" debuted at No. 1. THURSDAY AT THE AMP: The Revivalists, Marcus King Band to play Tuscaloosa Amphitheater concert His hits, incorporating R&B and hip-hop influences, include \"Rags2Riches,\" \"Street Runner,\" \"Tombstone,\" \"Cuban Links\" with Kevin Gates, and \"Richer,\" featuring Polo G. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Rod Wave concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday Aug. 31"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Tuscaloosa"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["rippling weather effects from Hurricane Ida"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Event update: Loverboy concert at Elmwood postponed","document":"Canadian 1980s hitmakers Loverboy have postponed their Elmwood Park show. The band is unable to leave its home country due to COVID-19 protocols. The concert, originally scheduled for July 24, will be reset, said Berglund Center general manager Robyn Schon, who booked the show. A new date was not yet solidified. Canada has long had strict travel restrictions during the pandemic, and while they may be relaxed soon, it wasn’t soon enough for the band to make a U.S. tour work, Schon said. A fairgrounds concert in Springfield, Missouri, was canceled, according to KY3.com, a TV station’s website from that state. An Atlantic City show was canceled earlier in July. Tickets will still be good for the new date, but refunds are available at the Berglund Center box office, 853-5483 or berglundcenter.live. Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Tad Dickens likes typing things and hitting drums. He covers music and Botetourt County for The Roanoke Times. Nominations for the 2022 Grammy Awards were announced Tuesday. Here's a list of nominees in top categories. Famous fiddle tune “The Orange Blossom Special” is to many bluegrass musicians as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” is to many rockers. Famous fidd… The performer and composer told his audience to contemplate the act of \"looking back.\" Live music and more in the valleys and beyond … \"Roanoke is a very gifted city, musically, so this is a dope opportunity for everyone just to come together, cultivate, and see how everyone’s mind works,\" Rayshon \"808-Ray\" Cobbs Jr. said. Our compilation of live music listings provided by SWVA venues ... A full-scale version of the Martinsville festival has not gone off since the COVID-19 pandemic. BTS, Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift were among Sunday night's big winners. Here's everything you need to know about the 2021 AMAs. A past favorite and a hometown up-and-comer are atop the first artist rollout list for next year’s FloydFest. Across-the-Way Productions released its second round of artist additions on Nov. 16 for FloydFest 22~Heartbeat, which will take place July 27-… ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Elmwood Park show","Schon said. A fairgrounds concert","An Atlantic City show"]},{"role":"Date","values":["July 24","earlier in July"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S","Springfield, Missouri"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["unable to leave its home country due to COVID-19 protocols"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Lady Gaga postpones Fenway Park concert until 2022","document":" By Kevin Slane Lady Gaga and her little monsters will have to wait another year to hang out under the Green Monster together. The Grammy-winning singer’s Aug. 7 concert at Fenway Park has been pushed back to 2022, along with the rest of her six-city Chromatica Ball Tour. “While some parts of the world are moving quickly to open up, others are not yet ready,” Gaga said in a statement. “So until we can confirm all global dates, we have to postpone The Chromatica Ball shows to the summer of 2022.” Gaga’s Fenway show was set to be one of only six shows on her worldwide stadium tour, along with dates in Paris (Stade de France), London (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium), Toronto (The Rogers Centre), Chicago (Wrigley Field), and East Rutherford (MetLife Stadium). The concert was originally slated to be held on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020, but was delayed due to the pandemic. According to a Red Sox spokesperson, the rescheduled date for Lady Gaga’s 2022 Fenway concert will be announced later. Patrons who have already purchased tickets through RedSox.com may request refunds at any time, and will be notified once a new date is chosen. Numerous shows as part of the Fenway Concert Series have been cancelled or postponed: The Motley Crüe/Def Leppard/Poison/Joan Jett & The Blackhearts show has been moved from July 17-18, 2021 to Aug. 5-6, 2022, while Aerosmith’s 50th anniversary show has been moved from Sept. 14, 2021 to Sept. 9, 2022. Previously scheduled shows from Dead & Company (originally on Aug. 7-8, 2020) and James Taylor/Brandi Carlile/Shawn Colvin (originally on June 21, 2020) were canceled outright with no rescheduled date currently in the works. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["concert","Concert","the rest of her six-city Chromatica Ball Tour","pandemic"]},{"role":"Date","values":["moved from Sept. 14, 2021 to Sept. 9, 2022","moved","to the summer of 2022","2022","moved from July 17-18, 2021 to Aug. 5-6, 2022","2021","Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020","2020","Aug. 7-8, 2020","June 21, 2020","Aug. 7"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Fenway Park"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["others are not yet ready"]}]} {"event_trigger":"BASE jumpers decide not to participate in Bridge Day; event still on for now","document":"FAYETTE COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — Bridge Day is still on for now, but the event could be on the ropes. Committee members learned Wednesday that BASE jumpers, the daredevils who plunge more than 800 feet off the New River Gorge Bridge, will not be participating this year, citing concerns about available health care in an emergency amid the pandemic. A representative for the rappelers said he is leaning toward recommending to his group that it cancel but will wait until next week to make a final decision. Bridge Day committee members plan to vote next Wednesday, Sept. 29, on whether the annual event will take place. Representatives of the BASE jumpers said they are bailing out of concern for the possible medical impact of 100,000 people and injured jumpers on hospitals overloaded by COVID. Marcus Ellison, a representative for the BASE jumpers, said there also are some organizational problems, with concerns there could be an insufficient number of bus drivers at the event to transport the BASE jumpers back and forth. \"It's not going to be a fun and safe event for everybody to be there, and that what I want to provide,\" he said. \"I don't feel that's possible this year.\" Ellison said once all the health concerns surfaced last week, he thought the Bridge Day Committee would vote to cancel the event, but members decided then to push forward. Committee chairwoman Becky Sullivan said she doesn't believe they can hold Bridge Day without the BASE jumpers. \"As far as the chamber of commerce goes, we have voted not to have Bridge Day,\" she said. \"With an additional loss of volunteers, BASE jumpers and things that have happened over the week since we made our announcement, no I don't think it does [make sense].\" Just a week ago, Bridge Day committee members had shot down a motion to cancel the Oct. 16 event, with four opposing the motion and two supporting it. Health officials and medical personnel had expressed serious concerns at the Sept. 15 with holding the event during the pandemic. Bridge Day was canceled in 2020. A nurse who attended the Sept. 15 meeting through Zoom said the hospital in Fayette County was stretched thin before the event would even begin, so if there were injuries from Bridge Day or more COVID-19 patients, it could cause more strain on health care workers and space in hospitals. Fayette County Sheriff Mike Fridley, one of two Bridge Day Committee members who voted at the Sept. 15 meeting to cancel the event, expressed concern at that meeting about his deputies and team. He uses all of his deputies to monitor the bridge, so he was concerned if one were to test positive what that would mean for his entire staff. There also had been concerns about a shortage of volunteers for Bridge Day, including bus drivers that were needed. Gov. Jim Justice said during his Sept. 15 coronavirus news briefing before the Bridge Day committee meeting that he supported the idea of having Bridge Day, saying that State Police and DOH would help in any way they could. Justice maintained that if large-scale events such as football games could be held, then Bridge Day could also be conducted.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Bridge Day"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Oct. 16","2020"]},{"role":"Location","values":["FAYETTE COUNTY, W.Va","Fayette County"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["possible medical impact"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Counting Crows cancel Boston concert hours before start","document":" By Mia McCarthy The American rock band Counting Crows canceled their Boston concert on Sunday – only hours before the show – after a touring party member tested positive for COVID-19. The Boston concert was originally scheduled Sunday night at the Leader Bank Pavilion at 7 p.m. and is part of the band’s “Butter Miracle Tour.” The group made the announcement on Twitter and said they are postponing the concert “out of an abundance of caution.” Their next show, which is on Tuesday in Youngstown, Ohio, was also postponed. “Hang on to your tickets as they will be honored for the new dates, once announced,” the band wrote in a tweet. “The entire band and crew has been vaccinated and has taken great precautions to be as safe as possible.” Five hours before the cancelation, Counting Crows posted pictures on Twitter from their show in Atlantic City on Saturday night, the first concert of the tour. “Feels so good to be back!” the band wrote. “Thanks for helping us kick off the #ButterMiracleTour, Atlantic City. See you soon, Boston!” ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday night","7 p.m"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Boston"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["touring party member tested positive for COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Eco-friendly art project hold in empty storefronts shut down by pandemic","document":"CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Some new art is coming to Scottsville and one of the pieces was created by an organization at the University of Virginia. But surprisingly, it’s not from the art department. Write Climate, Right Climate is an environmental group that takes what most would consider trash and turns it into art. The coming project will be their third piece of recycled art. “Every material has some value,” said Amanda Nelsen, a lecturer and artist at Write Climate, Right Climate. “But also how problematic it is to continuing to produce material that cannot be fully recycled or is not something that can go full circle, in terms of environmental footprint?” Nelsen, her class, and others in the Charlottesville area repurposed materials for the new piece she calls Crescendo. She says the design resembles a solar eclipse, or a moment to shine. Nelsen came up with the idea but she credits much of the help to her assistant Mia Villani and interns Katie Yared and Charlie Mooz. “Each of the buns, these rolled pieces behind me, are rolled from plastic film that people have collected. UVA students, Charlottesville high school students, as well as community members,” Nelsen said. This repurposing of materials is exactly what brought this art to Scottsville. It was selected by the Scottsville Center for the Arts in the Natural Environment (SCAN) to be displayed downtown. “This piece by Amanda and Write Climate really adds to that conversation of how do we create without creating more waste,” SCAN Director Erin Root said. “So, how do we use the waste we already have and utilize that to create something beautiful?” Crescendo will be displayed in downtown Scottsville, along with other pieces, in empty storefronts closed by the pandemic. “It really impacted our economy here in Scottsville and the thought was, ‘you know, how do we, how do we reinvigorate our streetscape without, if we don’t have the businesses here?’ And we thought the way we would do that is through art,” Root said. SCAN wants that art to be accessible to everyone. The new exhibit will resemble a gallery or museum, but instead it will be completely open to the public. The goal is to bring vibrancy back to Scottsville. “The community behavior is really excited about the, you know, reclaiming the windows,’ Root said. “We’re getting rid of the cobwebs, we’re showing this work that has a lot of dimension to it, and that is contributing to the streetscape.” Write Climate, Right Climate’s project will be open Saturday 9/25 in Scottsville at the Valley Street Exhibition. There will be art, drinks, and food trucks.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["storefronts"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["downtown Scottsville"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["pandemic"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Township could cancel Luke Bryan concert","document":"CONWAY TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WILX) - This summer’s Luke Bryan concert outside Fowlerville could be canceled. Conway Township trustees are asking their lawyer to send a letter to shut it down. The Kubiak Family Farm is the sixth and final stop of Bryan’s farm tour. At least one trustee is worried about liability issues. But people who live around the field where Bryan will be performing are looking forward to the concert. “I’m excited for it. I’m looking forward to it,” said Patty Arbor. “It’s very exciting for this small rural community. It’s very exciting to have somebody so famous in the area.” But right now, the Conway Township Board of Trustees is trying to stop it. Arbor lives around the corner from where the concert is happening and doesn’t get it. “I’m not sure why they would want to stop the concert. I just found out about it yesterday. I’m all for it,” she said. The township told News 10 Luke Bryan’s promoter hasn’t turned in all its paper work, including a letter making sure the township isn’t liable if something goes wrong. Bryan’s management said in a statement it’s been working with the township since may and turned in that paperwork. But the township said it’s only gotten an applications and fees associated with it. Arbor is holding out hope things will get sorted out. “I’m just hoping that everything runs smoothly and they are still going to continue have the concert,” said Arbor. The township is giving Luke Bryan’s team until August 18 to turn in all the forms and information. Tickets for the September 18 concert are already sold out.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Luke Bryan concert"]},{"role":"Date","values":["This summer","September 18"]},{"role":"Location","values":["outside Fowlerville"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["hasn’t turned in all its paper work"]}]} {"event_trigger":"State shuts down Blind Brook school over building violations, blasts school officials","document":"The state Education Commissioner blasted the Blind Brook school district on Friday for allowing staff and students into its elementary school without obtaining inspection permits amid a construction project. Blind Brook school district officials said Friday they are working to get the Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street School in Rye Brook reopened after the state closed it Wednesday over ongoing construction issues. It's the first time the state has been forced to close a school in several years, Education Commissioner Betty Rosa wrote in a letter to the school system Friday. The school welcomed students and staff for three days without a certification of occupancy, according to the state, a move that led to the fiery letter from its education commissioner Friday. The state has prohibited students and staff from entering the building until the district obtained the required building inspections following a state investigation, according to the education department. \"Closure orders are not issued lightly,\" Rosa wrote. \"And it was issued only after SED learned that the district illegally allowed staff and students into the building without a valid certificate of occupancy.\" The commissioner called an intentional decision to have students and staff in the building without a certificate of occupancy \"brazen\" and possibly even criminal. The action could warrant the removal of school officials for neglect of duty under education law, she wrote. In the letter, Rosa called it \"unfathomable\" that it took a state directive to close the school. \"Which was the only morally and legally acceptable action,\" she added. The education commissioner listed numerous fire hazards in parts of the building that were either under construction or occupied by students, including: The school was opened from Monday to Wednesday, closed Thursday for Yom Kippur and was declared off-limits Friday. Hundreds of students go to the elementary school. It's unknown if they were in remote learning on Friday. The issues stem from construction that has been ongoing in the village of Rye Brook school. During a Zoom school board meeting Friday afternoon, Blind Brook Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Brimstein said the district was working to obtain the necessary inspections. Information from those inspections conducted on Friday would then be submitted to the state in hopes of obtaining a full or partial certificate of occupancy, Brimstein added. He stressed there were no health or safety hazards while students were in the building. In her letter sent Friday, Rosa emphasized there were multiple \"serious violations that led to the school closure.\" She wrote, \"Imagine the potential tragedy should a fire have occurred in this building this week.\" Rosa wrote in a separate letter Wednesday that ordered the closure the district needed to do the following to reopen: In response to Rosa's Friday letter, the district sent The Journal News/lohud a scanned copy of a certificate of occupancy for the elementary school. The district said that certificate of occupancy appears to show it went into effect March 2021 and expires in March 2022. During the Friday Zoom meeting, Board of Education President Scott Jaffee admitted the school should've have communicated better about the closure, calling it \"unacceptable.\" He apologized to those parents that learned Ridge Street school would be closed Friday from reading it in local media, and not directly from the school system. \"We failed to meet the level of transparency,\" he said parents expected. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":["Dr. Patrick Brimstein"]},{"role":"Organization","values":["Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street School"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday","Thursday","Friday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Blind Brook school district"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["ongoing construction issues","Yom Kippur"]}]} {"event_trigger":"String Cheese Incident Columbus concert cancelled due to member testing positive for COVID","document":"Psychedelic jam band The String Cheese Incident has cancelled a concert scheduled for Sunday at Express Live, the band announced Thursday. Although all members of the band had been vaccinated, one member contracted the coronavirus, according to a statement posted on the band’s website, https://www.stringcheeseincident.com/news_items/august-tour-update-louisville-columbus-canceled/. The band, currently on tour, also canceled shows set for Friday and Saturday in Louisville, Kentucky. The statement said that tickets to any canceled shows will be automatically refunded at the point of purchase. “We are super bummed we can’t play music for y’all, but this is how the world seems to run these days,” the statement said. ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["concert","shows"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday","Friday and Saturday"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Express Live","Louisville, Kentucky"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["one member contracted the coronavirus"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Covid-19 clusters at malls: Some retail workers worry about getting infected, hope to get priority for vaccine","document":"SINGAPORE — When the Covid-19 cases in the community stabilised at the end of last year, staff members at Shunji Matsuo Hair Studio had, like many others, started to let their guard down, believing that the situation here had mostly returned to normal. That was until last month, when a customer they served at their salon in Ngee Ann City tested positive for the coronavirus. The employee who served the customer on April 25 had to be quarantined, while the rest of the staff members were swabbed and placed on phone surveillance by the Ministry of Health (MOH). The hair salon’s director Tay Tat Sin, 39, said that though none of them got infected, the episode was a wake-up call for the hair salon to be more careful, especially now that there are more coronavirus cases here in the past month or so. With a few malls now having clusters of infections, some retail workers here are starting to feel worried that they may get the infectious disease as they continue to serve customers on a daily basis. As of Thursday (May 27) afternoon, the Covid-19 cluster at Jem and Westgate malls in Jurong East has the second-largest active cluster with 60 cases so far, after the Changi Airport one. The two malls have closed temporarily to curb the spread of the disease there. White Sands mall in Pasir Ris has another cluster that started with a worker at Wok Hey food stall, and Jewel, the retail and leisure complex at the airport, is also shut to the public temporarily. People who have been to all four malls have been offered free testing for Covid-19 by the Government. Because of this, some retail workers who spoke to TODAY are hoping to be prioritised for the vaccination exercise soon because the added protection would give them peace of mind as they go about their work. So far, the Covid-19 vaccine has been offered to only frontline workers such as those in healthcare or who are hawkers and teachers, as well as those above the age of 40. MOH said last week that the vaccination programmes will now be rolled out in five-year bands and progressively move to younger age groups. WORRIED ABOUT GOING TO WORK In the meantime, some workers are unnerved because of the various clusters in the community. Ms Bahirah, 22, who goes by one name and works at shoe store Clarks at Ion Orchard mall, said: “Right now, it’s not a lockdown yet so we still have to go out every day. It’s very scary and we have no choice.” This is also the case for one retail worker from another store in Ion who cannot be named because she is not authorised to speak to the media. Though the worker has already received her first of two shots of the Covid-19 vaccine, she told TODAY that she is still worried about getting infected, especially since there are new virus strains that are more infectious. Both workers said that they would prefer that the authorities impose a lockdown, similar to the circuit breaker period last year when non-essential activities and business have to stop. This would help to keep retail workers safe and save on operation costs, given that sales have fallen significantly since tighter movement restrictions were imposed earlier this month, they reasoned. If a lockdown is not possible, they hope that the authorities would consider allowing retail workers to get to the front of the queue for the Covid-19 vaccination so that they may be better protected as they continue to come in contact with customers. Retail operators who spoke to TODAY would also like their staff members to be prioritised for the vaccine. Mr R Dhinakaran, president of the Singapore Retailers Association, said that many of its members have indicated that they want their customer-facing employees to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Some salespersons are feeling vulnerable when they have to face customers daily at work. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY Mr Tay, Shunji Matsuo’s director, said that he has appealed to the authorities twice for his employees to get vaccinated. However, he was rejected both times. Right now, an appeal to be vaccinated earlier may be made only by Singapore citizens and permanent residents with urgent needs, such as those who need to travel on compassionate grounds, or for work or study purposes where working or studying remotely is not an option. Mr Tay said that he has considered closing his salon in Ngee Ann City during this period, but the contract with the landlord states that he has to operate every day. He cannot cut his operating hours either. In response to TODAY’s queries, Mr Dhinakaran said that the association had asked the Ministry of Trade and Industry last year if retail workers can get priority for the Covid-19 vaccine, but was told that it was too early for such discussions to take place as the programme had not yet begun. The association has since submitted a second request a week ago and is waiting to hear back from the authorities. TAKING PRECAUTIONS AS BEST PROTECTION Among the 13 retail operators and workers interviewed by TODAY, many said that they have put in place robust safety measures to protect themselves and their customers. Shunji Matsuo hair salon invested in getting more air purifiers for its Ngee Ann City outlet. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY A spokesperson for Valiram Group, which manages brands such as Bath and Body Works, said that it adheres to all the standard operating procedures put in place by the governments of the countries in which it operates. She added that the group, which has its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is also “guided by the landlords of malls we operate in and retail associations we are a part of”. Nail technician Ayumi, 33, who goes by one name and works at Nailz Haus in IMM mall in Jurong East, said that she is not afraid of getting infected even though IMM is close to Jem and Westgate. That is because she and her colleagues make sure to sanitise their work stations frequently. She also goes straight home after work and tries not to interact with too many people. Ms Evangeline Seah, 41, who owns FE The Nail Lounge at Raffles City Shopping Centre on North Bridge Road, ensures that employees adhere to hygiene measures such as wearing gloves, sanitising the shop and taking their temperature regularly. “Since we re-opened after the circuit breaker last year, we have been cleaning a lot. We clean after every customer,” she said. Like some of the workers interviewed, Ms Ayumi from the nail salon at IMM said that they would rather the stores remain open because they are more concerned about losing out on their salaries than being sick. “We still have to earn money to provide for our families and pay for everyday expenses. If the shop remains open, at least we still have a salary,” she said in Mandarin. By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Jem and Westgate malls","Jem","Jewel"]},{"role":"Date","values":["temporarily","As of Thursday (May 27) afternoon"]},{"role":"Location","values":["SINGAPORE","Singapore"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["curb the spread of the disease there","disease"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Austin Music & Arts Festival latest event canceled due to heightened COVID restrictions","document":"PFLUGERVILLE, Texas — Austin Music & Arts Festival organizers announced the event has been postponed due to \"heightened COVID-19 restrictions in Travis County\" on Sunday, according to a statement on their web page. The event was supposed to happen at Typhoon Texas in Pflugerville on September 25-26. The event was expecting to bring concerts, artists and a car show. RELATED: Pecan Street Festival canceled after city denies special event permit due to COVID-19 ","event_type":"Organization Closed","arguments":[{"role":"Head of the Institution","values":null},{"role":"Organization","values":["Austin Music & Arts Festival","Pecan Street Festival"]},{"role":"Date","values":["September 25-26"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Typhoon Texas in Pflugerville"]},{"role":"Cause","values":["COVID-19"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2010 Hungarian actress Zsa Zsa Gabor is discharged from a United States hospital after spending four weeks there. (BBC)","document":"Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor has returned home after being discharged from hospital, four weeks after breaking her hip in a fall at her Los Angeles mansion.\nHer departure follows earlier reports she would remain at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Los Angeles after contracting an infection.\nGabor's husband, Prince Frederic von Anhalt, told reporters she was \"happy\" to be home.\n\"She can go on for many more years,\" he said of his 93-year-old partner.\nGabor had been expected to spend a week in hospital after undergoing hip replacement surgery on 19 July.\nBut her condition began to deteriorate after the operation, forcing her to remain longer than originally anticipated.\nHer husband said Gabor was \"not a young chick\" and had been \"scared\" during her extended stay in hospital.\nHe knew his wife was \"in good shape\", however, when she \"started flirting with the guys who took her home\".\nGabor - who appeared in such films as Moulin Rouge and Touch of Evil - is partially paralysed and uses a wheelchair following a car accident in 2002 and a 2005 stroke.\nThe Hungarian-born actress was taken back to her Bel-Air mansion on Wednesday in an ambulance that formed part of a four-car convoy.\nGabor's hospital release delayed\nGabor critical after transfusion\nZsa Zsa Gabor to have hip surgery\nZsa Zsa Gabor taken to hospital\n","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["breaking her hip in a fall","hip"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Actress Zsa Zsa"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["hip surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2013 Queen Elizabeth II returns to Buckingham Palace after spending one night in hospital. (BBC)","document":"The Queen has left hospital in central London after being assessed for gastroenteritis symptoms. She had been at London's King Edward VII's Hospital since Sunday - her first hospital stay in 10 years.\nAll official engagements for this week, including a visit to Rome, were either cancelled or postponed. She also missed St David's Day celebrations in Swansea.\nBuckingham Palace said the Queen, 86, was admitted as a precaution and was otherwise in \"good health\".\nOn Monday afternoon, a Bentley took the Queen to Buckingham Palace, where she will spend the night.\nDressed in a red coat and smiling, she shook hands with hospital staff on the steps outside.\nBBC correspondent Daniela Relph said the Queen looked \"in pretty good condition and pretty healthy\" as she left.\nBut a Palace spokeswoman confirmed the Queen's diary for this week would remain suspended.\nShe said: \"Engagements cancelled or postponed this week remain so. \"Next week, we'll have to see, as she has only just been released from hospital.\"\nOn Saturday, the Queen had missed the military ceremony in Wales due to the stomach bug. On Sunday, she was driven from Windsor Castle, where she had been resting, after carrying out a private medal presentation earlier in the day.\nA spokesman for the Queen said she was in \"good spirits\" and her admission was \"a precautionary measure\".\nGastroenteritis causes inflammation of the stomach lining and intestines.\nThe infection can be transmitted through contact with an infected person or contaminated food and drink. Symptoms can include vomiting, fever and stomach ache.\nThe Queen's treatment, which has not been disclosed, may have included rehydration and tests to establish if the illness was caused by an infection or an underlying problem.\nThe Queen last received treatment 10 years ago, again at the King Edward VII's hospital, for a minor knee operation. At the same time, surgeons removed minor, non-cancerous lesions from her face.\nNext weekend, she had been due to spend two days in Rome with the Duke of Edinburgh, at the invitation of Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano.\nIt is not clear whether the visit will be re-scheduled.\n\n\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["gastroenteritis symptoms"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["London's King Edward VII's Hospital","hospital","London","King Edward VII's hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"People","values":["The Queen","Queen"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2018 Yulia Skripal is released from hospital. Russia says it will view any resettlement efforts by the United Kingdom as \"abduction.\" (Sky News)","document":"Yulia Skripal leaves hospital more than five weeks after she and her father Sergei were poisoned in Salisbury.\nBy Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent, and Alix Culbertson, News Reporter Tuesday 10 April 2018 15:15, UK\nRussia has said any secret resettlement of the spy poisoned in Salisbury and his daughter will be seen as \"abduction\".\nThe threat came hours after it was revealed Yulia Skripal has been discharged from hospital, five weeks after she and her father, Sergei Skripal, were found slumped on a bench in central Salisbury on 4 March after they were poisoned.\nHaving made a rapid recovery in recent days, Ms Skripal was discharged on Monday and taken to a secure location.\nThe Russian Embassy in London said that if the Skripals were resettled in the USA, Australia, Canada or New Zealand and offered new identities - as reported - it would be \"another gross violation of international law\".\nA statement said: \"With a secret resettlement of Mr and Ms Skripal all opportunities to hear their version of the events of 4 March will highly likely be lost forever.\n\"The world, while having no opportunity to interact with them, will have every reason to see this as an abduction of the two Russian nationals or at least as their isolation.\"\nChristine Blanshard, deputy chief executive and medical director at Salisbury District Hospital, said both Ms Skripal, 33, and her father, 66, have been responding well to treatment in the five weeks they have been in hospital.\nShe said they have received \"round-the-clock\" care and revealed that nerve agents cause hallucinations and sickness.\nMr Skripal is making good progress and will be discharged \"in due course\" but is recovering more slowly than his daughter, she added.\nThey were contaminated by the nerve agent novichok, thought to have been smeared hours earlier on the handle of Mr Skripal's front door at his home on the edge of the city.\nHis daughter had arrived the day before on a visit from her home in Moscow.\nFor nearly a month both were in a critical condition, but they have recently made a remarkable recovery.\nReacting to the news Ms Skripal had been discharged, the Russian Embassy in London tweeted its congratulations but said it needed \"urgent proof\" that she was not being influenced.\nWe congratulate Yulia Skripal on her recovery. Yet we need urgent proof that what is being done to her is done on her own free will.\nTheresa May said: \"Obviously I welcome the fact that Yulia Skripal has been discharged from hospital and I wish her the best for her continuing recovery.\"\nWhen contacted on Tuesday morning Viktoria Skripal, Yulia's cousin, said she had only just heard, via the story broken by Sky News, that her cousin had been discharged.\nShe has since been trying to contact her.\n\"I think Britain will insist that she claims asylum,\" she said, adding: \"I've tried lots of numbers for her but have had no response.\n\"How should I feel? I'm feeling pleased that she's well enough to be released from hospital.\n\"So far my feelings are unclear because I have not seen her and nobody has seen her, we've just had information.\"\nPlease use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player\nAt the end of last week Viktoria Skripal said she had been denied a UK visa to travel to Salisbury to visit her cousin and uncle.\nAt the end of March, Prime Minister Theresa May said doctors indicated the Skripals \"may never recover fully\" as she announced that more than 130 people in Salisbury could potentially have been exposed to the nerve agent.\nThe poisoning of the Skripals prompted nearly 30 countries to expel more than 150 Russian diplomats in solidarity with the UK after it blamed Russia for poisoning the family.\n","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["poisoned"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Salisbury","Salisbury District Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Christine Blanshard"]},{"role":"Date","values":["4 March"]},{"role":"People","values":["Yulia Skripal"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2011 Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor is permitted to leave hospital and return home, eight days after undergoing the amputation of her right leg. (BBC)","document":"Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor has been allowed home from hospital, eight days after having her right leg amputated, her spokesman has said. Gabor's release from the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles has come more than a week earlier than expected and doctors are pleased with her progress, added John Blanchette.\nThe 93-year-old star of 1950s films Moulin Rouge and Lili had her leg amputated because gangrene developed after a hip replacement operation in July.\nMr Blanchette said Gabor's husband, Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, had said his wife was now \"feisty, yelling at nurses and at him. Everything is back to normal\".\nGabor was admitted to hospital on 2 January after attempts to save her leg with antibiotics were unsuccessful.\nThe star had been admitted to hospital a number of times since breaking her hip in July.\nAfter the hip replacement surgery, she went on to develop swelling in her legs and blood clots throughout her body. She was in a critical condition and had asked for a priest during a trip to the hospital in August, but she recovered and was sent home.\nShe was readmitted to hospital in the new year because a wound in her right leg had grown and \"wasn't healing any more\", Mr Blanchette had said. Gabor had reportedly been bedridden for months. The veteran actress was partially paralysed in a car accident in 2002 and suffered a stroke in 2005, after which she used a wheelchair.\nGabor starred in the films Moulin Rouge, Touch of Evil and Queen of Outer Space, among others.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["gangrene developed after a hip replacement operation"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center","Los Angeles"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":["swelling in her legs and blood clots"]},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["July"]},{"role":"People","values":["Zsa Zsa Gabor"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["right leg amputated"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2011 Former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela is discharged from hospital following two days of tests. (IOL) (BBC) (Al Jazeera)","document":"South African former President Nelson Mandela has been discharged from a hospital where he spent two nights.\nSurgeon General Vejaynand Ramlakan said Mr Mandela, 92, was suffering from ailments that were common in people his age but was in good spirits.\nDeputy President Kgalema Motlanthe - using Mr Mandela's clan name - said: \"Madiba is well.\" South Africa's liberation hero flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg on Wednesday for a check-up.\nFriends and family visited him amid tight security at Milpark hospital on Thursday.\nOn Friday Mr Ramlakan said Mr Mandela had suffered a respiratory infection, but was responding well to treatment and would be receiving home-based care.\n\"To us he is stable, but will be subject to intense monitoring,\" he told reporters.\n\"Medically, at present, there is no need to panic,\" he added.\nAfter Mr Mandela's discharge, an ambulance surrounded by a police convoy drove him towards his home in the Johannesburg suburb of Houghton.\nThe BBC's Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg says the news comes as a relief to many anxious South Africans.\n\"It's wonderful news. In a sense he is the one holding the country together,\" Johannesburg resident Brandon Quinn told the BBC.\nLerato Ledwaba, a 20-year-old university student, also expressed her joy: \"As a young person in South Africa, Madiba means the world to me - he is my inspiration to strive for a better life for myself.\" Mr Mandela's frailty has been underlined by his hospital stay, which is hard for some to accept, our reporter says.\n\"I am constantly surprised by his strength. He is old but we are not ready to lose him. I don't know if we'll ever have another leader like him,\" said another Johannesburg resident Karen van Rensburg, 50.\n\"Yes, he is a world icon but he is also a human being and he deserves his privacy. We should all just let him rest now,\" said Sizwe Mbatha, 28, a bank consultant.\nDuring South Africa's apartheid regime Mr Mandela was jailed for 27 years. While imprisoned at Robben Island he had tuberculosis.\nHe became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and stepped down after one term in 1999.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["respiratory infection"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Milpark hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Surgeon General Vejaynand Ramlakan"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Nelson Mandela"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["home-based care"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2011 Former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela is discharged from hospital following two days of tests. (IOL) (BBC) (Al Jazeera)","document":"Former president Nelson Mandela had a quick and highly co-ordinated homecoming on Friday after his release from hospital.\nCameramen rushed to try to get the first images as he was driven through the gate of his Houghton, Johannesburg home in a military ambulance, but the windows were covered.\nOther vehicles assumed to be ferrying family members were also allowed onto the premises.\nHe was discharged after spending two-and-a-half days being treated for a respiratory infection. The 92-year-old political icon would receive home-based care. \nHospital staff came outside to watch his departure. As he left in a military ambulance, led by nine motorbikes and six police cars, he passed a group of school children singing Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika and holding a poster with the words \"take a short walk to health Madiba\". \nPhotographers charged after the convoy with blue lights flashing and initially no sirens.\n Earlier Surgeon General Lieutenant-General Vejaynand Ramlakan told a press briefing at the hospital: \"He received treatment and has responded very well... .He is stable, but will be monitored closely.\" \nMandela's grandson Mandla told the briefing: \"My grandfather has been discharged and we as a family will make the necessary arrangements for him to go back to his home in Houghton.\" - Sapa","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["respiratory infection"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["General Vejaynand Ramlakan"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"People","values":["Nelson Mandela"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["home-based care"]}]} {"event_trigger":"A manhunt is underway for a gunman who shot and seriously wounded presiding Travis County, Texas State District Judge Julie Kocurek at the driveway of her home in West Austin, Texas.","document":"A police manhunt was underway Saturday for a suspect who shot and seriously wounded the presiding state district judge of the Texas county that includes Austin.\nTravis County State District Judge Julie Kocurek, was gunned down in the driveway of her home in West Austin on Friday night. She was listed in serious condition at University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin but was expected to recover.\nPolice said the shooting occurred as Kocurek and her family arrived home, and it was unclear whether the shooter was targeting the judge or the incident was a botched robbery. A neighbor told the Austin American-Statesman about hearing four \"pops.\" \"This injury, although extremely serious, does not appear to be life-threatening,\" said Austin Police Department Commander Mark Spangler.\nSpangler told reporters that because the shooting was at night and in the dark, there was little information available to police about the gunman, and it was unclear how many suspects might be involved. Police arrived about five minutes after the shooting was reported. Police conducted a search for the gunman late Friday and handed out flyers Saturday seeking information related to the shooting. The judge lives in a wealthy area of $1 million and $2 million homes, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Kocurek is a former prosecutor who was appointed presiding judge of the 390th District Court by then-Gov. George W. Bush in 1999. She has overseen several high-profile murder cases. She became the only Republican elected to a state district judgeship in the heavily Democratic and later switched parties to become a Democrat. Contributing: KVUE-TV, Austin","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["gunned down"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Travis County","University Medical Center Brackenridge"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday night"]},{"role":"People","values":["Judge Julie Kocurek"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2005 Australian pop star Kylie Minogue is released from the hospital after surgery to treat breast cancer. (The Age)","document":"Reading from a written statement, Dr Jenny Senior said the Australian born pop diva underwent surgery at 5pm (AEST) yesterday in St Frances Xavier Cabrini Hospital in Melbourne.\n''Her spirits are high and she's feeling fine. She has family and friends around her,'' Dr Senior said.\n''Kylie has been the perfect patient and has charmed all my staff. I just wish I could have met her under happier circumstances.\n''Kylie has asked me to pass on her thanks once again to all who have expressed their love and concern for her.\n''Your support has certainly helped her through a tough time.''\nMinogue was admitted to the hospital yesterday afternoon, and Dr Senior said the operation had removed ''an early breast cancer''.\nDr Senior said the medical procedure that she performed was considered ''best practice around the world for a girl with an early breast cancer''.\n''I'm very pleased to be able to confirm that the operation was successful.\n''I feel confident that we caught the cancer in time and that she is now on the road to complete recovery,'' Dr Senior said.\n''Kylie is currently resting after the operation and her spirits are high and she is feeling fine.''\nDr Senior refused to take questions after her brief statement to reporters outside the hospital, including where the pop star was recovering from the surgery.\nEarlier today, a Silver Audi was seen speeding into the family's home in the Melbourne inner-eastern suburb of Canterbury.\nDr Senior also would not comment on how long Kylie's recovery would take.\nShe thanked the medical specialists who were part of Minogue's procedure, particularly workers in the hospital's radiology and pathology departments for helping her in her pre-operative assessment of the singer's condition.\n''I'd also like to take a moment to thank the nursing staff for assisting me in caring for Kylie while she recovers,'' she said.\n''I would also like to thank Kylie, her family, and (boyfriend) Olivier (Martinez) for making my job very easy. They were so welcoming.''","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["early breast cancer"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Melbourne","St Frances Xavier Cabrini Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Dr Jenny Senior"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday"]},{"role":"People","values":["Kylie"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2019 Former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz returns to Boston to recover from a shooting in the Dominican Republic. (CBS News)","document":" Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic — Baseball superstar David Ortiz has returned to the U.S. to continue treatment after he was shot in the Dominican Republic over the weekend. Ortiz, who was once the heart of the Boston Red Sox, suffered extensive internal wounds. Monday night, a wounded Ortiz left a Santo Domingo hospital for a charter flight arranged by the Red Sox.\nOrtiz will receive care at Mass General Hospital, according to CBS Boston. Ortiz's ambulance arrived at MGH late Monday escorted by Boston Police and State Police. Officials believe he'll make a full recovery.\nSurveillance video from Sunday night shows a motorcyclist approach Ortiz, seated with friends at a bar in downtown Santo Domingo, shooting him once in the back at nearly point-blank range. The 43-year-old fell from his stool while Dominican police say the driver, 25-year-old Eddy Feliz Garcia, was chased down by a group of witnesses and severely beaten before he was ultimately arrested. The alleged gunman is still on the loose.\nOrtiz was driven to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder, parts of his intestine and liver. Police are still looking for a motive, but have ruled out armed robbery.\nOrtiz, affectionately known as \"Big Papi,\" is widely beloved here. The baseball star is a source of national pride. He also remains popular in the U.S. after 20 seasons, 14 with the Red Sox that included three World Series titles.\nHis larger than life personality extends beyond baseball. In 2013, he lifted the spirits of a shocked city after the Boston marathon bombings.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["extensive internal wounds"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Mass General Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday night"]},{"role":"People","values":["David Ortiz"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2009 A new picture of Fidel Castro is published in the Juventud Rebelde state–run newspaper, apparently showing Cuba's ailing former leader in much better health. (BBC) (CNN) (IOL)[permanent dead link] (Reuters Africa)","document":"A new picture of Fidel Castro has been published in a state-run newspaper, apparently showing Cuba's ailing former leader in much better health.\nMr Castro, 83, was dressed more smartly than in other recent photos, wearing a white shirt rather than a tracksuit. Later he appeared on television for the first time in 14 months, chatting to Venezuelan students, in a meeting which reportedly took place on Saturday. He has not been seen in public since undergoing an operation in 2006. Mr Castro stepped down and his younger brother, Raul, took over his various offices. Since then he has undergone a series of major intestinal operations, although the state of his health and whereabouts remain state secrets. Neatly combed\nThe photograph in Juventud Rebelde, the Communist Youth newspaper, showed Mr Castro talking to Ecuador's left-wing President, Rafael Correa.New TV pictures emerge of Fidel Castro\nThere was speculation that Fidel Castro's health had deteriorated significantly at the end of last year in the run-up to the 50th anniversary of Cuba's revolution, says the BBC's Michael Voss in Havana. But his health does appear to have visibly improved in recent months, our correspondent adds. In the latest photograph Mr Castro appears stronger: his greying, almost white hair is neatly combed back and even his trademark beard appears to have grown a little. He remains an influential figure behind the scenes in Cuba and publishes regular editorials in the state-run media. Occasional photographs of him are published, usually showing him greeting visiting dignitaries.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":null},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Cuba"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"People","values":["Fidel Castro"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["intestinal operations"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2010 69–year–old Spanish tenor opera star Plácido Domingo returns to the stage at Milan's Teatro alla Scala weeks after colorectal cancer surgery. (BBC)","document":" Opera star Placido Domingo has returned to the stage just weeks after surgery to treat colon cancer. The 69-year-old tenor is appearing in six performances of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra at the famous Milan's Teatro alla Scala Anna Holligan reports. What are these?","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["colon cancer"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Placido Domingo"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2010 Bono is released from hospital in Munich following his spinal surgery as U2 confirm the postponement of the North America leg of the U2 360° Tour and cancel their headlining slot at the Glastonbury Festival 2010. (The Irish Times) (CNN) (The Sydney Morning Herald)","document":"U2 postponed the North America leg of its tour and cancelled its Glastonbury appearance today as the group’s singer Bono was released from hospital after emergency back surgery. He was told by doctors he would need at least eight weeks to recover. Bono, 50, whose real name is Paul Hewson, was treated in a Munich hospital after an injury sustained during tour preparation training, a statement on the band’s website said.‘‘Our biggest and I believe best tour has been interrupted and we’re all devastated,’’ the Irish act’s manager Paul McGuinness said in the statement.\"Bono’s concerns about more than a million ticket buyers whose plans have been turned upside down, we all share, but the most important thing right now is that Bono make a full recovery. We’re working as fast as we can with Live Nation to reschedule these dates.’’U2 has sold more than 150 million records. Its current 360-Degree tour made more than $311 million from 44 shows in 2009, making it the highest-grossing of the year, according to Billboard.com. U2’s revenue exceeded the $222 million made by Madonna’s shows. Artists have been turning to live performances as revenue drops from CD sales.The European leg of the tour planned later in the year remains in place at present. Live Nation said the 16 dates from Salt Lake City on June 3 through to New Jersey’s Meadowlands Stadium on July 19 will be rescheduled for 2011.The Glastonbury Festival website said the band had cancelled what was due to be its first appearance at the event in June, and Bono had called organiser Michael Eavis to break the news.BLOOMBERG","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":null},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Munich hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Bono","Paul Hewson"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["back surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2010 Bono is released from hospital in Munich following his spinal surgery as U2 confirm the postponement of the North America leg of the U2 360° Tour and cancel their headlining slot at the Glastonbury Festival 2010. (The Irish Times) (CNN) (The Sydney Morning Herald)","document":"(CNN) -- U2 lead singer Bono has been discharged from a German hospital where he was treated for a back injury, concert promoter Live Nation said Tuesday.\nThe band's North American shows have been postponed until next year, Live Nation said.\nAnd the group has canceled a planned headline appearance at the Glastonbury Festival in England next month, organizers said on their website.\nBono suffered a serious back injury Friday while preparing for the resumption of the band's U.S. tour, the band said, and had emergency surgery.\n\"Bono suffered severe compression of the sciatic nerve,\" Dr. Muller Wohlfahrt said in a statement provided by the concert promoter. \"On review of his MRI scan, I realized there was a serious tear in the ligament and a herniated disc, and that conservative treatment would not suffice. I recommended Bono have emergency spine surgery with Professor (Joerg Christian) Tonn at Munich's LMU University Hospital on Friday.\"\nTonn said Bono was in severe pain and had already suffered partial paralysis in his lower leg when he was referred.\n\"The ligament surrounding the disc had an 8-millimeter tear, and during surgery we discovered fragments of the disc had traveled into the spinal canal,\" Tonn said in the statement. \"This surgery was the only course of treatment for full recovery and to avoid further paralysis.\"\nTonn said Bono is now \"much better\" and has regained all movement. \"The prognosis is excellent, but to obtain a sustainable result, he must now enter a period of rehabilitation,\" Tonn said.\nEight weeks of rehabilitation is considered a minimum, Wohlfahrt said.\nU2 Manager Paul McGuinness said the band is working with Live Nation to reschedule the tour dates.\n\"Our biggest and I believe best tour has been interrupted and we're all devastated,\" McGuinness said in the statement. \"For a performer who lives to be on stage, this is more than a blow. He feels robbed of the chance to do what he does best and feels like he has badly let down the band and their audience. Which is of course nonsense.\n\"His concerns about more than a million ticket buyers whose plans have been turned upside down we all share, but the most important thing right now is that Bono make a full recovery.\"","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["back injury","severe compression of the sciatic nerve"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["German hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":["Eight weeks of rehabilitation"]},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Professor (Joerg Christian) Tonn","Tonn"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Bono"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["emergency spine surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2018 Pussy Riot activist Pyotr Verzilov states on Twitter that he is recovering after spending two weeks at Charité in the intensive care unit from a suspected poisoning. (CBS News)","document":"Updated on: September 25, 2018 / 12:57 PM\n / CBS/AP\n MOSCOW -- A member of the Russian protest group Pussy Riot said he is recovering after spending two weeks in intensive care from a suspected poisoning. Pyotr Verzilov tweeted Tuesday that he only fully regained consciousness three days ago after being in a \"black hole\" for the previous 12 days. \nHe added he was \"spending days in the great company of wonderful poisons.\" \nVerzilov, who also has Canadian citizenship, has been at Berlin's Charite hospital since arriving from Moscow, where he was previously treated. Dr. Kai-Uwe Eckardt, who heads the hospital's intensive care department, said last week he expected Verzilov to make a full recovery and hopefully suffer no permanent damage. \nIn a statement issued last week, Pussy Riot member Nadia Tolokonnikova said Verzilov was \"dizzy and confused.\" \"He remembers his friends and relatives, but he does not understand that he's in Germany, that he's in a hospital and there are doctors around him, not prison wardens. 'Are you the director of the prison?', Peter asked yesterday to the head of the hospital,\" according to Tolokonnikova. \nGerman doctors treating Verzilov said last week that reports he was poisoned are \"highly plausible,\" but stressed they can't say how this might have occurred or who was responsible. \nTolokonnikova told The Associated Press that Verzilov could have been poisoned because of his investigation into the killing of Russian journalists in the Central African Republic. The journalists were killed in an ambush in July while investigating a Russian military contractor and Russia's interests in the African country's mining industry. Verzilov was among four Pussy Riot protesters who barged onto the field during the soccer World Cup final in Moscow in July. They ran onto the pitch at Luzhniki Stadium dressed as police officers during the second half of the match between France and Croatia. They used the protest to call for the release of political prisoners in Russia and for more open political competition. \nThe members of the punk protest collective were handed 15 day jail sentences for their stunt. A Russian court sentenced them after finding them guilty of violating the law on behavior of sports events spectators. They were also banned from attending sports events for three years.\nFirst published on September 25, 2018 / 12:16 PM\n© 2018 ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["poisoning"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Charite hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Dr. Kai-Uwe Eckardt"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Pyotr Verzilov"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["intensive care"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2018 Salisbury District Hospital says poisoned spy Sergei Skripal is no longer critically ill, responding well to treatment, and \"improving rapidly\". His daughter was previously revealed to have regained consciousness. (BBC)","document":"Russian former spy Sergei Skripal is no longer in a critical condition after being poisoned by a nerve agent, doctors have said.\nSalisbury District Hospital said Mr Skripal is responding well to treatment and \"improving rapidly\".\nMr Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, have been in hospital for more than a month after being found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury.\nThey had been poisoned with a toxic nerve agent called Novichok.\nMs Skripal is conscious and talking in hospital.\nThe UK government claims Russia is behind the attack but Moscow has denied all involvement, calling the accusations \"horrific and unsubstantiated\".\nMeanwhile, the UK has refused to grant a visa to Yulia's cousin, Viktoria Skripal, the BBC has learned.\nThe Home Office said the application did not comply with immigration rules. A government source told the BBC it appears Russia is \"trying to use Viktoria as a pawn\".\nThe Russian Embassy said Sergei and Yulia Skripal \"remain hidden from the public\" as a result of the visa decision and the \"only relative\" who could reasonably expect to see them is \"kept out of the UK\".\n\"The stubborn refusal to cooperate, to provide transparency and to answer the numerous questions means Britain has something to hide,\" an embassy spokesman said.\nViktoria later told the BBC she did not have enough money in her bank account to satisfy the visa requirements.\nIt comes after Russian TV aired a recording of an alleged phone conversation between Viktoria and Yulia on Thursday.\nDoubts were raised over its authenticity but Viktoria has told Newsnight she was 100% certain it was Yulia.\nIn a statement from the hospital, medical director Christine Blanshard urged people to respect Ms Skripal's privacy \"while she continues to get better\".\n\"As Yulia herself says, her strength is growing daily and she can look forward to the day when she is well enough to leave the hospital,\" Dr Blanshard said.\n\"Any speculation on when that date will be is just that - speculation.\"\nThe BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Landale said Mr Skripal's recovery meant \"we now have two individuals at the heart of this incident in Salisbury who can now speak\".\nHe said: \"They can speak to investigators about their last movements, were there any threats, were there any other circumstances?\"\nFollowing the update on Mr Skripal's condition, the Russian Embassy tweeted: \"Good news!\"\nThe embassy later issued a statement wishing the Skripals \"get well soon\" and expressed hope that their recovery will \"contribute to the investigation\".\n\"We are confident that the objective probe will ultimately establish that the claims against Russia by [the] UK government are null and void,\" it added.\nForeign Secretary Boris Johnson also called Mr Skripal's condition \"great news\" and a testament to the emergency services and NHS staff.\nThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was \"very pleased\" that the Skripals were improving.\n\"The NHS will continue to provide ongoing care for the Skripals, both of whom are likely to have ongoing medical needs,\" the FCO said.\n\"Let us be clear, this was attempted murder using an illegal chemical weapon that we know Russia possesses.\"\nBy BBC Health and Science Correspondent James Gallagher\nRecovery from a nerve agent attack is not guaranteed, but it is not always a surprise either. Nerve agents including sarin, VX and novichok all prevent nerves functioning normally. This includes those that are necessary to breathe and keep the heart beating.\nThey work by disrupting an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase at the junction between nerves. But over time, the nerve agent is metabolised and excreted by the body and new acetylcholinesterase is made. The question is whether doctors can keep patients alive long enough for that to happen.\nThis would have been the focus of Sergei and Yulia Skripal's care at Salisbury District Hospital. It could have included heart and lung support, the drug atropine to counteract the effect of nerve agents and sedation to prevent brain seizures. There is still a question about the Skripals' long term recovery and whether there will be any impact on memory and brain function.\nFormer double agent Mr Skripal, who was jailed by Russia for spying for Britain's intelligence service but released as part of a spy swap between the US and Russia in 2010, was being visited by his daughter Yulia when the attack happened on 4 March.\nThe pair became ill in the centre of Salisbury after visiting The Mill pub and Zizzi restaurant.\nThe incident sparked an escalating diplomatic crisis between Russia and the West, with more than 20 countries expelling Russian envoys in solidarity with the UK.\nOn Thursday, Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, told the UN Security Council that Britain was \"playing with fire\" and had invented a \"fake story\".\nMr Nebenzia said Britain's main goal had been \"to discredit and even delegitimise\" Russia and accused the government of waging a \"propaganda war\".\nIn a statement released to police on Thursday, Ms Skripal said she was grateful for the many messages of goodwill she had received and the people of Salisbury who came to her aid.\nShe said: \"I am sure you appreciate that the entire episode is somewhat disorientating, and I hope that you'll respect my privacy and that of my family during the period of my convalescence.\"\nBritain's UN ambassador, Karen Pierce, said Russia's request for consular access to Ms Skripal has been passed on.\n\n\n","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["poisoned"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Salisbury District Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Dr Blanshard"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Yulia","Sergei Skripal"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2012 Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is discharged from hospital following treatment for a bladder infection. (BBC)","document":"The Duke of Edinburgh has been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for a bladder infection.\nPrince Philip, 91, spent five nights at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary - his third hospital stay in nine months.\nHe was taken to hospital on Wednesday during the royals' annual summer break at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire.\nIt is not yet known if he will be fit to attend the Paralympics opening ceremony with the Queen on 29 August.\nIt was a low-key exit and he looked extremely relaxed, shaking hands with the doctors and nurses involved in treating him, said the BBC's Lorna Gordon, outside Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.\nDenise Webster, a senior staff nurse, told reporters: \"The duke was a very good patient, and as he left the hospital he told staff to behave themselves and he said he was going back to enjoy the rest of his holiday.\"\nThe duke has now rejoined the rest of the Royal Family at Balmoral.\nBuckingham Palace had described his admission to hospital as a \"precautionary measure\" after the recurrence of an infection he suffered shortly before the Diamond Jubilee concert on 4 June.\nThe duke missed the Royal Family's visit to morning service at Crathie Kirk on Sunday, before spending a fifth night at the NHS hospital, where he was seen by private physicians. Doctors told the duke to rest and he did not receive any visitors during his latest stay in hospital, however his family are said to have been in contact by phone.\nIn June, the duke spent five nights in hospital with a bladder infection following the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames.\nHe missed some of the key celebrations for the Queen's 60-year reign, including the star-studded Jubilee concert.\nThe duke, who is the longest-serving royal consort in British royalty, also spent four nights in hospital over Christmas following an operation to clear a blocked heart artery.\nIn March, Prince Harry said the operation - which was successful - had given his grandfather a \"new spurt of life\".\nThe duke went to Balmoral after attending several Olympic events, including the opening ceremony, and he also saw his granddaughter Zara Phillips' Olympic equestrian debut.\nLast week he was said to be in good spirits when he took part in events as part of Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["bladder infection"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Aberdeen Royal Infirmary"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Denise Webster"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesda"]},{"role":"People","values":["Prince Philip"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2015 The Vatican announces Mother Teresa's eligibility for canonization after a Vatican spokesman confirmed Pope Francis' recognition of a second miracle attributed to her involving the healing of a Brazilian man with multiple brain tumors. The Vatican has yet to confirm a canonization date for Teresa. (Agence France–Presse via The Guardian) (Reuters via The Hindu)","document":"Brazilian man’s recovery from multiple brain tumours attributed by panel of experts to woman nicknamed the ‘Saint of the Gutters’\nFirst published on Fri 18 Dec 2015 01.48 GMT\nPope Francis has approved a second miracle for Mother Teresa, paving the way for the late nun who was known as the “Saint of the Gutters” to be canonised next year. The Vatican said in a short statement on Friday that the Argentinean pontiff had approved the miracle, in which a Brazilian man was said to have been cured of multiple brain tumours in 2008 following the nun’s intercession.\nThe honour for the Nobel prize winner, who won acclaim for her work with impoverished and dying people living in the slums of Kolkata, India, has been widely anticipated for months in Italy, and the ceremony to make her a saint – expected to be held on September 4 2016 – will be a highlight of the church’s jubilee year of mercy.\nBut it is also controversial. Mother Teresa’s work has been questioned for decades by notable critics, who have alleged first that the Catholic missionary, who died in 1997, misused funds that were meant for charity, and second that she was a Catholic fundamentalist more concerned with evangelism than with serving the poor with adequate medical treatment. The negative assessment was underscored by researchers at the University of Montreal and the University of Ottawa, who concluded in a 2013 report that the nun did not deserve the saintly reputation she had acquired over her lifetime due to her “rather dubious way of caring for the sick, her questionable political contacts, her suspicious management of the enormous sums of money she received, and her overly dogmatic views regarding, in particular, abortion, contraception, and divorce”.\nThe researchers found that the vast majority of patients who had come to visit Mother Teresa’s missions for the dying had hoped to find doctors to treat them, but instead found unhygienic conditions, a shortage of care, inadequate food and no painkillers. Vatican journalist John Allen at the Crux website said that the final view on Mother Teresa was ultimately a matter of personal opinion, but that Catholicism did not equate sainthood with perfection. “In reality, declaring someone a saint does, indeed, reflect a judgment that he or she lived a holy life, but it’s not tantamount to a claim of moral perfection. It doesn’t mean they never made mistakes or were utterly free of blind spots,” he wrote.\nThe late journalist Christopher Hitchens, who skewered the nun’s staunch objection to birth control and abortion and was one of her most vociferous critics, ridiculed the first medical miracle that was attributed to Mother Teresa in 2003, when she was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2003 in a “fast-track” process that, in effect, meant she did not have to undergo the standard five-year waiting period after a possible saint’s death. “Surely any respectable Catholic cringes with shame at the obviousness of the fakery,” Hitchens wrote in Slate that year. “A Bengali woman named Monica Besra claims that a beam of light emerged from a picture of Mother Teresa, which she happened to have in her home, and relieved her of a cancerous tumour. Her physician, Dr Ranjan Mustafi, says that she didn’t have a cancerous tumour in the first place and that the tubercular cyst she did have was cured by a course of prescription medicine.” The office that investigates candidates for sainthood has come under fire in two new books that raise questions about the oversight of the church’s finances. The books, allegedly based on church documents, found that every investigation conducted by special sainthood researchers costs about €500,000. When a special committee created by Pope Francis to examine church finances asked the office to produce documentation to back up its expenses, the office allegedly balked, and could not produce any receipts for costs running into the “tens of millions of euros”.\nIn India, meanwhile, the news about Mother Theresa was being celebrated as a Christmas gift from the Holy Father. “We were waiting for this moment, since many years really, and now that it has come we are very happy, overjoyed,” Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Kolkata said. “Her entire life was spent in service to the poor … She was reflecting God’s love here among the poorest of the poor, and so it comes as a very significant event in this Year of Mercy that the Holy Father has given to the church.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["tubercular cyst"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Dr Ranjan Mustafi"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Monica Besra"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["a course of prescription medicine"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2012 Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, successfully undergoes surgery to remove gallstones from his gallbladder. (BBC) (The Telegraph)","document":"South Africa's first black president, Nelson Mandela, has had an operation to remove gallstones, according to a government statement.\nThe operation was successful and Mr Mandela is recovering.\nMr Mandela, who is 94, was admitted to hospital last Saturday after suffering a recurrence of a lung infection.\nTests revealed the presence of gallstones and doctors treating Mr Mandela decided to remove them once he had recovered from the infection.\nThe statement said: \"This morning, 15 December 2012, the former president underwent a procedure via endoscopy to have the gall stones removed. The procedure was successful and (Mr Mandela) is recovering.\"\nThere is no indication at this stage when he might leave hospital in Pretoria.\nA gallstone is an accumulation of crystals in the gall bladder. If left untreated, it can become life-threatening because of the risks of secondary infections. Mr Mandela is regarded by most South Africans as the father of the nation, having inspired them to fight for democracy. He led the struggle against white-minority rule before being elected the first black president in 1994.\nDespite being imprisoned for 27 years by the apartheid government, he forgave his former enemies and urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.\nHe was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.\nMr Mandela has been admitted to hospital on three occasions in the past two years. In January 2011, he was treated for a serious chest infection in Johannesburg . In February this year he was again admitted to a Johannesburg hospital because of abdominal pains. He was released the following day after tests revealed nothing serious.\nMr Mandela now lives in Qunu, a small rural village in Eastern Cape province, where he says he spent the happiest days of his childhood.\nHe retired from public life in 2004 and has been rarely seen in public since, though he still receives high-profile visitors.\nFormer US president Bill Clinton visited him in July.\n\n\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["lung infection"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["hospital in Pretoria","hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Nelson Mandela"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["remove gallstones"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2007 Senator Tim Johnson announces that he will return to the United States Senate on September 5 after recovering from brain surgery since last December. (Reuters)","document":"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sen. Tim Johnson, a Democrat who has been recovering from brain surgery since December, plans to return to his Senate office on September 5, his office said on Wednesday.\nJohnson will be in his home state of South Dakota for the next few days before returning to Washington and he “plans to be in his Senate office and on the Senate floor on Wednesday, September 5th,” according to his office.\nThe two-term Democrat underwent emergency surgery on December 13 to stop bleeding from a malformation of blood vessels in his brain. He remained in the hospital and then in a rehabilitation center for several months after the operation.\nJohnson’s speech and ability to walk are still impaired.\nWith Democrats controlling the Senate with a narrow 51-49 margin, Johnson’s sudden illness that left him in critical condition in December raised questions about what would happen if he could no longer serve, giving South Dakota’s Republican governor the chance to appoint a fellow Republican to fill out Johnson’s term.\nThat could have tipped Senate control to the Republicans.\nJohnson’s second six-year term ends next year and the 60-year-old senator has not formally declared whether he will seek another term.\n\n","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["a malformation of blood vessels in his brain","brain"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":["speech and ability to walk are still impaired"]},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday","September 5"]},{"role":"People","values":["Sen. Tim Johnson"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["brain surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2012 Fabrice Muamba is discharged from hospital after his cardiac arrest during an FA Cup match. (BBC) (East African Standard)","document":"Last updated on 16 April 201216 April 2012.From the section Football\nBolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba has paid tribute to the London Chest Hospital staff after being discharged.\nThe 24-year-old was technically \"dead\" for 78 minutes after suffering a cardiac arrest and collapsing in a game against Tottenham on 17 March and had been in hospital since then.\n\"I am naturally very pleased to be discharged from hospital,\" he said.\n\"I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to every single member of staff who played a part in my care.\"\n\"It's remarkable when you consider that his heart stopped beating for 78 minutes. \"I understand that he had a relatively minor procedure to be fitted with a defibrillator, a pacemaker, because of the risk that he can suffer a cardiac arrest again in the future. \"There's a long way to go in terms of recovering fully. We don't know what the defibrillator means for his playing career.\" Muamba, pictured with Dr Andrew Deaner and Dr Sam Mohiddin of the Barts Health NHS Trust on his discharge, said: \"Their dedication, professionalism and expertise is simply amazing and I will forever be in their debt. I also wish to say thank you to all the many well-wishers who have sent thousands of messages of support.\"\nAnd in a joint press release issued by the Trust and his club, the midfielder continued: \"Now I am out of hospital, I am looking forward to continuing my recovery and spending precious time with my family.\"\nBolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle said: \"It is absolutely fantastic news that Fabrice has been discharged from hospital and everyone at the club is delighted.\n\"We would also like to add our thanks to the staff at The London Chest Hospital for their care and treatment of Fabrice, which has been outstanding.\n\"It is important that Fabrice and his family are now given time and space to be together, and we would ask the media to continue to respect their privacy.\"\nA spokesman for the Trust said: \"Barts Health can confirm that Fabrice Muamba has now been discharged following several weeks of treatment. All our staff wish him the very best in his ongoing recovery.\"\nMuamba collapsed after 41 minutes of the FA Cup quarter-final tie with Spurs and was given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and 15 defibrillator shocks before he arrived at the intensive care unit of the heart attack centre at the London Chest Hospital.\nThe former England Under-21 international was helped on the pitch by Deaner, consultant cardiologist at London Chest Hospital, who was at the game as a fan, and ran out of the stands to lend his expertise.\nLast month, Trotters club doctor Jonathan Tobin said: \"It was 48 minutes when he collapsed to reaching hospital and a further 30 minutes after that. He was, in effect, dead at that time.\n\"We were fearing the worst and didn't think we would get the recovery we had. It's incredible.\"","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["cardiac arrest"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["London Chest Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":["be fitted with a defibrillator","defibrillator"]},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Dr Andrew Deaner","Dr Sam Mohiddin"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Fabrice Muamba"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Seahawks cornerback Gavin Heslop recovering from surgery on broken leg","document":"Seattle Seahawks defensive back Gavin Heslop is recovering from surgery to repair fracturing to both bones in his left leg sustained in Sunday’s win over the Houston Texans. Heslop had surgery Sunday night and has remained in Houston as he begins his recovery. “He had a real successful surgery,” head coach Pete Carroll said. “He sounded way better, was much more upbeat about that everything worked out OK and all that. He’ll get back here in a couple days.” Heslop was injured with just over a minute left to play in the 33-13 win over the Texans. Heslop was playing the final snaps of the game in place of Quandre Diggs with the game in hand at free safety. Nico Collins caught an 18-yard pass from Davis Mills in front of Heslop. As Collins was falling to the ground, Heslop planted his left leg and Collins fell and landed on the middle of Heslop’s lower leg. The impact caused fractures to both the tibia and fibula. Heslop had just been promoted to the active roster to take the place of Jamal Adams , who is also out for the season after sustaining a torn labrum in his shoulder. Heslop had appeared in two games this season as a standard practice squad elevation. Sunday’s game was his first chance to play on defense and he saw just four snaps before the injury. “A heartbreaker. Just got started,” Carroll said. “He was doing well, too. And to get to this point where we got him active and all that, it’s just too bad.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["fracturing to both bones in his left leg","left leg"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Houston"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Gavin Heslop"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"‘Parasite’ actress Park So Dam recovering after surgery for thyroid cancer","document":"“Parasite” actress Park So Dam is recovering after undergoing surgery for papillary thyroid cancer, her agency said Monday. Park, 30, from South Korea, was diagnosed during a recent health check, her agency, ArtistCompany, said in a statement to CNN on Monday. The surgery ended the actress’ plans to promote her new movie, “Special Delivery,” the news network reported. Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common type of cancer to affect the thyroid, according to the Mayo Clinic . It can occur at any age, but most often it affects people ages 30 to 50, according to the clinic. Parasite Actress Park So Dam Diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer and Undergoes Park has appeared in several South Korean films, including “Steel Cold Winter,” “The Priests” and “Ode to the Goose,” People reported. She had a breakout role in 2019′s “ Parasite ,” which won four Academy Awards, including best picture, best international feature film, best director and best screenplay. Park played Kim Ki Jung , a young woman from a poor family who pretends to be an art therapist so she can get a job teaching the children of a wealthy family. The film, directed by Bong Joon Ho, became the first non-English-language film and the first South Korean film to win an Oscar for best picture, according to CNN . “The company would like to once again thank all the people for showing support for ‘Special Delivery’ and actress Park So Dam, as well as the actors and crew of ‘Special Delivery’ overcoming this difficult time together,” the agency said in its statement to CNN . “Park So Dam will focus on her recovery so that she can see you all healthy in the future, and ArtistCompany will also do our best to help the actor recover her health.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["Papillary thyroid cancer","papillary thyroid cancer"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Park So Dam","Park"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Mahesh Babu undergoes knee surgery in Spain, actor recovering well","document":"Mahesh Babu underwent knee surgery in Spain and is currently recuperating. The actor will be back in Hyderabad soon. UPDATED: December 16, 2021 16:29 IST Mahesh Babu undergoes knee surgery in Spain. Mahesh Babu recently underwent knee surgery in Spain on December 14. He is currently recuperating. The actor is expected to take rest for two months before getting back to work. Mahesh Babu was seen leaving Hyderabad with his wife, Namrata Shirodkarar, on December 13. After the doctors give a green signal, Mahesh Babu will return to Hyderabad. MAHESH BABU UNDERGOES KNEE SURGERY IN SPAIN Mahesh Babu has been busy shooting for director Parasuram Petla's Sarkaru Vaari Paata for the past few months. According to reports, the actor has been suffering from knee pain for a while now. After consulting with doctors, Mahesh Babu decided to go ahead with his knee surgery. If reports are to be believed, Mahesh Babu is recovering well at the hospital after the surgery. The actor will wait for the doctor's advice before getting back to Hyderabad. MAHESH BABU'S UPCOMING FILM Mahesh Babu was last seen in Sarileru Neekevvaru, which released in theatres in 2020 . The actor took a break for a few months before signing his upcoming film, Sarkaaru Vaari Paata. Directed by Parasuram Petla, the film will release in theatres on April 1, 2022. After completing Sarkaru Vaari Paata, Mahesh Babu will team up with Trivikram Srinivas for a film, which will also feature Pooja Hegde. He also has a film with director SS Rajamouli in the pipeline.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["knee pain"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Mahesh Babu","MAHESH BABU"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["knee surgery","KNEE SURGERY"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Congressman Higgins recovering at home after surgery for old injury","document":" Congressman Clay Higgins is recovering after surgery he underwent on Tuesday. According to Higgins' office, he underwent a successful surgical procedure Tuesday morning at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette. In a statement, Higgins says the surgery was necessary after aggravating an old internal injury. He says the procedure went well. Higgins' office says the congressman will spend the next few weeks recovering and working from his home office. Congressman Higgins issued the following statement: “A few months ago, while training, I aggravated an old internal injury. This morning, I underwent a surgical procedure. The surgery was recommended by my doctors earlier in the fall, and we planned the procedure to take place after the conclusion of this year’s votes. Everything went well, and I’m grateful to my doctors and nurses for their excellent care. I will spend the Christmas season recovering at home under the care of my wife Becca and will continue working remotely on many ongoing issues. The challenges we face together will not take a holiday, and neither will I. It is an honor to serve South Louisiana, and I look forward to a full recovery from this required surgical procedure. The new year is upon us, and together we will embrace the future.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":null},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Clay Higgins"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgical procedure"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Pink reveals she is recovering from hip surgery","document":"The Grammy-winner praised her husband, Carey Hart, in a social media post detailing the ways he has been helping during her \"brutal\" healing journey. Pink performing at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for dcp Pink is maintaining a positive mindset as she recovers from hip surgery. The superstar vocalist revealed on Instagram on Wednesday that she has had ups and downs since the recent procedure. She posted a photo of herself smiling along with a detailed description of her struggles and how her husband, Carey Hart , has been supporting her. \"Hey world! This is what 9 hours of sleep and cuddles from my kiddos looks like 7 days post hip surgery!!\" the Grammy-winner began her lengthy post. Pink and Hart, who married in 2006, share daughter Willow, 10, and son Jameson, 4. She thanked her doctor and the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado, and added, \"I am never not completely grateful.\" Despite her sunny disposition, Pink admitted the recovery has been rough so far. \"It was a brutal first week full of tears and pain med depression, ulcers from meds and constant fevers, but my @hartluck brought me through.\" She mentioned that Hart, who is a former professional motocross competitor, has plenty of experience recovering from serious injuries and surgeries . Continuing to gush about her husband, Pink explained all of the kind acts he has performed for her as she heals, including bringing her coffee in the shower, drying her tears, cooking her oatmeal and talking her \"off the ledge.\" The singer assured fans that it's not all bad, writing that she has \"already figured out some tricks on these crutches I'm on for six weeks.\" She also confirmed that she will make a \"full recovery.\" \"Life always reminds you that most setbacks are actually just pauses and opportunities to recalibrate and count your blessings,\" she shared. Pink said the surgery allowed her to meet a woman with cerebral palsy who summits mountains and learn about a blind man who climbs Mount Everest. The experience so far has been \"humbling\" for her and she is using this journey as an opportunity to learn the \"gift of accepting help.\" The \"What About Us\" singer ended the message on an uplifting note and said, \"Let the healing begin,\" along with a heart, prayer hand and dancing emoji. Pink regularly opens up to fans about her personal life and struggles. In May, she spoke to TODAY's Carson Daly about her documentary, \"All I Know So Far,\" which shows her balancing motherhood and fame. \"I made the documentary because as kids we create this narrative about our parents, and how our childhood was and how hard we had it,\" she explained at the time. \"I was like, 'Well if I make this documentary, then they can see how loved they are and clothed and fed, and how I rearranged the cells of my being to be there for them.'\" ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":null},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Pink"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["hip surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"'It was very scary': Woman travels to Muskegon for heart surgery because hospitals are at capacity","document":"'It was very scary': Woman travels to Muskegon for heart surgery because hospitals are at capacity 46-year-old Lutricia Harmon is now recovering from a quadruple bypass at Mercy Health Heart Center in Muskegon Posted at 6:22 PM, Dec 15, 2021 and last updated 2021-12-15 19:55:37-05 MUSKEGON, Mich. — Because of hospitals in Grand Rapids being at capacity due to the recent surge in COVID cases, a Grand Rapids woman had to travel all the way out to Muskegon in order to have emergency open-heart surgery. Forty-six-year-old Lutricia Harmon has been extremely conscious of any issues with her heart after suffering a heart attack last year. On an evening about three weeks ago, she knew something was wrong, and decided to call her daughter, Ashley Durr. “She called me one night and was like, 'I'm headed to the hospital.' I said, 'Okay, I'll meet you there,'” Durr explained to FOX 17 Wednesday afternoon. “Scary... It was very scary.” Her mother went in to Mercy Health Saint Mary's in Grand Rapids to be checked out, but was initially told everything looked fine. After spending a few days back at home resting, she once again felt something off with her heart. “She knew something was wrong the whole time,\" Durr said. “She did another test with them, and they knew immediately that she needed this surgery.” Harmon needed open-heart surgery as soon as possible, a quadruple bypass. She would need to find a hospital with an open intensive care bed, but Mercy Health Saint Mary's doesn't perform such surgeries. Spectrum Grand Rapids, the hospital closest to their homes, wasn't able to accommodate at the time. A spokesperson for Spectrum Health told FOX 17 late Wednesday that \"During the most recent COVID surges and high hospital census numbers, nearly every aspect of Spectrum Health’s operations has been impacted, including emergency departments, medical surgical units, ICU units and transfers to post-acute care settings such as rehab and nursing units.\" \"During this time, and like hospitals around the country, Spectrum Health has postponed or deferred elective surgeries and turned down transfer requests from other hospitals in the region when necessary,\" the statement continued. All of Spectrum's emergency departments remain open. Durr, who works in a hospital herself, began frantically looking for another location with an open intensive care bed. “No one else around us, around the area, were taking transfers, and Muskegon was the first one to open up,” she said. They ended up receiving word that a bed was available at the Mercy Health Heart Center in Muskegon. It wasn't convenient, but it was the only option at the time. The family started a GoFundMe page to raise money to cover a nearby hotel room, and growing transportation costs. A friend ended up covering the entire cost of a room, but they are still hoping they can raise enough money to help financially support their mother during her recovery, when she isn't able to work. “I would like to thank everybody that have donated so far… we appreciate everything, and everybody,” Durr told FOX 17. Her mother had her surgery Wednesday morning, and successfully made it through. She will now spend about five days recovering in that intensive care room. They are all eager for the day they can all travel back to their homes in Grand Rapids together. The state of Michigan maintains a website HERE with the current bed capacity levels at all Michigan healthcare facilities.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["heart attack"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Mercy Health Heart Center in Muskegon","Muskegon","MUSKEGON"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Lutricia Harmon"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["a quadruple bypass","quadruple bypass","emergency open-heart surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Spencer, golden retriever that captured hearts at Boston Marathon, recovering from surgery to remove tumor","document":" Spencer, who makes regular appearance at the Boston Marathon clutching a \"Boston Strong\" flag between his teeth, had surgery on Monday to remove a tumor.The Henry Studio Spencer, the unflappable golden retriever who has become a revered figure along the Boston Marathon course for his proud display of a “Boston Strong” flag that he clenched in his teeth, had surgery to remove a tumor and is recovering at his home in Holliston. Doctors removed a mass along with his spleen on Monday, and his family is now anxiously awaiting the results of a pathology report that will indicate whether or not the tumor was malignant. “If you get a tumor in the spleen area of a golden retriever, it’s usually not a good thing,” said Spencer’s owner, Rich Powers, in an interview on Thursday. “So we’re kind of on pins and needles hoping the report is good. He’s doing well at the moment, but we don’t know.” Spencer with his medical team.The Henry Studio Spencer, who is 12, shot to fame in 2018 when, in pouring rain and whipping winds he sat happily wearing Powers’ bright blue rain jacket and clutching a small wooden post with dueling blue and yellow flags. In each year following, runners have sacrificed a few precious seconds to dote on the pooch after spotting him near Mile 3 in Ashland State Park. He has also captured the attention of local news stations, who without fail provide him a feature slot in their race coverage. Along with his sister, 9-year-old Penny, he is the subject of a popular social media account. “Every time you turn on the news, people are terrible. It’s awful,” said Powers, trying to explain the fervor over his dog. “And then you get this little dog who just looks up all sweet and holds a little flag. It just makes you stop, and just for a second, the world isn’t as terrible. He’s a break from the awfulness.” In keeping with his easygoing personality, Spencer was unfazed by the surgery, Powers said. Powers had noticed a change in the dog’s eating habits last week and quickly took him to the vet, where an MRI revealed the tumor. No bother for Spencer. Advertisement “He went in, tail wagging,” said Powers, 56. “When we picked him up, I thought they’d hand us this lifeless dog. But no, he just came out, like, ‘Let’s go!’ and pulling at the leash.” This isn’t Spencer’s first health scare. Last year, doctors removed a 3 1/2-pound tumor from near his liver. “It was bad,” said Powers. “You don’t expect them to live through something like that.” Powers and his wife, Dorrey, got Spencer as a puppy in 2009, and he started attending the Marathon in 2015.They’ve always had golden retrievers in pairs, Powers explained. Before Spencer and Penny, it was Misty and Mandy. Spencer was a friendly face at the annual race for a few years before he rose to fame. “I think it was him in my raincoat through the pouring rain that did it,” said Powers. On top of his annual Marathon duties, Spencer and Penny are both registered therapy dogs, making stops wherever a calming presence is requested. Last week they were at a vaccine clinic, where they stood by nervous kids as they got their shots. Spencer and Penny.The Henry Studio A Facebook account dedicated to the two pups, titled “Spencer and Penny,” has a loyal base of followers who adore regular “pupdates,” as Powers calls them. The page is flooded with pictures of the dogs standing side by side, each holding a sign.A recent post during Spencer’s stay with the vet features Penny holding a paper that reads “positive vibes needed.” Advertisement The page has grown so popular that Powers began making calendars of the pair at his followers’ request and donating most proceeds to canine cancer research. This year he’s already sold 775. A recent post during Spencer’s stay at the vet’s office features Penny holding a paper that reads “positive vibes needed.” “We’re really hoping he makes it through this,” said Powers. “A lot of people love this guy, and his sister needs him.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["a tumor in the spleen area","tumor"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["The Henry Studio Spencer","Henry Studio Spencer"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery to remove a tumor","surgery","to remove a tumor","removed a 3 1/2-pound tumor"]}]} {"event_trigger":"SA surgeon performs new robotic surgery on testicular cancer patients, allowing faster recovery","document":"SAN ANTONIO - – Testicular cancer is most common in younger men, ages 15-30 years old. In more complicated cases where the disease has spread, the only option used to be a serious open surgery, but a robot is now changing that, getting these young patients back on their feet faster. Antonio Flores is only 21 and in his prime, so it was a shock in February when he found out he had testicular cancer. “They told me, ‘Yeah we have to remove the testicle.’ I was like, ‘Okay, go ahead.’ I’d rather lose a testicle than my life,” he said. However, that was just the beginning. He then went through weeks of chemotherapy only to find out he was one of the rare patients whose lymph nodes in the back of his abdomen were still infected. “It’s quite complex and quite rare because these lymph nodes are right next to the major vessels,” said Dr. Ahmed Mansour, associate professor of urology at UT Health San Antonio and a surgeon with Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Mansour said typically the only procedure available is a complicated open surgery, which is only available at a few centers in the nation and takes months of recovery. “The traditional surgery involves a large incision, which extends from the chest bone all the way across the abdomen,” he said. Mansour hated seeing young patients held back from their lives for so long as they recovered, so he helped utilize a massive surgical robot to more effectively remove these lymph nodes in patients like Flores. The surgeon sits in the corner of the operating room controlling instruments attached to long robot arms, inserted through small incisions in the patient’s belly. “The advantages are less blood loss, faster recovery, and less pain after the surgery,” Mansour said. The Mays Cancer Center took the robotic procedure done only a few times around the nation, and modified the technique further. “This procedure has been done in the past but only for patients who did not get chemotherapy, because chemotherapy makes these masses stuck to the vessels and it becomes quite hard for them to be taken out. In the past, it was also performed to take the lymph nodes from only one side of the belly,” Mansour said. Ad The robotic surgery allows surgeons like Mansour to operate on both sides of the abdomen on testicular cancer patients like Flores who have had chemo. In May, Flores was the first patient to undergo that procedure here in San Antonio, and became one of just a handful of patients across the country. Since Flores’ surgery, Mansour has done the procedure once more. “He got amazed at how fast I’ve been recovering. Since the surgery, I would say three weeks… not even,” Flores said. He’s back to working as an auto mechanic and is proud to be cancer-free. “The fastest I can get recovered to get back to work the better because honestly I got a lot of bills to pay,” Flores said. That’s the very reason Mansour and his colleagues are continuing their quest to perfect the robotic procedure until it’s used more regularly nationwide. UT Health San Antonio is now promoting the new technique to other centers and creating a multi-center study evaluating this approach to the traditional open surgery. Ad While Mansour works on that, he also is promoting prevention, saying the best way to keep patients safe is through self-examination. “Usually testicular cancer comes without any symptoms, but they feel a mass or a lump on their testes. Usually discovered during showering or self-examination,” he said. He urges men to do regular self exams and go to the doctor if they believe they feel something abnormal.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["testicular cancer","Testicular cancer"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Dr. Ahmed Mansour, associate professor of urology at UT Health San Antonio and a surgeon with Mays Cancer Center","UT Health San Antonio","Dr. Mansour","Mays Cancer Center"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Antonio Flores"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["chemotherapy","remove the testicle","utilize a massive surgical robot"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Bouchard recovering from shoulder surgery","document":"Eugenie Bouchard, the former World No 5 from Canada, continues to recover from surgery to repair the torn subscapularis in her right shoulder sustained in March, admitting recently that she was scared to undergo the procedure because she had never been under anaesthesia before. Everything is on track and is going well, but he [the doctor] wants me to strengthen my shoulder a little bit more before I get back on court. Everything is still on time, so I just need a few more weeks of intense PT and strengthening and then I can finally, five months later, get on the court. Eugenie Bouchard “Full Anaesthesia. I was so scared beforehand ‘cuz I’ve never been under,” Bouchard explained on Instagram. “But everything went perfectly. “However when I came to, after the procedure, I kinda freaked out and was super emotional lol. My mom took videos. I’ll have to show y’all one day. It’s too funny!” Bouchard, whose ranking has dropped to No 250 in the world, is looking to return to match play in Rome next year. “Hopefully Rome in May 2022!” she confirmed. “Last time I played Rome was 2016. Can you believe it?” Poised to have a good season in 2021 after reaching the final in Guadalajara Open in March, the 27-year old was forced to surrender to the shoulder injury she picked up during her first-round match there. After trying ‘every form of conservative treatment and rehab known to man’, Bouchard revealed three months later that she had elected to have arthroscopic surgery. In a separate post, Bouchard told her Instagram followers that she had received ‘good news’ regarding her recovery and all was well. “I saw the doctor last week and everything is on track and is going well, but he wants me to strengthen my shoulder a little bit more before I get back on court,” Bouchard said on Instagram in late October. “Everything is still on time, so I just need a few more weeks of intense PT and strengthening and then I can finally—five months later get on the court.” Bouchard has been using hydrotherapy sessions in her recovery programme. ”A glimpse into some of the hydrotherapy I’ve been doing for my shoulder,” she said. “Recreating movements in water activates more muscles! I’ve found it helpful, and such a good burn/workout.” Bouchard followed the US Open and said it was refreshing to see what Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez did. “We were all in this narrative, saying ‘Tennis is so hard on the players’ minds, they can’t compete with the pressure, media are going too hard on those kids,’ and then you get Fernandez and Raducanu coming, all lights out, big eyes, so happy just to be out there, enjoying the moment, not thinking about the backstage, the business,” Bouchard told Tennis Majors. “They’re just playing the match and beating those players. “It’s so refreshing, and the contrast is massive between them and Naomi feeling like she needs a break and has no joy out there.” Genie Bouchard has used hydro therapy in her recovery from shoulder surgery Instagram Meanwhile, Bouchard has debuted New Balance x Bandier’s second collection in the company’s ‘Her Advantage’ campaign. “Her Advantage. The new @newbalance x @bandier collection, inspired by my love of fashion, and anchored in the idea that if you look good, you play good and feel even better,” she posted on social media. New Balance is collaborating with the leisure brand, Bandier, producing the new neutral-toned New Balance 327 sneakers. Sponsored by New Balance, Bouchard signed a multi-year contract with the athletic brand in 2020 after Nike dropped her in 2019. The latest New Balance x Bandier collection features a fun collaborative colour-way of the New Balance 327 kicks and a full apparel collection, with sweatpants, tank tops, long-sleeves and hoodies in the neutral-tone collection. Apart from New Balance, Bouchard is also endorsing brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, Yonex, Wilson, Babolat, and Head, which makes the Canadian one of the most recognisable players of the modern era. The face of New Balance's \"Her Advantage' campaign Having burst onto the global scene as a 20-year-old when she reached the 2014 Wimbledon final, Bouchard was catapulted into stardom as the endorsement deals swarmed in and public interest heightened. Her ranking rose to No 5 in the world by the end of that year when she was voted the WTA’s most improved player in 2014. A fluke concussion after slipping on a wet floor at the US Open rendered her unable to compete in the fourth round, sparking a loss of form and confidence that spiralled her into decline. By 2017, Bouchard had returned to the ITF circuit, but she failed to dominate and rediscover her spark. Despite her lack of form, Bouchard remained an attractive and marketable athlete, and is one of only five active tennis players with more than two million followers on Instagram. She looked well on her way to regaining her form this year before having to have the shoulder surgery and, at 27, she could yet make a resurgence back to the top of the game. Genie Bouchard remains highly marketable despite her decline in form ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["the torn subscapularis in her right shoulder"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Eugenie Bouchard"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery","arthroscopic surgery","hydrotherapy sessions"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Project Santa: Recovering from heart surgery, 7-month-old Tulsa girl to celebrate first Christmas with family","document":"While they wanted more than anything to take her in their arms and hold her tight, Chloe Mae Avey’s parents knew it wasn’t possible. So they expressed their love in the only way available to them. Check out our latest digital-only offer and subscribe now “Doctors told us she couldn’t move, couldn’t open her eyes — but she could hear us,” said Andrea Avey, who together with her husband, Jesse Avey, spent many hours just talking to their newborn daughter. “I would tell her that ‘we’re here and we’re never going to leave you,’” she said. “’No matter what, we’re still here.’ That was said a lot. And that we love her.” Chloe was born on May 13 at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City. Check out our latest digital-only offer and subscribe now Premature and with serious heart defects, she would spend her first few weeks, both before and after heart surgery, in neonatal intensive care. It was almost more than her parents could endure, seeing their tiny daughter hooked up to countless tubes and machines. “I counted 25 machines,” said Andrea, who spent every waking hour at the hospital. Looking back now, the Aveys couldn’t be more grateful, they say, for the medical staff’s efforts on behalf of Chloe. And reflecting on the experience only makes them better appreciate how far they’ve come. Today, Chloe, 7 months old and doing well, is preparing for her first Christmas. It’s something that a few months back her parents would not have dared to hope for, and they are making the most of it. At the Aveys’ home in west Tulsa, the Christmas tree is up and surrounded by presents. And three stockings are hanging on the wall. The one in the middle — with an image of a smiling Minnie Mouse — is Chloe’s. “She picked hers out herself,” Andrea said. ‘She won’t remember any of this’ Last Christmas, the Aveys had no clue that Chloe was in their future. The couple, who both have children from previous relationships, had wanted to have a child together for more than two years. But the more they tried, the less it seemed it would ever happen. “We really just gave up,” Jesse said. Then, early this year, Andrea started feeling sick. She decided to take a pregnancy test. It confirmed what they had long been hoping for. The excitement over a baby would be tempered, though, by some sobering news. During a routine ultrasound at 12 weeks, doctors discovered problems: Chloe had three holes in her heart, along with a transposition of the great arteries, a rare and serious condition in which the two main arteries leaving the heart are reversed. The Aveys were advised that their daughter would need open-heart surgery after she was born. Even then, the outcome was uncertain. “It was either she gets the surgery and possibly makes it through or we don’t do the surgery and she won’t make it at all,” Andrea said. The procedure took 18 hours. Thankfully, everything went as planned. After spending her first 44 days in the hospital, Chloe finally got to go home. It’s possible she could need a follow-up procedure in a few months, the Aveys said, but her doctors are very happy with her progress. Balancing Chloe’s care with the demands of life has been challenging. Jesse, who has epilepsy, receives disability but hopes to find work soon that he can do with his condition. Andrea works at a nearby grocery store, where she was recently promoted to manager. It’s been hard, trying to keep up with rent and mounting bills, they said. But they are doing their best to give their daughter the best life possible. The Aveys are documenting the experiences of Chloe’s first year to share with her one day. Along with taking many photos, they’ve kept everything the hospital has given them. “I think it’s important she knows,” Andrea said. “She won’t remember any of this.” An additional reminder runs down the middle of Chloe’s chest. Andrea has traced the long surgical scar many times with her finger. It’s become a visible sign for her of their bond as mother and daughter. \"I have a scar, too, from the C-section,\" Andrea said. \"I told Jesse as she gets older she'll match me. It's like we complete each other.\" Donate to Project Santa Donations may be made by sending a check or money order to Project Santa, c/o Tulsa World, P.O. Box 1770, Tulsa, OK 74102. To donate online, go to tinyurl.com/ysvp9dm6 . Scroll down to the “My donation is to support” dropdown menu, click and choose “Tulsa World Project Santa.” Project Santa 2021: Salvation Army needs help supporting these families Salvation Army Christmas The Project Santa holiday fund drive, a more than century-old Tulsa-area tradition, runs through Christmas Eve. An annual partnership between the Tulsa World and the Salvation Army to support families in need of a helping hand, this year’s fundraising goal is $300,000. Capt. Dan Nelson, Salvation Army area commander, said: “People who have never had to ask for help before now need assistance. We want the Tulsa community to know we are here to help them in any way we can.” All money raised is distributed by the Salvation Army in the form of vouchers and material gifts. “Simply put, because of Project Santa, we are able to say ‘yes’ to more families, children, and individuals,” Nelson said. These are the stories about some of the Tulsans receiving help through the fund. Salvation Army volunteers are pictured in 2018. MIKE SIMONS, Tulsa World file Grandmother raising late daughter's children finds blessings in the wake of tragedy Feeling blessed was much more of a challenge last year, when Sharon Whitlock was first interviewed for the Tulsa World's Project Santa series. The year of 2020 had been a rough and tragic one for her and her family. It started with a bad case of pneumonia for Whitlock, which almost killed her after it aspirated into a staph infection. Then, while still in ICU at the hospital, she was hit with devastating news: Her daughter Abi had died. Ian Maule, Tulsa World In the face of health scare, Berryhill woman finds 'generosity,' 'spiritual awakening' She'd worked 17 years with OSU Center for Health Sciences but put off going to the doctor because she \"was afraid to hear someone say 'you're dying.'\" Then Lori Partin sought the medical attention that saved her life. Hospitalized earlier this year and diagnosed with severe hyperthyroidism and Graves disease, she has been forced to miss a lot of work while medical bills continue to pile up. Michael Noble Jr., Tulsa World Former truck-driving couple try to steer their way through illness, hard times Forced to leave his trucking job because of his health, Edward Davis has been battling end-stage renal disease for the last year. And though he’s on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, there’s no immediate end in sight to his situation or to the financial hardship it’s causing for the couple. \"It's like life and everything just came to a stop,\" said Edward Davis, who shares a home with his wife, Christy, and their two rescue dogs, Juneau and Louie. Michael Noble Jr., Tulsa World Single mother raising two daughters awaits kidney transplant Stacy Bowie was originally diagnosed with kidney disease 13 years ago while pregnant. For the foreseeable future, she’ll depend on dialysis to keep her alive after late last year, the disease progressed significantly. “My little one, she would be like, ‘you got to leave again, you got to go?’” Bowie shares her home with her daughters; Siyonna, 13, and Tionna, 7, attend school online. Stephen Pingry, Tulsa World For Owasso father, family, adjusting to life after work accident 'extremely hard' Three months since the accident, in which he fell from the roof of a pole barn he was building, Chris Hopkins is slowly mending. “The collapsed lung was probably the worst thing,” Hopkins said. “It still hurts.” Hopkins and Brooke Thomas, who share a mobile home together in Owasso, are raising four young children, including their newest addition, Logan, born in October. Mike Simons, Tulsa World Amid hard times, Tulsa couple thankful for their 'miracle baby' For the first few months of his life, Jessica Hollock and Blake Sullivan had no guarantees their son would ever run and play like most Tulsa children. They weren't sure Lemmy would even survive. John Clanton, Tulsa World Tulsa woman battles heart, kidney failure Jacziri Juarez, 22, has been living with lupus and kidney failure since she was 13. Last year, she learned her heart was also failing. Juarez met her husband, Denis Hernandez, through their church youth group. Hernandez does his best to support the couple, working a full-time construction job. But keeping up with the rent, bills and medical expenses has been difficult. And he misses work frequently to care for his wife when she’s sick or to take her to dialysis and doctor appointments. Stephen Pingry, Tulsa World West Tulsa woman cherishes taking care of great-grandchildren, even through financial hardship Peggy Sade is caretaker for great-grandchildren Journey (from left), 14, Kylee, 12, Josh, 10, and Kyrah Gallagher, 8, all of Tulsa. Sade and the children live on an $800 per month disability check because of her advanced COPD and back issues, and nothing else.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["serious heart defects"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Chloe Mae Avey"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["open-heart surgery","heart surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Australian Survivor's Lee Carseldine reveals he's recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery","document":"He also shared a Boomerang video of himself on Instagram Stories, and captioned it: 'Here we go again'. The short video showed Lee giving a thumbs up as he stood in front of a mirror in a surgical gown with compression socks pulled up around his legs. Ouch: In a post on Instagram on Tuesday, the 46-year-old Australian Survivor star revealed he had undergone shoulder surgery Lee previously had surgery on his shoulder back in May, sharing a series of photos of himself post-surgery. In one photo, he was seen lying in bed with his right arm in a sling, a blood pressure machine hooked up to his left arm, and a nasal cannula in his nostrils. A second photo showed his bandaged shoulder after appearing to have undergone keyhole surgery. Back in hospital: Lee previously had surgery on his shoulder back in May, sharing a series of photos of himself post-surgery Battle scars: A second photo showed his bandaged shoulder after appearing to have undergone keyhole surgery 'Round dos,' he simply captioned the post. Before that, Lee had surgery on the same shoulder in May last year, sharing yet another photo from his hospital bed, this time with a red surgical cap on. 'The new 2020 winter off the shoulder gown accompanied with red hair net kit* has been released and can be found at all reputable hospitals,' he captioned the post. Repeat patient: Before that, Lee had surgery on the same shoulder in May last year, sharing yet another photo from his hospital bed, this time with a red surgical cap on 'Don't miss out. They are selling as quickly as baby tigers in the USA. Use product code STILLHIGH to get your 110% discount. *Wristbands sold separately.' He added: 'P.S. - all is OK. Just an overnight stay this time.' Lee appeared on the 2016 season of Australian Survivor, before later returning for last year's season of Survivor: All Stars. Roughing it: Lee appeared on the 2016 season of Australian Survivor, before later returning for last year's season of Survivor: All Stars. Pictured with Locky Gilbert (bottom)","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":null},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Lee"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery on the same shoulder","shoulder surgery","surgery","shoulder","undergone shoulder surgery","surgery on his shoulder","keyhole surgery 'Round dos","keyhole surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Injured Lions tackle Tyrell Crosby has back surgery","document":"Tackle Tyrell Crosby has spent the entire season on injured reserve for the Detroit Lions after being waived/injured by the team at the end of training camp. Three months after he moved to the team’s injured list, Crosby had surgery. Crosby posted a photo of himself recovering in the hospital on Tuesday. “Nothing gonna stop me from smiling! Finally on the road to recovery,” Crosby wrote on his Twitter account . Crosby missed time in the preseason with what was stated as a Grade 1 hamstring strain at the time. He didn’t play in the team’s first two preseason games before playing just nine snaps in their preseason finale. Crosby then was waived/injured during roster cuts and reverted to the injured list when he cleared waivers. Via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the surgery focused on a back injury that Crosby had been dealing with and was “ misdiagnosed ” in training camp. Crosby started 11 of 12 games he appeared in last season for the Lions and had played fairly well. He’s played in 38 career games in Detroit with 18 total starts. With Crosby in the final year of his rookie deal with the Lions, he’ll become a free agent after the season. Detroit is set at tackle with Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell in the starting lineup. Crosby has shown to be a capable performer and won the Morris Trophy during his final year at Oregon as the best offensive lineman in the Pac-12. If the back surgery gets him back to his prior form, Crosby should have suitors this offseason.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["Grade 1 hamstring strain"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Tyrell Crosby"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["back surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Recovered from injury, Fleetwood girls basketball’s Alexis Hess hopes to lead the Tigers to new heights in 2021-22","document":" In June, Fleetwood junior Alexis Hess sat on her couch, unable to walk. Hess, one of the top girls basketball players in the state, was recovering from surgery that placed cadaver cartilage in her knee to supplement missing cartilage caused by an osteochondral defect. The operation and ensuing recovery forced Hess to miss the entire AAU season. “It was tough for me mentally, seeing all these other girls playing, and I had to sit down on the couch and watch them play,” Hess said. “I stuck it out. I knew in my mind that if I just worked hard, that I’d be back to playing.” After being unable to walk for two months following the surgery on June 22, Hess worked hard throughout the fall on her recovery. Despite the challenges, she said she believes she would play basketball at a high level again. “I know I had a really huge and positive support system behind me,” said Hess, a third-team All-State pick in Class 5A last season. “It helped boost my confidence in playing again.” Ahead of schedule, Hess returned to game action on Friday night in Fleetwood’s season-opening 47-40 win over Conestoga Valley. The Tigers fell to 1-1 with a 32-29 loss to Lebanon on Saturday. “I honestly didn’t think I’d be ready for the season, but I worked really hard during my physical therapy,” Hess said. “I’m ready.” Hess, a guard, led the team with 21 points in Friday’s victory over the Buckskins. She scored six Saturday. “I’m so thankful for the surgery,” Hess said. “I’m grateful, because now that I’m getting better, I feel like I can do a lot more and get down the court.” Last season, Fleetwood finished 6-3 in Berks III, 10-7 overall. The Tigers were eliminated in the first round of the BCIAA and District 3 Class 5A playoffs. As a sophomore, Hess led Fleetwood in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game. A two-time All-Berks selection, she wore a brace and often played through heavy swelling in her knee. This season, along with a now-healthy Hess, the Tigers also return senior Julia Kaskey, who averaged 8.8 points per game last season and is a two-time all-division selection. With experienced leaders, first-year coach Steve Zeller said he believes Fleetwood can make a bigger splash in the postseason. “I have high hopes for us this year,” Zeller said. “We look to compete for the county championship.” While Hess has led the Tigers in scoring since she was a freshman, Zeller said she isn’t hesitant to pass the ball. “She sees the court, and she’s not selfish,” Zeller said. “She loves her teammates (and) she likes when they’re involved.” Hess is being recruited by Division I schools across the country. This summer, she will be living in Ohio and playing for Ohio United AAU, her second season with the squad. “There’s no harder worker,” Zeller said. “The skills and things she has are not by accident. She has a natural gift, but she has worked.” As a high school student-athlete, an AAU basketball player and a highly sought-after recruit, Hess has a lot on her plate. However, when she steps on the court, she said she is focused solely on doing her best. “I have such a love for the game that I don’t allow things to really get to me,” Hess said. “I know there are people looking, but if I just play my game and do what I have to do, I just know that things will follow with it.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["osteochondral defect"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Alexis Hess"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery that placed cadaver cartilage in her knee","surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Packers' Randall Cobb: Recovering from core muscle surgery","document":"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.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["groin issue"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Cobb"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["core muscle surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Spokane's famous Leny the Retriever is recovering after surgery","document":"Leny gained a following after his owners shared videos of him sliding down grassy hills in Spokane. His Instagram page has over 56,000 followers. SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane's Instagram-famous Leny the Retriever has gained a following because of his love for sliding down grassy hills. A recent injury has sidelined the popular pup. But KREM 2's Dave Somers shows us... it's still all downhill from here. Leny's owner Jackie Caro said Leny got injured while he was playing with another dog, not from his love of sliding. Leny ruptured his cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). Leny is now using hydrotherapy to recover. Joni Bories with Northwest Canine Aquatics said hydrotherapy helps older dogs or dogs recovering from surgery build muscle but it's still easy on their joints. \"Typically, these dogs will completely have full activity in six months,\" Bories said. The therapy is about 50 treatments spread out over about four and a half months. His first session lasted four minutes and he's working his way up. During Leny's recovery, he's only going on short walks and isn't able to play with any other dogs. Caro said she doesn't know why he started sliding down hills, but she knows he's excited to slide again soon.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["cranial cruciate ligament (CCL)"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Leny the Retriever","Leny"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["hydrotherapy"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Report: Ben Chilwell Could Still Need Knee Surgery Despite Returning to 'Light Running' for Chelsea","document":"The German revealed that he was worried about his player, who was in such fine form before the injury. \"It worries me because he was in such a fantastic moment like Reece (James) on the other side. They were in the best shape they could possibly be, so strong, full of confidence and such a lot of quality.” Tuchel said. When asked to give an update a week later, Tuchel said: \"He has a partial injury of his ACL. The decision is to treat it conservatively. The next six weeks will tell the story if he makes it and will be fully available after the six weeks hopefully or needs the surgery after that.\" Chilwell returned to running lightly by himself but the Athletic report that this does not mean he has escaped surgery. The Blues will decide in the future whether or not his knee injury requires surgery as they treat Chilwell conservatively.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["partial injury of his ACL"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Chilwell"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"What Tiger's latest flurry of activity means for his recovery, according to a doctor","document":"Tiger Woods seems to be sending mixed signals. On one hand, he’s imploring people to temper expectations, that he’s a long way off from competing at the PGA Tour level and, if we take him at his word, that he’s not sure he’ll ever get to that point. But then he kept on hitting balls throughout Hero World Challenge week. And, most notably, he’s committed to returning to golf (kind of) in next week’s PNC Championship , less than 10 months after his horrific car accident. There’s a camp of followers that believes Woods will factor in this year’s Masters. There’s another that’s still skeptical he’ll ever return to top-level competition. Woods’ status as a sporting icon also clouds the picture; because the golf world so desperately wants him back, any positive sign—that initial swing video, or his range sessions, or his PNC plans—can easily be mistaken for concrete evidence that the comeback train’s trundling toward glory. What, then, is actually going on? How close is Tiger to returning to the PGA Tour? And what should we make of his recent flurry of activity? “It’s definitely a step in the right direction,” says Dr. Ara Suppiah, founder of the Functional Sports Medicine Institute and a Golf Digest contributor. “But let’s start with the actual injury—or, at least, what we know about the injury. We know his weight bearing bone in his lower right leg, the tibia, was broken in multiple places and that a rod was inserted to bring those pieces together. We know he had multiple fractures to the bones in his foot and ankle, which needed pins or plates.” On the night of his accident, Woods’ initial injuries were described as “comminuted open fractures to both the tibia and fibula” by Dr. Anish Mahajan, CEO of the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Woods also required surgical release of the covering around the muscles in his leg to relieve pressure due to swelling. Tiger noted during his press conference last week that amputation of the leg was on the table. Suppiah says: “Amputation would only be an option if the wound was not healing properly—say, if it was infected—or if blood flow to the leg was an issue. We also know that he is in pain every day. “Now, if you take those injuries and try to construct a golf swing, there will be a number of issues. One is that the affected limb, his right, may be shorter than the unaffected limb. That will result in wear-and-tear that is different than what he’s used to and can impact the knee, hip and lower back.” How much of an issue that might be, Suppiah said, would determine the length discrepancy. He did note, however, that shoe technology has improved drastically and that Woods could easily have a customized shoe made to ensure his pelvis is level and mitigate the impact. “He’ll need to turn on his right leg on the back swing and then push off it to use the ground force and generate speed in the through swing. How much he’s able to do that will largely depend on how much pain there is. He can clearly make 10 swings, but can he make 200? We still don’t know.” Suppiah suggested the ankle will play a crucial role in determining how much and how quickly Woods might be able to return to tour-level competition. “Will the ankle swell up when it exerts force on an uneven surface? When you have surgery, with the injuries he has suffered, invariably there will be a loss in the range of motion in the ankle and foot joint. The ankle is a bit like the wrist; it has to be able to move in multiple directions to withstand and create force. How much of that can he do?” The PNC Championship’s format won’t provide a full picture of Woods’ prospect, Suppiah says, due to its format. There are just two days of competition. Woods will drive around the course, which is flat to begin with, in a cart. He will not have to hit every tee shot and can pick up when he’s out of a hole or faced with a dicey lie. “Swinging on a level playing surface is very different from walking on hilly courses, terrain, rough. He’s not close to that yet. Now, this is very, very positive. It’s definitely a huge step in the right direction, but there’s still a long way to go. If he is having pain every day, that’s a huge load. It’s not just pain—it’s suffering. It’s the mental agony of dealing with chronic pain. That is exhausting.” Woods was recovering from a microdiscectomy procedure to his lower back at the time of the accident. That December 2020 operation was the fifth he’s had on his back but first since a career-saving spinal fusion surgery in April 2017. Suppiah does not foresee the back being an issue at least initially. “Any back injury, when you take pressure off the back and rest it, will be better. I don’t know what happened to the back when he had that accident. The car rolled over, and forces were strong enough to break his leg and his ankle, which means he would’ve been in a precarious position. But the back is not being spoken about right now. Even if it was, in the nine months when he was recuperating, it should’ve healed fully. “Tiger is a savant of the golf swing. If he can walk, he can find a way to swing the golf club. If you took any other average person, who’s not as fit or as driven or doesn’t have the team behind him, you’d be looking at a significantly longer recovery time. But he’s a supremely fit athlete with a drive that is unseen in most everybody. That’s why he is able to do this.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["“comminuted open fractures to both the tibia and fibula”"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Tiger Woods"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["a rod was inserted to bring those pieces together","surgical release of the covering around the muscles","microdiscectomy procedure"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Ifan Phillips smiles from hospital bed as 'inspirational' Welsh rugby star recovers from surgery","document":"Ifan Phillips is recovering well from surgery after suffering life-changing injuries which have ended his rugby career. The Osprey and Wales U20s international, 25, was hurt in a road traffic collision in Swansea last Sunday which involved two motorbikes. He has been receiving treatment at Morriston Hospital and almost £50,000 has been raised in a matter of days to support him and his family \"for all the adjustments and rehabilitation Ifan will need after this life changing event\" thanks to almost 1,500 donors. Updates shared on the appeal's JustGiving page say Ifan is recovering well after surgery. \"He can’t believe how much support he’s getting from everyone and is truly grateful! YOU ARE ALL AMAZING!!\" A further update on Friday was accompanied by a picture of Ifan smiling from his hospital bed while holding 'get well soon' cards, with the latest message saying: \"Absolutely nothing will stop him from smiling. An inspiration to us all. Positivity through any situation\". Ifan, the son of ex-Wales and Neath hooker Kevin Phillips, played 40 games for the Ospreys, making his debut in 2017, but the region's boss Toby Booth revealed earlier this week that Phillips' career had been cut short. The Ospreys and wider rugby community were left devastated by the awful news and pledged to support their team-mate and friend every step of the way. The Ospreys play their first game since the news against Sale Sharks this Sunday in the European Champions Cup. A statement from the region issued earlier this week said: \"Ospreys can confirm hooker Ifan Phillips was involved in a serious road traffic accident in Swansea on Sunday afternoon and is now being treated at Morriston Hospital. \"Ifan is in a stable condition and he is uppermost in the thoughts of all of us at the Ospreys \"On behalf of his team-mates, coaches, staff, all Ospreys supporters and the rugby community, we want to extend all our love and support to Ifan, his family and his friends. \"Ifan's family are overwhelmed and very grateful for the support they have received in the last few days.\" In a statement, South Wales Police said: \"Officers are appealing for witnesses following a serious road traffic collision that occurred at around 1.38pm on Sunday, 5 December on the B4603, Morfa Road, Landore, Swansea, opposite Landore Social Club. \"The collision involved two motorcycles, a green Triumph Street Scrambler and a Kawasaki. One rider was taken to hospital, where he remains and is being treated for life-changing injuries. \"The road was closed for a number of hours whilst investigations continued, and we thank anyone affected during this time for their patience. \"We would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the collision or has dash-cam footage, anyone who stopped to provide assistance, or anyone who saw the motorcycles prior to the collision.\"","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":null},{"role":"Cost","values":["almost £50,000","1,500 donors"]},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Morriston Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Ifan Phillips"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Priyanka Sarkar recovering fast after surgery","document":" Priyanka Sarkar recovering fast after surgery Priyanka Sarkar who had to undergo surgery after getting injured while shooting for a web show near EM Bypass is recovering fast. The ‘ Nirbhaya ’ actress had the surgery on Saturday. Doctors said she fractured the tibia in her right leg. Doctors are saying the actress’ condition is stable and is recovering well in time. Two plates were inserted and bone grafting was done on her right leg. She will be discharged after analyzing the latest x-ray report. Priyanka and her co-actor Arjun Chakraborty got injured while shooting for a web series near Eco Park when a motorbike lost control and hit them on Friday night. While Priyanka was seriously injured Arjun had suffered minor injuries. Both of them were rushed to a private hospital near the spot from where Priyanka was later shifted. According to the primary investigation, the biker was part of the crew and he was instructed to harass the actress as part of the screenplay but he suddenly lost control and hit her. It was part of an action sequence shooting and the incident happened just when the shoot was supposed to end. Read Also Priyanka Sarkar, Arjun Chakraborty injured as biker hits them while shooting for web series The biker, who police have suspected was intoxicated at that time, had escaped and was arrested on Saturday. Meanwhile, Priyanka had earlier released a statement on social media thanking all for praying for her and assured everyone she’s fine and the surgery was a success.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["fractured the tibia in her right leg"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["a private hospital near the spot"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["after analyzing the latest x-ray report"]},{"role":"People","values":["Priyanka","Arjun Chakraborty"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery","Two plates were inserted and bone grafting was done on her right leg"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Warriors make another roster move with Thompson, Wiseman after latest Santa Cruz practices","document":"| UPDATED: December 16, 2021 at 3:04 p.m. The Warriors still haven’t said when injured star Klay Thompson will be back on the court, but on Wednesday night the team announced that Thompson and center James Wiseman had been recalled from the team’s G-League affiliate in Santa Cruz. Thompson, who hasn’t played in an NBA game since the 2019 Finals because of two leg injuries, and Wiseman, who is recovering from knee surgery, had been practicing with the Santa Cruz team as they recover from their ailments and while the NBA team embarked on a lengthy East Coast trip. Warriors Recall Klay Thompson and James Wiseman from Santa Cruz — Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) December 16, 2021 The Warriors announced a similar procedural move for the pair earlier this month after the pair worked out with the G-League team for a few days. The announcement caused a stir on social media on Wednesday night because all signs had been pointing to Thompson’s lengthy absence from the court finally coming to an end in a matter of days. Thursday, however, the team appeared to signal the return could be on hold until closer to the end of the month. After recovering from a torn left ACL suffered during the 2019 Finals, Thompson suffered an injury to his right Achilles in a pickup game before the start of last season. By all accounts, Thompson appears nearly ready to return to game action, and the Warriors brass has said his first game back coming at home is important. The Warriors play at Boston on Friday and Toronto on Saturday. Their next home game is Monday against the Kings, and then play host to Memphis on Thursday, Dec. 23. Following a Christmas Day game at Phoenix, the Warriors return home to face the Nuggets on Dec. 28. If Thompson isn’t back on the court by then, he’d have to wait until Jan. 3 for the next home game. After that, the Warriors play at home just one more time before Jan. 18.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["two leg injuries"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Klay Thompson"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["knee surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Dr Jeffery Chew helps fit a lighter, more robust knee brace called the X-Brace onto 72-year-old Teo Lee Lee","document":"Dr Jeffery Chew helps fit a lighter, more robust knee brace called the X-Brace onto 72-year-old Teo Lee Lee. SINGAPORE - Resembling a sleek knee brace used by Batman in movie The Dark Knight Rises, a new aid called X-Brace offers a leg up to those who suffer from knee problems. The lighter and more robust knee brace, which is targeted at the elderly, was developed in a collaboration between a local engineering firm, knee surgeons and 3D printing specialists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Knee braces are typically prescribed to elderly patients to alleviate the burden on their joints, and assist patients who have undergone knee surgery - such as for torn ligaments. Dr Jeffrey Chew, an orthopaedic surgeon at the Centre for Orthopaedics, noted that a common condition among elderly patients is knee osteoarthritis - \"wear and tear\" of the knee joints - which affects 40 per cent of people above 70. \"Knee osteoarthritis can significantly affect quality of life, causing daily pain, weakness and instability,\" he said at a media preview of the knee brace on Wednesday (Dec 15). Conventional knee braces weigh around 1kg and are designed to restrict one's movement by preventing the knee from bending beyond a certain angle, Dr Chew noted. \"So we wanted to create a knee brace which is lighter - but also provides the patient with support when they move, especially for those who have difficulty standing up, walking or climbing stairs due to weak and painful knees,\" he added. In 2017, Dr Chew approached Mr Fabian Ong, executive director of local engineering firm Delsson Singapore, to come up with a design. Delsson worked with NTU on the prototyping process and product design iterations using 3D printing. The team eventually reduced the weight of the brace to around 720g - 30 per cent lighter than the traditional exoskeleton knee brace. It is made of plastic, instead of the typical metal orthopaedic braces that weigh more than 1kg. The X-Brace includes a spring which provides a 3kg to 6kg lift to the user when standing or walking, said Mr Ong. \"The support given is twofold - on the one hand, (users) are given a lift which compensates for their lack of strength, and on the other hand, they're also given the confidence to walk again, which helps them to recover faster,\" he added. The brace can be customised to each patient's needs. The brace is made from plastic, instead of the typical metal orthopaedic braces that weigh more than 1kg. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG Dr Chew said: \"The idea is to gradually wean the patient off the brace, so the doctor or physiotherapist can also adjust the strength of the brace when (the patient is) recovering.\" Dr Ho Chaw Sing, co-founder and managing director of the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (Namic), a platform led by NTU's innovation and enterprise company NTUitive, said 3D printing is extremely useful for the rapid creation of prototypes and lightweight intricate designs, making the technique helpful for this particular project. He added that Namic has supported more than 240 projects in the last six years, of which more than 60 are focused on healthcare . S'pore firm pivoted from making 3D printers for dental use to making swabs for Covid-19 tests NTU assistant professor Chan Wai Lee from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, who is the principal investigator of this project, said 3D-modelling was heavily used to validate the various design ideas that led to the weight reduction in the brace. Mr Joel Lim, a PhD student in Prof Chan's team, led the design efforts in discussion with Delsson and 3D-printed the prototype for real-life validation tests. \"Light weight and strength are crucial to this project. We first analysed conventional knee braces and their current bill of material. \"We decided to change to a plastic material with an optimised structure... then designed new structures and joints that are strong enough to withstand the flex of the knee and still assist it to move in the correct direction,\" said Mr Lim. (From left) Madam Teo Lee Lee, Mr Fabian Ong, Dr Jeffery Chew and Dr Ho Chaw Sing. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG At least 10 people have tried the brace so far, one of whom is Madam Teo Lee Lee, 72, who has osteoarthritis and needed two knee replacements last year. After surgery, her right leg was still very weak, and she had difficulty walking. None of the conventional knee braces worked for her, until she tried X-Brace. \"I feel a lot more confident walking with the brace, and have less difficulty standing up compared with before,\" said the retiree. The X-Brace is expected to be available on the market soon for $1,000 - equivalent to the cost of conventional knee braces - though the price may differ depending on the user's needs. The team is working on its next product iteration - to lower the weight of the brace to 600g by incorporating a sleeker design that can be worn under one's clothes. The new version will likely be launched in the first quarter of next year, said Mr Ong. \"In the future, we hope to... come up with a smart knee brace - fitted with electronic sensors to measure quantitatively if the patient is improving,\" he added.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["torn ligaments"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Teo Lee Lee"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["fit a lighter, more robust knee brace called the X-Brace","Resembling a sleek knee brace","X-Brace","more robust knee brace"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Home recovery from Covid-19","document":"Although people are allowed to leave their home after the 10-day home recovery period, they are advised by MOH to minimise contact with others for another seven days. SINGAPORE - As a self-employed professional, Mr Lau cannot afford to miss work for too long. But the 40-year-old, who declined to have his full name published, has been stuck at home since Sept 19, when he tested positive for Covid-19 after undergoing a polymerase chain reaction test. Mr Lau experienced flu-like symptoms, and also lost his sense of taste and smell. But he received only a formal isolation order - in the form of a sheet of paper delivered to his doorstep - on the fourth day of his illness. Because he had tested positive, he was to be isolated at home, where he lives alone, until Sept 27. He said he never got the care pack, which includes items such as surgical masks, hand sanitiser and an oximeter to measure blood oxygen levels. The Ministry of Health (MOH) had earlier said that people on the home recovery scheme could ask for them, but then it updated its website last Friday saying that the packs are delivered to only people without oximeters at home. Mr Lau does not have an oximeter at home. He has symptoms, such as a runny nose, but tested negative using an antigen rapid test (ART) kit. Although he has completed his home recovery stint, Mr Lau is unsure of what to do next. He has been frustrated at how difficult it has been to contact MOH for clear instructions, with phone operators telling him that they would escalate his case to the relevant departments. Nobody called him back, he said. \"I need to meet people to make things happen,\" said Mr Lau, who works in project management. \"During this period, I lost a lot of customers. They could not wait for me, and I myself didn't know what my timing would be like.\" With Covid-19 cases rising sharply, it was announced that home recovery would be the default for all patients with mild symptoms. Here are some tips for getting through home recovery.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["Covid-19"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Mr Lau"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["isolated at home"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Dr Lai Kah Weng had been placed on home recovery from Sept 28 to Oct 8, 2021","document":"Dr Lai Kah Weng had been placed on home recovery from Sept 28 to Oct 8, 2021. SINGAPORE - A doctor has shared his Covid-19 home recovery experience on social media, hoping to destigmatise the disease as a \"life-threatening\" one. Dr Lai Kah Weng, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon from Healthway Medical's Island Orthopaedic Consultants, told The Straits Times on Sunday (Oct 10) that he wanted to do his part in highlighting social responsibility when dealing with Covid-19, without being overly fearful of the disease. He wrote in a Facebook post on Friday that he had been placed on home recovery from Sept 28 to Oct 8 after developing a runny nose and experiencing mild fever on Sept 27. Erring on the side of caution, he quickly isolated himself from his family and took an antigen rapid test (ART) that same day, which turned out to be negative. The flu-like symptoms persisted throughout the night, prompting him to cancel all his patient appointments for the next day. \"I stayed home in the morning, trying to rest and stay hydrated, and I went straight down to my neighbourhood GP later in the afternoon just before closing, so that I could be the last patient (that day) and not risk infecting any other patients waiting to see the doctor,\" wrote Dr Lai. His next ART was positive and his subsequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test confirmed his infection. \"I had a fever for around 3.5 days and a dry cough with runny nose, which took about two days to resolve,\" said Dr Lai. \"It just feels like (having the) flu, which lasts slightly longer than usual, and I knew it was getting better each day,\" he added. He advises those who have deteriorating symptoms to inform their telemedicine provider for further assessment. \"Admittedly, I was very stressed when I first started developing symptoms on Monday evening (Sept 27), as I had just visited my elderly parents the day before, and seen my patients at work prior to that,\" said Dr Lai. Thankfully, all of them were fine. \"Therefore, personal awareness and responsibility are extremely important,\" he said, adding that he was glad to have swiftly isolated himself without putting anyone else at risk. My COVID Home Recovery Journey (28 Sep – 8 Oct 21) Long post warning** Intro As a medical doctor, I treat sick... Dr Lai, who lives with his wife and their four kids, said that his 15-year-old daughter, who is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, took a PCR test that came back positive. She was asymptomatic and likely to have caught the infection from him, he said. This resulted in her entire class at school being placed on leave of absence. None of Dr Lai's other family members got the disease. askST: How to tell if you've been placed on the home recovery programme Moving forward, he hopes that testing be focused on those who are symptomatic. \"Testing only when symptoms are present will give the highest yield. If pre-emptive PCR testing is to be considered, maybe we should only test those who are at risk, such as front-line workers or those working in nursing homes,\" he said. \"And for those with symptoms, repeating the ART tests at daily intervals will be useful. It is not uncommon to have negative ARTs which turn positive later, and I was a case in point,\" he added. Noting that home recovery protocols have changed since his Facebook post, Dr Lai expects that the new policy will take some getting used to, but will be easier for people to follow. For instance, having an automatic time-based discharge after 10 days for those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 instead of a day seven exit PCR test, makes life a lot easier for swabbers and patients alike, noted Dr Lai. \"I was probably one of the last few patients who had to go through that,\" said Dr Lai, half in jest. More On This Topic Covid-19 quarantine orders scrapped, simpler rules to be rolled out in S'pore from Oct 11 Doing away with quarantine orders and stay-home notices is also a wise move - considering that, at the rate with which the virus is spreading, Singapore could see 10 per cent of the population quarantined or isolated, which is disruptive and impractical, he said. With these changes in place, he hopes that more help can go to those who need it in the future. \"Contact tracers can then focus their efforts on tracing links to elderly people or nursing homes to curb transmission as soon as possible. \"Those who live with elderly people and need to move to self-isolation facilities, as well as those who might need help buying groceries or food while self-isolating at home, should be given the help they need. It's important to make sure that these people don't fall through the cracks,\" he added.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["Covid-19"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["home"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Dr Lai Kah Weng","rest and stay hydrated"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["repeating the ART tests"]}]} {"event_trigger":"A majority of infected Indians with mild symptoms are recovering at home or in state-run centres","document":"A patient with an oxygen mask sitting outside a hospital in New Delhi on April 22, 2021. BANGALORE - Even as critically ill patients with Covid-19 in India are desperately seeking hospital beds with oxygen support in many states, a majority of infected Indians with mild symptoms are recovering at home or in state-run centres. Dr Balram Bharghava, head of the Indian Council for Medical Research, has said that the second wave of Covid-19 is leading to a higher proportion of asymptomatic patients. Health experts urge such people and those with mild symptoms to isolate at home and consult doctors by phone. The mild symptoms are fever, sore throat, cough, nausea, muscle pain, diarrhoea and loss of smell and taste. About 47 per cent of people with Covid-19 in Delhi, 80 per cent in Chennai and 84 per cent in Pune remain in home isolation as at Thursday (April 22). Not all states report these figures. But since those who isolate at home tend to be asymptomatic, the share of asymptomatic cases in the overall population of active cases can be a rough proxy for patients in home isolation. The proportion of asymptomatic cases was as high as 79 per cent in Mumbai and 99 per cent in Bengaluru. \"As long as there is no shortness of breath, we recommend home care. Even people without pre-existing conditions that make them susceptible to severe Covid should keep watching their vitals,\" said Dr Archana Prabhakar, a Bangalore-based doctor with RxDx Healthcare, which does teleconsultations for Covid patients. As soon as home-based patients feel breathless, and their oxygen saturation drops below 94 per cent, they're asked to contact a physician. Documentary film-maker Shaunak Sen, 33, had isolated in his home in Delhi but contacted a doctor when he felt his mild fever spike on the third day. His oxygen was at 90 and he felt \"extremely wheezy\". A doctor his friend recommended told Mr Sen to walk for six minutes in his room and then check his oxygen saturation. \"My oxygen had gone up, but she advised me to look for bed availability in any case. When my wheezing grew the next day, I called an ambulance and rushed to a hospital,\" he said. But having run out of beds with oxygen support, the hospital staff admitted Mr Sen into the psychiatry ward, where they gave him steroids until his oxygen normalised. Now, on the seventh day since he tested positive, Mr Sen is recovering in a room in his parents' house. He checks his temperature twice a day, his oxygen every hour. \"My sleep has drastically increased to 10 hours. The rest of the time, I read news about the Covid-19 tsunami outside and binge on Netflix,\" he said. Film-maker Shaunak Sen in Delhi spends his home isolation watching Netflix, reading news, and regularly checking his oxygen levels and temperature. PHOTO: SHAUNAK SEN Private hospitals, clinics and digital healthcare companies now offer 14-day packages for home care, ranging from 5,000 rupees (S$90) to 20,000 rupees, including kits with a thermometer, an oximeter and a blood pressure measuring machine. Some hospitals also offer patients phone or video consultations with doctors. Nurses call them twice a day to monitor their vitals and give feedback. On Apr 22, the Indian Health Ministry advised Covid-19 patients at home to lie prone, that is, with their face down as it improves oxygen flow in critical patients and ensures that they are less likely to require ventilator support. Home treatment unburdens the healthcare system, but experts note that it could lead to excessive self-medication, oxygen stockpiling by panicking families, and late arrival to hospital. Home-based patients who suddenly become critical could also find neither space in hospitals nor essential drugs and oxygen. Home care facilities call for a separate bedroom and bathroom, which most poor Indians cannot manage. The state authorities worry about virus transmission due to inadequate home isolation but are unable to convince many to come to the state quarantine centre. Mr Siddhe Gowda's family is struggling to isolate the 60-year-old in their one-bedroom house in Bangalore, but refuses to send him to a Covid centre. \"Who will go to that jail? Instead, we will do our best at home,\" said his granddaughter, Ms Shalini.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["Covid-19"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["his home in Delhi","home","Delhi","in Delhi spends his home","Home","in a room in his parents' house"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Shaunak Sen","SHAUNAK SEN"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["walk for six minutes in his room and then check his oxygen saturation","oxygen saturation","isolated","steroids"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Mr Sathish Kumar's recovery from Covid-19","document":"Physiotheraipst Mr Javier Luo (right) assisting Mr Sathish Kumar the prescribed exercises at the Physiotherapy clinic in Tan Tock Seng Hospital on Sept 21, 2021. SINGAPORE - About four months ago, Mr Sathish Kumar was in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, intubated and fighting for his life, having contracted Covid-19. The 52-year-old engineer survived the ordeal and was moved from the ICU after about two weeks. But he was so weak that he could not get out of bed to go to the toilet or brush his teeth without help. It took the medical team from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) to nurse him back to health. The physiotherapists first saw him on May 25 - the day he was discharged from the ICU - and taught him some simple exercises. Mr Sathish said in an interview on Thursday (Sept 23) these were critical in helping him regain the strength he lost after being confined to a hospital bed for weeks. Many Covid-19 survivors require physiotherapy as part of their recovery. The TTSH physiotherapy team has seen more than 400 recovered Covid-19 patients since the start of the pandemic last year. Healthy patients with mild forms of Covid-19 might need just a few sessions, while more severely ill patients might need a few months of rehabilitation. Exercises are tailored to what each individual needs. Following Mr Sathish's discharge from the ICU, he had to work on lifting his arms and legs, activating the muscles that allowed him to move around. His physiotherapists saw him once a day. As his oxygen levels were low at first, they had to be closely monitored, along with his heart rate. Sometimes he needed oxygen, which can be low among recovering patients, during exercise. As his health slowly improved, he was taught how to stand and do slow marching exercises on the spot. Breathing exercises, such as how to relax and breathe deeply, were also critical. Mr Sathish was diagnosed with Covid-19 early in May when he returned from a visit to India to see his mother. His condition deteriorated and he was moved to the ICU on May 12. He was discharged from hospital on June 9. Since then, Mr Sathish has been diligent about doing his exercises and has seen his health improve to close to his pre-Covid-19 state. He does his exercises twice a day - in the morning and after work. Mr Sathish does his exercises twice a day - in the morning and after work. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE The exercises are simple, such as push-ups against the wall, lifting light weights and marching on the spot. Mr Sathish has diabetes as a pre-existing condition. Dr Puah Ser Hon, a consultant in respiratory and critical care medicine at TTSH who was on Mr Sathish's care team, said that Mr Sathish's recovery is considered good given that he had developed a serious form of Covid-19 and needed invasive mechanical ventilation. \"Most patients have a recovery like Mr Sathish's. But if patients take a turn for the worst while in ICU, such as if they develop multi-organ failure or require more lung support, then they may stay longer in the ICU or die,\" Dr Puah said. Currently, Mr Sathish returns to TTSH as an outpatient for structured physiotherapy sessions once every three weeks. He has gone back to work and is able to travel around independently but some residual symptoms continue to linger. He still tires more easily and occasionally experiences breathing difficulties. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["Covid-19"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["the intensive care unit (ICU) at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases","ICU"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":["tires more easily and occasionally experiences breathing difficulties"]},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["team from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH)","TTSH","team"]},{"role":"Date","values":["June 9","9"]},{"role":"People","values":["Mr Sathish Kumar"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["physiotherapy","Physiotherapy"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Dr Lai Kah Weng recovered from Covid-19","document":"Dr Lai Kah Weng had been placed on home recovery from Sept 28 to Oct 8, 2021. SINGAPORE - A doctor whose account of his home recovery journey from Covid-19 went viral had failed to comply with the rostered routine testing that is mandatory for healthcare workers. Dr Lai Kah Weng, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Island Orthopaedic Consultants at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, had recovered at home from Sept 28 to Oct 8 after developing a runny nose and mild fever on Sept 27. His post on Facebook last Friday (Oct 8) was widely shared and The Straits Times also reported on it. Island Orthopaedic Consultants is under the Healthway Medical group, and Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital is part of IHH Singapore's hospitals. A Healthway Medical spokesman said on Monday (Oct 11) that it takes a very serious view of the matter and has convened a board of inquiry to investigate it. After the story was published, three doctors contacted The Straits Times, saying that IHH Singapore has revoked Dr Lai's licence with the group due to his failure to comply with rostered routine testing (RRT) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for Covid-19. This means Dr Lai cannot admit his patients to any of IHH's hospitals and is not allowed access to its facilities for surgery, for example. A spokesman for IHH confirmed that the licence has been revoked at all four of its hospitals, but declined to give more details. Confirming that the allegations were true, Dr Lai told The Straits Times that he had not gone for his RRT due to an ear, nose and throat medical condition which makes the nasopharyngeal swabs needed for PCR very painful and causes his nose to bleed. He said he had gone for the first PCR swab when it was mandated for healthcare workers to do so. But he did not go for subsequent ones. RRT takes place every two weeks for healthcare workers. His failure to do so was discovered by the hospital after he tested positive for Covid-19 on Sept 28, Dr Lai added. \"This is not an excuse for not doing the PCR test,\" he said. \"What I should have done better was to inform the management about my condition so that they can put in place alternative Covid-19 test arrangements.\" He added that the fear and stigma of testing positive for Covid-19 contributed to his actions, and that this prompted him to speak about his home recovery journey on social media. More On This Topic askST: How to tell if you've been placed on the home recovery programme In the Facebook post, he had said that after developing symptoms on Sept 27, he isolated himself from his family and took an antigen rapid test (ART), which was negative. When the flu-like symptoms persisted, he stayed home, then went to a neighbourhood GP, where an ART was positive and a PCR test confirmed the infection. His asymptomatic daughter's pre-emptive PCR swab came back positive. He added in the post that he wanted to share his experience in the hope of destigmatising Covid-19 as a severe disease. Dr Lai, who is vaccinated, said that when rules changed and healthcare workers had to take a self-administered ART, which must be supervised by trained staff, he booked his ART test but had become infected with Covid-19 before he could get his done.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["Covid-19"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["home"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Dr Lai Kah Weng"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"After setback in comeback, David Bakhtiari now recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery; Packers hope for post-bye return","document":"After setback in comeback, David Bakhtiari now recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery; Packers hope for post-bye return Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari was a game-day inactive before the 17-0 win over the Seahawks and did not practice at all prior to being ruled out for last Sunday's 34-31 loss to the Vikings. GREEN BAY — Turns out, David Bakhtiari did have a setback in his comeback from his knee injury after all. Despite the Green Bay Packers repeatedly insisting the five-time All-Pro left tackle had not suffered a setback in his comeback from the torn ACL he suffered in his left knee last Dec. 31 and the reconstructive knee surgery he had last January, a source confirmed an NFL Network report that Bakhtiari recently underwent an arthroscopic surgery to “clean up” his knee. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers speaks to the media via Zoom after the Packers fell to the Minnesota Vikings 34-31 on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. What exactly happened with Bakhtiari’s knee to require the procedure is unclear, but coach Matt LaFleur already has ruled him out for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lambeau Field and said the team is hoping Bakhtiari will return after he’s evaluated following the team’s Week 13 bye. After the bye, the Packers will have five regular-season games remaining, starting Dec. 12 against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. NFL Network reported the Packers are hoping Bakhtiari will return for the stretch run, but a source told the State Journal last week the Packers realize there are three possibilities for their franchise tackle: returning sometime after the bye; returning only for the playoffs; or not playing at all this season. “There’s certainly a plan, but not everything goes as planned all the time,” LaFleur said Monday. “He won’t be out there this week. We’ll just see where he’s at after the bye. We’re hopeful that he’ll be able to come back this year at some point. “It certainly isn’t for a lack of work ethic on his part. It’s not for a lack of toughness. It’s just one of those things where you never quite know how everybody’s going to respond to the recovery process, and I think that’s just where we’re at with him.” Bakhtiari seemed to be on course to return when he began practicing on Oct. 20, when the Packers opened the three-week practice window for players who are on the physically unable to perform list. The team activated him from the PUP list on Nov. 10, but LaFleur cautioned just because Bakhtiari had been added to the active roster didn’t necessarily mean he would return to game action immediately. Bakhtiari practiced the first two days leading up to the Nov. 14 game against the Seattle Seahawks, then sat out that Friday’s practice and was listed as doubtful for the game before being a game-day inactive before the Packers’ 17-0 win over the Seahawks. “Him being out there, from what I’ve seen of him in practice so far, there’s flashes where he looks great,” offensive line coach Adam Stenavich said on Nov. 17. “It’s just going to be a matter of can he sustain that for a game? That’s going to be the hardest thing because he didn’t have camp, he didn’t have anything built up. Practices are limited right now. So, that’s going to be his biggest challenge is getting to a place where he can sustain that performance for an entire game. That’s part of what we evaluate right now and that’s probably going to be probably the biggest question.” Bakhtiari then did not practice all of last week entering last Sunday’s 34-31 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and was officially ruled out of that game on Friday, when the final injury report of the week came out. Presumably, the scope on Bakhtiari’s knee happened sometime after that Friday before the Seattle game. Then came Monday, when LaFleur immediately ruled Bakhtiari out — even in the aftermath of losing left guard-turned-left tackle Elgton Jenkins, who tore the ACL in his left knee against the Vikings last Sunday — even though LaFleur normally withholds such proclamations about a player’s status in an effort to force the upcoming opponent to prepare for the possibility of that player suiting up on Sunday. “We’ve been wanting Dave to come back for awhile. And he’s just not quite ready,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said on his usual Tuesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio . “(And) obviously losing Elton doesn’t make us a better football team.” Without Bakhtiari and Jenkins, the Packers went to Yosh Nijman at left tackle against the Vikings, just as they did earlier in the year when Jenkins missed three games with an ankle injury. Nijman, who’d played just 14 regular-season snaps in his NFL career before this season, will start against the Rams. “We’ve got to get healthy. We’ve got a lot of injuries,” Rodgers told McAfee. “(Jenkins) is so talented. He’s started at center for us, left guard, left tackle, played right tackle last year in the opener. I mean, he’s such a talented player. Kind of similar to Dave, (it was a) very freak injury. “I’m disappointed for him. He’s such a great kid, such a talented player. He means so much to us from an energy standpoint and just his play style. … To be so reliable at left tackle, it’s just so rare in this league to be able to do that.” Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur speaks to the media after the Packers fell to the Minnesota Vikings 34-31 on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, Rodgers discussed his own toe injury during his appearance, though in the back-and-forth with McAfee and ex-Packers inside linebacker A.J. Hawk it wasn’t completely clear what the injury is or how it happened. Toward the end of his appearance, McAfee and Hawk kept calling the injury “COVID Toe,” which actually is a real thing — a malady associated with COVID-19, which Rodgers tested positive for on Nov. 3. “COVID Toe” is similar to chilblains — painful red or purple lesions that typically emerge on fingers or toes in the winter. While Rodgers ultimately didn’t clarify what’s happening with his toe, he reiterated it is not a case of turf toe, which is a dislocation of the big toe and very painful, as wide receiver Davante Adams, who suffered the injury in 2019, can attest. Rodgers said after last Sunday’s game that what he’s dealing with now is more painful than turf toe, which he has also dealt with during his career. “This is something that’s not going to go away. It’s something I’ll deal with, I’m not sure what the bye week is going to look like,” Rodgers said.. “There’s a lot of options on the table. One option that’s not on the table is sitting out. I’m going to push through this and keep playing. … I’m going to be dealing it for at least the next few weeks.” Photos: Packers' 2021 season in pictures Check out photo galleries from every game of 2021 from the preseason through the end of the regular season and the playoffs.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["knee injury"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["David Bakhtiari"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["arthroscopic knee surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Mum with swollen eye thought she had conjunctivitis – but it was actually a brain tumour","document":"Mum who saw her doctor with suspected conjunctivitis thought she needed optical drops but was told a brain tumour was growing into her skull and eye (Picture: PA Real Life) When Kirsty Drury noticed her right was bloodshot and a touch swollen, she assumed it was just conjunctivitis and that she was in need of eye drops. But when the 45-year-old programme delivery manager for Transport for London went to the doctor, she was told that very same day that she in fact had a brain tumour growing into her skull. Kirsty, who has four children and lives in Tring, Hertfordshire, with her husband, said: ‘When I was first told I had a brain tumour, I thought it meant I was going to die. ‘When you walk into the doctor’s surgery with suspected conjunctivitis and walk out with a brain tumour, you can’t be blamed for thinking the worst. ‘I feel so lucky to be here and to show that there is life after a brain tumour diagnosis.’ Kirsty’s nightmare began in November 2019. She said: ‘I thought I had an eye infection and went to get eye drops from the pharmacist, who suggested I see a doctor, so I booked a GP appointment. ‘It seemed a bit drastic as I was sure it was just conjunctivitis, but I thought it was best to follow the advice.’ The mum-of-four says running regularly helped to distract her while she waited for her surgery date (Picture: PA Real Life) Kirsty hopes to show a positive outcome from a brain tumour diagnosis (Picture: PA Real Life) Kirsty’s doctor immediately referred her to an eye hospital in Buckinghamshire. She said: ‘I was sent for a CT scan at the hospital and later that same day, I was taken into a room to discuss the results. ‘I had no idea what was coming. The reality of my condition was a total shock.’ The scan revealed she had spheno-orbital meningioma – a brain tumour that commonly grows inward, indenting and causing pressure on the brain or spinal cord. Kirsty said: ‘I didn’t want to know how big the tumour was, but it was slowly growing into my skull and into the chewing muscles of my mouth. ‘Doctors told me that 80% of meningiomas are benign, but there would be no way of knowing for sure until I had surgery. Kirsty has now returned to work and says she is recovering at her own pace (Picture: PA Real Life) Kirsty, pictured here with a swollen eye, which she first thought was an infection (Picture: PA Real Life) ‘I honestly thought I was going to die.’ Kirsty was referred to a neurosurgeon, who recommended an operation to remove the mass. She said: ‘I had a very bleak mindset about it. There were statistics about how less than 12 per cent of people with brain tumours survive for five years after diagnosis. ‘I felt so scared.’ Kirsty’s surgery consultation was booked for December 2019, with a plan to operate by March but, when the pandemic hit, her procedure was postponed. ‘I had to sit tight, which was actually a relief because I was terrified of having the surgery,’ she said. ‘It wasn’t until September that I started ringing up again, asking when my surgery would be. ‘Although I was coping pretty well and running regularly was helping to distract me, my mental health wasn’t great, because I was convinced that I was going to have a bad outcome – that I’d find out my tumour was growing faster than expected or that it was cancer. ‘It was the first thing I thought of in the morning, the last thing I thought about at night and sometimes it woke me up, too – I couldn’t get any inner peace.’","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["brain tumour"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["an eye hospital in Buckinghamshire"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["a neurosurgeon"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Kirsty Drury"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["an operation to remove the mass"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Jockeys Recovering From ‘Awful Incident’ During Hong Kong International Races","document":"Zac Purton was one of three jockeys to be hospitalized after a fall in Sunday's Hong Kong Sprint Lyle Hewitson has been released from ICU and says he is “no pain at all” after being involved in a frightening fall which led to four horses coming down during the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin on Sunday. South Africa's three-time champion jockey was one of three riders taken to the Prince of Wales Hospital after his mount Amazing Star broke down and fell, bringing down three other horses who were unable to avoid him. Zac Purton, who suffered four fractured ribs and a broken nose, and Yuichi Fukunaga (broken collarbone) were also hospitalized while Amazing Star and Naboo Attack had to be put down. The fourth jockey involved, Karis Teetan, was unscathed. Hewitson, 23, suffered a fractured hip, sustained cuts to his elbow and head trauma but said there were “no issues to worry about”. He said: “I'm in no pain at all just lying in my hospital bed. I only feel pain when I need to adjust or move as it refers straight to/from my pelvis area where the fracture is. “The doctors are happy with it saying it's a convenient fracture that will heal without surgery and without issues. I've got some stitches on my left elbow as well. My CT scans on my head are stable. I just need some rest and rehab now.” Hewitson's news was welcomed by Purton, Hong Kong's four-time champion jockey, who admitted he had initially feared for his colleague. “It was an awful incident,” he said, speaking to Australian broadcaster Andrew Bensley. “I was worried for Lyle Hewitson because he was the first one to go in front of me. When he hit the ground, he just lay there like a pancake. “He didn't bounce at all and that's normally a pretty bad sign when that happens, whereas I was able to roll a little bit. Even though I was in a bad spot, and a bit of pain, I was a little bit worried about how Lyle hit the ground. Because I was in so much pain I couldn't go over to see him or check on any other riders.” Purton was optimistic about his own situation and said he hoped to leave hospital on Monday. He said: “I feel pretty good. I've got four fractured ribs, three on one side, one on the other. I have a fractured nose, which probably doesn't mean anything because it was always a bit wonky anyway and I have a bit of a sore wrist so I'm waiting to get an MRI on that. I am pretty lucky really.” Purton, who was riding the favorite Lucky Patch, said there was no way of avoiding Amazing Star. “I had nowhere to go and I had no time to react, it happened that quick,” he said. “I was quite close up behind him. When he went there was only one place for me to go and that was straight over the top of him. The two horses following us as well had no option either. They were in that running line and the domino effect happened.” He added: “I have a really big haematoma on my right biceps and I have a mark on my right wrist where there is an imprint of a shoe so the horse has stepped on my bicep then my wrist and that's where I felt the pain initially. “Then I've got another mark on my left thigh muscle where I must have been hit or stepped on. Then I have the ribs where the horse has either kicked or squeezed me to the ground. I was winded quite badly and I have a bang mark on my right foot.” Fukunaga, who was riding Pixie Knight, has been released from hospital and returned to Japan. Pixie Knight was reported to have suffered a fracture to his left front knee. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["four fractured ribs and a broken nose","four fractured ribs, three on one side, one on the other. I have a fractured nose","broken collarbone","fractured hip","sustained cuts to his elbow and head trauma"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Hewitson","Zac Purton","Yuichi Fukunaga"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["some rest and rehab"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Danniella Westbrook reveals new surgery horror as she’s set for another operation after hospital dash","document":" DANNIELLA Westbrook has revealed she is set to have another operation following her surgery horror for a nasty sinus infection. The former EastEnders actress was recently in hospital for the second time in just a matter of weeks after the illness left her in intensive care in hospital. 3 Danniella revealed she was due to return to hospital in the New YearCredit: INSTAGRAM/DANNIELLA WESTBROOK 3 She recently underwent surgery following a nasty sinus infectionCredit: Instagram Now, Danniella, 47, has revealed she is set to have ANOTHER operation in the New Year as she opened up to her Instagram fans. Posting a video of her enjoying a festive pottery-painting evening out to social media, the comments section was soon flooded with well-wishing messages. One fan wrote: \"Looks lovely! Hope you had a nice time and feeling better now,\" noting her recent hospital trips for the sinus infection. In response, Danniella revealed that she was preparing for a second operation in 2022 in order to treat the repeat infection in her nose for good. \"Much better ready for next op in new year,\" she wrote under the video, which saw her sipping coffee as Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You played. It comes just days after Danniella updated her fans on her second \"hugely successful\" surgery at Aintree Hospital in November. \"Thanks for all the messages of support for my operation. It was a huge success and I’m so happy thank you to Liverpool Hospital and the best staff surgical team and cleanest hospital ever,\" she wrote. She added that she would be recovering at home by curling up and watching Christmas movies to avoid the colder weather.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["nasty sinus infection","a nasty sinus infectionCredit"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Aintree Hospital","Liverpool Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["the best staff surgical team"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["DANNIELLA Westbrook","DANNIELLA WESTBROOK"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["operation","a second operation"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Ramsgate boy who swallowed magnets needed surgery at Evelina London Children's Hospital","document":" A dad is warning other parents not to buy toys with magnets after his son swallowed them and ended up requiring surgery. Two-year-old Jimmy Bui, from Ramsgate, had to be taken to Evelina London Children's Hospital for the operation and spent three weeks recovering there. Two-year-old Jimmy Bui, from Ramsgate, required open surgery in June after swallowing three fridge magnets. His dad Hung Bui said: “Jimmy swallowed tiny magnets used to stick a note onto the fridge. \"He started to get tired and then stopped eating and going to the toilet, so we took him to our local A&E. “We had no idea that he had swallowed three of the magnets until we saw it on the x-ray. “The magnets had stuck together causing a hole in Jimmy’s bowel.\" Following the ordeal in June, the 33-year-old is warning other parents of the dangers of the toys. Two-year-old Jimmy's dad Hung Bui is now warning other parents “We are always very careful, but this still happened, so I want to warn other parents out there to be very vigilant,\" he said. \"I would urge them not to buy toys containing these magnets. \"We don’t have any of these magnets in our household anymore.” His warning is echoed by paediatric surgeons after cases of children swallowing magnets shot up five-fold. The Children’s Surgery Foundation issued the warning as research over the last five years has revealed a huge increase in such incidents - and they say some of these are down to TikTok viral videos. The three magnets two-year-old Jimmy Bui swallowed. Picture: SWNS Mr Hemanshoo Thakker, a consultant paediatric surgeon at Evelina, said: “This year alone Evelina London has seen 15 new cases of children swallowing magnets and have operated on seven of them, a couple of whom were very unwell.” Research carried out by four major hospitals situated in the south east of England found that like Jimmy, 251 children were admitted after swallowing ‘foreign objects’ between 2016 and 2020. Of these objects, 37 percent were coins, 21 percent were magnets, and 17 percent were small, button batteries. Although only 2% of children who swallowed button batteries required surgery to remove them, a staggering 42 percent of those who swallowed magnets, required either keyhole surgery or more invasive procedures like incisions in the abdominal wall to gain access to the gut. Mr Thakkar explained the extent of the threat: “If children swallow one magnet it will probably pass through their body harmlessly but if they swallow two or more magnets, especially at different times, the magnets, which are increasingly very powerful, are forced together in the intestines, squeezing the tissue so that the blood supply is cut off. “Significant damage can be caused within hours with holes being made in the children’s intestines which cause the children to be unwell, and sometimes seriously ill, with many requiring complex operations to remove the magnets and requiring long periods of recovery time in hospital.” Miss Caroline Pardy, a paediatric surgeon at Evelina, said that she had spoken to parents who were \"very angry\" that their child had swallowed magnets whilst at school. She said: \"Such magnets are sometimes used as ’sensory’ toys for children with additional needs. In other circumstances, the magnets have been brought into school by other children.” Miss Pardy is urging schools to “ban such magnets, regardless of the age of the children”. The surgeons said that even teenagers are at risk of suffering terrible consequences. Social media trends on TikTok are driving these accidents. Mr Thakkar added “We are seeing some children who follow influencers on TikTok who use magnets to create false piercings on their tongues and cheeks and when the children have copied them, they have accidentally swallowed the magnets.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":null},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Evelina London Children's Hospital","local A&E"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Jimmy Bui"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["open surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Morgan County deputy recovering after suicidal man bit part of his ear off","document":"A Morgan County deputy is recovering at home after part of his ear was bitten off Tuesday night. The Morgan County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a home in the Hulaco area after EMTs reported a suicidal man wasn't cooperating with them and was becoming aggressive. “We were there for our EMS partners who were trying to do their job, and they felt that they could be in harm’s way,\" said Mike Swafford, a spokesman for the Morgan County Sheriff's Office. \"So, really, our role was to protect them.” Swafford said once law enforcement got there, the man, who was threatening suicide, tried to go back into the home. \"It then turned to protecting the person that was in the home with this individual trying to run back in,\" said Swafford. \"Really, it was never about this subject for us to be there. It was about those that could be in harm's way because of the subject.” He said when deputies tried preventing the man from going into the home, he lunged at a deputy and bit the upper part of his ear. \"A struggle ensued, with the individual basically attaching himself to our deputy's ear and, through the course of the struggle, biting through it and pulling part of it off,\" said Swafford. Two other deputies eventually got the man restrained, and the injured deputy was sent to Huntsville Hospital. Because the damaged area included cartilage, doctors were unable to reattach it. The deputy was released form the hospital early Wednesday morning. He's now recovering at home with his family recovering. “When you get a call in the middle of the night that your loved one has been injured in the line of duty, you have an emotional process for\" the family to go through, Swafford said. \"They’re dealing with all of that today because once everyone woke up, that’s what they have to start processing.\" Once the injury is healed, Swafford said the deputy might go through reconstructive surgery. Charges may eventually be filed in this case against the person who bit him.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["his ear was bitten off","ear"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["early Wednesday morning"]},{"role":"People","values":["A Morgan County deputy"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Socceroos striker’s message to Arnold: ‘I’ll be ready if you need me’","document":"Socceroos striker Adam Taggart has handed Australia coach Graham Arnold an early Christmas gift by declaring he’s on track to return to action early in the New Year after recovering from knee surgery. The target man has missed Australia’s last two World Cup qualifiers - the largely toothless draws against Saudi Arabia and China - his absence keenly felt at the pointy end where his presence as both finisher and creator was sorely missed. Though in the midst of a mini-goal drought himself before suffering a torn meniscus playing for his J1 club Cerezo Osaka six weeks back, Taggart’s calmness on the ball, robust physicality and ability to hold possession and bring teammates into play made him close to indispensable for Arnold. Back in his hometown of Perth to continue his rehab under the watchful eyes of Socceroos fitness staff headed by conditioning guru Andrew Clark, Taggart, 28, declared the operation a success and a January return to action a realistic target. “I’m looking to make myself available in January - it just depends what Arnie is thinking. But I’ll be as ready as I can be,” said Taggart, who sustained the injury soon after scoring his first J1 goal for Cerezo against Nagoya at the end of October. “I’d have had a couple of weeks of pre-season (before the next qualifier against Vietnam in Melbourne on January 27). “I’m starting to get going now and by then I should be fairly fit. Whatever happens I’ll be ready for it.” With Australia now relegated to third in Group A with four games left - a point behind Japan and five adrift of the Green Falcons - an automatic qualifying spot for Qatar 2022 is in grave jeopardy. “We have two massive games coming up (against Vietnam and away to Oman five days later),” Taggart told FTBL. “I want to be a part of it is this group of Socceroos are special. “Apart from this camp just gone I’ve been heavily involved and any game means a lot to me especially these big ones coming up.” Taggart, with six goals in 15 appearances for Australia, believes Australia can clamber from their current predicament and still pip Japan for the second qualifying spot, with the top two still to meet and 12 points still up for grabs. He acknowledged that in addition to his the absence, being stripped of orchestrators Tom Rogic and Aaron Mooy for the last two games - plus the devastating ACL suffered by defender Harry Souttar - has dealt a hammer blow to Arnold. “These players are massive for us and you’re always going to miss them,” he said. “We had that great run of 11 successive wins, whether it was doing it ugly or nice, and we’ve lost that little bit over the past couple of matches. “But I’ve got all the confidence in the world we will bounce back. Arnie has an unbelievable mentality and he instils that in everyone. “For me, he’s an unbelievable gaffer. Yes we’ve had a rough couple of games but everybody loves him and have the upmost respect for him. “He always gives us a clear game plan we just have to carry it out. “It’s always hard in camp when you have so little time to prepare - but that's no excuse. We just need to concentrate on performing well. “There are huge matches coming up also against Japan at home and Saudi away (in March) but that’s what you want as a footballer. “As difficult as it is there are opportunities for special moments to be had. “We’ve had some difficult results but we have keep a strong mentality and make sure we win at all costs. “There are still plenty of chances to make sure we finish in the top two. We just need to focus on winning the last four games. The ball is still in our court. “Of course there’s pressure because the whole country is watching. It means a lot to everyone.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["a torn meniscus","devastating ACL"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Socceroos fitness staff headed by conditioning guru Andrew Clark"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Adam Taggart","Harry Souttar"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["knee surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"ENHYPEN’s Heeseung Recovering From Surgery","document":"On November 3, ENHYPEN’s agency BELIFT LAB announced that Heeseung recently underwent surgery to remove an epidermoid cyst on one of his toes and is currently resting, as recommended by his doctors. The agency also announced that while Heeseung is planning to rest for a week, if recovery takes longer than anticipated, he may have to limit his participation in some of ENHYPEN’s performances at their upcoming fan meeting on November 19. BELIFT LAB’s full statement is as follows: Hello. This is BELIFT LAB. We would like to provide the following information on the current health status of ENHYPEN member Heeseung. While taking part in activities for ENHYPEN’s first studio album, Heeseung experienced pain in one of his right toes and visited a hospital for examination, and was diagnosed with an epidermoid cyst. Following physician advice for timely treatment, Heeseung underwent surgery on Monday, November 1 immediately after the conclusion of album promotions. Heeseung is currently resting as doctors recommended a week of rest and recuperation. However, should recovery take longer than expected, we ask for your understanding that Heeseung may be participating in a limited capacity for some of the performances for the 2021 ENHYPEN [EN-CONNECT: COMPANION] fan meeting, scheduled for the 19th. We will continue to monitor Heeseung’s recovery and determine his level of participation by taking into consideration physician advice and the artist’s condition, to make sure that he is not unduly strained. BELIFT LAB will continue to place the highest priority on artist health and safety, and will do our utmost to ensure that Heeseung can join all fans healthy and well.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["an epidermoid cyst on one of his toes"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["his doctors","doctors"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Heeseung"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["a week of rest and recuperation","rest for a week","surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Richard Beck dog team hit by truck, an accident mushers foresaw","document":"Richard Beck's snowmobile beneath a truck following a collision on December 13, 2021. Photo: Alisa Blake A Yellowknife musher broke several ribs and a leg in a collision with a truck, further elevating concern about the safety of a crossing shared by dog teams and vehicles. Richard Beck, a 10-time winner of the city’s Canadian Championship dog derby, and his dog team were attempting to cross Kam Lake Road, between Kam Lake and Grace Lake, when they were struck on Monday afternoon. None of his dogs were harmed but Beck, who is in his late sixties, required surgery and is beginning a long recovery process at Stanton Territorial Hospital. Alisa Blake, Beck’s daughter-in-law, rushed to the crossing to find Beck being loaded into an ambulance. “He’s doing OK. He did have to have surgery. He has some broken ribs and a broken femur,” Blake said. “I’m just thankful that I’m able to talk about my father-in-law and say he’s in the hospital, he’s recovering, and not speaking of him in the past tense. He came within inches of losing his life.” The collision horrified the city’s dog mushing community, for whom the crossing is a constant worry. Advertisement. Jo Kelly, of Qimmiq Kennels, was returning with her dog team about 15 minutes behind Beck when she reached the scene. “This is a spot I pass with trepidation every time, and I just felt sick when I came over that hill with my dog team, looked over, and saw his snow machine rolled under that truck,” Kelly told Cabin Radio on Wednesday. “It’s the worst nightmare. It’s a terrible crossing … I’ve had close calls there. I’m sure everyone has.” ‘So much new traffic’ Kam Lake has been home to Yellowknife’s dog mushers for decades. More than 100 dogs can be found occupying a lot on Curry Drive, a block away from the crossing. In winter and spring, with mushing season under way, trails extend from Curry Drive across nearby Grace Lake and Kam Lake. In recent years, Grace Lake has been transformed into one of the city’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, offering families the opportunity to build their dream lakeside homes from scratch. There’s also a gravel pit beyond the development. That means more passenger traffic, more construction vehicles, and more service trucks using the one road that stretches between Grace Lake’s southern reaches and Kam Lake. A map shows the crossing used by mushers between Grace Lake and Kam Lake. The scene of Monday’s collision. Some mushers say the type of driver is changing, too. “Yellowknife residents know Kam Lake is dog mushing central and to watch out for that, to move slowly on the road alongside the dog lot,” said Jordee Reid, president of the Yellowknife Dog Trotters Association, which represents the city’s mushers. “But with more residents down here, there’s a lot more traffic, too. Even though the dogs have been here for 40 years, all the people haven’t been. There wasn’t traffic like this in the past.” Kelly said: “People don’t expect to see dog teams because there is so much new traffic. Historically in Kam Lake, people expected to see dog teams.” Mushers describe the crossing as a blind corner. To fully gauge whether they can cross, dog teams must inch out into the road – a dangerous manoeuvre, as 10-dog teams rarely operate in inches. “By the time you stick your nose out of a blind corner with a dog team, you’re committed. It’s not like power steering or power brakes, you can’t swerve to avoid things and sometimes you can’t stop,” said Kelly. “We all use that same crossing and have all known for some time that it is a very dangerous place,” said Reid. “It could have been any one of us. It is surprising that nothing quite to this scale has happened sooner.” ‘A stop sign, you listen to’ The City of Yellowknife has tried to make the crossing less dangerous. At one point, the city built a culvert under the road with the intention that dog teams could pass through the culvert from lake to lake, safely away from traffic. But the culvert design and height, mushers say, made it unusable. Dog teams went back to using the road. The city installed signs warning of the crossing, but mushers say several have been stolen and the remaining sign is neither close enough to the crossing nor large enough to make a difference. “They need a proper, I would say, crosswalk,” said Kelly, searching for a word to describe a much more visible crossing for dog teams. Others said a stop sign would work. “Snow machines and dog teams need protection on that crossing,” Kelly continued. “There’s nothing there to slow people down.” Reid said the existing signage was too passive to have an impact on musher safety. A sign warns of the crossing from Grace Lake to Kam Lake. Photo: Alisa Blake “It seems like it needs to be something a bit more abrupt. A stop sign is something you need to listen to,” she said. Blake said she had called municipal enforcement to see if more patrols of the area could be made. “There are many times I’ve seen passenger vehicles and dump trucks probably going at 50 km/h, 60 km/h,” she said. The City of Yellowknife, which declined an interview request for this report, said the posted speed limit on that stretch of road is 30 km/h. “There are signs posted in the area warning traffic about snowmobiles and dog teams,” city spokesperson Aimée Dentinger said by email. Hurt, but alive The exact detail of what happened in Monday’s incident was not provided by RCMP, whose officers attended the scene. The driver of the truck, who was not identified, could not be reached for comment. In a written statement, RCMP spokesperson Marie York-Condon said: “At this time, there does not seem to be any criminal intent and no charges or tickets have been filed.” Richard Beck at the 2019 Canadian Championship dog derby in Yellowknife. Fran Hurcomb/Canadian Championship Beck’s season is over before it began. Dog races don’t ordinarily start in earnest until January and the Canadian Championship usually runs on Yellowknife Bay in March. “There is nothing at the end of that road that is so important you need to speed along on it,” said Blake, pleading with Yellowknife residents to pass the crossing as slowly as possible. Reid, describing a shaken dog mushing community, said what happened could have been much worse. “I know Richard is really hurt, physically and I imagine mentally as well, but he is still alive,” she said.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["has some broken ribs and a broken femur"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Stanton Territorial Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Richard Beck"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Choosing circumcision for a baby boy by mum who tells of ‘hard decision’ and ‘hurtful’ response","document":" Mum gets candid about decision to have baby boy circumcised Mum gets candid about decision to have baby boy circumcised. It’s a choice that sparks heated debate amongst parents - and now one mum has spoken candidly about her decision to have her baby boy circumcised and the response she received for doing it. Florida woman Princessa Abreu went viral after she shared a TikTok video about her son Levi’s surgery that was viewed a staggering 12.7 million times. The footage showed the tot in hospital recovering from fever and swelling he developed following his op. WATCH Princessa’s viral footage in the video above “I honestly do not know why I posted the video ,” Princessa tells 7Life. “I remember feeling so many emotions. I guess I just felt compelled to share. I never expected it to go viral.” Princessa did not expect her video to go viral. Credit: Supplied/TikTok/rainbowbabychasing Princessa describes her son as the “sweetest, smartest” little boy - who loves Mickey Mouse and exploring. While it was “never the plan” to get him circumcised, Princessa says medical issues forced her hand. “Levi was born healthy at 39 weeks but started getting UTIs at three months old despite good hygiene, and medications,” Princessa says. The UTIs continued to return periodically as he aged. “At the age of 10 months, his doctor recommended getting him circumcised to help prevent the UTIs from returning,” the mum adds. The advice sparked a “long debate”, Princessa admits - she got a second opinion and did her own research into the matter. Finally, she decided to go ahead with the surgery and Levi was 12 months old when he went under the knife. Princessa said making the decision for Levi to go under the knife was hard. Credit: Supplied “Ultimately what changed my mind about circumcision was the benefits it had on preventing infections,” Princessa says. “It was a hard decision because I did not want to change my son. I believe he was perfect the way he was born, but because of his health it is what was best. “I don’t regret my decision. As a mother I did what was best for my son.” In Australia circumcision is not routinely done on newborn boys unless there is a medical reason. According to government-funded online health service Health Direct, most doctors don’t recommend it but circumcision is commonly performed for religious or cultural reasons or due to family tradition or parental preference. Levi’s procedure went “very well”, Princessa says. Chevron Right Icon I was a mess “He was placed under anaesthesia and the surgery took about an hour and thirty minutes. “While he was in the surgery room I was a mess, I was not allowed in the surgery room. I was placed in a small waiting room, and I just remember walking back and forth,” she recalls. “I was so happy when he woke up and said ‘mummy’.” While Levi’s operation went well, he developed a fever soon after. Credit: Supplied After the surgery, Levi was discharged immediately. Princessa was told her son’s wound should heal in four to six days and swelling should go down. “This was not the case for Levi,” Princessa says. “Around day four post-surgery his area was still very swollen and he developed a fever.” “I felt guilty because he was in pain due to a decision I had made, but I knew the end outcome would benefit him,” Princessa says. Worried about her son, as the swelling and fever continued, Princessa took him to Emergency. “At the ER they administered medication to help with swelling and fever. This helped Levi instantly,” she recalls. Thankfully blood tests showed Levi didn’t have an infection and after two days in hospital, he was allowed home. “Once we were discharged I would say he was back to his regular self by day eight,” Princessa says. And since his op, she adds he’s not had any UTIs. She says if she had her time again, she would not do anything differently. Levi, who loves exploring, has not had any UTIs since his circumcision. Credit: Supplied “I believe everything happens for a reason. I got my son the help he needed and nothing else mattered,” she says, adding that Levi is now “very happy and very active”. However, that hasn’t stopped social media users from sharing a range of opinions with the mum. “I actually knew this topic was a hot debate,” Princessa admits - but she adds that some of the messages left her “shocked”. Chevron Right Icon They were hurtful and judgemental “Many people were angry that I waited so long to do the surgery. While others were against the idea of circumcision completely,” she says of the comments she received. “What I didn’t expect was the amount of hate I was receiving from other mothers. “I was shocked, by some of the messages. They were hurtful, and judgmental. “I remember wanting to turn off the comments, but I did not because some of the things people had to say was actually very informative. And I believe it could help others who aren’t sure about what to do.” While the comments hurt Princessa - who suffered a devastating miscarriage a year ago and is fundraising in the hope of having another baby via artificial insemination - she wouldn’t rule out putting a second child through the procedure if it was needed. Levi is now ‘very happy and very active’ according to his mum. Credit: Supplied “I love being a mother, I can’t wait for the day I can finally give Levi a sibling,” she says, adding that TikTok became an “outlet for healing” for her after the tragic loss of her baby. “Every child is different and just because Levi had UTIs does not mean that my other child will. “If my other baby was having health issues and it was medically needed then yes [I’d get him circumcised].” Now the mum has a message for others. “Becoming a mum changes the way you view life, once that little baby is brought into this world no one or nothing else matters. “Every decision that we make as parents will impact our children’s lives in one way or another. “This being said do what you believe is best for your sons. There is no wrong or right choice.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["UTIs","TIs"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":["swelling and fever continued","fever and swelling","swelling and fever"]},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["his doctor"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Levi","evi"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["circumcised","administered medication"]}]} {"event_trigger":"General Hospital: Rays Injury Updates","document":"With the Rays’ roster crunch settled (for now), let’s take a look at which injured players at the MLB and AAA level are expected to come back in 2022, and possibly make an impact to the MLB roster. Nick Anderson - RHP - Right Elbow Surgery Anderson didn’t make too many appearances in 2021, and when he did, he was only throwing 92 MPH . Later in the season it was revealed that Anderson had a partial UCL tear, and in late October, Dr. Keith Meister performed an internal brace procedure on Anderson. The recovery is shorter than the typical full UCL tear and the Tommy John Surgery that follows. Due to the shorter recovery, Anderson will be shut down for 3-4 months and is expected to return after the 2022 All Star Break. Jaleen Beeks - LHP - Tommy John Surgery Jaleen Beeks underwent Tommy John Surgery in August of 2020, and as of July 5th of 2021 Beeks described his recovery as “a slow ramp up, but feeling more like a pitcher”. Beeks also stated that he started throwing in June of 2021. You can hear more about Jalen Beeks’ recovery on the always wonderful Rays Radio Podcast (Beeks starts at 29:54). Collin McHugh, Vidal Bruján, Jalen Beeks, + a preview of Cleveland w/ @IndiansRadio more - This Week in @RaysBaseball 7/4 https://t.co/S1ObHxo02K As long as there aren’t any setbacks on his recovery, Beeks should be good to go by Spring Training in 2022, but will probably have his innings limited. Yonny Chirinos - RHP - Tommy John Surgery Before his latest setback, Yonny Chirinos was on track to return at full health by 2022 Spring Training. According to Marc Topkin at the Tampa Bay Times, Chirinos suffered a fractured elbow during live batting practice at the end of September. You may recall that former Rays prospect Brent Honeywell experienced the same sequence of UCL repair surgery followed by an elbow fracture. The bad news is that Chirinos had to undergo surgery again to insert a screw to repair the fracture, but thankfully the repaired UCL was not damaged in any way. Tyler Glasnow - RHP - Tommy John Surgery Glasnow was on track to what looked like his first All Star and Cy Young contention season with his added slider. But Glasnow was sidelined in mid-June for a partial UCL tear, and was hopeful that rehab would be enough to bring him back to the rotation. After a throwing session, it was decided that Tommy John Surgery would be the best course of action, and Glasnow underwent the knife on August 4, 2021. With the lengthy recovery process, it is likely that we won’t see Glasnow on the mound until 2023. Brendan McKay - LHP/DH - Thoracic Outlet Surgery At the end of November, Brendan McKay underwent TOS compression surgery, which was another injury on a long list for the former 1st round pick. In 2020, McKay underwent shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, and in addition to some setbacks from that recovery, had a left arm flexor strain in August of this year. With all of the missed time, the Rays are expected to receive a 4th year option for McKay, so if the left hander does have a successful recovery, he more than likely will be spending some time in AAA and with an obvious innings limit. Colin Poche - LHP - Tommy John Surgery All the way back in 2020, Colin Poche suffered from a full UCL tear, and underwent TJS at end of July in the same year. TJS is typically a long recovery, but by the time 2022 Spring Training rolls around, it will be almost 2 years post surgery. Although there will be an innings limit as Poche gets back to a full workload, we haven’t heard of any setbacks, and he should be good to go for the 2022 season. With the lockout going on, I’ve decided to open myself up to any local Little League teams who need an extra player. Now accepting offers! pic.twitter.com/6MtNKGTPQT — Colin Poche (@colinpoche) December 9, 2021 Jeffery Springs - LHP - Right Knee Surgery Jeffery Springs was a considerable addition to the Rays’ bullpen in 2021. When he went down with what was originally labeled as a right knee sprain, the recovery outlook was optimistic and only listed at 2 to 4 weeks. Unfortunately, his rehab efforts were not effective, as he continued to suffer discomfort, and as a result, had to undergo ACL surgery in August. The recovery time for Springs is unknown, although typical recovery is in the 6 to 9 month range, which would put a return for Springs at April or May for full recovery, not counting any throwing or ramp up programs. Ryan Thompson - RHP - Thoracic Outlet Surgery Another TOS surgery for another Rays’ pitcher. Thompson was originally sidelined at the end of June with what was then described as “right shoulder inflammation”, but continuing setbacks during his recovery resulted in an August surgery. According to Marc Topkin, the Rays’ currently believe he will be ready for 2022 Spring Training. Ryan Thompson, 81mph \"Two Time Zone\" Slider...and Sword. — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 16, 2021 Matt Wisler - RHP - Right Finger Inflammation Wisler re-injured his right middle finger in October in a late season series against the Red Sox, an injury that caused him to go in the IL in August and September. Nothing is known right now of his injury, so it should be assumed that he will be ready to go by the time pitchers and catchers report. Kevin Kiermaier - CF - Right Knee Surgery On November 3rd Kiermaier underwent arthroscopic surgery to take care of a small tear in his right knee. Although KK is notorious for spending time on the IL, he waited until the offseason to address this issue. Recovery is typically four to six weeks, which lines Kiermaier up to be ready by the beginning of Spring Training. With one of the MLB’s top farm systems, the Rays look poised to have plenty of options in 2022, and should be able to manage a calculated ramp up for the recovering players. Along with that comes some tough roster decisions, if everybody is healthy. But that will be a very big, although welcomed, if.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["a full UCL tear","full UCL tear","a partial UCL tear","partial UCL tear","a small tear in his right knee","Right Knee","right knee","a fractured elbow","a torn labrum","a left arm flexor strain","“right shoulder inflammation”","Right Finger Inflammation"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Dr. Keith Meister"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Jaleen Beeks","Yonny Chirinos","Brendan McKay","Colin Poche","Jeffery Springs","Ryan Thompson","Nick Anderson","Brent Honeywell","Tyler Glasnow","Matt Wisler","Kevin Kiermaier"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["Tommy John Surgery","surgery again to insert a screw","surgery","Surgery","Right Elbow Surgery","UCL repair surgery","shoulder surgery","ACL surgery","arthroscopic surgery","Thoracic Outlet Surgery","an internal brace procedure"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Joy T Barnum has spent the last 21 months fighting for her health","document":" Joy T Barnum singing outside Long Story Short on Water Street at the St Georges Christmas Shop N Stroll on Sunday afternoon (Photograph by Jessie Moniz Hardy) People came out of the woodwork when Joy T Barnum started singing at the St Georges Christmas Shop N Stroll on Sunday afternoon. Passers-by stopped in their tracks to listen to her medley of Christmas songs. Even Santa Claus showed up. But halfway through her set she got a little teary-eyed and had to pause. “Two months ago I couldn’t do this,” the singer told the crowd. “I’m back …” She has spent the last 21 months fighting for her health. The first sign of trouble happened in March 2020 when she awoke to find blood in her bed. “I was like what the deuce is happening,” she said. Because the blood was near her head she thought maybe she was having a brain haemorrhage. Then her mother decided she had bed bugs. Ms Barnum had her bed steam cleaned. “For two days everything was fine,” she said. “Then there was blood again.” It was a full month before she put all the pieces together and realised her left breast was leaking bloody fluid. By then the island was in full lockdown because of Covid-19. A quick bit of googling revealed that bloody discharge from your breasts can be a sign of cancer, but her doctor’s office was closed because of the pandemic. The minute it was open again she scheduled an appointment. Joy T Barnum singing outside Long Story Short on Water Street at the St Georges Christmas Shop N Stroll on Sunday afternoon (Photograph by Jessie Moniz Hardy) Her general practitioner took her symptoms seriously and ordered a mammogram. It came back clear. An ultrasound also found nothing. “The people at the scan said you’re fine. There is nothing wrong with you,” Ms Barnum said. “I went back to the doctor and said, I’m not fine. I’m bleeding. The doctor said I’m going to order another test for you.” Her doctor called for a biopsy, but because Ms Barnum’s previous scans had come up clean, she could not have one. “I understand now, if they don’t see where a mass is, they don’t know where to guide the needle,” she said. “So I get it. But also, now I understand that we have the iPhone 4 of machines here. And we paid a lot of money for them. We are trying to get enough insurance money to pay that off, but just like a car that you take off the lot, the next year there will be a new version that is better.” The doctor’s next move was to send her to her gynaecologist. He seemed dismissive of her symptoms, saying all women had a little bloody discharge from their breasts, from time to time. “I said no, that is not normal,” Ms Barnum said. “Then he said I am going to take samples of it. I said at that point I could fill up a shot glass. I was just squeezing blood out of my chest too fast for him to suck it up with his equipment.” Again the tests came up clear of cancer. A friend put her in touch with a doctor at a clinic in Texas. That doctor recommended she see another doctor in Bermuda and arrange a breast MRI. She took her advice, and had a breast MRI and a biopsy. This time there was something, an adenoma and a papilloma, small non-cancerous tumours. Her gynaecologist said he would take out the papilloma, but not the adenoma. He told her it was too small and he did not have time to look for it. He told her that these things usually had a “little cancer”, but it was nothing to worry about. Feeling this medical professional was being too cavalier with her health she found another gynaecologist. But then she had to put thoughts of surgery and testing on hold, when she lost the job she kept solely to maintain health insurance. With numbers down due to the pandemic they did not need her. She took out her own full coverage insurance with a new insurance company, but soon learnt that they would not cover the surgery to remove the small masses until she had been with them for a full year, because they considered it a pre-existing condition. So after two months with the new company, she cancelled her insurance with them and went onto HIP, paying for supplemental coverage. Because she was unemployed, her mother helped her pay for it. With this insurance, she only had to wait three months before her health insurance would pay for surgery. She grew depressed during this time. “I did not have a job or anywhere to go and I could not wash my dishes,” she said. “I felt there was something wrong with me and I was dying and no one would tell me what was wrong with me. It was pretty awful.” Santa Claus, right, pays Joy T Barnum a visit at the St Georges Christmas Shop N Stroll on Sunday afternoon (Photograph by Jessie Moniz Hardy) She took solace in her twin eight-year-old nieces, Elizabeth and Grace. Her love for them made her fight for a diagnosis. One day, through Facebook she told her friends what she was going through. Many people reached out offering suggestions or encouragement. Then, she got a call offering her a new job doing deliveries for a pharmacy. The job came with full health insurance through a group policy. It was with the same company she had used before the pandemic. They offered her the same coverage she had had before the job loss. Now she reached out to Dana Farber Cancer Hospital in Boston for further testing. “I just called Dana Farber and said is there a way to get in?” she said. There was. She could be tested at Dana Farber’s sister hospital, Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. With a referral from her gynaecologist insurance would cover it all. Dana Farber would handle her care if she was officially diagnosed with cancer. “My mother and I went to the appointment and the doctor said we have looked at your things,” she said. “He said it is great that you sent us everything that you needed from October, but we can not read the MRI. I had the MRI done at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. That is when I found out that our equipment is not up to date.” At Brigham & Women’s she had various scans done of her chest, including an ultrasound. When the radiologist spotted something on the screen, she started to cry. “I said they told me in Bermuda that there was nothing wrong with me and to handle it from home,” she said. “He went ‘how in the world are you supposed to handle this from …’ ” A year after she first noticed blood in her bed she finally had an answer. Her left breast was riddled with stage one cancer. The good news was, there was no sign of it in her right breast, and it had not spread to the rest of her body. “They said they could try to save my nipple but there was a mass behind my nipple that was a precancerous tumour the size of a golf ball,” she said. She believes it was initially missed because the equipment in Bermuda, while not old, is already outdated. “It should not be this way,” she said. “But I don’t know what it is going to take besides private donors to get it where it needs to be and be able to up keep it continually.” “Healthcare should not be a rich person’s thing,” she said. “Life should not be for someone who has money. During the pandemic, the government gave me a $100 a week for 14 to 16 weeks and I was grateful. If they can find that then there is a way we can find money so that everyone is insured.” And she said the policy of saying you can not get a biopsy unless the scans show something, is inherently flawed. “Talking to doctors in Bermuda I felt difficult because I wanted care so that I could live,” she said. She persisted in her fight to get diagnosis and treatment, but she worried that other women would give up. “There is no such thing as no,” she said. “There is always going to be a different avenue.” After doctors discovered the problem, her treatment was transferred to Dana Farber. She would need surgery to remove her left breast and reconstruct it. She would not need chemotherapy or radiation. She went home for several weeks to await her first surgery. She spent the summer singing, then had her left breast removed on August 16. Her breast reconstruction, using her own stomach fat, was done on November 6. “In between surgeries I heard about Flora Duffy,” she said. “I decided to write her a song.” Recording it in the studio was challenging, because she was still recovering from her first operation. She got breathless and light headed and had to sit down after making the recording. On Flora Duffy Day on October 18, she was very proud to sing the song for the Olympic athlete. She told doctors at Brigham & Women’s that she always wanted to have a baby. Staff at the Brigham & Women’s fertility clinic helped her make a plan to reach this goal. She went through two rounds of IVF, thanks to some financial backing from a friend, and harvested four eggs which were put on ice. Because her cancer is Oestregen driven, she will be on a drug that causes menopause for the next five years. After that, she can try for a baby. In the meantime, her focus is on her singing. She is now selling a collection of her Christmas music including a new song written by Bim Bademosi called the Gift, on a USB drive for $20. It is available at Pull My Hair on Front Street, at Long Story Short on Water Street in St George, through www.Iamplantbased.store or directly from her.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["cancer","ancer","ancer”","small non-cancerous tumours","an adenoma and a papilloma","apilloma","denoma"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Brigham & Women’s Hospital","ospital","Brigham & Women’s","at Brigham & Women’s","the Brigham & Women’s"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Her gynaecologist","ynaecologist","Dana Farber","ana Farber","ana Farber’","Her general practitioner"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Joy T Barnum","Barnum","arnum"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery to remove her left breast and reconstruct it","urgery","left breast removed","an adenoma and a papilloma","econstructi","take out the papilloma"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Gisborne speedway racer Brenden Gooch underwent surgeryin Middlemore Hospital yesterday","document":"Gisborne speedway racer Brenden Gooch underwent surgery in Middlemore Hospital yesterday after suffering a spinal injury in a crash at the Meeanee track in Hawke's Bay on Saturday night. Gooch hit the wall head-on in the second race of the night. “He was leading by about a quarter of a lap, way out in front, when he undertook a slower car that clipped him, and he flew into the wall,” his father Neil said this morning. He had to be cut out of the car before being flown to Middlemore Hospital with spinal injuries. “Brenden underwent four hours of surgery on his lower back at Middlemore yesterday morning and is now recovering,” Neil said. “We await the results of his surgery.” Members of the Gooch family headed to the hospital to be with him. “Gooch Motorsport would like to thank the numerous St John staff, speedway volunteers and helpers who took care of Brenden after the incident,” Neil said. “They all did an amazing job under the circumstances. “Also, our thanks to everyone that has sent in best wishes.” The family and Brenden have had calls from all over the country. “The support has just been overwhelming,” Neil said. “It shows just how respected Brenden is as a driver and a person.” “His road to recovery has just begun and we are hopeful of a full recovery. “With the support of his family, friends and the speedway community we have no doubt that he will overcome this.” BADLY HURT: Streetstock speedway racer Brenden Gooch, seen here racing with 3NZ on his car in 2020, was seriously injured in a crash at the Meeanee speedway in Hawke's Bay on Saturday night and is in Middlemore Hospital. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["a spinal injury"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Middlemore Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Brenden Gooch"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Coping with Holiday Stress & Anxiety: Tips for Those with Mesothelioma","document":" Written By: Tamron Little , December 14, 2021 Well, it’s that time of year again. The holidays are pretty stressful for everyone, but especially those affected by mesothelioma . For the record, stress is something we all deal with, so don’t be so hard on yourself if it is affecting you this holiday season. As a mesothelioma survivor , I know firsthand how difficult the holidays can be. I remember the Christmas right after I had the HIPEC treatment . It was my first Christmas as a new mom, a new wife, and I was two months post-surgery. It was definitely stressful. When you’re a new mom you’re always thinking about how perfect you want your child’s first Christmas to be. I wasn’t working at the time since I was still recovering from major surgery , and so many things were running through my head. When life isn’t going the way you planned, it’s easy to get caught up in negative thoughts that remind you of where you’re falling short. Then you start comparing yourself to others and begin feeling sorry for yourself. There are five words to remember if you find yourself going down this path: Be grateful for every day. Surviving Another Pandemic Holiday Season After being diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma , I made it my purpose to enjoy each and every moment, especially around the holidays. I processed my situation and accepted it for what it was. I may not have had everything I wanted, but I was cancer-free, enjoying time with my husband and baby boy. The memories we make with family are what matter the most. We’ve been in this COVID-19 pandemic for almost two years now, and I’m sure it’s placed a damper on everyone’s holiday and added much stress and anxiety – especially given the unknowns. When the pandemic first began, we had the fear of not knowing what was going to happen next. Our normal life as we knew it was transformed into a season of isolation. The holidays didn’t feel the same. This year, as the holidays approach again, I’ve heard numerous people say that it feels different. You can still celebrate your holiday traditions with some precautions, as well as create new ones. 10 Ways to Cope During the Holidays As someone who has experienced anxiety myself, I’ve come up with some tips to help you cope with the stress you may feel around the holidays. Give yourself some grace. Look how far you have come within your journey and the strides you’ve made. Don’t sweat the small stuff. This is good advice any time of year, but it’s especially important around the holidays. Take things one day at a time. Don’t feel as if you have to rush to do anything. One thing I’ve noticed is that when I’m rushing or feel as if I have to hurry to do something, it can lead to anxiety. Refrain from slipping into “social comparison.” This is when we compare ourselves to people we think are doing better than we are. Talk about your feelings. Find a health care professional, therapist or even a close friend and express to them how you’re feeling. Take some time out for self-care. Self-care is the best care and it is whatever you make it. Pray. I believe that prayer works. Take a social media break. Social media is great for connecting with family and friends, but it can also trigger stress and anxiety. Get your happy back. Do something spontaneous that brings you joy. Live in the moment. However you celebrate the holidays, enjoy each minute and make some great memories. One thing to note: You’re not alone. It’s important to try to stay positive and take life one day at a time. Things will work out, just keep the faith! And have a happy holiday.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["mesothelioma"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Tamron Little"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["HIPEC treatment"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Paige Bueckers injury: Experts explain tibial plateau fracture, recovery timetable and more","document":"Connecticut's Paige Bueckers dribbles around Notre Dame's Madelyn Westbeld (34) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, in Storrs, Conn. Connecticut's Paige Bueckers is on the court injured as her team huddles around her in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Notre Dame, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) Jessica Hill / Associated Press Show More Show Less 4of4 UConn’s Paige Bueckers is expected to sit out the next six to eight weeks with a tibial plateau fracture, the school’s athletics department announced Tuesday morning. Bueckers took a fall in the final minute of Sunday’s game against Notre Dame. An MRI and a CT scan confirmed the sophomore’s injury. “Obviously, we’re all extremely disappointed for Paige and that she suffered this injury,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said in Tuesday’s release. “It would be really hard to describe how much basketball means to Paige and how much her teammates mean to her. Not being able to do the thing that she loves to do, to be there for her teammates, is really difficult for her.” Bueckers has paced UConn by averaging 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 36.3 minutes per game. She leads the team in every category except rebounds, which she is second. “We’ve had players get injured in the past and my philosophy here is, I’m not interested in how fast we can get someone back; I’m interested in what’s best for them long term,” Auriemma said. “Every decision made will prioritize what’s best for Paige and her career. Everyone involved with this program will be there to support Paige through her healing process.” What is a tibial plateau fracture? A tibial plateau fracture can occur when the shin bone — the tibia — meets the knee and/or the end of the femur bone in a forceful manner. The flat top end of the tibia is called the tibial plateau and it carries the bulk of the weight of the femur on top of it through various ligaments, like the anterior cruciate, ACL, and cartilage, like the meniscus. “Typically these happen when you have the femur bone, which is the bone at the top of the knee, driving into the tibia bone, which is the bone at the bottom of the knee,” Jordan Gruskay, an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon at the Connecticut Orthopedic Institute told Hearst Connecticut Media on Tuesday. “Fractures require a certain level of force and torque and typically we see patients either tear the ligaments first, like an ACL injury, or they just get bruising of the bone rather than an actual broken bone.” However, what makes Bueckers’ case rare is that these types of fractures usually occur during trauma to the knee. Dr. Sabrina Strickland, a sports medicine surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and Stamford, said she sees this fracture commonly in football players and skiers. Since Bueckers was not in contact with another player when she went down with the injury, it’s likely the fracture was caused when she hyperextended her left knee during her fall. “It’s basically, she’s breaking her leg with just running which is pretty uncommon,” Strickland said. “Typically, a broken bone, which is what a tibia plateau fracture is, is typically from some kind of trauma, like real trauma, not running on a basketball court and hyperextending your knee. ... Her knee hyperextended and then it looked like it, at least from the video, looked like it buckled and that force right there was too much for her bone and broke the bone.” While the sophomore will still be out six to eight weeks, the diagnosis may be a best-case scenario. Initially, from the video of the fall, doctors speculated Bueckers might have torn her ACL, which would have been season-ending and required surgery. With a tibia plateau fracture, not only will Bueckers likely not need surgery but doctors says she will also likely have no long-term lasting effects to her knee. “(It’s) much better than having an ACL tear or a meniscus tear because this basically should heal back to normal,” Dr. Richard Diana, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in arthroscopic knee and shoulder surgery at Connecticut Orthopaedics said. “So she should have no lack of integrity at all. It shouldn’t be 95 percent as good as normal, it should be as good as normal.” Recovery timetable In terms of recovery, Bueckers will be out six to eight weeks from any contact or weight-bearing activities to allow the bone to heal itself. Bueckers’ timeline for when she’ll make her return to the court will depend on the severity of her fracture. “Typically bone takes six weeks to heal,” Gruskay said. “I would assume that they will have her being nonweight bearing or limited weight bearing for a period of four to six weeks. I’m sure their hope is that the bone completely heals and then they can have her start rehabbing, getting back to playing once that bone is healed. “I think the eight weeks is hopeful. Sometimes and obviously younger patients who get these can heal faster and have access to better rehabs so the eight weeks is certainly a hopeful return to sport timeline.” Strickland said the eight week timeline released by UConn’s statement on Tuesday would likely entail Bueckers recovering by wearing a brace and on crutches. “It must not be a particularly bad tibia plateau fracture because saying a tibia plateau fracture could mean that you get two plates and 20 screws or it could be that you’re just in a brace,” she said.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["a tibial plateau fracture","A tibial plateau fracture"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Jordan Gruskay, an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon at the Connecticut Orthopedic Institute"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Paige Bueckers"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["wearing a brace and on crutches","brace"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Gloucester Rugby star Ben Morgan set for knee operation","document":"The former England number eight has been a star of the resurgent Cherry and Whites side in 2021/22 Sport Ben Morgan of Gloucester Ruggby goes away from Kieran Wilkinson of Sale Sharks Former England number eight Ben Morgan will have minor surgery on a knee injury, Gloucester Rugby head coach George Skivington has confirmed. The backrower limped off late in the day in the victory over Bristol Bears two weeks ago in his eighth appearance of the season having come out of pre-season looking like the devastating ball carrier who won 31 international caps between 2012 and 2015. Skivington said: \"Morgs has got to have a little procedure on his knee, it is not as serious as it could have been but he has had to have a procedure and it will be a decent amount of time recovering. \"I am not sure exactly what the time frame is but he won’t be featuring for a few weeks certainly.\" Morgan’s injury comes as a blow to the Cherry and Whites not just because of the rich vein of form the 32-year-old has been in, scoring four tries already this campaign in the Premiership and a hat-trick in the Premiership Rugby Cup thrashing of Gloucester, but because star number eight Jake Polledri remains sidelined from the knee injury he suffered on international duty with Italy 13 months ago. The good news is Skivington has powerhouse Ruan Ackermann in fine form and will likely move the South African over from blindside to the back of the scrum in Morgan's absence, with flanker Jordy Reid now fit again to bolster the backrow. Seb Nagle-Taylor provides another dynamic backrow option as well as the impressive Jack Clement. Skivington said: “We have got competition and that is a good thing but I felt this year Morgs really came to the party.” Morgan missed all of 2020 with a series of frustrating injuries, making him feel like a new signing to Skivington who only arrived at Kingsholm in July 2020. “He turned up to pre-season in really good shape,” Skivington added. “He was building nicely doing some really nice things on the field and starting to look like the Ben Morgan of old. “I think he has enjoyed being on the back of the mauls scoring the tries, he is one of the top scorers in the league, but he was having some great moments around the field and really enjoying his rugby. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["knee injury"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Ben Morgan"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["minor surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Pelé In Hospital Due To Colon Tumor, To Be Released In Days","document":"Pelé was briefly put in intensive care after surgery on his right colon. He is recovering at his home in Guarujá, outside Sao Paulo. Brazilian soccer great Pelé was hospitalized in Sao Paulo to continue his colon tumor treatment. Hospital Albert Einstein said in a statement on Wednesday that 81-year-old Edson Arantes do Nascimento is “stable and expected to be released on the next few days.\" Pelé’s assistant Pepito Fornos told The Associated Press that Pelé is having chemotherapy sessions to treat the tumor that was found during routine exams at the end of August. Pelé was briefly put in intensive care after surgery on his right colon. He is recovering at his home in Guarujá, outside Sao Paulo. Pelé won the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups, and remains Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 77 goals in 92 matches. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["colon tumor"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Sao Paulo","home"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Pelé"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["intensive care after surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Rajinikanth Recovering Well After Surgery, Likely To Be Discharged In Few Days","document":"In an official statement from the hospital, it is revealed that Rajinikanth underwent a surgical procedure and recovering well. Superstar Rajinikanth. 2021-10-29T15:41:13+05:30 Rajinikanth Recovering Well After Surgery, Likely To Be Discharged In Few Days Superstar Rajinikanth was admitted to Kauvery Hospital on Thursday after experiencing giddiness. In an official statement released by the hospital, it is revealed that he underwent a surgery and is now on his road to recovery. The statement read, \"Mr Rajinikanth was admitted to Kauvery Hospital, Alwarpeet, Chennai yesterday (28th October 2021) following an episode of giddiness. He was thoroughly evaluated by the expert panel of doctors and was advised to undergo Carotid Artery revascularization.\" The statement, which was signed by Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, Co-Founder and Executive Director Kauvery Hospital. Giving an update about the days to come, the statement further said, \"The procedure was performed successfully today (29th October 2021) and he is recovering well. He is likely to be discharged from the hospital after few days.\" The superstar was trending on social media recently after the trailer of his much-awaited film 'Annaatthe' was released. The Siva directorial looks like a complete entertainer and also stars Keerthy Suresh.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":null},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Kauvery Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["expert panel of doctors"]},{"role":"Date","values":["In Few Days","days","few days."]},{"role":"People","values":["Rajinikanth"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["Carotid Artery revascularization"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Martha Stewart recovering from surgery to repair ruptured Achilles tendon","document":"The “Martha Knows Best” host, 79, revealed that she is recovering from surgery to repair her ruptured Achilles tendon. Stewart told her Instagram followers that she underwent a three-hour operation at NYU Langone Health on Tuesday after injuring herself a while back. “Not the prettiest photo nor the happiest back story,” she captioned a picture of her bandaged leg on Wednesday. “Bad timing all around. Ruptured my Achilles’ tendon a while ago. Tried to get it to heal on its own to no avail.” The “Martha Bakes” star told fans that she has “to lay still with [her] leg elevated for two weeks.” After that, she needs “another two to four weeks [on] crutches,” she wrote. “Most such ruptures occur when dancing or playing sports. Mine was caused by a surprise step into a hole in the dark getting out of the car,” she explained. Stewart shared a photo of her bandaged foot in the air Wednesday. “Thank you NYU for attempting to make me whole again,” Stewart concluded her post. Other celebrities were quick to send well-wishes to the businesswoman after she shared the news. “Your [sic] still so sexy !!! so so so sexy!” Drew Barrymore commented. “Oh my dear!!! so sorry for that ! get well soon,” chef Geoffrey Zakarian wrote. Stewart later proved she was in good hands when she welcomed some medical advice from friend and “Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo. “Glad to hear you are on your way to a full recovery !!! Lots of love from your favorite fake doctor ❤️,” the actress, 51, commented.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["ruptured Achilles tendon"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["NYU Langone Health"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Stewart"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"WWE NXT Superstar Gives Injury Update","document":"Injuries are unfortunately a part of the professional wrestling business, and WWE NXT 's Zoey Stark was taken out of action after suffering an ACL and Meniscus tear during the match at Halloween Havoc. She had surgery not too long ago, and she provided an update on her status on social media. Stark posted a video with the caption \"Officially off the crutches and walking on my own! Next step = RUNNING @WWENXT #WWENXT, and the video shows her walking at a steady clip with a brace around her leg. She seems to be recovering quickly, and we can't wait to see her back in a ring when she's fully healed. The kayfabe reason for the injury was an attack by Toxic Attraction, and after surgery, she had a message for them. Stark wrote \"Sadly, I tore my ACL/Meniscus due to Toxic's attack. Here's the bad news for the \"champs\". Surgery went great and I'm already rehabbing. I'll be back BETTER & STRONGER with three targets in mind! Until then @shirai_io @KacyCatanzaro @wwekayden kick their ass tonight! @WWENXT\" — WWE NXT (@WWENXT) December 15, 2021 It would seem Stark will have plenty of revenge to seek out when she gets back to NXT, and who knows, if the faction still holds the titles when she gets back, perhaps she will be the one to dethrone them. Stark teamed up with Io Shirai earlier this year, but they were not exactly friends. Stark tried to cement a friendship with Shirai, but Shirai didn't go for it, though they were still able to defeat The Way's Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell and in the process become the new NXT Women's Tag Team Champions. They would defend their titles successfully until they met Toxic Attraction's Jayne and Dolin at Halloween Havoc, and there they would lose their titles. The same night Mandy Rose would defeat Raquel Gonzalez for the NXT Women's Championship, so all of Toxic Attraction is now wearing gold around their waists. It would definitely seem to be their time at the moment, and any possible rematch between the two teams will have to wait until Stark is back in the ring. Shirai did get a win against them though at WarGames, as her team of Gonzalez, Kay Lee Ray, and Cora Jade came away the victors. We wish Stark a speedy recovery, and hope she is back and better than ever soon. Do you want to see Stark reteam with Shirai after she returns or go on a singles run? Let us know in the comments!","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["an ACL and Meniscus tear","ACL"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Zoey Stark"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery","Surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Cats midfielder sidelined after knee surgery","document":"MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 29: Sam Menegola of the Cats celebrates kicking a goal during the round 15 AFL match between the Western Bulldogs and the Geelong Cats at Etihad Stadium on June 29, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. Geelong midfielder Sam Menegola will miss a large portion of the pre-season after undergoing knee surgery. The club revealed on Thursday that the 29-year-old consulted with medical professionals shortly after the season's conclusion, with Menegola requiring attention for a meniscal repair in October. The setback will see his preparations for the new season delayed, with the Cats eyeing a chance to redeem themselves following their disappointing finals exit this year. SAM MENEGOLA Geelong football boss Simon Lloyd revealed the surgery on Menegola's troubled knee was a success, with the Cats star set to remain in Western Australia until 2022. “Sam and the medical team were pleased with the outcome post-surgery,” Lloyd said. “Sam is totally professional in all aspects of his football, and he will tackle the rehabilitation process with gusto. Sam has started his rehab in Perth and will return to Geelong in the new year.” MELBOURNE , AUSTRALIA - MAY 05: Sam Menegola of the Cats handballs whilst being tackled by Jake Stringer of the Bombers during the round seven AFL match between the Geelong Cats and the Essendon Bombers at Melbourne Cricket Ground on May 05, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) Menegola missed three matches early into this year due to a shoulder injury, playing the final 22 games of the season for Geelong. The East Fremantle product will join defender Tom Stewart in recovering from injury this summer , with the All-Australian backman having had his 2021 campaign cut short due to a foot injury.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":null},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["medical professionals"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Sam Menegola","SAM MENEGOLA"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["knee surgery","a meniscal repair"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Obaidul Quader has recovered, to be released soon: Doctor","document":"Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader is recovering, all his test results are reportedly good. \"Obaidul Quader is almost completely healthy. His blood pressure, oxygen circulation are all normal. Hopefully, he can return home in a day or two,\" informed Professor Md Sharfuddin Ahmed, BSMMU vice-chancellor and board head of the 10-member medical board formed for the minister's treatment. He said that when he (Obaidul Quader) first came to the hospital, he had a little pain in his chest, his blood sugar was high and he suffers from heart problem. Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has been undergoing treatment at BSMMU since last Tuesday when he was admitted there with chest pain, high blood sugar and heart issues. Initially, Obaidul Quader was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital on 2 March, 2019, following breathing complications. After examining his angiogram there, doctors found three blocks in his coronary artery. On 4 March, the minister was flown to Singapore on an air ambulance for advanced treatment. The minister underwent bypass surgery at Mount Elizabeth Hospital on 20 March. Later, he returned home on 15 May after receiving medical treatment in Singapore for over two months. On 31 January 2020, Obaidul Quader was again admitted to BSMMU due to shortness of breath after a meeting of the party's secretaries was held at the Awami League president's political office in Dhanmondi. At that time, he felt shortness of breath and left the office 10 minutes after his arrival. From there he went directly to BSMMU.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["chest pain, high blood sugar and heart issues","breathing complications"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital","hospital","BSMMU","Hospital","Mount Elizabeth Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Professor Md Sharfuddin Ahmed, BSMMU vice-chancellor and board head of the 10-member medical board","Professor Md Sharfuddin Ahmed, BSMMU vice-chancellor and board head of the 10-member"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Obaidul Quader"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["bypass surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Carbery requires elbow surgery in latest injury nightmare","document":"Joey Carbery is once again facing the prospect of months on the sideline, with Munster confirming... 14.47 14 Dec 2021 Joey Carbery is once again facing the prospect of months on the sideline, with Munster confirming he requires surgery. The out-half sustained a fractured elbow in Sunday's 35-14 win away to Wasps in the Heineken Champions Cup. Carbery left the field in Coventry with his arm in a makeshift sling, having been on the receiving end of a late challenge from Wasps' Robin Hislop. Munster confirmed on Tuesday that Carbery suffered an elbow fracture, and will undergo surgery on Thursday (December 16). It leaves the 26-year old in a race to be fit for Ireland's Six Nations campaign. It's a cruel blow for the no.10, who had been slowly finding his rhythm once more after - seemingly - shaking off the shackles of a previous injury lay-off. He spent more than a year out with a troublesome ankle. News of the extend of Carbery's injury came on the same day it was confirmed Johann van Graan will be leaving as head coach at the end of this season. Following the heroics of Coventry, Van Graan must again tap into his reserves for Saturday's meeting with Castres at Thomond Park. Despite returning from Cape Town at the weekend - and recovering from COVID-19 - the 14 players who travelled back late from South Africa \"have been required to undertake an additional period of self-isolation as advised by public health\". However, the 34 players who returned Covid-free have completed their quarantine period and are under consideration for Saturday's game in Limerick.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["a fractured elbow"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Joey Carbery"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Pele 'Recovering Well' After Surgery: Daughter","document":"She however did not comment on local media reports saying the 80-year-old Edson Arantes do Nascimento is back in intensive care. Pele won the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups, and remains Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 77 goals in 92 matches. | Courtesy: Twitter (@Pele) Pele 'Recovering Well' After Surgery: Daughter Brazilian soccer great Pele “took a little step back” in his recovery from surgery to remove a tumor from his colon, his daughter Kely Nascimento said, but he is “recovering well” at a Sao Paulo hospital. She did not comment on local media reports saying the 80-year-old Edson Arantes do Nascimento is back in intensive care. Kely Nascimento posted a picture with her father on Instagram which she said she had just taken in his room at the Albert Einstein hospital. “He is recovering well and within normal range. Promise!” Kely Nascimento said. “The normal recovery scenario for a man of his age after an operation like this is sometimes two steps forward and one step back. Yesterday he was tired and took a little step back.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["a tumor from his colon"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["a Sao Paulo hospital","the Albert Einstein hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Edson Arantes do Nascimento","Nascimento","Pele"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["intensive care","surgery","Surgery","operation"]}]} {"event_trigger":"After surgery, medical experts predict a long and difficult recovery for Tiger Woods","document":"Woods, 45, suffered “comminuted open fractures” — meaning multiple breaks in which part of the bone breaks through the skin — in both the upper and lower portions of his right tibia and fibula, which required doctors to insert a rod into the tibia, according to a statement Anish Mahajan, chief medical officer and CEO of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, released early Wednesday through Woods’s representatives. “Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins,” Mahajan’s statement said. “Trauma to the muscle and soft-tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling.” Woods’s team added that the golfer was “awake, responsive and recovering in his hospital room” after what it described as a “long” surgery. Because of the “open” nature of Woods’s fractures, sometimes also called compound fractures, the risk of infection is significant and the likelihood of additional surgeries is high, according to experts in the field of orthopedic trauma surgery. The injury suffered by quarterback Alex Smith of the Washington Football Team is one well-known example. “This is not a one-surgery [condition]. This is a multiple-surgery [condition],” said David L. Helfet, orthopedic trauma surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. With an open fracture, he said, protocols call for multiple debridements — the removal of dead, damaged or infected tissue. Story continues below advertisement In addition, Helfet said, Woods “may need soft-tissue procedures, maybe a skin graft. He may need multiple, additional procedures to stabilize the bone perfectly, to restore the length, alignment and rotation of the leg.” Insight into Woods’s condition and prognosis by those outside his immediate medical team are naturally limited by a lack of detailed knowledge of the specifics of his case. Among the questions left unaddressed by the statement early Wednesday from Woods’s team was whether there were additional injuries to his left leg, as initial reports suggested . However, Helfet, a surgeon for 40 years, was cautious about Woods’s prognosis. “The risk of an injury like this is not necessarily lifesaving; it’s limb-saving. And the sooner you get the patient into … a trauma center, the better,” he said. “ … To get one of these injuries healed — the bone healed, the soft tissues recovered, [and] assuming there’s no nerve and artery damage and the muscle is recoverable, you’re talking about, until he can walk and put weight on his leg and actually have function, two to three months, at least. “Golf,” Helfet added, “is immaterial.” Bill Mallon, a former PGA Tour golfer and orthopedic surgeon, had a more optimistic outlook for Woods’s long-term professional pursuits. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement “My suspicion is — and I’m dealing here with incomplete information — if he doesn’t get an infection in his leg and he doesn’t get arthritis in his ankle, I think he will definitely play golf again,” said Mallon, who played on the tour from 1975 to 1979 and was later a surgeon at Emerge Ortho and a clinical professor at Duke University School of Medicine. Mallon said arthritis is a concern anytime a fracture affects a joint, such as the ankle. Sally Jenkins: Woods’s genius has never been a free gift. Now his only task is to heal. Mallon said Woods was fortunate that the injured leg was his right because it is the left leg that absorbs most of the force in a golfer’s downswing during the transfer of weight. Mallon, while citing his lack of specific knowledge of Woods’s condition, guessed Woods would be under non-weight-bearing orders in the immediate future — perhaps with a “knee scooter” to get around while keeping his right leg off the ground — then graduate to partial-weight-bearing protection. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement “With fractures of this sort in the lower extremities, it takes about three months to heal enough to fully bear weight,” he said. At Harbor-UCLA, Woods’s initial surgical team probably included a general-surgery trauma specialist as well as vascular, orthopedic and plastic surgeons. He almost certainly was placed on a strong antibiotic to reduce the immediate risk of infection. Still, it is a risk that will remain for the duration of his recovery, according to Helfet. “The danger of infection is there until he is fully healed,” he said. “Obviously, it’s more likely to occur sooner rather than later. But bugs have a way of hiding. … They can hide for a long time and only appear later.” Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva and Fire Chief Daryl Osby on Feb. 23 offered an update on a rollover car crash involving Tiger Woods in Southern California. (The Washington Post) According to Andrew Pollak, chair of the department of orthopaedics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and chief of orthopaedics at the University of Maryland Medical System, the main concerns for Woods in the coming days will be the risk of infection; the potential development of compartment syndrome, in which swelling inside the leg constricts blood flow, often leading to amputation; and the possibility of “nonunion,” in which the bones fail to heal properly. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement “The real challenge he’ll have in the coming weeks,” Pollak said, “is whether he’ll get primary healing of his wounds.” Pollak said UM’s trauma hospital sees injuries such as Woods’s several times a week and that 50 percent of those are unable to return to work within two to seven years of the injury. “However, high-performance athletes in our experience generally do better,” Pollak added. “What I would say about Tiger is he’s already recovered from five spinal surgeries and come back from them. So I wouldn’t put anything past him.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["“comminuted open fractures”"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":["the risk of infection","risk of infection"]},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["nish Mahajan, chief medical officer and CEO of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center","Harbor-UCLA"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Woods"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["insert a rod into the tibia"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Derrick Henry out of surgery, recovering","document":"Titans running back Derrick Henry underwent foot surgery Tuesday morning as planned. Dianna Russini of ESPN reports that surgery “went well,” and Henry now is recovering. Henry injured his foot in Sunday’s victory over the Colts, but he still played through the end of the game. He played 74 percent of Tennessee’s offensive snaps. Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Monday there is a chance Henry can return this season, but it is roughly an eight-week recovery. Henry led the league in rushing each of the past two seasons, gaining 2,027 yards with 17 touchdowns last year. He currently leads the league with 219 carries, 937 yards rushing and 10 rushing touchdowns, which had him on pace for 465 touches, 1,948 yards and 21 touchdowns. Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor is second with 649 rushing yards. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["injured his foot","foot"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Derrick Henry"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["foot surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"M. Nasir tests positive for COVID-19, recovering in home quarantine","document":"The Malaysian singer-songwriter’s wife Datin Marlia Musa confirmed the news yesterday (December 13), per Harian Metro . M. Nasir took a rapid test on Sunday morning (December 12) in preparation for an appearance the next day, which turned out positive. Upon receiving the result, the singer and his wife underwent RT-PCR tests right away, which bore the same result. He is currently in home quarantine and recovering. According to Marlia, M. Nasir, 64, is only experiencing cough symptoms at the moment. She urged people to pray for his speedy recovery. Marlia also shared that presently, she and her children, along with their maid, tested negative. She added that they are not sure where her husband contracted the virus. M. Nasir had reportedly tested negative for COVID-19 before his performance at the 31st Malaysia Film Festival last week on December 10. M. Nasir was in the headlines earlier this year after his father Mohamed Sam died at the age of 96 in Singapore , where the singer was born. M. Nasir, who has been a Malaysian citizen since 1989, had not seen his father for a year due to the pandemic, and applied for permission from the authorities to travel to Singapore, but was denied. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["COVID-19"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["M. Nasir","Nasir","Datin Marlia","her children, along with their maid"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Unvaxxed ’72 Heisman winner: Fitness sped COVID-19 recovery","document":"OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska football great Johnny Rodgers, back home after spending more than two weeks in the hospital with COVID-19, said Tuesday he believes his superior physical condition helped him have a better outcome than many 70-year-olds who contract the coronavirus. The 1972 Heisman Trophy winner, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from his Omaha home, acknowledged he has not been vaccinated. He said he thought a device he had installed in his home that purportedly weakens viruses, along with another type of air cleaning machine, provided him a measure of protection. “I figured with all this, I’m just fine,” Rodgers said. However, Rodgers said he now plans to get vaccinated once his doctors say he is able to do so. “At the time I had it covered,” he said, referring to the equipment in his house. “I really wasn’t around a lot of people. It was just something unexpected — like being in closed quarters for 10 hours at a time (while traveling) — that threw me for a loop. “At that particular point in time I wasn’t really that concerned about it because I was very healthy. I didn’t think I needed it. Now I think I most definitely need it. More people need it than don’t.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["COVID-19"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Johnny Rodgers"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["get vaccinated"]}]} {"event_trigger":"I am back home & recovering, says Silambarasan TR","document":" I am back home & recovering, says Silambarasan TR Actor Silambarasan TR was admitted to a hospital in Chennai on December 11 after getting a throat infection. While it was first speculated that the 'Maanaadu' star has been affected by the deadly corona virus, it was later revealed that he just had a viral infection. Silambarasan's close friend and actor Mahat Ragavendra also informed the fans that Simbu has been discharged and is safe and recuperating at home. Now, the star actor himself has taken to his social networking page to inform everyone that he is back home and recovering. Thanking everyone, Silambarasan TR posted. \"Thanks for all your blessings I am back home & recovering ??#NeengailaamaNaanilla ❤️\" (sic) Thanks for all your blessings I am back home & recovering ??#NeengailaamaNaanilla ❤️ — Silambarasan TR (@SilambarasanTR_) 1639316187000 Silambarasan aka Simbu is expected to recover soon, so that he can continue with the shoot for his upcoming film ‘ Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu ’ directed by Gautham Menon and is being bankrolled by Vels Film International. Radikaa will be playing the role of Simbu's mother in this rural action drama, whose story has been written by acclaimed writer Jeyamohan.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["a viral infection"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["home"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Silambarasan"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Brian Manning back home...spends first anniversary in quarantine","document":"San Fernando East Member of Parliament Brian Manning spent his first wedding anniversary at home under quarantine with his wife. Manning, who was hospitalised after contracting Covid-19, was discharged last Friday. In a telephone interview on Tuesday, he told the Express he was doing well and working from home while quarantined. His wife, media executive Shelly Dass, who also tested positive for Covid-19 and spent time recovering at home, was on the mend. Both are fully vaccinated. On Sunday, they celebrated their first anniversary as a married couple. Manning said it was a quiet day. “We were very happy and very grateful that we were spending our first anniversary together and that we are both on the road to recovery. It was a good time, all things considered.” Updating on his health, Manning said: “I’m doing well, everything is great. I’m in quarantine, getting some rest, working from home and just ensuring that our constituency events are executed as planned and also several of the things ...the Ministry of Finance ... we want to wrap up before the end of the year…I’m doing everything to stay on top of the responsibilities I have, even though I’m home recovering.” Unsure of outcome without vaccine Manning, who has no comorbidities, said he was surprised that he had to be admitted to hospital. “My breathing became very shallow and that’s really what alerted us to maybe I should check myself in and that’s what I did,” said the Minister in the Ministry of Finance. Manning, who spent days at Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Facility, described the medical staff as extremely professional. “I really appreciated the work that they did while I was there. I had an opportunity to visit the intensive care unit and it was really a harrowing experience and the one thing I would want to say to everyone is please get vaccinated. “Vaccination is supposed to work on modifying your immune system to make you better resist the effects of the virus and, without that support, there are some people who just are not going to survive...The stark reality is that you need to do something to protect yourself because you never know. Some people may get the virus and get over it in a few days and be fine, other people won’t, whether you have comorbidities or not,” he added. “If I weren’t vaccinated, I don’t know what the outcome would have been and the numbers show that persons who are unvaccinated are far more likely to die if ever they were to acquire this virus. So please take care of yourselves and your loved ones.” While there are those who said Manning would have been treated better than others while at the hospital, he said: “I’m pretty sure that all of the medical professionals there are doing all they can to assist everyone that they can and I’m not aware of any special treatment.” Manning said since his discharge from the medical institution he has been doing breathing exercises. And he was grateful for the outpouring of love, concern and prayers he and his wife received from the national community during what he described as a challenging time.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["Covid-19"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["home","Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Facility"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["the medical staff"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last Friday"]},{"role":"People","values":["Brian Manning","Shelly Dass"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["get vaccinated"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Dog Recovering After Being Attacked by Coyotes in San Francisco","document":"“The coyotes just came out of the shadows. Literally they just walked out from behind cars. Roscoe started chasing them and one of them started going fast and I said ‘Roscoe, come here,'” Przybyl said. Przybyl added that Roscoe was grabbed and taken away by the pack of four coyotes. Her boyfriend Tim ran them down and he barely caught up. “[Tim] was clapping, screaming saying stop. Then the coyote just ended up dropping [Roscoe] and just stood over Roscoe and Tim went and just grabbed him,” she said. The couple then took a Lyft to a 24-Hour Oakland emergency clinic, where Roscoe was treated for six puncture wounds on his neck. Przybyl reported the incident and Roscoe is now recovering at home. The San Francisco Animal Care and Control tweeted out an alert to “keep dogs on a leash and cats indoors in areas where coyotes are active.” Coyotes are common in San Francisco, but NBC Bay Area has done stories this past year about how they appear to be coming closer to humans. One was spotted casually sitting in the middle of the San Francisco Botanical Garden in June. Officials at the Coyote Project have said when humans illegally feed the coyotes, it encourages them to approach other people and it doesn’t help. Przybyl said that she’s happy Roscoe is still alive. “I’ve had him for so long and to see something like that happen, I really thought that was it and I’m happy it wasn’t. Very lucky to still have him,” she said.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["six puncture wounds on his neck"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["a 24-Hour Oakland emergency clinic","home"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Roscoe"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Volunteers build ramp for 4 siblings recovering at home after Waukesha parade","document":"Nearly three weeks after the tragedy at the Waukesha Christmas parade, volunteers are hard at work building a wheelchair ramp at Dylan Yourell's home. Posted at 10:25 PM, Dec 10, 2021 and last updated 2021-12-10 23:25:54-05 WAUKESHA, Wis. — Nearly three weeks after the tragedy at the Waukesha Christmas parade, volunteers are hard at work building a wheelchair ramp at Dylan Yourell's home. Yourell's four children were walking in the parade together when they were hurt. Some were hospitalized for several days. Thankfully, all four have been back home for some time now. Yourell's four children were walking in the parade together when they were hurt. Their mother tells News they are taking it day by day. Yourell stressed his story is one of many people's that day. \"My story is just one, but my story is including finding two of my daughters on the road,\" Yourell said. It's been a challenging few weeks for the family, but Yourell says he's choosing to focus on how the community has rushed to help. TMJ4 Volunteers build a ramp for four siblings recovering at home after the Waukesha Christmas parade tragedy. \"From law enforcement, from the people that were taking children in their vehicles and taking them immediately that they could not wait, and one of those situations included my son, so it does hold a personal note,\" Yourell said. \"I just want to say thank you to everyone that was helping and being good on that day. Truly, I felt it coming up that road.\" Yourell's 8-year-old-son, Grayson, will need a wheel chair for a little while. Volunteers have already built a ramp at his mother's home, and they hope the ramp at his father's home will be finished in a few weeks. \"Picture-frame decking and stainless steel horizontal railings,\" said builder Brock Held. \"That's what he deserves after what he's gone through.\" TMJ4 Volunteers build a ramp for four siblings recovering at home after the Waukesha Christmas parade tragedy. Yourell lives around the corner from the parade route and down the street from where the suspect was caught. He hopes the ramp in front of his home will serve as a symbol of Waukesha uniting in this tough time. \"I also believe it will be for anyone coming down this street, down this road, seeing this kind of epic thing, going into the Five Points, knowing that the community has come together, that good is battling evil,\" Yourell said. \"I think that is important.\"","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":null},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Yourell's four children","Yourell"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["need a wheel chair for a little while"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Simon Bridges' injured son now recovering at home, behaving like 'a very old man'","document":"Simon Bridges on The AM Show with David Parker. Simon Bridges' son, badly injured in a playground accident at school, is now recovering at home. Seven-year-old Harry was rushed to Starship Hospital on December 2, suffering a torn liver and internal bleeding after an accident on a swing. As a result, Bridges missed that day's announcement he'd become the National Party's new finance spokesperson. A few days later Harry was well enough to be cracking jokes , and speaking to The AM Show on Friday, Bridges said Harry is now doing \"great\". \"He's here at home. I just want to be hugely thankful to you and others who have sent well-wishes, Starship Hospital.\" ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["a torn liver and internal bleeding"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["home","Starship Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Harry"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"'I wanted to be left alone': Laurens De Plus returned to his parent's home to recover from viral fatigue","document":"Laurens De Plus says he \"wanted to be left alone\" while he recovered from 'viral fatigue' during most of 2021. De Plus, who rides for Ineos Grenadiers , hasn't actually raced a kilometre for the British registered team since April 10 at the Tour of the Basque Country where he did not finish on the sixth stage. The 26-year-old Belgian returned home to re-cooperate and to try and recover from his nagging hip injury as well as the fatigue that turned out to be caused by the leftovers of an unnamed virus. Where is it we all go when unwell? Our parents, if we can. And that's what De Plus did. \"Honestly? I wanted to be left alone,” De Plus told Belgian media, reported Wielerflits . \"Messages from fellow riders? I did get them, but I didn't answer them. A little selfish at the time, but a good friend understands. \"I desperately needed that rest. And some nest heat. So I went back to live with my parents. My brother and parents gave me peace and energy. And every few days I was in contact with the Ineos team management. It was amazing how I got there and still am supported.\" De Plus said that Ineos has taken great care of him while he has been recovering adding \"no team in the world takes better care of its riders than Ineos.\" In 2019, De Plus was a vital cog for his then Jumbo-Visma team-mate, Primož Roglič but in 2020 he suffered a bad crash, injuring his hip, seeing him not race again after April. This year was similar, only he managed a few more races for Ineos before the break. The ambition hasn't left De Plus but he says that keeping a low profile and getting enjoyment back is the priority. \"The road for the coming years has been mapped out, but I'm not going to explain it here. I hope you will understand that. I don't know yet where I will compete again. We will decide that last minute. But I'm initially aiming for smaller stage races. No competitions like Paris-Nice. That's for later. \"Having fun again is the first goal. I will probably start riding bigger races again towards the summer. Maybe even a Grand Tour. But I want to show the necessary flexibility in the first few months. \"Out of fear of relapse? No, not really. Rather because I want to maintain a low profile. That's how I was at my best in the past. The less pressure, the better I function. I don't feel like running past myself.\" Tim Bonville-Ginn Hi, I'm one of Cycling Weekly's content writers for the web team responsible for writing stories on racing, tech, updating evergreen pages as well as the weekly email newsletter. Proud Yorkshireman from the UK's answer to Flanders, Calderdale, go check out the cobbled climbs! I started watching cycling back in 2010, before all the hype around London 2012 and Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France. In fact, it was Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck's battle in the fog up the Tourmalet on stage 17 of the Tour de France. It took me a few more years to get into the journalism side of things, but I had a good idea I wanted to get into cycling journalism by the end of year nine at school and started doing voluntary work soon after. This got me a chance to go to the London Six Days, Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of Britain to name a few before eventually joining Eurosport's online team while I was at uni, where I studied journalism. Eurosport gave me the opportunity to work at the world championships in Harrogate back in the awful weather. After various bar jobs, I managed to get my way into Cycling Weekly in late February of 2020 where I mostly write about racing and everything around that as it's what I specialise in but don't be surprised to see my name on other news stories. When not writing stories for the site, I don't really switch off my cycling side as I watch every race that is televised as well as being a rider myself and a regular user of the game Pro Cycling Manager. Maybe too regular. My bike is a well used Specialized Tarmac SL4 when out on my local roads back in West Yorkshire as well as in northern Hampshire with the hills and mountains being my preferred terrain.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["nagging hip injury","the fatigue that turned out to be caused by the leftovers of an unnamed virus"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Laurens De Plus"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bentonville man home recovering after fall while setting up annual Christmas display","document":"BENTONVILLE, Ark. ( KNWA/KFTA ) — A Bentonville man known for his yearly family Christmas light display is at home recovering after an accident that left him in the ICU for nearly a month. Mark Valentine and his family decorate their house for the holidays every year to raise money for multiple sclerosis research, but this year they could use a little help of their own. Valentine fell off an 18-foot ladder while hanging a wreath for the light display and was rushed to the hospital with 10 broken ribs and a collapsed lung. After almost a month in the hospital, he said glad to be home but he is looking forward to being able to get back to meeting those who are visiting their Bentonville Heart Lites display. “This weekend I was just trying to stay in the house and kind of be quiet and I’m not even having visitors just to try to start getting my strength back. I’m hoping that next weekend and Christmas weekend, we’ll actually be able to be out and talk to visitors while the display is running,” Valentine said. Now, a GoFundMe page has raised over $33,000 to help cover the cost of medical expenses. This year was already scheduled to be the display’s last run due to how quickly it’s expanded, but with the outpouring of support from the community it’s become one to remember. “I just want to thank everybody for their support and their love,” said Mark’s wife Crystal. “The prayers, everything has been a true blessing.” The Bentonville Heart Lites will be open until New Year’s Eve from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 to 10:30 Friday and Saturday.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["10 broken ribs"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["home","ICU"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Mark Valentine"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Dog run over on the M19 finds a new home after recovering","document":"Basil has been adopted by a special family and is looking forward to being spoilt by them. Dog run over on the M19 finds a new home after recovering DURBAN – The Kloof and Highway SPCA said Christmas came early for Buddy Loadshedding, now known as Basil, who has gone to his new family. Basil was rescued on the M19 after he was hit by a car. Kloof and Highway SPCA manager Barbara Patrick said Basil’s prognosis was not great, and members of the public immediately started fundraising for him. Basil was rescued on the M19 after he was hit by a car. “I phoned Dr Steve Wimberley at Westville Veterinary Hospital and he said they would help us,” Patrick said. “Thanks to the incredible team at Westville Veterinary Hospital who did his operation and took extra good care of him, to all the generous donors who contributed to his medical care… and to Andreas Mathios and other members of the public who stopped on the M19 to help.” Dramatic M19 rescue for Buddy Loadshedding Basil was rescued on the M19 after he was hit by a car. Picture: Supplied Patrick said Inspectors Petros Simamane and Petra Abrams responded to the call immediately, and rushed Basil to the SPCA clinic where he was stabilised overnight before being transferred to Westville Veterinary Hospital. “Basil has been adopted by a special family and is looking forward to being spoilt by them,” Patrick said. She also thanked everyone for making her Christmas happier. When Basil was run down, Marshall Security spokesperson Andreas Mathios said Marshall Security’s community support team on route to a call-out in the La Lucia area spotted a dog that had been hit by a car on the M19 freeway, just outside of Pinetown. The dog was in a serious condition. He said the Kloof and Highway SPCA were notified and dispatched to the scene. On Thursday, Mathios said he was absolutely overwhelmed by the response from the community that came together to donate funds towards the dogs welfare. “The fact that it found a home is also very touching given the circumstances that that dog was on death row seconds before I arrived,” Mathios said. “What amazes me the most is how people who did not know each other came together on that specific day to help this animal and for me that is the most touching part about helping animals and rescuing them from such a fate. That dog’s life would have ended within minutes had it not been for people coming together at the right place at the right time and I am just so happy that the dog has found a happy ever after home,” Mathios said. He said what also stood out for him was the way the Westville vet, the staff and everybody rallied around the dog to make sure that in the best interest of the dog, the right decisions were made at the right time. “It was never about the money, but the love for the animal that was seconds away from being taken out by the traffic that was arriving around that corner that morning on the M19 when I was on my way to work,” Mathios said. He added that during the Covid-19 pandemic where funds were already stretched, businesses and individuals came together to make sure that the best outcome for the dog was made available.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":null},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Westville Veterinary Hospital","SPCA clinic"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["team at Westville Veterinary Hospital","Dr Steve Wimberley"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Basil"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Recovered Covid-19 patients in S’pore tell their stories","document":"The Delta strain currently accounts for nearly all cases in Singapore. Three former patients tell ST health correspondent Linette Lai about their experiences of being diagnosed with the virus. Woman found out she had Covid-19 six hours before she planned to give birth Six hours before Ms Poh Wen Ching was due to undergo a caesarean section for the birth of her second child, she got a call at midnight delivering some bad news. A routine pre-admission test at Thomson Medical had found her and her husband positive for Covid-19, derailing their plans to deliver the baby girl on Sept 23. The couple also have a two-year-old daughter. Initially, I thought it was a joke. She panicked. I saw tears coming from her eyes... I woke my entire family up. Mr Lee Shao Hao Ms Poh’s husband They live with his parents, who are fully vaccinated. Ms Poh, an accounts executive, had decided to get vaccinated only in August – about six weeks before she was due to give birth – after reading an article about a pregnant woman in Malaysia who had died of Covid-19. The 29-year-old had both doses before she tested positive. “Everyone told us not to do it. A lot of people said she should finish the confinement, then go for it, since she was already near the end of her third trimester,” recounted Mr Lee, 32. “But for us, our question was: ‘What if we don’t take it and something happens?’” They also looked up articles on whether vaccination was safe for pregnant women, and consulted their gynaecologist who gave them the green light. Throughout the course of Ms Poh’s pregnancy, the family took extreme precautions to keep themselves safe. These included taking showers immediately after coming back from running even simple errands, such as collecting letters or buying food. Ms Poh Wen Ching with her husband Mr Lee Shao Hao and their two children at their home on Oct 14, 2021. ST After the couple were found to have the virus, the rest of the family got themselves tested. They ended up testing positive, but experienced only mild symptoms that subsided after three days. Their daughter – the only one not vaccinated because of her age – had a fever that lasted five days, as well as a cough and runny nose that persisted for around 10 days. In the 48 hours after that midnight call, the family barely slept as they waited for confirmation on what would happen next. At the time, the home recovery programme, introduced as a pilot scheme on Aug 30 and expanded to more patients on Sept 15, was still new and plagued by some issues. More On This Topic If mum gets Covid-19, will the unborn baby get it too? Ms Poh was eventually taken alone to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) on Sept 24, as the Health Ministry requires women in her situation to either recover at home or be taken to a public hospital. The caesarean section was carried out on Sept 28, after doctors determined she was no longer infectious. Although she was allowed to hold the newborn, the rest of her family could meet her only after Oct 2, when their 10-day quarantine was over. Mr Lee was also quarantined at home. The baby was not tested for Covid-19 as KKH told the family there was no need for it. “Vaccination for pregnant ladies is very important,” said Mr Lee, who is co-founder of media site Sure Boh Singapore. “It’s really very fortunate that we went ahead to do it.” He urged others to mentally prepare themselves to deal with Covid-19, adding that much of his initial fear arose because he had not done so. “For the first 24 hours, I was at a loss,” he recalled. “If you prep for it, it will be shocking – but not to the extent that you don’t know what to do and develop severe anxiety.” Woman who gave birth in isolation ward urges others to get Covid-19 vaccine He also hopes that his experience will help reduce the stigma of being diagnosed with Covid-19. His father, a mechanic, had clients cancel on him even after he had recovered, as they were afraid of contracting the virus. His older daughter was also allowed to return to school only around 20 days after being infected with the virus, as a precautionary measure. “There’s a social stigma. If you test positive, people look at you differently,” added Mr Lee. “A lot of people are still very afraid... We have to be careful, but we don’t have to be so afraid – we have to know what to do.” • Over 85% of pregnant women who are hospitalised due to Covid-19 are not fully vaccinated. • About 20% of this group required oxygen supplementation, while 10 per cent required high dependency and intensive care. • As at Oct 1, no vaccinated pregnant woman has required oxygen or intensive care. Mental health affected When Madam Umma, 50, came down with a fever on July 7 – two days after her first dose of the vaccine – she assumed it was just a side effect of the shot. But over the next few days, as her family members began developing a fever one after another, she knew something was wrong. The housewife’s household of nine tested positive for Covid-19. Only her fully vaccinated 92-year-old father was spared. “At that time, the number of community cases was very low, in the single digits,” said Madam Umma, who declined to give her full name. “So when we got it, we were very shocked.” The family – most of whom were either unvaccinated or partially-vaccinated – ended up in different hospitals. This was before the home recovery programme was implemented. Madam Umma, along with her husband, mother and son-in-law, spent most of their recovery time in the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. Her two grandchildren – aged five and three – were taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, along with their mother and domestic helper. Meanwhile, her father was taken to a hotel for quarantine. All their symptoms were relatively mild, with most of the family experiencing only a fever that faded after a day. The children were asymptomatic.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["Covid-19"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital","Hospital","hospital","different hospitals","Children’s Hospital (KKH)","KKH","a hotel"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["the family","family","The family","Ms Poh Wen Ching","Madam Umma"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Girl, 13, critical, second teen injured after shooting inside North Philly home, police say","document":"A 13-year-old girl is in critical condition, while a second teen is recovering after a North Philadelphia shooting. PHILADELPHIA - A 13-year-old girl is in critical condition, while a 17-year-old male is recovering after a shooting inside a home in North Philadelphia. The shooting happened at approximately 11:30 a.m. when police responded to reports of a shooting on the 900 block of North 11th Street. Police say a 13-year-old girl sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and is in critical condition. It appeared her injury went through her front and out of her back. A 17-year-old male was shot at least once in the arm and is in stable condition. Both were rushed to Temple University Hospital. The mother of the 13-year-old victim, Charda Brown, says she sent her daughter to school Wednesday morning, as she would any other day. She has no idea how her daughter ended up shot in a home in North Philadelphia. \"It’s definitely a wake-up call for me. It’s definitely a wake-up call for the whole family and I’m pretty sure it’s a wake-up call for my baby girl and I’m pretty sure her decisions will be different after this,\" said Brown. Detectives said there was the possibility of video, but they hadn't recovered video of the shooting. They were also interviewing witnesses. There were no adults on the scene, according to officials. \"At this time, we're really not sure who we're looking for and how many people that may be,\" an official told FOX 29. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["shot at least once in the arm"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Temple University Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["17-year-old male"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Rehab centre in Thane sees more patients in 25-45 yrs age group recovered from Covid visiting it","document":"Rehab centre in Thane sees more patients in 25-45 yrs age group recovered from Covid visiting it Following the second wave, those between 25 and 45 years have been mostly seen visiting the post-Covid rehabilitation centre; the main aim of this centre in Majiwada, Thane, is the physical and mental well-being of patients who have recovered from Covid A patient being put through simple exercises at the rehab centre in Thane. The patients in 25-45 yrs age group who have recovered from Covid form a large portion of those visiting the centre for follow-up and counselling. Since its inception more than a year ago, more than 2,000 patients have been treated at the post-Covid care and rehabilitation centre in Thane till now. The second wave subsided months ago. However, people affected in this wave continue to deal with Covid-related complications, claim the doctors. In the first wave, the patients who sought help were mostly between 40 years and 60 years. However, post the second wave, those between 25 years and 45 years have been mostly seen visiting the post-Covid rehabilitation centre. The main aim of this centre situated at Lodha Luxuria in Majiwada is the physical and mental well-being of those who have recovered from Covid. Most recovered patients visit for yoga sessions at the rehabilitation centre. They also focus on breathing and building one’s strength. “After the second wave, 60% of the patients who visited here were for breathlessness and hardly 2% had lung fibrosis. Moreover, there were 20% who faced severe joint pains and another 20% who required counselling. The most common issues among post-Covid difficulties were palpitation and panting. We suggest yoga, lung physiotherapy and basic exercises for the body,” said Dr Mansi Doiphode, medical officer and in-charge of the post-Covid rehabilitation centre. For a 34-year-old Kalyan resident, the joint pain had not subsided even three months after recovering from Covid. He came all the way to Thane’s post-Covid rehabilitation centre and was suggested some simple exercises and physiotherapy. On following them regularly, along with basic medications, he has noted some improvement. “We have been treating such patients with orthopaedic-related issues. Even those who recovered a few months back are facing joint pains. This could also be because of the winter and the dip in temperature. We suggest some exercises and, if needed, basic medications for them to recover. In some cases, calcium and multi-vitamin medicines have also helped them to recover,” said Dr Mahesh Mhatre, orthopaedic, post-Covid rehabilitation centre. The centre also saw senior citizens who were staying alone and who found it difficult to manage daily chores and routines on their own after recovering from Covid. “One such case was of a 65-year-old Thane resident who also had asthma and found it very difficult to cope with post-Covid breathing problems. We suggested simple exercises that could be done at home to enhance the lungs’ capacity. Only every fortnight he would visit the centre and gradually he started finding it easier to cope,” added Dr Mhatre. As the sexagenarian stayed with his spouse on the third floor of his house with no lift, daily chores and even a visit to the doctor involved climbing and descending three floors. It would leave him panting and breathless even after three months post-Covid infection. He visited the post-Covid centre and based on the breathing exercises prescribed, he has now recovered and is able to manage his daily chores without support. As the virus affects the lungs and lowers the immunity, pulmonary physiotherapy to strengthen the lungs along with regular exercises and proper diet help revive one’s body. There are designated doctors for the same who guide those visiting the centre. Moreover, many find it difficult to cope up after being in isolation for long periods. There are counsellors who help such individuals as well. “We have noticed that in many instances, people who are working from home and have tested positive for Covid have led to Covid-related anxiety. This is often because they are confined to a single room, feel lonely, and hence are vulnerable to emotional upheaval. Medication is not the only solution in such cases. Hence, we recommend some kind of physical activity to encourage the mind. Also, we have counselling sessions at least once a week,” added Doiphode. With a gradual dip in cases, a part of the centre has now been converted to a vaccination centre. Moreover, patients visit with prior appointments. The yoga and counselling sessions are currently available only on call or prior appointment.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["Covid"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Thane’s post-Covid rehabilitation centre","post","Covid rehabilitation centre"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":["post-Covid breathing problems","post","joint pain","palpitation and panting","panting"]},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["Dr Mahesh Mhatre"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["a 65-year-old Thane resident","year","Kalyan"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["simple exercises and physiotherapy","simple exercises","physiotherapy","yoga, lung physiotherapy and basic exercises","yoga","basic medications","counselling sessions at least once a week","counselling sessions"]}]} {"event_trigger":"New Mexico reports first case of COVID-19 Omicron variant","document":"NMDOH says the woman was released from an emergency room and is recovering at home. Omicron has now been found in at least 30 states and more than 60 countries. Health officials say Omicron appears to spread faster than the delta variant but may not cause as severe an illness. The department says Omicron has been identified as a variant of concern by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC describes a variant of concern as “A variant for which there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease (for example, increased hospitalizations or deaths), significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or diagnostic detection failures.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["Omicron"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["home"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["the woman"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Video of Cat Recovering From a Cold in Home Spa Has Internet in Stitches: 'Catatonic'","document":"You may have been relaxed before, but have you ever been as chilled out as a certain cat in a recent viral video? In footage, posted to Reddit by user Sunshineandhomicide, a white fluffy feline can be seen enjoying the benefits of a makeshift home spa. In the 14-second-long clip, which can be viewed here, the cat has a warm compress, consisting of brown hand towel, covering his eyes and the pet is swaddled in a soft blanket. Cat Has the Time of Its Life Getting a Massage in Adorable Video Calming music plays softly in the background as the cat, clearly enjoying the pampering, lies still as his little tongue pokes out. Sunshineandhomicide explained the situation in the caption of the video, writing: \"My cat got a cold and the vet recommended a warm compress for his eyes. I think he's enjoying his spa time.\" Although cats cannot catch colds from humans, according to Hillcrest Animal Hospital's website they can get a \"upper respiratory infection (URI) caused by bacteria or a virus.\" This includes symptoms such as sneezing, sniffing, watery eyes, runny nose and mild fever. My cat got a cold and the vet recommended a warm compress for his eyes. I think he’s enjoying his spa time. from aww The website reveals that among other treatments they \"need to stay warm, so place an extra blanket in their bed or favorite area to curl up.\" This could explain the warm compress solution. The hilarious footage has gained lots of traction on the site since it was shared on November 16, having received more than 129,000 upvotes. Additionally, more than 1,600 people have headed to the comments section to share their opinions on the video. One Reddit user, Sorciere_rousse, wrote: \"It's hard to watch this cat live out my dreams.\" Another person, Omarmad123, added: \"Cat is in the avatar state. Don't disturb him.\" Capt_Hawkeye_Pierce shared: \"My 7yo [7-year-old] dorkus does this, but with my hand. He jams his face into my hand to cover his eyes, make a goofy face and then falls asleep.\"","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["cold"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":["vet"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["My cat","cat","Cat"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["a warm compress for his eyes","warm compress"]}]} {"event_trigger":"'My recovery is down to the emergency services': Darren raises €31k for Air Ambulance service","document":"While he was recovering at home, he decided to organise a 60km fundraising cycle for the service. The 31-year-old suffered injuries to his head and face and was airlifted to Cork University Hospital after crashing his bike near Schull in July. A WEST Cork man has raised more than €30,000 for the Irish Community Air Ambulance, just 10 weeks after being involved in a serious cycling accident. Darren Lynch, who is from Caheragh, was inspired to organise the Friends of the Air Ambulance Charity Cycle after crashing his bike near Schull in July. The 31-year-old suffered injuries to his head and face and was airlifted to Cork University Hospital by the charity-funded Helicopter Emergency Medical Service Air Ambulance on the day. While he was recovering at home, he decided to organise a 60km fundraising cycle for the service in Skibbereen, which 140 people took part in on October 2. Altogether, the event raised over €31,450 for future air ambulance missions. Darren Lynch from Caheragh presenting a cheque for €31,457 to Irish Community Air Ambulance key relationships manager Lorraine Toner. Mr Lynch recently presented the cheque to the Irish Community Air Ambulance base in Rathcoole and thanked the rescuers. “It was really important for me to turn what could have easily been a negative situation into a positive one,” he said. “I believe my recovery is down to all the emergency services who treated me that day and this fundraiser is a way of saying thanks to them. I was one of five incidents that the helicopter responded to that day in July which really puts into perspective how important this service is. “The cycle was a great success and I would like to thank the participants, over 60 volunteers, supporters, kind sponsors, friends, and family that helped to make the day possible.” The money raised will fund nine future air ambulance missions, which cost the Cork-based service around €3,500 each to complete. Speaking after the presentation of the cheque, CEO of the Irish Community Air Ambulance Mícheál Sheridan thanked all of those who took part in the cycle. “I want to say a big thank you to Darren Lynch, his supporters, the cyclists, and the entire community in West Cork for arranging such a fantastic event,” he said. “Darren and his friends took on the challenge of organising a major fundraising cycle just weeks after he was injured in a similar event. We’re often called to cycling incidents in remote locations like West Cork and it is great to meet former patients and see them doing so well. “We’re not government funded so we rely on donations and fundraisers like this to bring hope to people in emergency situations.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["injuries to his head and face"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Cork University Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Darren Lynch"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Adams County woman comes home after battling COVID for 9 months","document":" HUMMELSTOWN, Pa. (WHTM) — Julie Brown spent nearly nine months in several hospitals recovering from covid. She was released from the Pa. Health Rehab Hospital in Hummelstown on Tuesday afternoon. Weis Markets offering COVID boosters to all adults She was admitted last February, before the vaccine roll-out. “I tested positive and tried to fight it at home, but was sent to the hospital when I began to have oxygen problems,” Brown said. “A short time after, I was in the ICU and on a ventilator.” Brown says she was told that she may need lung transplant surgery. “That was stressful. We know the survival rate is very low, so we kept at it, and we didn’t need to get it done.” Brown says staff at all five hospitals were a support system that she never imagined. “They did their jobs as medical professionals and the nurses and therapists are underrated,” Brown said. “They are there for you to talk to and they help you mentally and physically get past some dark and uncertain days.” Julie was greeted at her home by friends and family members. She will require homecare services and ongoing therapy, but she says she is looking forward to stuffed cabbage as her first meal when she sits down at the dinner table for the first time in nine months.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["covid","COVID"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["Pa. Health Rehab Hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday afternoon"]},{"role":"People","values":["Julie Brown"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["lung transplant surgery"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Mother, toddler daughter killed in house fire; father recovering from burns","document":"“Units started a fire attack at that point and initiated search and rescue efforts, at which point we located two occupants of the home, which we brought out and turned over to metro EMS for treatment,” Champion said. Taylor Hammonds, 24, and her 14-month-old daughter, Lennon Hammond, died from smoke inhalation. Hammonds was a teacher at Pine Log Elementary School. Husband and father Brady Hammonds was taken to the hospital to be treated for burns. “Our thoughts and prayers are going out to the family, and due to the circumstance, this was just a very bad situation,” Champion said. Neighbors said the family just recently moved into the home. “It’s horrible. Horrible. Just breaks your heart this time of year. Any time of year. I can’t believe it,” Chovanec said. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. The Bartow County school system released a statement about Hammonds’ death: “REMEMBERING OUR OWN: Calm, gentle, and patient; they’re all characteristics that made Taylor Hammonds an extraordinary special needs pre-kindergarten paraprofessional at Pine Log Elementary School. Her unexpected passing instantly left a void in her classroom and school community that can never be filled. “She was a young mother and loved her daughter, Lennon, more than anything,” said Sharon Hibberts, Hammonds’ friend and colleague. “I think her strong maternal instincts helped her with her relationships with the pre-K children.” “Taylor was so good at what she did,” added Jannell Atkins, another close friend and colleague. “Being a natural nurturer to these sweet kids and our team is what completed our team. Taylor loved these kids as her own.” Hammonds, an Adairsville High School graduate, had roots in Bartow County and quickly found her second home at PLES this year when she was offered the paraprofessional position. PLES Principal Tracey Alford remembers her sweet, soft-spoken demeanor and unconditional kindness. If there was a need, she jumped in to help without asking. Those closest to her say, “To know Taylor was such a special treat.” “We loved her and quickly became close to her,” said Hibberts. “She will be missed, but we all know she is where she would have wanted to be...with her baby girl.” Four extra counselors helped staff care centers Monday morning at PLES, so students and staff had extra support during this difficult time. Additional resources will be available as needed throughout the week.”","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["burns"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Brady Hammonds"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Kamloops mom seeks Christmas cards for son still recovering from 2016 baseball bat attack","document":"Jessie, however, has had a much more significant sentence, she said. He suffered catastrophic injuries to his skull and face, requiring that his skull be surgically replaced. He was in a coma for more than 10 months, had 11 surgeries, and had to learn how to eat and speak again. He’s even had to re-learn how to joke around and laugh. But he will never walk again. “I’m inspired by Jessie, absolutely inspired since Day 1 with him. He’s fought to live, to be here with us,” she said. “He said he fought for me. I’m just lucky he’s here.” Kamloops teen in hospital with life threatening injuries Kamloops teen in hospital with life threatening injuries – Jun 21, 2016 So Simpson fights for him in different ways, all the time. In recent months, she’s been working to make her home a safe place. In March, she plans to bring him home for the first time since the attack, and has spent months investing in everything from ramps and a safer, screened-in porch, to a van. She’s also planned to bring in the medical support he needs. Story continues below advertisement Until then, though, he’s still in the care home. To help lighten his mood, Simpson is turning to her hometown, Kelowna, in the hope of bringing her son some Christmas cheer. “I’m asking for some cards,” she said. “Jessie loves people. He’s a huge people person and cards are a way to cheer him up.” She did the same last year and said the cards, with personal stories penned inside from points across North America, would make him laugh and smile. She said she knows people often want to give gifts and said they are appreciated. She also has a GoFundMe up and running to help with the transition ahead. She’s also started a “Justice for Jesse” sticker campaign. She’s hoping one day, she can make it so that people who do what was done to her son face a more significant penalty.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["catastrophic injuries to his skull and face","his skull and face"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["care home"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Kamloops"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["his skull be surgically replaced"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Public safety officer now recovering after a shootout on Georgia Ave.","document":" NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WJBF) – 15-year veteran, Lt. Aaron Fittery suffered a gunshot wound to the leg following a shootout on Georgia Avenue. Chief of Police, John Thomas says he’s back home and now recovering. The suspect, 42-year-old, Thomas Arrington, has been arrested and is charged with attempted murder. Those charges could pile up as the investigation unfolds. Gunshots erupting last night following a collision on Georgia Avenue in North Augusta. “It was very, very loud, there were so many,” said Jessica Boyd. Jessica Boyd is the owner of Air Workshop in North Augusta. Her store is just a few feet away from where the shooting happened. She and another employee saw everything unfold. “We saw the black truck go by and then it was a line of SUV’s that stopped out in front. Then the police officers jumped out of the car, they all had their guns and were already ducking for cover,” said Boyd. Boyd was able to see it all from her storefront window. When she saw the guns come out she and the other employee ran to the back of the store and locked the doors. “I was concerned for myself, my employees, for everybody in this area, but I think they did a fantastic job,” said Boyd. The bullet holes left in Lt. Fittery’s cruiser tells only part of the story. Boyd says there were dozens of evidence markers where casings were found. Chief of Police North Augusta Public Safety, John Thomas says the suspect 42-year-old Thomas Airrington led police on a chase after a resident called in suspicious activity. “We in turn spotted the vehicle and obviously tried to attempt to stop that vehicle. The suspect fled in the vehicle which caused a collision,” said Chief of Police John Thomas. That crash was at the intersection of Martintown Rd and Georgia Ave. Chief Thomas he does not know the conditions of the people involved in that accident. “The suspect continues down Georgia Ave. and exits the truck and as you have seen and heard from the previous report shots were fired so at that point he opened fire on our officers,” said Chief Thomas. Chief Thomas is calling it a miracle that no one else was hurt, but there was some concern from people who live nearby about their safety after being involved in the crossfire. “A couple officers were involved in returning fire to the suspects, but I think you have to understand to the training and restraint that I talked about during that time of day. You know a lot of people talked about what happened here, but we have to look beyond the sights of a gun we have to look at what’s in our view what’s in our vision what kind of crossfire we’re going to get into, so my hats off and kudos to our department,” said Chief Thomas. North Augusta Public safety is asking for the person who took Lt. Fittery to the hospital to come forward. Police officials say, Arrington, the suspect, had an extensive criminal background. We’re still gathering more information on that. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["a gunshot wound"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["home"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Lt. Aaron Fittery","Lt"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"What to do when post-Covid symptoms linger months after recovery","document":"As several cases of 'long covid syndrome' have been reported, doctors recommend covid patients to closely watch their symptoms post-recovery, follow a healthy diet and try going back to their usual routine to prevent psychological problems While the transmission rate of coronavirus is extremely high, such is not the case of symptoms that patients experience post-Covid. It’s been over a month since Senaara Ailawadi tested positive for Covid-19 , however, her symptoms remain. From extreme fatigue, breathlessness to wheezing and coughing, the 28-year-old has continued to experience prolonged post-Covid symptoms making it difficult for her to return to a normal lifestyle. After contracting the disease in November last year, Ailawadi developed the symptoms of the coronavirus again in April and began treatment. “I was exposed to a Covid positive person and was isolating to monitor my symptoms. The fever spiked to 103 twice and then stayed constant at 99 for a few days,” she told the indianexpress.com . However, even after 17 days of taking the necessary precautions and medication, Ailawadi continued to show covid symptoms. “I felt heaviness in my chest with cough, cold and fatigue with a consistently high pulse rate, even when I was in a resting state,” she said. ALSO READ | What happens if the gap between two COVID-19 vaccine doses exceeds? Similar prolonged symptoms were also experienced by 29-year-old Neha Rajpal, who tested positive for Covid on April 16. Post-recovery, Rajpal has continued to complain of “lingering cough and weakness”. What Ailawadi and Rajpal experienced is being termed “long COVID syndrome “, where a Covid patient continues to show symptoms even post-recovery and can last over six months. According to Dr Vikas Maurya, Director and HOD, Pulmonology, Fortis Hospital Shalimar Bagh, patients with moderate to severe symptoms have a higher tendency of experiencing post-COVID symptoms. “Patients may experience post-COVID symptoms such as extreme fatigue, headache, muscular pain, or some may experience cardiac problems also,” Maurya told indianexpress.com. However, in the majority of cases, patients are recovering without any post-COVID symptoms, he added. Patients who recovered at home with mild to moderate disease may continue to expect early fatigue, muscle pains. What post-COVID symptoms to expect? As several cases of ‘long covid syndrome’ have been reported, doctors recommend covid patients to closely watch their symptoms post-recovery, follow a healthy diet and try going back to their usual routine to prevent psychological problems. Moreover, it is also suggested to pay close attention to Mucormycosis or black fungus infection, which is being detected in various post-recovery Covid patients. Mucormycosis is a rare but serious fungal infection being detected among Covid-19 patients . The disease often manifests in the skin and affects the lungs and the brain. According to Dr Reshma Tewari, Director Critical care, Artemis Hospitals Gurgaon, patients who recovered at home with mild to moderate disease may continue to expect early fatigue, muscle pains. However, they must watch out for signs of Mucormycosis such as pain or swelling around the eye, cheekbone or lower jaw and connect with a doctor immediately “Patients who are still in hospital on ventilatory support or O2 support even after becoming negative would need continued hospital care till they improve. They would be at high risk for secondary infections, multi-organ failure and mucormycosis,” she added. ALSO READ | Doctor recommends this pranayam for COVID patients to keep lungs healthy Isolating while experiencing post-COVID symptoms While the transmission rate of coronavirus is extremely high, such is not the case of symptoms that patients experience post-Covid. Experts do not recommend isolation after testing negative and instead encourage resuming regular, daily activities. “Since the patient has already recovered from COVID, even if someone is experiencing post-COVID symptoms, isolation is not required. In order to overcome the psychological issues, it is better to start normalising regular activities post-recovery,” says Dr Maurya. However, Dr Tewari recommends up to 14 days of isolation for patients with moderate disease who received steroids and/or O2 therapy at home. When experiencing post-COVID symptoms or recovering from COVID, when can a patient resume normal activity? Experts do not recommend isolation after testing negative and instead encourage resuming regular, daily activities. As the virus affects each individual differently, Dr Tewari suggests that resuming activity depends on the nature of symptoms and complications of the virus. “If at home with fatigue, muscle pain patient needs to give more time and accept extended convalescence.” In agreement, Dr Maurya suggests that a patient can definitely follow their usual routine even during their isolation. “For example, if a person used to exercise regularly, he/she can do it at home even during isolation. A patient can start his/her office work slowly post isolation. But how much they are affected, that factor is very much important.” Vaccination post-COVID With the second wave of Covid-19 infecting a major population of India, getting vaccinated is a sure-shot way of preventing the spread of the virus. However, the question of vaccinating infected people often lingers. While the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests patients wait for 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine if treated with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, there are reports that the NTAGI has stated that those tested for SARS-CoV-2 illness should defer Covid vaccination for six months after recovery. There will be no issues if a patient gets vaccinated after two-three weeks post-recovery, said Dr Maurya. “There will be no issues if a patient gets vaccinated after two-three weeks post-recovery. But it is important to consider the fact whether at that point in time a vaccine is required or not since a patient develops an antibody post-Covid and the antibody can prevent them from getting infected further,” Dr Maurya said. Commenting on the recent change in guideline stating a wait of 3 months post-recovery, Dr Maurya adds that even if a patient takes a vaccine after four weeks post his/her recovery, the vaccine may not work fully because the patient would have developed an antibody that is effective enough to prevent him/her from further infection. ","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["Covid-19","covid","Covid","COVID-19","COVID"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":null},{"role":"Sequelae","values":["extreme fatigue, breathlessness to wheezing and coughing","lingering cough and weakness"]},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["Senaara Ailawadi","Neha Rajpal"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Omicron treatment: Man from Karnataka shares details after recovering from COVID variant","document":"The man says he suffered more when he was infected with Delta variant of COVID than Omicron A man from Karnataka who tested positive for the Omicron variant of Karnataka has shared details about his treatment and journey to recovery. the man who tested positive for Omicron had returned from South Africa after which he developed mild symptoms. The 34-year-old man who was admitted to a hospital in Bengaluru says his sufferings were more when was infected with the Delta variant of COVID than Omicron. Reportedly, a video of him sharing details of treatment has gone viral on social media. \"There is no separate treatment as such for the Omicron variant. Vitamin-C tablets and antibiotics were given. Since there was no tiredness and symptoms were too mild, I worked from the hospital ward for a week,\" IANS quoted him as saying. He also took precautionary measures after returning from South Africa. He isolated himself, thus safeguarding his family. \"I isolated myself after arrival from South Africa and my family members didn't catch the infection. Those who come from abroad should maintain distance and follow quarantine guidelines. If symptoms crop up, without wasting time and negligence, they should get tested and inform health authorities. If this is done, we can prevent the infection from spreading to neighbours and people around,\" he shared. The Omicron variant is spreading at an unprecedented rate, the World Health Organization has said. WHO Director General Tedros A. Ghebreyesus said that a total of 77 countries have reported Omicron cases so far but the reality is that this variant is probably yet to be detected in some countries. \"Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant. I need to be very clear: vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis. It's not vaccines instead of masks, distancing, ventilation or hand hygiene. Do it all. Do it consistently. Do it well\", said Ghebreyesus. In India, the Omicron variant caseload is rising each day. Cases have been found in Delhi and Maharashtra. The other states where this variant has been reported includes Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh and Union Territory of Chandigarh.","event_type":"Famous Person - Recovered","arguments":[{"role":"Disease","values":["Delta variant","Omicron variant"]},{"role":"Cost","values":null},{"role":"Location/Hospital","values":["a hospital in Bengaluru","hospital"]},{"role":"Sequelae","values":null},{"role":"Doctor and Medical Team","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"People","values":["A man from Karnataka","Karnataka"]},{"role":"Treatment Method","values":["Vitamin-C tablets and antibiotics"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Dolphins sign first player; ex-Dogs star’s career lifeline finally emerges: Transfer Whispers","document":"The Dolphins have made their first signing in club history and it’s no marquee man - this young gun hasn’t even played in the NRL.\nDylan Napa’s time in the NRL is all but over with the star prop likely to ink a deal with a Super League club, while the Sharks and Warriors are in a tug of war over a 22-year-old rookie.\nDespite the links between Luke Brooks and the Knights growing stronger and stronger, the star halfback has reportedly reaffirmed his commitment to the Wests Tigers.\nMeanwhile, axed Raider Curtis Scott’s career is far from over with four clubs said to be interested in him and a retired player is preparing to dust off his boots for an NRL comeback.\nRead on for the latest NRL Transfer Whispers.\n\nDOLPHINS MAKE HISTORIC FIRST SIGNING\nFormer Queensland under-18 representative Harrison Graham has reportedly become the first player signed by NRL expansion side the Dolphins. There was plenty of talk linking the Dolphins to marquee men Cameron Munster and Kalyn Ponga, but it’s 20-year-old Graham who has etched his name into the club’s history books.\nGraham has been touted as one of the best young hookers in the game and can also play lock. The young gun has been signed on a development contract with scope to upgrade him, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. However, he has a train-and-trial contract with the Broncos for the upcoming pre-season and could be picked up by Brisbane for the 2022 NRL season.\nGraham played for the underage Maroons when he was 17. He came off the bench in a team that included Cowboys winger Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Warriors fullback Reece Walsh, Sydney Roosters halfback Sam Walker, Broncos fullback Tesi Niu, Melbourne recruit Xavier Coates and Wests Tigers hooker Jake Simpkin.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The Dolphins","DOLPHINS","Dolphins","Harrison Graham"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a development contract with scope to upgrade him"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Ex-cop files civil rights suit, says supervisors forced him out, then blacklisted him","document":"A former police officer who worked for the North Plainfield Police Department has filed a lawsuit against his former supervisors, claiming they forced him out of his job and then blacklisted him.\nBryan Lewis, 31, worked as a borough police officer from April 2014 until October 2019, when he agreed to resign, according to court papers.\nAbout a year before his resignation, Lewis was “served with disciplinary charges by his employer, to which (Lewis) vigorously disputed,” the suit states.\nThe lawsuit, filed Oct. 26 in Superior Court of Somerset County, does not detail the nature of the disciplinary charges.\nHowever, in an email to NJ Advance Media on Monday, the former officer said he was falsely accused of writing a letter to the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General that detailed alleged criminal activity within the department.\n“I was accused by the administration of writing that letter, which I had never written. They tried to destroy/end my career for that reason,” Lewis said in the email.\nThe lawsuit states Lewis hired attorney Frank Cioffi of Clifton to defend him at a disciplinary hearing. But instead of helping him keep his job, Cioffi allegedly told Lewis to resign from the department.\n“Cioffi advised plaintiff that should he continue with the hearing, more likely than not, he would be terminated from his position as a police officer,” the suit states.\nOn the advice of his attorney, Lewis signed an agreement with the borough that stated he was resigning in good standing “for personal reasons.” Under the agreement, Lewis received $8,538.90 in unused vacation and sick time, along with pension benefits and pay for several months of administrative leave.\nThe document states that the borough agreed “not to interfere with all present and future attempts by (Lewis) to seek employment with another law enforcement agency” and that all complaints would be removed from his personnel file and that the file would be sealed.\nDespite the agreement, Lewis claims that no one will hire him to work as a police officer.\n“Plaintiff has applied to numerous law enforcement agencies and has not been offered employment,” the lawsuit states.\n“Prospective employers have been able to obtain plaintiff’s personnel records and past complaints from the township due to (his former supervisors’) actions,” the lawsuit alleges.\nCourt papers accuse police Chief William Parenti and Captain Alan McKay of preventing Lewis from obtaining another job as a police officer. Parenti and McKay are named as defendants in the suit.\n“McKay and Parenti have been careless, negligent and reckless misrepresenting (Lewis’s) employment history to prospective employers,” the lawsuit alleges.\nMcKay and Parenti did not immediately respond on Tuesday to requests for comment on the allegations.\nThe lawsuit also accuses Cioffi of legal malpractice, stating that the attorney “deviated from the standard of care” by having Lewis sign the allegedly faulty agreement.\nCioffi did not immediately respond to a request for comment left on his office voicemail.\nThe lawsuit accuses the police supervisors of violating the former officer’s civil rights and Cioffi of causing him emotional distress and lost wages due to alleged malpractice.\nLewis is seeking a jury trial, along with unspecified damages from all three men.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Lewis","the borough","borough"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["stated he was resigning in good standing “for personal reasons.” Under the agreement, Lewis received $8,538.90 in unused vacation and sick time, along with pension benefits and pay for several months of administrative leave","Lewis signed an agreement with the borough that stated he was resigning in good standing “for personal reasons.” Under the agreement, Lewis received $8,538.90 in unused vacation and sick time"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"A history of strikes at SEPTA, called the nation’s most strike-prone transit agency","document":"\nUpdate, Oct. 29: SEPTA and TWU Local 234 announced on Friday morning a tentative agreement on a new contract, averting a possible strike next week. The two-year deal includes a 3% annual wage increase, paid parental leave, and a pandemic hazard bonus of $1 for each hour worked between March 15, 2020 to March 15, 2021, CBS3 reports. It also adds Juneteenth as a paid holiday. The deal is tentative until ratified (that could reportedly happen as soon as Nov. 5), but means there won’t be a service shutdown of bus, trolley and subway service next week.\nFor a bit it looked like your last normal SEPTA ride for a while this year could be filled with passengers dressed up as devils and witches or costumed as characters from “Wandavision.”\nMidnight on Halloween was the expiration date for the current contract between the Philly region’s transit authority and Transport Workers Union Local 234. The union represents more than 5,000 SEPTA workers, from bus drivers to cashiers, and authorized a strike last weekend if an agreement wasn’t met by Oct. 31.\nA strike would have shut down bus, trolley, and subway service inside the city, although Regional Rail would still run, likely with increased frequency.\nSEPTA has been called the most-strike prone transit agency in the nation.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["SEPTA","TWU Local 234"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["two-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday morning"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a 3% annual wage increase, paid parental leave, and a pandemic hazard bonus of $1 for each hour worked between March 15, 2020 to March 15, 2021, CBS3 reports. It also adds Juneteenth as a paid holiday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"It’s Official: McAfee To Go Private In $14B Deal","document":"‘This transaction is a testament to McAfee’s market-leading online protection solutions, our talented employees, and outstanding customers and partners,’ says McAfee President and CEO Peter Leav. In one of the largest cybersecurity acquisitions in IT history, McAfee is set to be purchased by a group of private equity and investment firms for $14 billion next year with plans to take the security star private. “This transaction is a testament to McAfee’s market-leading online protection solutions, our talented employees, and outstanding customers and partners,” said McAfee President and CEO Peter Leav in a statement. “We are thrilled to be partnering with premier firms who truly understand the cybersecurity landscape and have a proven track record of success.”\nThe investor group will acquire all outstanding shares of McAfee common stock for $26 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $12 billion on an equity value basis, and over $14 billion on an enterprise value basis after giving effect to repayment of McAfee debt, according to the San Jose, Calif.-based company.\nWhen completed, the investor group will “take ownership of McAfee” and McAfee’s common stock will no longer be listed on any public securities exchange, according to the company. The deal represents one of the biggest cybersecurity acquisition of all-time, including larger than Thoma Bravo’s $12.3 billion purchase of Proofpoint as well as Broadcom’s $10.7 buy of Symantec’s enterprise business.\n[Related: 6 Big Dell Stock And VMware Share Numbers To Know Post Spin-Off]\nThe acquisition is expected to close sometime in the second half of 2022. McAfee has officially entered into a definitive agreement to be bought by an investor group led by Advent International Corporation and Permira Advisers LLC, Crosspoint Capital Partners, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, GIC Private Limited, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. The investor group said it will provide McAfee with both financial and operational resources to enhance its consumer offering and capture the rapid growth in consumer demand for digital protection services.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["McAfee","an investor group led by Advent International Corporation and Permira Advisers LLC, Crosspoint Capital Partners, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, GIC Private Limited, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The investor group will acquire all outstanding shares of McAfee common stock for $26 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $12 billion on an equity value basis, and over $14 billion on an enterprise value basis after giving effect to repayment of McAfee debt"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"the United States signed some 368 treaties with various Indigenous people across the North American continent","document":"From 1778 to 1871, the United States signed some 368 treaties with various Indigenous people across the North American continent.\nConcluded during the nearly 100-year period from the Revolutionary War to the aftermath of the Civil War, some 368 treaties would define the relationship between the United States and Native Americans for centuries to come.\nThe treaties were based on the fundamental idea that each tribe was an independent nation, with their own right to self-determination and self-rule. But as white settlers began moving onto Native American lands, this idea came into conflict with the relentless pace of westward expansion—resulting in many broken promises on the part of the U.S. government. In September 1778, representatives of the newly formed Continental Congress signed a treaty with the Lenape (Delaware) at Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania. In the first official peace treaty between the new United States and a Native American nation, both sides agreed to maintain friendship and support each other against the British. \nBut mutual suspicion continued, especially after Pennsylvania militiamen killed nearly 100 Lenape (most of them women and children) at the village of Gnadenhutten in March 1782, mistakenly believing they were responsible for attacks against white settlers. After the American victory, more and more white settlers moved onto Lenape territory, until the Treaty of Greeneville in 1795 forced them and other Ohio Country Native Americans to surrender most of their lands. \nIn the years following the Revolutionary War, Andrew Pickens and other commissioners of the new U.S. government concluded three highly similar treaties with the Cherokee, Choctaw and Cherokee Nations at Hopewell, Pickens’ plantation home in northwestern South Carolina. \nCollectively known as the Treaty of Hopewell, these agreements extended the friendship and “protection” of the United States to the southern Native American tribes; all three ended with the same sentence: “The hatchet shall be forever buried, and peace given by the United States of America.” \nDespite this sentiment, white settlers were already moving onto the lands designated for the Cherokee, leading to more conflict and the Treaty of Holston (1791), in which the Cherokee forfeited still more land. \n\nSeeking to improve relations between his government and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, a powerful group of six Iroquois-speaking tribes (the Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca and Tuscarora Nations), President George Washington sent his postmaster general, Timothy Pickering, to negotiate a treaty at Canandaigua, New York. \nThe treaty restored more than 1 million acres of land to the Seneca that had been ceded by treaty 10 years earlier and recognized the sovereignty of the Six Nations to govern themselves and set laws. It also promised an annual payment by the United States to the Haudenosaunee of $4,500 in goods, including calico cloth. \nOver the years, as the Six Nations’ territory was further reduced, the Onondaga, Seneca, Tuscarora and some Oneida remained in New York on reservations, while the Mohawk and Cayuga left for Canada and the Oneida settled in Wisconsin and Ontario.\nAs more white settlers moved west into the Great Lake region, a Native American confederacy including the Shawnee and Delaware, who had already been driven westward by U.S. expansion, as well as the Miami, Ottawa, Ojibwa and Potawatomi, mounted an armed resistance beginning in the late 1780s. \nAfter U.S. troops under General “Mad” Anthony Wayne defeated them in the Battle of Fallen Timbers, Miami chief Little Turtle and other Native leaders ceded large parts of what would become Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin in the Greeneville Treaty. \nBut the treaty provided only short term resolution, as continued U.S. expansion quickly nullified its effect. By 1808, Shawnee war chief Tecumseh had organized a Native confederacy to mount armed resistance to continued U.S. seizure of Native American lands. A map of Native American cessions in the Northwest from 1789 to 1816. Territories include lands ceded under the Fort Wayne Treaty (labeled C and K on the map), as well as Clark's Grant, Greenville Treaty, Vincennes Treaty, St Louis Treaty, Fort Industry Treaty, Grouseland Treaty, and the Detroit Treaty.\n\nIn this treaty, negotiated by William Henry Harrison, then governor of Indiana Territory, with Native tribes including the Delaware, Potawatomi, Miami and Eel River tribes, the United States acquired 2.5 million acres of land in what is now Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio, for the equivalent of about two cents per acre. Tecumseh and others argued that the treaty’s signers had no authority to sell the land and warned Americans not to settle there. \nIn 1811, Harrison led an attack on a Native American camp on the Tippecanoe River, beginning a new U.S.-Native conflict that would last through the War of 1812. After Tecumseh’s death in battle in 1813, his confederacy dissolved, along with his dream of Native American independence. \nOver the decade (1814-24) that Andrew Jackson served as a federal commissioner, he negotiated nine out of 11 treaties signed with Native American tribes in the Southeast, including the Choctaws, Chickasaws, Creeks, Seminoles and Cherokees, in which the tribes gave up a total of some 50 million acres of land in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky and North Carolina. \nElected president in 1828, Jackson spearheaded the Indian Removal Act (1830) through Congress, by which the U.S. government granted land west of the Mississippi River to Native tribes who agreed to give up their homelands. Though removal was supposed to be voluntary, in practice Jackson used threats of withheld payments and legal and military action to conclude nearly 70 removal treaties over the course of his presidency, opening up some 25 million acres of land in the South to white settlement, and slavery.\n\nMany Cherokee resisted removal from their ancestral lands in the Southeast, bringing their struggle all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. But despite the Court’s ruling in Worcester v. Georgia (1832) that the Cherokee and other tribes were “sovereign nations,” the removal continued. In 1835, U.S. government met with a group of Cherokee representatives at New Echota, Georgia, to sign a treaty that traded all 7 million acres of Cherokee land for $5 million and land in Indian Territory. \nThe majority of Cherokee opposed the treaty, but Congress ratified it anyway, and in 1838 the federal government sent 7,000 U.S. soldiers to enforce the removal of the Cherokees. An estimated 10 to 25 percent of Cherokee would die during the 1,200-mile trek to Oklahoma, later known as the “Trail of Tears.” \nThe signing of a treaty between William T. Sherman and the Sioux in a tent at Fort Laramie, Wyoming, 1868.\nBettmann Archive/Getty Images\nIn this treaty, signed at Fort Laramie and other military posts in what is now Wyoming, the U.S. government recognized the Black Hills of Dakota as the Great Sioux Reservation, the exclusive territory of the Sioux (Dakota, Lakota and Nakota) and Arapaho people. But after gold was discovered in the Black Hills, miners and settlers began moving onto the land en masse. \nNative resistance to the treaty’s violation culminated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, after which government troops flooded the region. By that time, Congress had ended the nearly 100-year-old practice of making treaties with individual Native American tribes, declaring in 1871 that “henceforth, no Indian nation or tribe...shall be acknowledged or recognized as an independent nation, tribe or power with whom the United States may contract by treaty.” In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills were illegally confiscated, and awarded the Sioux more than $100 million in reparations. Sioux leaders rejected the payment, saying the land had never been for sale. Controversy continues over the sacred land—as well as other broken treaties. \n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["government","the Lenape (Delaware)","Lenape","Delaware","William T. Sherman","William","the Sioux","Sioux","the new United States","a group of Cherokee representatives"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["September 1778","1835","1868"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["both sides agreed to maintain friendship and support each other against the British","traded all 7 million acres of Cherokee land for $5 million and land in Indian Territory"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Taco John’s International inked its biggest area development agreement to date with the largest Wendy’s franchisee","document":"Taco John’s International inked its biggest area development agreement to date with the largest Wendy’s franchisee, Meritage Hospitality Group, Inc. Per the terms of the agreement, the group will build 50 new Taco John’s restaurants by March 31, 2026 with options to develop an additional 150 restaurants. “Taco John’s is the perfect fit for our company. While exploring concepts to expand our portfolio, we were quickly attracted to Taco John’s,” says Gary Rose, president and COO of Meritage Hospitality Group. “We are excited about the Mexican restaurant segment and the Bigger, Bolder, Better direction of the brand. We’re excited to open our first restaurants near our headquarters in west Michigan in 2022.” “This is historic for our brand,” said Brooks Speirs, vice president for franchise development. “As we begin our aggressive growth into new markets, there is no better partner than Meritage. While getting to know the group, I’ve been impressed with the organizational infrastructure, attention to detail, commitment to people, operations capabilities and development of top-notch restaurants. The best is yet to come for Taco John’s!” Differentiating itself in the popular Mexican quick-service segment, Taco John’s prides itself on a unique menu that features delicious, quality-made food. Its commitment to quality has established the brand as the go-to restaurant in its markets. Additionally, its significant drive-thru business, which represents 65 percent of systemwide sales, has helped insulate the brand from recent market shifts. “Over the last few years, we have been building fantastic momentum,” says Jim Creel, president and CEO of Taco John’s. “As a 50-plus year-old brand we knew we needed a modern look to energize our current locations. At the same time, we have elevated our executive team and board. Our evolution has helped us become an even more appealing investment to large multi-unit operators. The agreement with Meritage is a capstone moment, illuminating all the hard work the Taco John’s team has put in place.” Taco John’s is a thriving legacy brand with strong unit-level economics, prime markets available for multi-unit development and a unique menu. The brand has recently launched several new and innovative menu items, a refreshed brand look and feel, and is rolling out a systemwide remodel program to attract new consumers and retain longtime fans. As Taco John’s expands, it is seeking qualified, experienced and passionate franchisees, franchise groups and convenience store operators to develop the concept in key markets.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Meritage Hospitality Group, Inc","Meritage Hospitality Group","Taco John’s"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the group will build 50 new Taco John’s restaurants by March 31, 2026 with options to develop an additional 150 restaurants"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bapco Awards the Largest Catalyst Management Agreement in its History to ART for its Resid Hydrocracking Catalyst","document":" COLUMBIA, Md., Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Advanced Refining Technologies LLC (ART), the joint venture of US specialty chemicals and materials company W. R. Grace & Co. (NYSE:GRA) and US energy company Chevron (NYSE:CVX), today announced the award of an FCM agreement by state-owned Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco). The exclusive, 5-year agreement, which includes an option to renew for an additional five years, is valued at USD 240 million, the largest catalyst management agreement ever signed in Bapco’s history.\nAs part of the BMP, Bapco will boost Bahrain’s oil refinery processing capacity from 267,000 (b/d) to 380,000 (b/d). In addition, ART will supply its Resid Hydrocracking catalyst technology for a wide variety of feedstocks to maximize bottom of the barrel upgrading. The technology is the industry-leading catalyst for metals capacity and sediment control. In addition, ART will provide FCM services for the reclamation of metals from spent catalysts.\nThe signing ceremony took place on 11 August 2021 at Bapco Club in Awali, in the presence of Bapco’s Chairman and Chief Executive, and senior management and representatives from Bapco, ART, and CLG.\nBapco’s Chairman and Chief Executive Dr. Dawood Nassif highlighted the significance of the deal. “Our new hydrocracking unit will convert 78% of the vacuum residue feed into intermediate products, which will then be further processed into high margin kerosene and diesel. A key component is catalyst performance and management, and the unique agreement signed with ART, who will be responsible for the total supply chain of catalyst from cradle to cradle. This agreement has taken over 18 months to develop and negotiate, and I thank all the parties involved in making this a success.”\nJag Reddy, Managing Director of ART, said, “This award is significant. It demonstrates the superiority of our catalyst technology and our ability to provide value through unmatched global support and technical services. I want to thank Bapco for their vote of confidence.” He added, “They will benefit tremendously over the life of this agreement through maximum conversion, lower operating costs, reliability, and longer run lengths. Most importantly, Bapco will free up valuable time and resources.”\nWhen fully operational in 2023, the new Resid Hydrocracking unit known as 1RHCU will be the main profit centre for the Bapco Refinery. 1RHCU utilizes LC-FINING process technology licensed from Chevron Lummus Global (CLG), a joint venture between Chevron and Lummus Technology. The unit is a two-train design with a processing capacity of 65,000 barrels per day. Bapco’s application of this state-of-the-art technology will be the first within the Middle East. Less than a dozen of these units exist globally, and the Bapco unit will be one of the largest examples.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco)","Bapco","Advanced Refining Technologies LLC (ART)","ART","art"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["5-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Aug. 11, 2021","11 August 2021"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["As part of the BMP, Bapco will boost Bahrain’s oil refinery processing capacity from 267,000 (b/d) to 380,000 (b/d). In addition, ART will supply its Resid Hydrocracking catalyst technology for a wide variety of feedstocks to maximize bottom of the barrel upgrading","In addition, ART will provide FCM services for the reclamation of metals from spent catalysts"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Sri Lanka, World Bank Sign Agreement to Expand Water Supply and Sanitation Coverage for More than 1 Million People","document":"\nCOLOMBO, September 10, 2021 - The Government of Sri Lanka and the World Bank recently signed a $40 million additional financing for the ongoing Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project (WaSSIP), to increase access to the piped water services and improved sanitation. This additional financing will expand water supply, sanitation, and hygiene services in seven districts, reaching more than one million people.\nSajith Atygalle, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, virtually signed on behalf of the government and Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka, signed on behalf of the World Bank.\n“The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the urgent need for safe water and sanitation facilities in every home,” said Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country director of Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. “The WaSSIP has demonstrated that community-operated water supply schemes can deliver strong and sustainable results, and this additional financing will help expand coverage of water and sanitation schemes to reach many more households.”\nThe project aims to increase the coverage of piped water by constructing new urban, rural and estate water supply schemes and rehabilitating existing schemes to provide households with a continuous supply of safe water. The project operates in Kegalle, Rathnapura, Monaragala, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts. Under this additional financing, septage treatment plants are planned in two additional districts - Galle and Kurunegala.\n“We are extremely happy with the on-going WASSIP and its impact on the local community,” said Hon. Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Minister of Water Supply. “The additional financing will help accelerate the government’s “Water for All” pledge to cover 4.7 million people within the next four years.”\nThe project will continue to strengthen community-based organizations (CBO) in rural and estate areas and aims to establish a strong federation of CBOs to operate and maintain the water supply services. The project includes specific actions to promote women’s participation and decision-making in CBOs such as skills development to strengthen women’s capacity to take on leadership roles and enhance women’s voice through mentorship from female leaders.\nThe project will be implemented by the Ministry of Water Supply. The World Bank support of $40 million builds on the existing WASSIP project of $165 million.\nThere are 18 active projects in the World Bank’s portfolio in Sri Lanka amounting to $2.3 billion in a variety of sectors including transport, urban, water, education, and health.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The Government of Sri Lanka","government","Sri Lanka","the World Bank","World Bank"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["September 10, 2021"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a $40 million additional financing for the ongoing Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project (WaSSIP), to increase access to the piped water services and improved sanitation"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Stephen Curry lands second $200 million contract of career with Warriors","document":"SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry has landed the second $200 million-plus contract of his career, reaching agreement on a $215 million, four-year extension with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday that takes him through the 2025-26 season.\nCurry’s agent, Jeff Austin of Octagon, confirmed the new deal for the star point guard, who would have been entering the final season of his previous contract. Curry will earn $48 million for the 2022-23 season, then $51.9 million in ’23-’24, $55.7 million in ’24-’25 and $59.6 million in the final year of the deal.\n\nFor this extension — first reported by ESPN — it was only a matter of when it would get done after the 33-year-old Curry produced one of his best seasons.\nHe averaged 32.0 points, 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds and shot 42.1% from 3-point range for the Warriors, who lost in the play-in tournament to Memphis. The two-time MVP shined despite injured Splash Brother Klay Thompson’s absence for a second straight season.\nAfter the season ended, Curry thanked his teammates for all they did to allow him to be at his best night after night, even when he had to spend long hours in the trainer’s room to keep his body healthy and fresh. He was limited to five games during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season primarily because of a broken left hand, then played 63 games last season while missing time because of a bruised tailbone that bothered him down the stretch.\nStephen Curry's agent, Jeff Austin of @OctagonBsktball, confirms the two-time MVP's $215M, four-year extension with Warriors as reported by @wojespn. Curry will earn $48 million for 2022-23 season, $51.9M in 23-24, $55.7M in 24-25 and $59.6 million in the final year of the deal.\n\n“I appreciate everybody out there committing to how we play, and that’s really unlocked what I do best,” Curry said. “That was huge, but God is good. I’ve been blessed to be back healthy and be able to just play night in, night out at a high level and the work that goes into it, it pays off, and it’s something that I really, really rely on, especially at this point in my career. As the years go on, that is the difference maker for me.”\nIn December, Curry noted he wanted to play until he’s 40 if possible and do so the whole way for the Warriors. Discussions had already begun then on an extension, he said, and now he has a new deal in hand well before he begins his 13th season.\nIn July 2017, Curry received a $201 million, five-year deal that initially was the richest ever, until James Harden topped it with a $228 million extension from the Rockets.\nConsidered overlooked and undersized after being drafted seventh overall out of Davidson in 2009, Curry has repeatedly proven the doubters wrong. He led the Warriors to five straight NBA Finals and championships in 2015, ’17 and ’18.\n“I’m really proud of what I put in to it, and the team, they know who they are, that help me and push me and motivate me,” he said. “I’m going to keep doing that until I can’t anymore. I don’t know how long that’ll be but that’s the difference-maker for me.”\nGolden State’s other moves in free agency so far include agreements with Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica.\nKeep track of every reported move before deals can be officially signed starting on Aug. 6.\nDeMar DeRozan and Andre Drummond were among the names reportedly moving on in another busy day of roster reshuffling.\nNBA free agents from Kyle Lowry to Mike Conley go straight to social once the negotiation period opened at 6 p.m. ET on Monday.\nThe former All-Star big man heads to the Philadelphia 76ers to play alongside Joel Embiid.\nKeep track of every reported move before deals can be officially signed starting on Aug. 6.\nDeMar DeRozan and Andre Drummond were among the names reportedly moving on in another busy day of roster reshuffling.\nNBA free agents from Kyle Lowry to Mike Conley go straight to social once the negotiation period opened at 6 p.m. ET on Monday.\nThe former All-Star big man heads to the Philadelphia 76ers to play alongside Joel Embiid.\nBreaking down stats and film on key storylines throughout the league after the 1st month of the season.\nGiannis Antetokounmpo's dominant showing Wednesday against the Lakers has L.A. flustered as its road trek begins.\nPhiladelphia has dealt with plenty of adversity this season, from the absence of Ben Simmons to players missing games due to health and safety protocols.\nThe Lakers are 4-6 overall this season without James, who has missed the last eight games with an abdominal injury. Sheppard's offseason moves have helped the Wizards to their best start since 1974-75.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Stephen Curry","the Golden State Warriors"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["four-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Curry will earn $48 million for the 2022-23 season, then $51.9 million in ’23-’24, $55.7 million in ’24-’25 and $59.6 million in the final year of the deal","Curry will earn $48 million for 2022-23 season, $51.9M in 23-24, $55.7M in 24-25 and $59.6 million in the final year of the deal","extension"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Amazon and MGM have signed an agreement for Amazon to acquire MGM","document":"\nSEATTLE & BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and MGM today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Amazon will acquire MGM for a purchase price of $8.45 billion. MGM has nearly a century of filmmaking history and complements the work of Amazon Studios, which has primarily focused on producing TV show programming. Amazon will help preserve MGM’s heritage and catalog of films, and provide customers with greater access to these existing works. Through this acquisition, Amazon would empower MGM to continue to do what they do best: great storytelling.\n“MGM has a vast catalog with more than 4,000 films—12 Angry Men, Basic Instinct, Creed, James Bond, Legally Blonde, Moonstruck, Poltergeist, Raging Bull, Robocop, Rocky, Silence of the Lambs, Stargate, Thelma & Louise, Tomb Raider, The Magnificent Seven, The Pink Panther, The Thomas Crown Affair, and many other icons—as well as 17,000 TV shows—including Fargo, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Vikings—that have collectively won more than 180 Academy Awards and 100 Emmys,” said Mike Hopkins, Senior Vice President of Prime Video and Amazon Studios. “The real financial value behind this deal is the treasure trove of IP in the deep catalog that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM’s talented team. It’s very exciting and provides so many opportunities for high-quality storytelling.”\n“It has been an honor to have been a part of the incredible transformation of Metro Goldwyn Mayer. To get here took immensely talented people with a true belief in one vision. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank the MGM team who have helped us arrive at this historic day,” said Kevin Ulrich, Chairman of the Board of Directors of MGM. “I am very proud that MGM’s Lion, which has long evoked the Golden Age of Hollywood, will continue its storied history, and the idea born from the creation of United Artists lives on in a way the founders originally intended, driven by the talent and their vision. The opportunity to align MGM’s storied history with Amazon is an inspiring combination.”\nCompletion of this transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Amazon","MGM"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["today"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Amazon will acquire MGM for a purchase price of $8.45 billion"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"NBA Salaries: All players to have signed contracts of $200 million or more","document":"The extension of the NBA's TV deal with ESPN and Turner Sports in 2014, worth $2.6 billion per year over a nine-year period starting from 2016, gave a huge boost to the salary cap. That rise, given the players-league revenue split as per the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) at that time, subsequently led to a leap in player salaries which led to multiple large contracts being handed out since.\nThe extension of NBA's TV deal with ESPN and Turner Sports in 2014, worth $2.6 billion per year over a nine-year period starting from 2016, gave a huge boost to the salary cap. For the 2015-16 season, the salary cap was set at $70 million and that saw a huge leap to $94.1 million for the succeeding 2016-17 season. It wasn't just that year, each of the following seasons also saw a significant boost such that for the upcoming 2021-22 season, the salary cap was set at 112.4 million.\nThat rise, given the players-league revenue split as per the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) at that time, subsequently led to a leap in the player salaries which led to multiple large contracts being handed out since. That said, here's a look at the players that signed a contract worth upwards of $200 million.\nNote: Players like Damian Lillard and James Harden aren't on the list because their contracts exceed $200 million after they signed an extension.\nCurry, the first and only unanimous MVP in league history, signed the first contract worth more than $200 million.\nComing off a 4-year, $44 million deal - during which he led the Warriors to the NBA Championship in 2015 and won two straight league MVPs, he signed a 5-year worth around $201 million as a free agent to remain with the Golden State Warriors. That deal took him from the 82nd highest paid in the 2015-16 season to the highest-paid player in the league for every year of that deal. However, the 3-time NBA Champion would make more history when it comes to contracts in the 2021 offseason. MORE: Highest-paid players for 2021-22 NBA season\nAged 33, he would sign a four-year extension worth $215 million that would keep him on the franchise's books until 2026. This new extension made him the first player ever to sign consecutive deals upwards of $200 million.\nComing off his 2016-17 historic MVP season, where he became the first player to average a triple-double for a season since Oscar Robertson in 1962, even breaking the record for the most number of triple-doubles (42), Westbrook signed a 5-year extension prior to the 2017-18 season - the final year of his three-year, $85.6 million deal. The new extension worth $206 million would have kept him in Oklahoma City from 2018 to 2023, however in the four seasons since the start of the contract, he is set to play the first four years of that contract with four different franchises - Oklahoma City Thunder (2018-19), Houston Rockets (2019-20), Washington Wizards (2020-21) and now, Los Angeles Lakers (2021-22).\n\nThe final year of this deal, the 2022-23 season, is a player option. The Greek Freak became a free agent in 2020 but the two-time reigning league MVP - at that time - re-signed in Milwaukee for a 5-year deal worth $228.2 million.\nDespite the playoff disappointments, at the time of signing the contract, Antetokounmpo still had a stacked resume with his two MVPs, 2017 Most Improved Player award, four All-Star selections, four All-NBA selections including two in the First Team, plus the 2020 Defensive Player Award. However, in the first year of this new deal, the 26-year-old added more hardware to his trophy cabinet by leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA title and winning the Finals MVP. He also won the All-Star Game MVP award earlier in the season. With the deal, he became the first international player to sign a deal of more than $200 million.\nNot long after Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert joined the $200 million group. The Frenchmen signed a 5-year deal worth $205 million in the 2020 offseason.\nThe largest deal in NBA history for a center, Gobert was eligible for the large extension because of his two DPOYs (now three) and three All-NBA selections (now four) at the time. The contract is also the largest for any player outside the lottery as Gobert was picked 27th overall in the 2013 Draft by the Denver Nuggets and then traded to the Utah Jazz.\nAt 22, Luka Doncic is the youngest player ever to sign a deal worth more than $200 million. He became eligible for this supermax extension, the first player from the 2018 Draft class, courtesy of his two All-NBA First Team selections in the previous two years. The five-year, $207 million extension, which kicks in at the end of the 2021-22 season, reportedly includes a player option for the final year.\nAccording to Elias Sports Bureau, only four players have been named to multiple All-NBA First Team before their 23rd birthday and, the duo of Doncic and Kevin Durant are the only two players to do so since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976.\nSimilar to Doncic, the Atlanta Hawks superstar point guard also signed a 5-year deal that's worth $207 million. Atlanta Hawks All-Star G Trae Young has agreed to a five-year, $207 million designated rookie maximum extension, his agent Omar Wilkes of @KlutchSports tells ESPN.\nHowever, his contract is essentially worth $172.55M but it would take a jump to the max value of $207 million when he does receive an All-NBA selection at any point through his contract.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the Atlanta Hawks","Atlanta Hawks","Curry","the Golden State Warriors","Westbrook","the Milwaukee Bucks","Rudy Gobert","Utah Jazz","Luka Doncic","Trae Young"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["5-yea","5-year","year","five-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a five-year, $207 million designated rookie maximum extension","The new extension worth $206 million would have kept him in Oklahoma City from 2018 to 2023, however in the four seasons since the start of the contract, he is set to play the first four years of that contract with four different franchises","re-signed in Milwaukee for a 5-year deal worth $228.2 million","a 5-year deal worth $205 million in the 2020 offseason","The five-year, $207 million extension, which kicks in at the end of the 2021-22 season, reportedly includes a player option for the final year","his contract is essentially worth $172.55M but it would take a jump to the max value of $207 million when he does receive an All-NBA selection at any point through his contract"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Georgian, North Macedonian presidents sign visa free agreement: ‘we are making new history for our countries’","document":" Georgian and North Macedonian presidents met in Skopje earlier today and signed two agreements.  \nGeorgian and North Macedonian presidents have signed the visa liberalisation agreement between the two countries earlier today in Skopje, during the first official visit of Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili to North Macedonia. \nThe Agreement on Visa Exemption signed between ???????? and ???????? is a historic step in our bilateral relations. It’s meant to promote people-to-people contacts between our two friendly countries. It’s also a signal to our business communities that the doors of cooperation are open! \nAn agreement has also been signed for cooperation in the culture field. \nNorth Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski has stated during a joint press conference that ‘we are making new history for our two friendly nations.’ \nThis is a historic, high-level visit which will further strengthen the ties between Georgia and North Macedonia,” Pendarovski said. \nHe stated that the new agreements will create a legal basement for tourism and economic cooperation. \nWith this signing of the Memorandum on Cooperation in Culture, Tbilisi and Skopje acknowledge that our ties are not just political. They are rooted in common European values of #tolerance, of #freedom.\nPendarovski said that despite a two-year diplomatic relations Georgia and North Macedonia have much to share ‘because we follow common foreign strategies.’ \nZurabishvili stated ‘it's a big honour I became the first president of Georgia who visited Skopje on an official visit.’ \nShe said that along with occupation issues in Georgia and the illegal conviction of Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze by the Russian-controlled occupation forces,regional and Ukrainian issues have also been discussed during the meeting with Pendarovski. \nThere is the only way to react to the escalation in the region. The NATO June 14 summit messages should be clear. This would be important both for Georgia and Ukraine, Zurabishvili said. \nZurabishvili is also scheduled to meet with North Macedonian PM and parliament speaker.\nIn January-April of 2021, revenue from foreign tourism decreased by 77.5% year-on-year in Georgia, says Galt & Taggart, an investment banking and investment management services company in Georgia.\nGeorgian President Salome Zurabishvili has paid her first official visit to North Macedonia earlier today. Now Zurabishvili and North Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski are holding a face-to-face meeting. The presidents are scheduled to sign a visa liberalisation agreement between the two countries and a memorandum of cooperation in culture following the meeting. \nGeorgian officials have welcomed North Macedonia becoming the 30th member of NATO. President Salome Zurabishvili said the enlargement “of this great family” strengthens international security.\n \nGeorgia and North Macedonia, which has actually become the 30th member of NATO, have signed an agreement regarding the establishment of diplomatic and consular relations.Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani congratulated Macedonia on  the end of dispute with Greece regarding its name and the signing of the accession protocol with NATO.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Georgian","North Macedonian"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["two-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the visa liberalisation agreement","visa liberalisation agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["earlier today"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["to promote people-to-people contacts between our two friendly countries. It’s also a signal to our business communities that the doors of cooperation are open"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Skopje"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Self-Governing First Nations in Yukon","document":"Signing up enhances your TCE experience with the ability to save items to your personal reading list, and access the interactive map. Our team will be reviewing your submission and get back to you with any further questions. Thanks for contributing to The Canadian Encyclopedia. There are 14 First Nations in Yukon. Eleven of these nations are self-governing,\n\twhile the remaining three are governed under the Indian Act. The 11 self-governing First Nations have legislative and executive powers much like a province or\n\tterritory. In 1993, they signed the Umbrella Final Agreement (UFA) with the governments of Canada and Yukon. The UFA served as the foundation for individual self-governing\n\tagreements made between each First Nation and the territorial and\n\tfederal governments. These individual agreements were signed between 1993 and 2006. (See also Comprehensive Land Claims.) While the focus of this article is the 11 self-governing First Nations, the remaining three First Nations in Yukon are White River, Liard and Ross River. This map depicts the traditional territories of the 11 self-governing First Nations in Yukon. This map depicts the traditional territories of the 11 self-governing First Nations in Yukon. The 11 self-governing First Nations in Yukon are:\nFirst Nations in Yukon speak eight Indigenous languages. Seven of these languages are part of the Athapaskan language family, namely Gwich’in, Hän, Upper Tanana,\n\tNorthern Tutchone, Southern Tutchone, Tagish and Kaska. The eighth language, Tlingit, is distantly related to the Athapaskan language family. There is considerable language crossover between First Nations. Many Kwäday Dän (“Long Ago People” in Southern Tutchone) spoke multiple languages and within each language there are multiple dialects. For example, many Southern Tutchone traded\n\twith coastal Alaska Tlingit nations. They formalized trade through acknowledged partnerships and marriage, therefore, the majority of Southern Tutchone could speak both languages. Today, all Yukon First Nations are committed to the preservation and enhancement\n\tof their language. Traditionally, families were large and, in many regions, men and women had more than one marriage. Most cultures followed a matrilineal clan system, where children belonged to the same\n\tclan as their mother and married outside of their own clan. Clans were responsible for land, played a role in trade organization and cared for land and animals. Children were raised by many. When very small, grandparents, who moved at the same speed,\n\twere caretakers and teachers. Once older and nearing puberty, aunts and uncles on the mother’s side (same clan) took on education, ensuring young women were proficient sewers and young men were strong hunters. Every individual was raised to be resourceful and mindful. The culture demanded that people were physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually strong. If a person was imbalanced, if they neglected their spirit and prioritized their body, there would\n\tbe consequences, such as an unsuccessful hunt. In a culture so closely connected to the land, there was no luxury for haphazard behaviour. People were constantly busy; everyone knew their role and purpose. The culture provided the education, experience\n\tand knowledge to ensure people were always whole and always prepared — they never got stuck. They were resourceful and self-reliant within the social groupings of First Nation, community and family. The yearly cycle was closely linked to the seasons and animal migrations. Small family units continuously travelled from river and lake breakup in the spring until freeze-up in the late fall. They harvested food, such as salmon,\n\tcaribou and cranberries, along with medicine,\n\tsuch as balsam, lungwort and yarrow. Food was stored in high or ground caches across the homeland for winter. The cold months could be harsh. There are many stories of no animals\n\tand starvation. Over winter, families trapped, hunted, netted fish under ice and continued to be busy as they awaited the returning birds. In the 1700s, Tlingit Nations on the coast of Alaska traded with the Russians, bringing goods inland. The Russians introduced the concept of ownership and trade for property,\n\twhere one gun cost the gun’s height in stacked fur pelts. Seasonal patterns shifted as families from across the Yukon travelled to trade centres with their winter’s fur harvest to exchange for imported Russian goods. The first known non-Indigenous peoples to enter Yukon were Hudson’s Bay Company fur traders in the 1800s. They established trade posts from the south (Kaska Dene territory) to the north (Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation territory). Traders brought tea, flour and tools, which First Nations used as they continued their way of life. The fur trade\twas the primary economic and relationship driver between Yukon First Nations and non-Indigenous outsiders until 1896, when gold was discovered in the Klondike. The Klondike Gold Rush brought about 40,000 people to Yukon between 1896 and 1899. The prospectors\n\temployed First Nations people as packers and guides. Despite the help of these First Nation guides, many cheechakos, or newcomers, perished. By 1905, the majority of the gold seekers had left the territory. Studio portrait of a First Nations packer during the Klondike Gold Rush, c. 1898. Studio portrait of a First Nations packer during the Klondike Gold Rush, c. 1898. The impact of the gold rush was profound. In 1902, Jim Boss, chief of the Ta'an Kwäch'än, wrote to Ottawa calling on the federal government to protect Indigenous peoples’ land and resources. The government responded half-heartedly, saying the police would protect his people and their land. By this time, treaties between First Nations and the federal government\n\tcovered much of Canada. For example, by 1905, nine of Canada’s 11 Numbered Treaties had been signed, including Treaty 8,\n\twhich covers much of the land to the southeast of Yukon. The government wanted to promote this area as an “all-Canadian” access route to the goldfields. The government’s policy, however, was to offer treaties only in areas where they expected long-term\n\teconomic development and white settlement. Believing that the gold rush was a one-time event, the government did not offer a treaty to Yukon First Nations. Following the gold rush, significant and rapid change came to Yukon. Two catalysts for this change were residential schools\tand the Alaska Highway. Four residential schools operated in the Yukon between 1903 and 1985. As with residential schools elsewhere in the country, these institutions wreaked\n\thavoc on the lives of First Nation people. During the Second World War, the Alaska Highway was built from Dawson Creek, British Columbia,\n\tto Big Delta, Alaska, cutting through southwestern Yukon along the way. First Nation citizens moved to places along the highway to find work. In addition, the federal government forced First Nation people to relocate to administrative centres to “benefit” from education and social services. These forced relocations immearsurably\n\taffected the migratory way of life of most First Nations. Everything about the economic, social, cultural and spiritual way of Indigenous people was disrupted\n\tduring this time. In 1973, Elijah Smith (first on the right in the front row) led a group of Yukon First Nation leaders to Ottawa. The delegation, pictured here on the steps of the Parliament Buildings, convinced the federal government to begin land claim negotiations. In 1973, Elijah Smith (first on the right in the front row) led a group of Yukon First Nation leaders to Ottawa. The delegation, pictured here on the steps of the Parliament Buildings, convinced the federal government to begin land claim negotiations. In 1973, an organization called the Yukon Native Brotherhood (YNB), led by Chief Elijah Smith and a delegation of Yukon chiefs, presented a statement of grievances and an approach to just settlement to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Their historic document was titled Together Today for Our Children Tomorrow. At the time, there were 12 First Nations in Yukon, and the YNB represented all of them. Their main messages were: we must break the back of dependency created by government\n\tprograms such as welfare, we want help to succeed, and we are not looking for a handout. “The objective of the Yukon Indian people,” they wrote, “is to obtain a Settlement in place of a treaty that will help us and our children learn to live in a changing\n\tworld.”\nTrudeau agreed to work with the YNB, marking the first time in Canada a comprehensive land claim was accepted for negotiation. There were many hurdles during the 20-year period between 1973 and 1993, when the Umbrella Final Agreement was signed. Some were between First Nations and Canada and Yukon, such as settlement land selection and decision-making authority. Others were internal\n\tto First Nations, such as whether to include individuals without Indian Status, or the balance between monetary compensation and self-determination. In 1984, negotiations completely broke down. The Yukon First Nations people voted to reject a settlement offer that provided significant compensation, but not self-government or co-management of Yukon land and resources. Of this decision the Vuntut Gwichin\n\tChief Joe Linklater said, “One of the toughest decisions of my life was to walk away from an agreement for over $600 million.” In 1985, all parties returned to the table. Over the following eight years, they worked together to create a vision for all\n\tYukon children of tomorrow. On 29 May 1993, 11 Yukon First Nations, and the governments of Canada and Yukon signed the Umbrella Final Agreement (UFA). The UFA is not a legal document, but rather a political agreement between the First Nations signatories, Yukon and Canada. It provides\n\tthe foundation for all 11 of the Yukon First Nation Final Agreements. Unlike the UFA, these agreements are legal, constitutionally protected documents. From left to right John Ostashek, government leader of Yukon; Judy Gingell, chair of the Council of Yukon Indians; and Tom Siddon, minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Canada. Gingell celebrates after signing the Umbrella Final Agreement on 29 May 1993. From left to right John Ostashek, government leader of Yukon; Judy Gingell, chair of the Council of Yukon Indians; and Tom Siddon, minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Canada. Gingell celebrates after signing the Umbrella Final Agreement\n\t\t\ton 29 May 1993. Between 1993 and 2006, the 11 First Nations, using the UFA as the foundation, negotiated First Nation-specific agreements with the territorial and federal governments. These agreements selected areas of land and added unique features important to specific\n\tFirst Nations. For example, the Kluane First Nation negotiated a wild sheep harvest tag in the agreement as an economic development measure. These hunts sell at auction for significant value to the First Nation. Some agreements took more time due to\n\ttheir complexity. Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council, for example, both based in the Whitehorse area, needed to address their relationship with the City of\n\tWhitehorse in addition to the other levels of government. In 1993, four First Nations finalized agreements: Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, Teslin Tlingit Council and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation. In 1997, Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation and the Selkirk First Nation finalized their agreements, followed by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation in 1998. The remaining four First Nations signed agreements in the early 2000s: Ta’an Kwäch’än Council\n\tin 2002, Kluane First Nation in 2003, Kwanlin Dün First Nation in 2005 and Carcross/Tagish First Nation in 2006. I believe the future, or the children of tomorrow, is the “intent” of the final agreements. Working together in pursuit of prosperous, harmonious possibility is the “spirit.” The Yukon remains young. It is still coming into its own as a unique place of\n\tgovernance and aspiration. Yukon First Nations are actively reconnecting to and revitalizing their culture, language and way of life. Now the struggle is to find the balance between the ancestor’s way and the modern way, both in terms of daily life,\n but also in terms of governance. Fortunately, the healing path towards independence is held in our stories, our land and our languages. The ancestors provided the tools. It is up to us to wield them. - Author Jocelyn Joe-Strack, Wolf Clan, Champagne and Aishihik First Nation\nBoth the UFA and the nation-specific final agreements express a vision for the co-management of governance. Academics and Indigenous signatories often describe this vision as part of the “spirit and intent” of modern treaties. There are many interpretations\n\tof modern treaties’ spirit and intent. With respect to the Yukon, a notable example came in a decision made by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2017. Several parties,\n\tincluding the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, brought a case concerning the Peel Watershed in northeastern Yukon. In creating a\n\tland use plan for the area, the First Nations argued that the territorial government had not followed the consultation process laid out in their final agreements. The Supreme Court supported the First Nations’ argument. “The UFA is a model for reconciliation,”\n\tthe judges wrote.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the governments of Canada and Yukon","Yukon","Canada","Yukon and Canada","governments","the 11 First Nations","11 Yukon"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["Between 1993 and 2006"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["Umbrella Final Agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["29 May 1993"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the foundation for individual self-governing\n\tagreements made between each First Nation and the territorial and\n\tfederal governments","First Nation","foundation"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Purchase","document":"The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has signed defenceman Morgan Rielly to an eight-year contract extension. The average annual value of the contract is $7.5 million.\nRielly, 27, skated in 55 games for the Maple Leafs in 2020-21 and recorded 35 points (five goals, 30 assists). In 580 career NHL regular season games, all with the Maple Leafs, Rielly has registered 309 points (59 goals, 250 assists) while adding 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 32 career Stanley Cup playoff games. Rielly is currently the longest-serving Maple Leaf and has been an alternate captain for the club since 2016. During the 2019-20 season, he became the second defenceman in Maple Leaf history, joining Börje Salming, to begin his career with seven consecutive 20-assist seasons. Among Maple Leafs franchise leaders for defencemen, Rielly ranks 10th in goals (59), fifth in assists (250), sixth in points (309) and tied for ninth in games played (580).\nInternationally, Rielly has represented Canada several times and captured a gold medal at the IIHF World Championships in 2016. The West Vancouver, British Columbia native also represented Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. \nRielly was originally drafted by the Maple Leafs in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The Toronto Maple Leafs","Morgan Rielly"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["eight-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["today"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The average annual value of the contract is $7.5 million"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"U.S. Officially Rejoins Paris Agreement On Climate Change","document":" \nThe United States on Friday officially rejoined the Paris Agreement on climate change designed to limit global warming and avoid its potentially catastrophic impacts.\nNearly 200 nations have signed on to the landmark accord and committed to limit their greenhouse gas emissions in an attempt to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius - preferably below 1.5 degrees Celsius - compared to pre-industrial temperatures.\n\"The Paris Agreement is an unprecedented framework for global action. We know because we helped design it and make it a reality,\" Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. \"Its purpose is both simple and expansive: to help us all avoid catastrophic planetary warming and to build resilience around the world to the impacts from climate change we already see.\"\nRejoining the Paris Agreement was one of President Biden's top priorities. Only hours after taking the oath of office, he signed an executive order initiating a 30-day process to reenter the pact.\nThe Biden administration will make climate change a key component of its foreign policy, weaving it into its most important bilateral and multilateral conversations, Blinken said.\n\"Climate change and science diplomacy can never again be 'add-ons' in our foreign policy discussions. Addressing the real threats from climate change and listening to our scientists is at the center of our domestic and foreign policy priorities. It is vital in our discussions of national security, migration, international health efforts, and in our economic diplomacy and trade talks,\" he said.\nToday, the United States ?? re-joined the #ParisAgreement - the international response to the climate crisis. But what exactly is the Paris Agreement? And how does it work? pic.twitter.com/JOnm9s7iRf\nThe U.S. left the Paris Agreement in November after a yearlong waiting period had ended. Former President Donald Trump originally announced his intention to withdraw from the treaty in 2017 and formally notified the United Nations in 2019.\nUnder the terms of the agreement, the U.S. promised to reduce its emissions by about 25% by 2025 compared with 2005 levels. But according to analysts, the country is only on track to achieve about a 17% reduction.\nOn Thursday, White House adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall said the extreme winter weather conditions in Texas and many other states across the central and southern United States this week are a reminder that climate change is real.\nIn 2020, there have already been 16 climate-driven disasters that cost at least $1 billion each, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.\nNo other country has emitted more cumulative carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since the industrial era began in the mid-1800s than the United States. And even though U.S. emissions are falling, the rate of the reduction is far too slow to avoid catastrophic warming, according to climate scientists.\nThat's in part because the Trump administration rolled back carbon pollution limits from power plants, cars, trucks and fossil fuel operations. American emissions rose slightly in the first two years of the Trump administration.\nDespite the former administration's numerous rollbacks of environmental regulations, many American cities, states and companies have vowed to drastically reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the coming years. Twelve states and at least 165 U.S. cities have plans to get 100% of their electricity from renewable sources, according to the climate tracking group America's Pledge.\nWhile adapting to climate change is expensive, there's also evidence it can be good for the economy. Between 2005 and 2017, 41 states increased their gross domestic product while reducing carbon dioxide emissions, according to a recent analysis by the World Resources Institute think tank.\nAlso, investment in clean energy generates more jobs than investing in fossil fuels due to clean energy's more labor-intensive nature, according to the WRI.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The United States","United States"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["Paris Agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Nearly 200 nations have signed on to the landmark accord and committed to limit their greenhouse gas emissions in an attempt to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius - preferably below 1.5 degrees Celsius - compared to pre-industrial temperatures","Under the terms of the agreement, the U.S. promised to reduce its emissions by about 25% by 2025 compared with 2005 levels"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Kenya and UK sign Defence Cooperation Agreement to tackle shared threats across East Africa","document":"The two nations have a long and proud history of military cooperation, working together on land, sea and air to find shared solutions to their shared challenges.\nKenya and the UK have signed a new five-year Defence Cooperation Agreement in a side event during President Kenyatta’s three-day Guest of Government visit to the UK.\nThe Cabinet Secretary for Defence, Dr Monica Juma, and her UK counterpart, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, signed the new DCA in Last night (27 July) at the Ministry of Defence offices in London. This agreement will anchor the defence priorities between the two nations over the next five years.\nOur two nations have a long and proud history of military cooperation, working together on land, sea and air to find shared solutions to our shared challenges, including countering the threat from terrorists groups like Al-Shabaab. The signing of the DCA comes six months after the two defence secretaries met in Nairobi, agreeing a refreshed Security Compact to deepen wider stability and security cooperation, part of the Kenya-UK strategic partnership. The new DCA, once ratified by the Kenyan and UK Parliaments, will allow our militaries to share expertise, experience and techniques, making both forces more effective.\nSpeaking at the signing event, the UK’s Defence Secretary, Rt Hon Ben Wallace, said:\nIt was great to meet Dr Monica Juma again today. We held very fruitful discussions and agreed a range of measures to keep both of our countries safer.\nKenya has long been our defence partner of choice in East Africa and, in a more uncertain world, we will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder as we tackle the threats of tomorrow.\nKenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Defence, Dr Monica Juma, said:\nToday, Rt Hon Ben Wallace and I reaffirmed our commitment to continue deepening the defence cooperation between our two nations.\nThe framework underpinning this strategic relationship is the Defence Cooperation Agreement which has become an invaluable tool for enhancing the competencies of our defence forces. Overall our cooperation continues to significantly improve the ability of our forces to operate effectively in high-threat environments.\nThe current DCA has had many successes over the past five years of military cooperation. Under the agreement, the UK has provided an annual training of over 1100 KDF soldiers, with courses in the UK, or with UK military training teams in Kenya. Further training has also been provided through the UK-funded Counter-IED Wing at the Humanitarian Peace Support School (HPSS) in Embakasi. Since its opening in 2016, over 2,000 military and police from 22 countries have been trained in CIED skills and 40 CIED instructors developed, significantly improving the ability of African Union (AU) forces to operate effectively in high-threat environments, including against Al Shabaab.\nThe UK has also provided extensive support to infrastructure projects at the KDF’s School of Infantry, which include an urban village, a Forward Operating Base (FOB), and an assault course, all which prepare more than 600 KDF personnel for deployment in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The UK has been supporting AMISOM Troop Contributing Countries since 2010, through the Short Term Training Teams (STTTs) from the British Army, which costs KES43M annually.\nThe presence of the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) has had significant benefits for the local economy and community. It has contributed over KES 5.8 billion to the economies of Laikipia, Samburu and Isiolo. More than 550 local staff have maintained their jobs even during the harshest economic times brought in by the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, our community engagement projects have not only improved education, health an environmental protection, but have pivoted support towards COVID containment. At the onset of the pandemic, BATUK provided 443,000 litres of water across the three counties and also helped in food distribution.\nLast month (June 2021), we handed over a multipurpose training facility to the Kenyan Navy with firefighting equipment alongside the Danish government. The facility will also be available to other maritime agencies to conduct their firefighting and sea survival training, which is essential for deployment at sea. This will go a long way in helping the Kenyan Navy progress towards becoming a centre of excellence in maritime safety.\nThe five-year Defence Cooperation Agreement will come into force once it has been ratified by both the UK and Kenya’s respective Parliaments.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the UK","UK","Kenya","Kenya-UK"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["five-year","five years"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["Defence Cooperation Agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Last night","27 July"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["anchor the defence priorities between the two nations over the next five years"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Dominican Republic Signs Agreement with the World Bank to Curb Carbon Emissions and Reduce Deforestation","document":"With 189 member countries, staff from more than 170 countries, and offices in over 130 locations, the World Bank Group is a unique global partnership: five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries.  \nThe World Bank Group works in every major area of development.  We provide a wide array of financial products and technical assistance, and we help countries share and apply innovative knowledge and solutions to the challenges they face.\nWe face big challenges to help the world’s poorest people and ensure that everyone sees benefits from economic growth. Data and research help us understand these challenges and set priorities, share knowledge of what works, and measure progress.\nSanto Domingo, May 12, 2021 - The Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources signed a landmark agreement today with the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), unlocking payments of up to US$25 million for verified carbon emission reductions between now and 2025 through the country’s emissions reduction program.  \n“This agreement is a country achievement, a reason for celebration and progress in the fight against the challenges of climate change and is the result of four years of preparation of the Program for the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), which will be implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, with the direct involvement of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development (MEPyD), ” said Milagros De Camps, Vice Minister of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.\nThe Dominican Republic’s Emission Reductions Program is a national initiative focused on lowering forest emissions from deforestation and forest degradation across the country's  4.8 million hectares of biodiversity and forest-rich land, to improve local livelihoods and protect natural ecosystems. With this Emission Reductions Payment Agreement (ERPA) in place, the Dominican Republic is expected to reduce 5 million tons of forest-related carbon emissions.  \n “The Dominican Republic has a long and rich history of protecting its natural resources, having dedicated significant efforts to the conservation and development of its forests,” said Alexandria Valerio, World Bank Representative for the Dominican Republic. “This agreement is further proof of the country’s continued commitment to sustainable forest management and economic development.” \nThe country’s Emission Reductions program will work with the government and civil society to strengthen sustainable agroforestry initiatives that aim to curb agricultural expansion into forest areas. The program also aims to promote broader and more sustainable natural resource management that can contribute to the growth of small and medium-sized forest enterprises, and the conservation of forests. \nThe Dominican Republic is the third country in Latin America and the Caribbean (after Chile and Costa Rica) and 14th globally to reach such a milestone agreement with the FCPF, which together have unlocked nearly $670m in results-based financing.  ERPAs are innovative instruments that incentivize sustainable land management at scale and help to connect countries with other sources of climate financing. The resources from the FCPF provide new opportunities to conserve and regenerate forest landscapes and biodiversity while supporting sustainable economic growth, which is critical for the Dominican Republic’s development going forward. \nThe Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) is a global partnership of governments, businesses, civil society, and Indigenous Peoples' organizations focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, forest carbon stock conservation, the sustainable management of forests, and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries, activities commonly referred to as REDD+. Launched in 2008, the FCPF has worked with 47 developing countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, along with 17 donors that have made contributions and commitments totaling US$1.3 billion.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the World Bank","World Bank","The Dominican Republic","Dominican Republic"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["four years"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["a landmark agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["May 12, 2021"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["preparation of the Program for the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+)"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Santo Domingo"]}]} {"event_trigger":"RCEP: A new trade agreement that will shape global economics and politics","document":"\nOn November 15, 2020, 15 countries — members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and five regional partners — signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), arguably the largest free trade agreement in history. RCEP and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which concluded in 2018 and is also dominated by East Asian members, are the only major multilateral free trade agreements signed in the Trump era.\t\nIndia and the United States were to be members of RCEP and the CPTPP, respectively, but withdrew under the Modi and Trump governments. As the agreements are now configured (see Figure 1), they forcefully stimulate intra-East Asian integration around China and Japan. This is partly the result of U.S. policies. The United States needs to rebalance its economic and security strategies to advance not only its economic interests, but also its security goals.\nFigure 1: Members of RCEP and CPTPP\n(Numbers present 2018 GDP in trillions of U.S. dollars)\nSource: Authors.    \nRCEP will connect about 30% of the world’s people and output and, in the right political context, will generate significant gains. According to computer simulations we recently published, RCEP could add $209 billion annually to world incomes, and $500 billion to world trade by 2030.\nWe also estimate that RCEP and CPTPP together will offset global losses from the U.S.-China trade war, although not for China and the United States. The new agreements will make the economies of North and Southeast Asia more efficient, linking their strengths in technology, manufacturing, agriculture, and natural resources.\nThe effects of RCEP are impressive even though the agreement is not as rigorous as the CPTPP. It incentivizes supply chains across the region but also caters to political sensitivities. Its intellectual property rules add little to what many members have in place, and the agreement says nothing at all about labor, the environment, or state-owned enterprises — all key chapters in the CPTPP. However, ASEAN-centered trade agreements tend to improve over time.\nSoutheast Asia will benefit significantly from RCEP ($19 billion annually by 2030) but less so than Northeast Asia because it already has free trade agreements with RCEP partners. But RCEP could improve access to Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) funds, enhancing gains from market access by strengthening transport, energy, and communications links. RCEP’s favorable rules of origin will also attract foreign investment.\nRCEP, often labelled inaccurately as “China-led,” is a triumph of ASEAN’s middle-power diplomacy. The value of a large, East Asian trade agreement has long been recognized, but neither China nor Japan, the region’s largest economies, were politically acceptable as architects for the project. The stalemate was resolved in 2012 by an ASEAN-brokered deal that included India, Australia, and New Zealand as members, and put ASEAN in charge of negotiating the agreement. Without such “ASEAN centrality,” RCEP might never have been launched.\nWithout such “ASEAN centrality,” RCEP might never have been launched.\nTo be sure, RCEP will help China strengthen its relations with neighbors, rewarding eight years of patient negotiations in the “ASEAN way,” which participants typically describe, with varying degrees of affection, as unusually slow, consensual, and flexible.\nRCEP will also accelerate Northeast Asian economic integration. A spokesman for Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted last year that negotiations on the trilateral China-South Korea-Japan free trade agreement, which has been stuck for many years, will become active “as soon as they are able to conclude the negotiation on RCEP.” As if on cue, in a high-profile speech in early November President Xi Jinping promised to “speed up negotiations on a China-EU investment treaty and a China-Japan-ROK [South Korea] free trade agreement.”\nFinally, RCEP and the CPTPP are powerful counterexamples to the global decline in rules-based trade. If RCEP spurs mutually beneficial growth, its members, including China, will gain influence across the world.\nU.S. policies in Asia need to adjust to the changing realities of East Asia, recognizing the increased role of China, maturing ASEAN integration, and America’s diminished relative economic influence.\nLooking back, the Trump administration’s Asia policies focused on a new Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision. As experts have noted, the principles of FOIP — an open, inclusive, peaceful region — were consistent with established U.S. policy. But the administration’s tactics then emphasized isolating China from regional economic networks and prioritized security arrangements centered on the Quad (Australia, India, Japan, and the United States).\nMeanwhile, FOIP’s economic dimensions remained secondary, ranging from modest investments and a plan to exclude China from supply chains to rating infrastructure projects often funded by China. The U.S. approach antagonized ASEAN and other East Asian friends, forcing countries into unnecessary and risky political choices.\nLooking ahead, one U.S. option is to continue FOIP in current form with greater multilateral support. The Trump approach — minus inflammatory rhetoric — has support in Congress and even in some ASEAN countries like Vietnam. Yet the approach risks sidelining the United States while economic arrangements like RCEP, CPTPP, and BRI continue to grow. Without an economic pillar, FOIP will still push countries to choose between economic and security interests.\nA second U.S. option is to reengage fully in regional economic networks alongside an active security role. For example, the United States could join the CPTPP and advocate its rapid enlargement to Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. U.S. markets and technology make such arrangements attractive and, in the long run, might persuade China to join (we estimate big gains if it does). But current U.S. politics appears to offer little support for this approach.\nA third U.S. option is to emphasize intensified soft-power engagement combined with narrow but firm security commitments. This approach would build on U.S. strengths and buy time for more ambitious initiatives. It would emphasize vigorous participation in regional forums, people-to-people exchanges, principled advocacy of rules-based trade, and a clearly articulated military presence. It would benefit from supportive U.S.-China understandings, no mean feat in the current context.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["15 countries — members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN","ASEAN","five regional partners"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)","RCEP"]},{"role":"Date","values":["November 15, 2020"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["stimulate intra-East Asian integration around China and Japan","Japan"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"CORRECTING and REPLACING Ancestry® Signs Agreement to Acquire French Genealogy Leader Geneanet","document":"LEHI, Utah & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the fifth paragraph, second sentence, the name of the Founder and CEO of Geneanet should be Jacques Le Marois (instead of Jacques La Marois).\n“Ancestry is committed to continued investment in Geneanet’s free tree-building platform and the volunteer spirit of its community.”\nThe updated release reads:\nANCESTRY® SIGNS AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE FRENCH GENEALOGY LEADER GENEANET\nAncestry®, the global leader in family history, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Geneanet, a leading French genealogy company. With over 30 billion records from more than 80 countries, Ancestry helps customers discover new details about their family story and ancestors. The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.\nWith a large and growing European community of more than 4 million members, Geneanet is available in ten languages and more than 25 countries. Combining Geneanet's free family tree platform and engaged community with Ancestry’s global subscriber base and unparalleled historical records will enable family history discoveries and connections for even more people around the world.\nAncestry, which already offers the largest collection of European records, is also investing in digitizing and indexing a national collection of French historical records, including the complete French census and birth, marriage and death records which will be available soon, accelerating family history discoveries and connections between people in France and those around the world with French heritage.\n“We are thrilled to welcome Geneanet to the Ancestry family and look forward to working together to grow our global community so that more people can easily discover, craft and connect around their family story,” said Deb Liu, Ancestry President and CEO. “Ancestry is committed to continued investment in Geneanet’s free tree-building platform and the volunteer spirit of its community.”\n“This is an exciting next step for Geneanet and for our community. We will preserve our business model and continue to focus on what we do well, building a highly-engaged community of passionate users. Our members will greatly benefit from Ancestry’s vast record collections and global network as they build their family trees and connect with new relatives and share their family stories,” said Jacques Le Marois, Founder and CEO of Geneanet. “I am delighted to build the next chapter together and look forward to the opportunity to play an active role in the company’s future.”\nUpon closing, Geneanet will operate as an independent business in the Ancestry portfolio of companies. Jacques Le Marois, Founder and CEO of Geneanet, will remain in his role as the head of the Geneanet website and community.\nAbout Ancestry\nAncestry®, the global leader in family history and consumer genomics, empowers journeys of personal discovery to enrich lives. With our unparalleled collection of more than 30 billion records and over 20 million people in our growing consumer DNA network, customers can discover their family story and gain a new level of understanding about their lives. For over 30 years, we’ve built trusted relationships with millions of people who have chosen us as the platform for discovering, preserving and sharing the most important information about themselves and their families.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Geneanet","GENEANET","Ancestry","ANCESTRY","Ancestry\nAncestry"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["today"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Combining Geneanet's free family tree platform and engaged community with Ancestry’s global subscriber base and unparalleled historical records will enable family history discoveries and connections for even more people around the world","connections"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Giannis Antetokounmpo cashes in with his supermax deal, but sentimentality comes at a price","document":"In the end, Giannis Antetokounmpo cared more about what the Milwaukee Bucks had given him than what they hadn’t.\nThe back-to-back MVP on Tuesday signed a five-year, $228 million supermax contract extension that represents the richest agreement in NBA history. By locking in for the long haul, Antetokounmpo short-circuited a year of rumors about his possible free agency in 2021 and enabled the Bucks to focus on their title push.\n“This is my home, this is my city,” Antetokounmpo wrote on Twitter. “I’m blessed to be able to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years. Let’s make these years count. The show goes on, let’s get it.”\nIn the never-ending tug-of-war for superstar talent between big markets and small markets, Antetokounmpo’s decision cuts against the grain. Unlike LeBron James in 2010, Kevin Durant in 2016 and Kawhi Leonard in 2019, he didn’t bail for better weather, brighter lights and a clearer title path. Like those stars, Antetokounmpo has felt unrelenting championship expectations for years. Unlike those stars, he will spend much of his prime bearing that burden without the help of an A-list sidekick and without much hope of recruiting one.\nGiannis Antetokounmpo’s decision is a gift to Milwaukee. Now comes the hard part.\nAntetokounmpo, 26, has always been much harder on himself than on those around him. In good times, such as during MVP acceptance speeches, he reflexively downplays his achievements because he has yet to win a title. In bad times, such as Milwaukee’s postseason flameout this summer, he points the finger at himself rather than at his teammates, his coach or the front office.\nThat’s a credit to Antetokounmpo’s character, because there were weak links to be found all around him. Milwaukee’s offense was too predictable because his supporting cast lacked playmakers. Coach Mike Budenholzer was too dogmatic and too late to adjust for the second straight postseason. The Bucks needed Malcolm Brogdon, whom they had traded in a regrettable cost-cutting move, and were stuck with the unreliable Eric Bledsoe. Even during the offseason, Milwaukee’s front office came up short when it failed to consummate a sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic and had to scramble with its unimpressive backup plans.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the Milwaukee Bucks","Milwaukee Bucks","Giannis Antetokounmpo"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["five-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["supermax contract extension"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Aukus: UK, US and Australia launch pact to counter China","document":"The UK, US and Australia have announced a historic security pact in the Asia-Pacific, in what's seen as an effort to counter China.\nIt will let Australia build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, using technology provided by the US.\nThe Aukus pact, which will also cover AI and other technologies, is one of the countries' biggest defence partnerships in decades, analysts say.\nChina has condemned the agreement as \"extremely irresponsible\".\nForeign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said it \"seriously undermines regional peace and stability and intensifies the arms race\".\nChina's embassy in Washington accused the countries of a \"Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice\".\nThe pact also created a row with France, which has now lost a deal with Australia to build 12 submarines.\n\"It's really a stab in the back,\" France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told France Info radio. The new partnership was announced in a joint virtual press conference between US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison on Wednesday.\nAnd while China was not mentioned directly, the three leaders referred repeatedly to regional security concerns which they said had \"grown significantly\".\nThis video can not be played\nSpeaking to the BBC, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said China was \"embarking on one of the biggest military spends in history\".\n\"It is growing its navy [and] air force at a huge rate. Obviously it is engaged in some disputed areas,\" he said. \"Our partners in those regions want to be able to stand their own ground.\"\nIn recent years, Beijing has been accused of raising tensions in disputed territories such as the South China Sea.\nOn Thursday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the pact would \"preserve security and stability around the world\" and generate \"hundreds of high-skilled jobs\".\nHe also said the relationship with France was \"rock solid\".\nThe Aukus alliance is probably the most significant security arrangement between the three nations since World War Two, analysts say.\nThe pact will focus on military capability, separating it from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance which also includes New Zealand and Canada.\nWhile Australia's submarines is the big-ticket item, Aukus will also involve the sharing of cyber capabilities and other undersea technologies.\n\"This is an historic opportunity for the three nations, with like-minded allies and partners, to protect shared values and promote security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,\" the joint statement read.\n\"This really shows that all three nations are drawing a line in the sand to start and counter [China's] aggressive moves in the Indo-Pacific,\" said Guy Boekenstein from the Asia Society Australia.\nWestern nations have been wary of China's infrastructure investment on Pacific islands, and have also criticised China's trade sanctions against countries like Australia.\nAustralia had in the past maintained good relations with China, its biggest trading partner. But the relationship has broken down in recent years amid political tensions.\nBut there is tension now too with France, after Australia tore up the A$50bn (€31bn; £27bn) deal to build 12 submarines. \"We had established a relationship of trust with Australia, this trust has been betrayed,\" Mr Le Drian said.\nThese submarines are much faster and harder to detect than conventionally powered fleets. They can stay submerged for months, shoot missiles longer distances and also carry more.\nHaving them stationed in Australia is critical to US influence in the region, analysts say.\nThe US is sharing its submarine technology for the first time in 50 years. It had previously only shared technology with the UK. Australia will become just the seventh nation in the world to operate nuclear-powered submarines, after the US, UK, France, China, India and Russia.\nAustralia has reaffirmed it has no intention of obtaining nuclear weapons.\nMeanwhile New Zealand said it would ban Australia's submarines from its waters, in line with an existing policy on the presence of nuclear-powered submarines.\nNew Zealand, although a Five Eyes member, has been more cautious in aligning with either the US or China in the Pacific.\nPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her nation had not been approached to join the pact.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Australia","The UK, US","US","UK"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["The Aukus pact"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["let Australia build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, using technology provided by the US","US","first time"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"New Zealand latest nation to sign space agreement with NASA","document":" New Zealand announced Tuesday it was the latest country to sign a space agreement with NASA, just as New Zealand's nascent space industry begins to take off.\nNew Zealand became the eleventh signatory to the Artemis Accords, a blueprint for space cooperation and supporting the U.S. space agency's plans to return humans to the moon by 2024 and to launch a historic human mission to Mars.\nForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said New Zealand was one of only a handful of nations able to launch rockets into space.\n“New Zealand is committed to ensuring the next phase of space exploration is conducted in a safe, sustainable and transparent manner and in full compliance with international law,” Mahuta said.\nNew Zealand said it's particularly interested in making sure that minerals taken from the moon or elsewhere in space are used sustainably.\nCalifornia-based company Rocket Lab, which specializes in putting small satellites into orbit, made history in New Zealand four years ago when it launched a test rocket into space from the remote Mahia Peninsula. It began commercial launches in 2018.\nRocket Lab founder Peter Beck, a New Zealander, said signing the accords was testament to the country’s growing role in the space industry and opened the door for collaboration and mission opportunities with NASA.\nThere could also soon be a second New Zealand launch site. The government announced Tuesday it was partnering with Indigenous Maori to buy land in the Canterbury region to develop a space launch site.\nEstimates indicate the New Zealand space industry is worth 1.7 billion New Zealand dollars ($1.2 billion) and that space manufacturing generates about NZ$250 million a year.\nNASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement that New Zealand was one of seven nations that helped craft the principles in the accords and he was delighted they had signed up.\n“Outer space is getting crowded,\" Nelson said. “ As more countries establish a presence in outer space, via research stations, satellites, or even rocket launches, these accords provide a set of principles to create a safe and transparent environment that inspires exploration, science, and commercial activities.” The other signatories to the accords are the U.S., Australia, Britain, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and Ukraine. Brazil also said it plans to sign. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["New Zealand","NASA"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Artemis Accords"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a blueprint for space cooperation and supporting the U.S. space agency's plans to return humans to the moon by 2024 and to launch a historic human mission to Mars"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"‘South Park’ Creators Sign Massive New $900 Million Deal With ViacomCBS","document":"The creators of “South Park” have signed a new deal with ViacomCBS Inc. that will pay them more than $900 million over the next six years, one of the richest deals in TV history.\nTrey Parker and Matt Stone will use the money to make new episodes of “South Park” for Viacom’s Comedy Central network and to create several spinoff movies for the company’s Paramount+ streaming service, the parties said Thursday. Their first project under the new deal will be a movie set in the world of “South Park” that will debut some time before the end of the year.\nThe deal with Parker and Stone is the clearest sign yet of ViacomCBS’s growing commitment to Paramount+. The streaming service trails the likes of Netflix and Disney+, but has added millions of subscribers since it  rebranded in March. ViacomCBS is looking to the addition of “South Park” movies to accelerate its growth. The series remains the most popular TV show on Comedy Central.\nChris McCarthy, president and chief executive officer of the MTV Entertainment Group, approached Parker and Stone about extending their deal with Comedy Central and getting some “South Park” programming that would be exclusive to Paramount+. The company’s current strategy is to use its biggest hits on cable to lure customers to its streaming services. Earlier this year, McCarthy signed a new deal with Taylor Sheridan, the creator of the hit cable show “Yellowstone,” to create a spinoff show that will stream on Paramount+. \nAt the end of June, ViacomCBS had more than 42 million subscribers across its streaming services, which include Paramount+, BET+ and Showtime.\nAs giant media and technology companies compete in the streaming wars, the value of franchises like “South Park” has soared to record heights. Few, if any, production teams have managed to capitalize on the changes in the home entertainment landscape better than Parker and Stone, who own 50% of all online rights to the show.\nTheir new deal, which runs through 2027, covers six more cycles of “South Park” and includes 14 made-for-streaming movies. \n“We did a ‘South Park’ movie in 1999, and we’ve never done another one because the show has been so satisfying,” Stone said in an interview from his home in New York. “Now we’re older, and the idea of what streaming movies can be is pretty promising.”\nWhen Parker and Stone first created “South Park,” based on a short film they made in college, they were nervous that nobody would watch — or, alternately, that they’d be run out of town due to its outlandish humor. But the show, which debuted in 1997, was an instant hit, delivering millions of viewers and putting Comedy Central on the map. By the third season, they had stopped getting any notes from the network on how to improve it. \n“We do whatever we want, and they are pretty supportive of it,” Stone said. “We’re the luckiest guys in TV in that way.”\n“South Park” has now been on the air for 24 years, making it one of the longest-running series in TV history, outliving every program on Comedy Central except for “The Daily Show.” Along the way, Parker and Stone have maintained the quality of the series, not to mention their sanity, in part, by sticking to a schedule. They only make between 6 to 10 episodes a year. Each season is produced over the course of a few months in Los Angeles. \nThe onset of the pandemic upended their routine. Last year, Parker and Stone didn’t produce a new season of “South Park.” They did manage to produce a pair of specials, which inspired them to think through some bigger ideas for “South Park.” They hadn’t made a movie since 2004’s “Team America: World Police.” But what if they made a bunch of longer-form “South Park” episodes? Stone is reluctant to use the phrase “cinematic universe,” a term worn thin by Marvel and its many imitators. But, in many ways, that is what  Parker and Stone are now creating. The coming Paramount+ movies will expand on the existing world of “South Park” and introduce new concepts and characters. \nParker and Stone have always seen themselves as part independent filmmakers, part entrepreneurs. Early on, they were quick to recognize the power of the internet. While negotiating a new deal with Viacom in 2007, Parker and Stone proposed creating a website where fans could watch recent episodes of the show for free. Stone credits the resulting site, South Park Studios, with keeping their young fan base engaged while also curbing piracy.\nAs part of that arrangement, negotiated by their long-time lawyer Kevin Morris, Parker and Stone secured a 50% stake in all future online deals for the show. Their stake, once worth pennies, is the basis of Park Country, a company which they own outright, that is now valued at more than $1 billion. \nParker and Stone eventually shut down South Park Studios when Viacom licensed the streaming rights for the show to Hulu in an $87.5 million deal. Hulu later reupped that agreement for about $110 million.\nIn 2018, the streaming rights to “South Park” once again came up for auction. At the time, Viacom was in the process of merging with CBS, which operated All Access — the streaming service that would later be rebranded as Paramount+. HBO Max swooped in and outbid All Access, offering $500 million over five years.\nThe deal with HBO Max sent one of Viacom’s most popular shows to one of its fiercest streaming competitors. It also increased the value of the “South Park” library to a level few shows ever reach. \n“That was one of the better things that happened in our financial life,” Stone said. “We took it to market and established its worth. That’s rarely done right now.”\nThe team at Park County is now focused on their next big deal overseas. Over the years, Viacom has licensed the rights to “South Park” to different streaming services in different territories — a hodgepodge of arrangements that currently generates more than $10 million a year in sales. Park County’s chief financial officer, Keith Pizzi, is aiming to consolidate everything in one massive overall deal for the international streaming rights.  \nEarlier this year, Stone and Parker established a $600 million credit facility with HPS Investment Partners LLC that appraised their library at close to $1 billion, according to people familiar with the terms of the deal. In addition to the movies for Paramount+, Parker and Stone are going to use that money to invest in a wide range of creative endeavors, including a documentary series, a weed company and a 3D video game that is set in the world of “South Park.” \nStone and Parker are also currently building a team of “deep fake artists,” who specialize in creating media in which an image that looks like a real person is inserted into an existing video clip. They have spent the past couple of years working on a “deep fake” movie, one of several films they have in development, including a musical.  \n“‘South Park’ pays the bills and then some,” Stone said. “Trey and I have used that to pay for other stuff we want to do.”\nStone said the long-term plan is to sell their stake in “South Park,” as well as other assets like “The Book of Mormon.”  In the current frenzied market, such a package would likely fetch a high price. Recently, Reese Witherspoon sold a majority stake in her production company Hello Sunshine to a new firm run by former top Walt Disney Co. executives in a deal valued at about $900 million — without any assets on par with “South Park” changing hands. \n“We’re proud of the fact that years ago we said, ‘Let’s put the show online and build that audience,’” Stone said. “What a great time to be an independent dealer. This is something we’ve worked on a long time, and life did come our way.”","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The creators of “South Park”","ViacomCBS Inc"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["over the next six years"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["use the money to make new episodes of “South Park” for Viacom’s Comedy Central network and to create several spinoff movies for the company’s Paramount+ streaming service"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"With An Eye To History, Biden And Johnson Try To Rekindle The 'Special Relationship'","document":" British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Biden talk Thursday during a meeting in Carbis Bay, England, as they look over copies of the original Atlantic Charter from 1941.\n \n \nBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Biden talk Thursday during a meeting in Carbis Bay, England, as they look over copies of the original Atlantic Charter from 1941.\nIn their first face-to-face meeting, President Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed a 21st century version of the historic Atlantic Charter, an attempt to depict their countries as the chief global leaders taking on the world's biggest challenges. The two leaders pledged to work \"closely with all partners who share our democratic values\" and to counter \"the efforts of those who seek to undermine our alliances and institutions.\" The charter encompasses a commitment to cooperate on climate change, technology and science. It also reaffirms support for NATO while underscoring opposition to election interference and disinformation campaigns. \"We must ensure that democracies – starting with our own – can deliver on solving the critical challenges of our time,\" the document says. By highlighting their similarities as \"democracies,\" the two are trying to create a clear contrast with Russia and China. The document is a symbolic nod to the original Atlantic Charter signed in 1941 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. That document was a blueprint for emerging from World War II, and included a set of common principles, such as liberalized trade, labor standards and commitments to restore self-government to countries that had been occupied.\nBiden has often spoken of his presidency in grand historic terms, and he's repeatedly praised Roosevelt as a role model for his time in the White House. Likewise, Johnson sees Churchill as a personal idol and has even written a book about him.\nThis new charter comes not after a world war but a pandemic, and it is attempting to clarify what the coming decades can and should look like from the two leaders' shared perspectives, officials said. Signing this charter signals a renewal of the historic \"special relationship,\" a phrase Churchill coined to describe the depth of ties between the two democracies.\nBefore the two men signed this new Atlantic Charter, they viewed a copy of the original document, under glass, as reporters looked on. The rest of their meeting was behind closed doors. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard a ship off Newfoundland in 1941, where they signed the original Atlantic Charter.\n Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images\n hide caption\nPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard a ship off Newfoundland in 1941, where they signed the original Atlantic Charter.\nFirst impressions\nRoosevelt and Churchill forged a deep wartime friendship that some historians now say \"saved the world.\" There have been plenty of questions about how \"special\" (or not special) the personal relationship between Biden and Johnson might be. Before Thursday's meeting in Cornwall ahead of the Group of Seven summit, the two men had never met in person. And yet first impressions had already been made. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden mocked Johnson at a fundraiser, calling him as a \"physical and emotional clone\" of former President Donald Trump. Biden opposed the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. Johnson championed Brexit, and eventually shepherded it through Parliament. Biden wants to rebuild America's global alliances. Johnson is seen as the embodiment of nationalist populist politics. Biden ran for president as an explicit rebuke of Trump. Johnson was known for being particularly chummy with the former president, who once admiringly called him \"Britain Trump.\" Trump, and some political observers, saw Brexit in a similar vein to Trump's \"America First\" philosophy. Still, the first European leader Biden spoke with after his inauguration was Johnson, who was quick to acknowledge the president's victory at a time when his old friend Trump was bitterly fighting it.\nNational security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters this week that Biden and Johnson have had a couple of phone calls, and he described those conversations as \"warm\" and \"constructive.\" \"They've been very much down to business,\" he said.\nNorthern Ireland, trade deal in focus\nStill, the two men aren't starting from a clean slate. Last year, during the presidential campaign, Biden warned that a post-Brexit, U.S.-U.K. free trade deal could be in jeopardy if peace in Northern Ireland became a \"casualty\" of Brexit. We can’t allow the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit.Any trade deal between the U.S. and U.K. must be contingent upon respect for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. Period. https://t.co/Ecu9jPrcHL\nOne side effect of Brexit has been renewed tension in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, which finally left the EU this year. The Republic of Ireland remains part of the EU.\nAs part of a deal to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland in the aftermath of a Brexit, a customs border has been created, dividing Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom. In April, that helped trigger some of the worst riots the region has witnessed in years. Biden, who often talks about his Irish heritage, has warned he would scrap any trade deal if Britain damages the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace to the region after decades of violence. The EU hopes Biden can press Johnson to abide by his government's agreement to institute the required customs checks along the border. Johnson is eager to cut a free trade deal with the United States. Although such a deal is not expected to be especially lucrative — trade barriers between the two countries are already low – it would boost Johnson's prestige and help him fulfill his promise to British voters that leaving the EU would free the United Kingdom to make new trade agreements with major economies.\nPandemic recovery, climate change A U.K.-U.S. trade deal is not particularly high on Biden's agenda. There are other issues, such as pandemic recovery and climate change, that are of importance to Biden — issues where the two men are expected to find significant common ground.\nJohnson welcomed Biden's decision to rejoin the Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization. Trump had abandoned both. After Biden left his meeting with Johnson, the president announced a new donation of COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries, and said the G7 would have more announcements to make on the issue on Friday.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["British Prime Minister Boris Johnson","President Biden"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The charter encompasses a commitment to cooperate on climate change, technology and science. It also reaffirms support for NATO while underscoring opposition to election interference and disinformation campaigns"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"George Springer Reaches $150 Million Deal With Toronto","document":"\nGeorge Springer will not be coming to Queens. The star center fielder, seen by many as the jewel of this season’s free-agent class, reached an agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday for a six-year, $150 million contract.\nThe deal, which is pending a physical, was confirmed by a person in baseball with knowledge of the agreement who was not authorized to speak publicly.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["George Springer","the Toronto Blue Jays"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["six-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"India, U.S. signed co-development agreement for Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: Defence Ministry","document":"\n  India and the United States had signed a Project Agreement (PA) in the end of July for Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (ALUAV) under the ambit of the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), the Defence Ministry said on Friday.\nThe PA was signed between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and U.S. Department of Defence (DoD) by the co-chairs of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Air Systems, under the DTTI on July 30.\n“The PA outlines the collaboration between Air Force Research Laboratory, Indian Air Force, and Defence Research and Development Organisation towards design, development, demonstration, testing and evaluation of systems to co-develop an ALUAV prototype,” a Ministry statement said. The PA for the ALUAV fell under the Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation Memorandum of Agreement between MoD and U.S. DoD, which was first signed in January 2006 and renewed in January 2015, the statement said. It was a significant step towards deepening defence technology collaboration between the two nations through co-development of defence equipment, it stated.\nThe main aim of the DTTI is to bring sustained leadership focus to promote collaborative technology exchange and create opportunities for co-production and co-development of future technologies for Indian and U.S. military forces. Under the DTTI, Joint Working Groups on land, naval, air, and aircraft carrier technologies have been established for focus on mutually agreed projects in respective domains.\nThe Aeronautical Development Establishment at the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Aerospace Systems Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory, along with the Indian and U.S. Air Forces, were the principal organisations for the execution of the PA, the statement added.\nThe DTTI was announced in 2012 as an ambitious initiative for co-production and co-development of military systems but has never really taken off despite several efforts.\nIn October 2019, as part of efforts to revive the DTTI the two sides had agreed on a joint statement of intent to deepen defence technology cooperation which also outlined specific short, middle and long-term projects under the DTTI, while the JWG on jet engine cooperation was suspended.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["India","the United States"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["Project Agreement (PA)","PA"]},{"role":"Date","values":["July 30"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The PA outlines the collaboration between Air Force Research Laboratory, Indian Air Force, and Defence Research and Development Organisation towards design, development, demonstration, testing and evaluation of systems to co-develop an ALUAV prototype"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FC Barcelona sign Sergio 'Kun' Agüero","document":"FC Barcelona and Sergio ‘Kun’ Agüero have reached an agreement for the player to join the Club from 1 July when his contract with Manchester City expires. \nThe player will sign a contract until the end of the 2022/23 season and his buy out clause is set at 100 million euros. \n'Kun' Agüero's presentation will take place on Monday with the following agenda (all times CEST): \nYou can follow the presentation of Barça's latest signing all over the world on Barça TV+ from 6.15pm. \nBorn in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 2 June 1988,  Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo comes to Barça to keep on doing what he has always done: score goals. At the age of 15 years and 35 days he became the youngest player ever to play in the Argentine First Division with Club Atlético Independiente. A move to Europe saw the striker triumph first at Atlético Madrid in La Liga before moving to Manchester City where he set all kinds of goalscoring records.  \nAgüero played his last game for Manchester City, appearance number 390, in the recent Champions League final against Chelsea in Porto.\nAfter 10 seasons with the Premier League, he leaves a lengend as the club's all time top scorer and as the foreign player with most goals in the Premier League. \nIn total with Manchester City he scored 260 goals, created 74 assists and won 15 trophies - 5 Premier League titles, 1 FA Cup, 6 League Cups and 3 Community Shields, the Premier League's version of the Super Cup. \nOn an international level, Agüero was part of the Argentine U-20 World Cup winning squads in 2005 and 2007 as well as winning an Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008 alongside Leo Messi. \nBarça will not be his first experience of playing in La Liga. In 2006 he left Independiente for Atlético Madrid and quickly made his name as one of the best strikers in Europe, winning a Europa League title in 2010, the UEFA Super Cup in 2011 before adding to his collection of honours in England with Manchester City. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Sergio ‘Kun’ Agüero"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["until the end of the 2022/23 season"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["1 July"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["FC Barcelona","the player to join the Club from 1 July when his contract with Manchester City expires"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Signing of the RCEP and the Future Asian Order","document":"After multiple stumbles, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was finally signed in November 2020. It has been a long journey to this point, starting about 8 years ago with the announcement that negotiations would commence. Ultimately, India did not participate, but with 15 signatories this is an enormous free trade agreement that represents roughly 30 percent of the world’s GDP and population.\nWith a rise in global protectionism during the COVID-19 crisis, the signing of the RCEP itself sends a significant political message from East Asia: a commitment to preserving the free and open economic order and trade systems. The agreement can also be interpreted as signifying a continuing faith in globalization as a path to national development. Finally, the timing of the signing – immediately after the United States presidential election – could be seen as an attempt by East Asia to show support for a free economic order irrespective of the outcome of the election.\nRCEP is an experiment in “ASEAN-centered” economic integration, which seeks to build on the networks formed by the ASEAN+1 FTAs in the 2000s. The agreement does much to support the feasibility of the ASEAN-centered approach.\nRCEP encompasses 15 fields, and contains an important milestone in the establishment of common rules and standards for economic activity. Agreements to reduce tariffs related to trade in goods in a wide range of fields are eye-catching, and will surely encourage progress in customs procedures, trade facilitation and rules of origin along with interregional trade.\nEven more significant is that common rules were finally established in areas where they did not previously cover all ASEAN countries or did not involve countries such as China, specifically in competition, government procurement and electronic commerce. It is true that the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (or CPTPP) has established common rules for fields that are not part of RCEP, including state-owned enterprises, labor, and the environment, but China and Korea are not part of the CPTPP, while only Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam participate in that agreement from among ASEAN countries.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["15 signatories"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)","RCEP"]},{"role":"Date","values":["November 2020"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a commitment to preserving the free and open economic order and trade systems","be interpreted as signifying a continuing faith in globalization as a path to national development"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes agree to 10-year, $503M extension","document":"Kansas City will get to watch Patrick Mahomes sling the pigskin for the next dozen seasons.\nThe Chiefs and the quarterback reached an agreement on a 10-year contract extension that will keep the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player in K.C. through the 2031 season, NFL Network's Michael Silver reported, per a source informed of the deal. It is worth a colossal $503 million with $477 million in guarantee mechanisms which gives Mahomes the ability to have outs if the mechanisms are not exercised, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported.\nIt is the largest contract in sports history as Mahomes becomes the first athlete with a half-billion-dollar contract and the first NFL player to be the highest-paid athlete in the sports world.\nYears   Total Value\nNFL Patrick Mahomes   * *10    * *$450.0M\nBOX Floyd Mayweather    2.5     $450.0M\nMLB Mike Trout          12      $426.5M\nBOX Canelo Alvarez      5       $365.0M\nMLB Bryce Harper        13     $330.0M\nMLB Giancarlo Stanton   13      $325.0M\nMLB Gerrit Cole         9       $324.0M\nMLB Manny Machado       10      $300.0M\n-----\nThe Chiefs later made the extension official.\nThe Chiefs' all-world quarterback gets $450 million \"in so-called new money\" over the 10-year extension, Pelissero clarified, in addition to the $28 million covered by the two remaining years on his rookie contract. Mahomes, the No. 10 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, will get a $10 million signing bonus, then has large roster bonuses on a rolling guaranteed basis in future years, which includes a massive $49.4 million bonus due in 2026, Pelissero explained. There is also $25 million in incentives tied to winning the MVP and reaching the Super Bowl starting in the 2022 season. Upon signing, Mahomes gets just more than $63 million and just north of $103 million by March, Pelissero outlined. The contract leaves the Chiefs with a lot of short-term flexibility as nearly the whole deal is conditionally guaranteed, Pelissero said. Per Rapoport, by March, there is no trade clause in the deal.\nESPN first reported the extension news.\nMahomes tweeted out a reaction video that ended with: \"And we're staying together … for a long time. We're chasing a dynasty.\"\nAs expected, the contract will make the 2018 NFL MVP the richest player in league history and the NFL world reacted in appreciation and amazement.\n\"I've had the privilege of coaching a lot of incredible athletes and special people in my career, and Patrick is without question on that list of players.\" Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said in the team statement. \"The best part is he's still early in his career. He's a natural leader and always grinding, whether that's on the field, in the weight room or watching film, he wants to be the best. He's a competitor and his teammates feed off his energy. He makes us all better as an organization and we are blessed he's going to be our quarterback for years to come.\"\nA 10-year agreement is nearly unheard of in the current era of free agency when some players are signing shorter deals to get more bites at the free-agent apple -- think Kirk Cousins in Minnesota.\nThe deal comes before training camp, which was the desire for the Chiefs and Mahomes, according to NFL Network's James Palmer.\nIt is a deal largely unlike any before it.\nSince 2000, Brett Favre ($100 million in 2001), Drew Bledsoe ($103M, 2001), Daunte Culpepper ($102M, 2003) and Michael Vick ($130M, 2004) have signed 10-year contracts, per NFL Research. Donovan McNabb inked a 12-year deal worth $115 million in 2002. Among current active contracts, Mahomes' 10-year extension bests Tyron Smith's eight-year deal in Dallas (14 others are tied with six-year pacts).\nAfter famously sitting his first season, Mahomes has set the NFL on fire the past two years, earning two Pro Bowl bids, first-team All-Pro honors in 2018, the NFL MVP, the Super Bowl MVP and a Lombardi Trophy. In just two seasons as a starter, Mahomes already has made more \"OH MY Gooooooodness, did he just do THAT?!?\" plays that some quarterbacks make in an entire career.\nMahomes averages 302.4 passing yards per game, including playoffs, the most in NFL history, per NFL Research. The youngest player to win the Super Bowl MVP also currently enjoys the highest passer rating in NFL history at 108.9 (No. 2 on the list is Aaron Rodgers at 102.4). In 2018, Mahomes joined Peyton Manning (2013) as the only two players in NFL history to post 5,000 passing yards and 50-plus TDs in a season. Mahomes has 9,412 pass yards in 31 career regular-season starts (the most among players in first 31 starts since 1950).\nThe Chiefs have led the NFL with 31.2 points per game since Mahomes became the starter and also rank No. 1 in yards per play (6.5) and third-down percentage (47.4) since his promotion.\nMahomes' new deal puts a stamp on the fact that the Chiefs quarterback is the new face of the NFL along with other young signal-callers like Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson. Mahomes is a player who can make every throw look easy, has a rocket for an arm that makes SpaceX researchers jealous, is as intelligent as they come and is the model teammate.\nTurning 25 in September, Mahomes will be 36 when his new contract ends. In today's NFL, that's considered middle-aged.\nThe Chiefs never shied away from the fact that they'd have to make Mahomes the highest-paid player in NFL history. The team knew what it'd take to ensure a once-in-a-generation talent like Mahomes went nowhere.\nMahomes puts butts in the seats. The Chiefs ensured he'll keep awing fans in K.C. for the next decade-plus.\nSaid Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt in a statement: \"This is a significant moment for our franchise and for the Chiefs Kingdom.\"\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Patrick Mahomes","The Chiefs","Chiefs"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["10-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["extension that will keep the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player in K.C. through the 2031 season","It is worth a colossal $503 million with $477 million in guarantee mechanisms which gives Mahomes the ability to have outs if the mechanisms are not exercised"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Spaceport Cornwall signs agreement with US company","document":"Spaceport Cornwall has signed a memorandum of understanding with a US company to explore future opportunities.\nThe Sierra Nevada Corporation wants to make spaceflight \"globally accessible\".\nIts spaceplane Dream Chaser, run by subsidiary Sierra Space, is designed to launch vertically to low-Earth obit and land on a spaceport or runway.\nMelissa Thorpe, head of Spaceport near Newquay, said she was \"delighted\" to welcome Sierra Space ahead of the G7.\nSpaceport Cornwall is working towards launching the first satellites into space in spring 2022.\nThe Dream Chaser is also designed for multiple reuse, making it a more sustainable system.\nSierra Space has been operating for more than 30 years and supported over 500 space missions\nSierra Nevada Corporation's owner Fatih Ozmen said: \"Sierra Space envisions launching and landing a fleet of Dream Chasers around the world. \"Spaceport Cornwall is an excellent partnership to assist in our endeavour to make space travel globally accessible.\"\nThe deputy chief executive of UK Space Agency, Ian Annett, said: \"This exciting collaboration, enabled by funding provided by the UK Space Agency, will help Spaceport Cornwall realise their ambitions and support the growth of the UK spaceflight industry.\"\nMr Arnett said the sector would help the UK \"predict, mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change\" through satellite technology.\n\"Dream Chaser is a sustainable concept that will bring economic benefits to the UK, create skilled jobs in the sector and ensure the UK thrives in the commercial space age,\" he added.\nMs Thorpe added: \"Satellite technology offers so much hope in combating many of the environmental challenges being discussed here this week, and we're proud to be able to showcase the part Cornwall, and the UK is playing.\"\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Spaceport Cornwall","The Sierra Nevada Corporation","Sierra Nevada Corporation"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["a memorandum of understanding"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["help Spaceport Cornwall realise their ambitions and support the growth of the UK spaceflight industry"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Primera Division: Spain's top women players sign pay agreement","document":"Last updated on 20 February 202020 February 2020.From the section Women's Football\nPlayers in Spain's top women's division have signed a collective agreement on pay and conditions that guarantees them a minimum salary of 16,000 euros (£13,386).\nIt comes after a strike by players in November that saw Primera Division fixtures postponed.\nThe new agreement also secures benefits for the players that include paid holiday and maternity leave.\n\"This is an historic day,\" said Spain's sports minister Irene Lozano.\n\"This collective agreement is very important for players who were worried about their future.\n\"It's also important for all Spanish women because when one group of people makes advances then so does everyone else.\"\nRuben Alcaine, president of the Association of Women's Football Clubs, added: \"This is a moment to celebrate.\"\n Follow one of the UK’s biggest ever police investigations into the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["section Women's Football\nPlayers","Players in Spain's top women's division"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["a collective agreement","collective agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["pay and conditions that guarantees them a minimum salary","secures benefits for the players"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Philippines and Kuwait sign agreement on workers' rights","document":"A bitter dispute between Kuwait and the Philippines over the treatment of domestic workers is set to end with the signing of a new agreement.\nPhilippine President Rodrigo Duterte had banned workers travelling to Kuwait amid allegations of abuse.\nPublic outrage followed the murder of a young maid whose body was found in a Kuwaiti apartment freezer in February.\nThe resulting diplomatic row resulted in the expulsion of an ambassador and the arrest of embassy employees.\nAbout 260,000 Philippine citizens live and work in Kuwait, most as domestic servants.\nA copy of the agreement seen by AFP news agency reportedly includes the right for workers to keep their passports and mobile phones, which are routinely confiscated by employers in Kuwait and other Gulf states.\nWorkers would be guaranteed food, housing, clothing and health insurance - and employment contracts would be renewed only with approval from Philippine officials, AFP said.\nSpeaking after the signing of the new agreement on Friday, Philippine officials said a new ambassador would be appointed to Kuwait and would advise President Duterte to lift his ban on workers travelling to the country.\n\"I think the crisis is over. We will move on with the bilateral relations and we will resume normal ties with Kuwait,\" an official told AFP.\nMillions of Filipina maids and other domestic workers travel abroad and send money home to their families. Moving abroad to work is so common that the government runs academies to train people in skills for foreign service industries.\nStories of abuse, however, remain common. The death of Joanna Demafelis, a 29-year-old maid, was one cause of the diplomatic crisis.\nShe was found dead in a freezer in her employer's apartment in February, more than a year after she was reported missing, with signs of torture.\nHer employers, a married couple, were found after an extensive search aided by Interpol. Both have been sentenced to death in absentia in Kuwait, which has requested their extradition from Lebanon and Syria where they are being separately detained.\nThe spat between the two nations reached new highs in April, when Kuwait expelled the Philippine ambassador over video showing embassy staff \"rescuing\" workers allegedly abused by their employers.\nKuwait called the actions \"smuggling\" and a violation of its laws, and arrested employees of the Philippine embassy. It said it would \"chase down\" those responsible and put them on trial.\nIt also recalled its own ambassador to the Philippines - which the Philippines only discovered when it summoned him to protest against the treatment of its citizens in Kuwait.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Kuwait","Philippines"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the right for workers to keep their passports and mobile phones","Workers would be guaranteed food, housing, clothing and health insurance - and employment contracts would be renewed only with approval from Philippine officials"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"University and Cairngorms National Park sign agreement","document":"The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) have signed an agreement to work together.\nThe organisations said the new memorandum of understanding formalised a long-standing relationship.\nUHI and CNPA said areas they worked together on include forestry, land use and conservation and outdoor pursuits.\nUHI principal Prof Clive Mulholland and CNPA chief executive Grant Moir signed the agreement.\nThe national park covers parts of the Highlands, north east Scotland and Perthshire.\nProf Mulholland said: \"We are excited to be formalising and extending our relationship with the Cairngorms National Park Authority. \"The national park has an international reputation as a tourist destination and for its nature conservation and there are many links between our aims, specialism and challenges. \"We look forward to working together to maximise the opportunities for those living, working and visiting the national park and the Highlands and Islands region.\" Mr Moir added: \"There are already numerous connections between the Cairngorms National Park and the University of the Highlands and Islands and we are delighted to be strengthening our relationship in this way. \"Many areas of the university's research are directly relevant to management challenges here in the Cairngorms and, in turn, the national park provides a fantastic learning resource for students at the university.\"\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI)","UHI","the Highlands and Islands","the University of the Highlands and Islands","Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA)","CNPA","Cairngorms National Park Authority"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["they worked together on include forestry, land use and conservation and outdoor pursuits"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"UK and South Korea sign 'continuity' trade agreement","document":"The UK has signed a \"continuity\" trade agreement with South Korea, allowing businesses to keep trading freely after Brexit.\nInternational Trade Secretary Liz Truss signed the agreement with her South Korean counterpart Yoo Myung-hee in London.\nThe two countries agreed to a preliminary deal in June, marking the first post-Brexit deal secured in Asia. Trade between the UK and South Korea totalled £14.6bn ($17.7bn) in 2018.\nThe agreement is roughly in line with the terms of the existing Korea-EU free trade deal. The UK has sought to secure agreements with its trading partners as it prepares to leave the European Union in October.\n\"My priority is to make sure that British businesses are fully prepared for Brexit and ready to trade on Thursday 31 October,\" Ms Truss said in a statement. Ms Yoo said the agreement would \"remove much Brexit uncertainty\" from the economic partnership between the two countries. South Korea is a global leader in electronics, steel and the auto industry, and its exports to the UK reached £5.2bn last year.\nAsia's fourth largest economy exports mostly cars and ships to Britain, while it imports crude oil, cars and whisky.\nMs Truss said the agreement would allow firms such as luxury carmaker Bentley to \"keep trading as they do today, and they will be able to take advantage of the opportunities that Brexit offers\". Warren Clarke, Bentley brand manager for South Korea welcomed the \"stability\" brought by the deal.\n\"As the first luxury car brand to enter the market in 2006 Bentley Motors sees South Korea as very significant to our future business plans.\"\nThe UK is pushing to reach agreements with its trading partners as the Brexit deadline looms.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["South Korea","South Korean counterpart Yoo Myung-hee in London","The UK","UK","International Trade Secretary Liz Truss"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["a \"continuity\" trade agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["allowing businesses to keep trading freely after Brexit","remove much Brexit uncertainty\" from the economic partnership between the two countries"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Hakim Ziyech: Chelsea reach agreement to sign Ajax winger","document":"Last updated on 13 February 202013 February 2020.From the section Chelsea\nChelsea have reached an agreement with Ajax to sign the Dutch club's winger Hakim Ziyech this summer.\nThe 26-year-old was a January transfer target for Chelsea boss Frank Lampard.\nAjax were unwilling to sell the Morocco international in the transfer window as they chase the Eredevisie title.\nAjax have confirmedexternal-link they have accepted a fee of 40m euros (£33.3m) - potentially rising to 44m euros (£36.6m) - with the move subject to Ziyech agreeing personal terms.\nThe signing is the first by Lampard following Chelsea's transfer ban. The Premier League side were linked with a number of signings in January, including Paris St-Germain forward Edinson Cavani and Napoli striker Dries Mertens.\nLampard's apparent frustration with a lack of new arrivals is understood to have stemmed from clubs refusing to sell rather than any problems with Chelsea's recruitment strategy. Ziyech contributed to three Ajax goals in a 4-4 draw against Chelsea during their Champions League group game in November.\nThe most memorable came when the winger's free-kick from near the corner flag curled over Kepa Arrizabalaga's head and hit the far post before rebounding in off the Chelsea goalkeeper for an own goal. Ziyech played the final 10 minutes of Ajax's 3-0 win against Vitesse in the Dutch Cup on Wednesday, as he returned from a calf injury.\nAfter the game, Ajax boss Erik ten Hag said:external-link \"I am not surprised by the news about Ziyech. I know that our players are very popular with the big clubs in Europe. That is just great.\n\"I have known for a long time what Hakim wants. He has a picture in mind. He knows exactly which clubs he finds interesting and which not. Chelsea is a fantastic club. When it is final, I am very happy for Hakim, and I am very proud of it.\"\n ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Chelsea","Ajax"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["this summer"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["sign the Dutch club's winger Hakim Ziyech"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Newsround","document":"The first big agreement at the COP26 conference in Glasgow will be signed today, and it's all about forests.\nMore than 100 countries are going to pledge on Tuesday to end deforestation by 2030. Deforestation is when trees are pulled down for materials, or to make space for farming or houses. $14 billion is being provided in public and private funds to help meet this target. This money will go towards restoring already damaged land, tackling wildfires and supporting indigenous communities who rely on the rainforests for food and medicine.\nYour big guide to COP26\nCOP26: What, where, when?\nClimate change: What is it?\nThe world leaders signing the agreement represent 85% of the Earth's forests. Some of the countries involved include Brazil, Russia, Canada, Colombia, China, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is calling it a \"landmark agreement\" at the Glaswegian climate conference on Tuesday saying: \"These great teeming ecosystems - these cathedrals of nature - are the lungs of our planet.\" Threats to the rainforest from businesses and farming Deforestation of the rainforest Professor Simon Lewis, an expert on climate and forests at University College London, welcomed the new commitment, but told the BBC the world \"has been here before\". He warned a previous deal made in New York in 2014 had \"failed to slow deforestation at all\" - although fewer countries signed up to that.\nDr Sizer, a former president of the Rainforest Alliance, said that while this deal is good news, some might find the 2030 target a bit long: \"We're facing a climate emergency so giving ourselves another 10 years to address this problem doesn't quite seem consistent with that.\" Campaigners say deforestation is happening at an alarming rate - in fact, in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, an area the size of a football pitch is cleared of trees every minute.\nForests play a key role in the fight against climate change. This is because they take in the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, and convert it into oxygen. This prevents CO2 from reaching our atmosphere, which means it can't trap heat and warm the planet. If you need help understanding the key terms from the conference, click here\nWWF: Forests twice the size of the UK were destroyed in just 13 years, new report says","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["More than 100 countries"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["by 2030"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday","today"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["all about forests","to pledge on Tuesday to end deforestation by 2030"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Formula 1: All teams sign up to sport's new Concorde Agreement","document":"Last updated on 19 August 202019 August 2020.From the section Formula 1\nAll 10 teams have signed up to the new Concorde Agreement which will govern Formula 1 from 2021 to 2025.\nThe contract, which sets out the commercial terms of the sport, was first introduced in 1981.\nFerrari, McLaren and Williams announced their support of the revised terms of racing on Tuesday, with the other seven constructors now following suit.\nWorld champions Mercedes had reached an impasse with F1 over the new proposals, but they have now been resolved.\nThe new deal is designed to end what many consider to be an unfair revenue system, whereby the top teams earn disproportionately more prize money, a system that has created a disparity in competitiveness down the grid and locked in an advantage for Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.\n\"This year has been unprecedented for the world and we are proud that Formula 1 has come together in recent months to return to racing in a safe way,\" F1 chairman Chase Carey said in a statement.\n\"We said earlier in the year that due to the fluid nature of the pandemic, the Concorde Agreement would take additional time to agree and we are pleased that by August we have been able achieve agreement from all 10 teams on the plans for the long-term future of our sport.\"\nCarey added that the new agreement would \"create an environment that is both financially fairer and closes the gaps between teams on the race track\".\nJean Todt, president of motorsport's governing body the FIA, said the announcement marked \"an exciting new chapter\" for the sport.\n\"The conclusion of the new Concorde Agreement between the FIA, Formula 1 and all 10 of the current teams assures a stable future for the FIA Formula 1 World Championship,\" he added.\nMercedes team boss Toto Wolff had previously stated that the German manufacturer would be \"the biggest victim in terms of revenue loss\" but recent talks with Careyexternal-link produced a breakthrough on \"the clarifications that we wanted to achieve\".\nSpeaking on Tuesday, Ferrari chief executive Louis Camilleri said the new deal was \"an important step to ensure the stability and growth of the sport\", while McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said it was \"the right deal at the right time\".\nClaire Williams, deputy team principal of Williams, added: \"This next era will be characterised by closer and more exciting racing as a result of the new platform of regulations, which include more equitable revenue distribution and a first ever cost cap for our sport.\"\n ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["10 teams"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["from 2021 to 2025"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the new Concorde Agreement","new Concorde Agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["August"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["end what many consider to be an unfair revenue system"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Raphael Varane: Man Utd confirm agreement with Real Madrid to sign defender","document":"Last updated on 27 July 202127 July 2021.From the section Man Utdcomments1559\nManchester United have confirmed they have reached an agreement with Real Madrid to sign defender Raphael Varane.\nIt is understood the clubs have agreed an initial fee of £34m, which could rise to £42m, and that Varane, 28, has agreed terms on a four-year contract with the option for another 12 months.\nUnited said the transfer would be completed \"subject to a medical and to player terms being finalised\".\nVarane, a World Cup winner with France, has made 360 appearances for Real.\n\"Real Madrid wants to show all its affection to Raphaal Varane and his family and wishes him good luck in this new stage of his professional career,\" the club said in a statement.\n\"Our club thanks you for your professionalism and exemplary behaviour during the 10 seasons in which you defended our shirt.\"\nVarane, who has 79 caps, will become Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's third signing in this transfer window - following the re-signing of goalkeeper Tom Heaton and the £73m arrival of England winger Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.\nBBC Sport understands Varane will quarantine before having his medical, after which he will complete his move.\nUnited, who agreed a fee with Real on Monday, have been long-term admirers of Varane, whose contract was due to expire next summer.\nFormer boss Sir Alex Ferguson originally pursued a deal for the player before his move to Madrid, and Jose Mourinho was also keen to add the defender to his squad during his time at Old Trafford.\nAfter coming through Lens' academy, Varane broke into the first team at the age of 17, and while he was unable to steer them away from relegation, his performances attracted the attention of some of Europe's top clubs. Despite strong interest from United, Real signed the teenager on a six-year contract in 2011, and he went on to make 15 appearances in all competitions during his first season in Spain as Mourinho's side regained the title. That was the start of Varane's impressive trophy haul during his decade in the Spanish capital. He helped Carlo Ancelotti's side clinch their 10th European title - 'La Decima' - in the 2013-14 season, making seven appearances and partnering Sergio Ramos in the final as they beat Atletico Madrid 4-1 after extra time in Lisbon.\nVarane was also a key figure under compatriot Zinedine Zidane, who replaced Rafael Benitez as manager in January 2016, as Los Blancos secured a hat-trick of Champions League titles from 2016-2018. However, a hamstring injury ruled him out of the 2016 final against Atletico and France's European Championship campaign that summer, which ended in defeat in the final.\nHaving battled injuries during the 2016-17 season, Varane enjoyed arguably his strongest year in 2017-18 as Real beat Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final, before he starred for France at the 2018 World Cup, playing every minute of Les Bleus' triumphant campaign in Russia.\nVarane's performances for club and country during 2017-18 saw him finish seventh in the Ballon d'Or rankings - the highest-placed defender - and he was named in the Uefa Team of the Year. The centre-back has had his share of disappointments too, however, most notably in 2019-20 when his error-strewn display led to Real's Champions League last-16 exit at the hands of Manchester City. Varane also played every minute of France's Euro 2020 campaign, which ended with a last-16 penalty shootout defeat by Switzerland.\nShould the Varane deal be completed as expected, United will have spent just short of £400m on players since Solskjaer was appointed manager on a permanent basis in March 2019.\nThat eclipses the outlay of Manchester City (£298m), Chelsea (£262m), Tottenham (£255m) Arsenal (£243m) and Liverpool (£119m) in the same period, according to Transfermarkt.external-link\nVarane is the fourth defender United have brought in since conceding 54 goals during the 2018-19 Premier League season, after Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Alex Telles. Having acquired Maguire and Wan-Bissaka in the summer of 2019, the Red Devils conceded 36 goals as they finished third in 2019-20.\nThey climbed a place to finish second behind Manchester City last season, letting in 44 goals, 12 more than their neighbours.\nIt is understood any further signings this summer are likely to depend on outgoings.\nBBC Sport's Simon Stone\nThis certainly seems like an excellent deal for Manchester United.\nVarane has precisely the back-story they need to bring leadership and tactical nous to their defence. The experience of starting three Champions League finals victories and a World Cup final win is invaluable in what is a relatively young United squad.\nUnited have been able to exploit a weak transfer market - they were the only realistic option for Varane if he decided to leave Real - and the financial issues affecting all Spain's leading clubs to come up with a deal attractive enough to entice a player of true international quality.\nThe big question for United now is whether they are done in the market this summer.\nThat may well depend on whether Paul Pogba decides to sit out the remaining year of his contract or if he would be willing to accept a lower salary that may be on offer in 12 months' time in order to get a move to PSG.\nAxel Tuanzebe seems the most likely central defender to make way for Varane, potentially on loan to Newcastle, although doubts hang over the futures of Diogo Dalot, Brandon Williams, Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones, who did not make a single appearance last season and has not been involved so far during pre-season games against Derby and QPR.\nBalancing the finances is important for United. However, for the fans, they just want to see Varane in action. Coming so soon after Jadon Sancho's move from Borussia Dortmund was confirmed, optimism around Old Trafford has not been so high for quite some time.\nReal Madrid and Belgium attacker Eden Hazard:external-link \"I've come across some fantastic defenders during my career, such as John Terry and Vincent Kompany. I think that although [Varane] is still young, he's already one of the best centre-backs of all time. His partnership with Sergio Ramos is wonderful.\"\nFormer Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho in 2014:external-link \"I think Varane is the best central defender in the world. He is still young, but I think he's the best.\"\nLiverpool and Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk:external-link \"Sergio Ramos's teammate at Real Madrid, Raphael Varane, is my favourite. He is an excellent defender and has already won a lot.\"\nFrance manager Didier Deschamps:external-link \"When he is 100% fit, he knows how to do everything. He's very strong defensively, he is fast. He has good anticipation. He's never in trouble on the ball. He can score goals at set-pieces. That makes him a complete player.\"\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Real Madrid","Manchester United"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["four-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["sign defender Raphael Varane"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Romelu Lukaku: Inter Milan reach agreement to sign Man Utd striker","document":"Last updated on 8 August 20198 August 2019.From the section Man Utd\nInter Milan have reached an agreement with Manchester United to sign striker Romelu Lukaku for a fee that could rise to 80m euros (£74m).\nIn July, United rejected Inter's £54m bid for Lukaku, who was fined by the club after missing training on Tuesday.\nBelgium international Lukaku, 26, has trained at his former team Anderlecht for the past two days.\nLukaku's agent, Federico Pastorello, flew to London on Wednesday in an attempt to resolve Lukaku's future.\nLater that evening, Pastorello posted a photo on Instagram of them on board a private jet with the caption: \"Ready to take off. Direction Milano.\"\nUnited and Inter Milan had been some way apart in their valuation, with United wanting to recoup at least the £75m they paid Everton two years ago.\nInter and fellow Serie A side Juventus have been competing to sign Lukaku, who did not play in pre-season because of an ankle injury.\nInter manager Antonio Conte - who wanted to sign Lukaku when he was Chelsea boss - has said he remains his number one target, adding: \"I consider him a player who could improve our team.\"\nUnited have an interest in Juventus' Croatian forward Mario Mandzukic, 33, who could reinforce their forward options.\nLukaku moved to United from Everton in 2017 and at the time was only the fourth player to score 80 goals in the Premier League before turning 24 - after Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Wayne Rooney.\nIn his debut season, Lukaku became one of only 11 United players to score 25 goals or more in a campaign since 1992-93. Cantona, Andy Cole and current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (25 each) are among the strikers who never matched Lukaku's 27-goal tally in a United campaign.\nHowever, 26% of his United goals - 11 out of 42 - came in the first two months of his Old Trafford career.\nHe has scored 42 goals in 96 appearances for United but was often overlooked in the second half of last season in favour of England striker Marcus Rashford.\nLukaku's impending departure leaves United with just three established forwards - Rashford, Anthony Martial and Alexis Sanchez - in addition to youngsters Angel Gomes, Mason Greenwood and Tahith Chong.\nUnited have spent £140m this summer on Harry Maguire,Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Inter Milan","Manchester United"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["sign striker Romelu Lukaku for a fee that could rise to 80m euros"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Myanmar ethnic groups sign ceasefire agreement","document":"The government of Myanmar has signed a ceasefire agreement with eight armed ethnic groups, that may end years of fighting around the country's borders.\nThe signing ceremony in the capital Nay Pyi Taw is the result of two years of negotiations. Seven major insurgent groups have refused to sign - saying the deal does not give them the autonomy they were promised when the country became independent almost 70 years ago. Jonah Fisher reports.\nMyanmar groups sign ceasefire pact. Video, 00:02:06Myanmar groups sign ceasefire pact\nUp Next. Myanmar candidate blocked from constituency. Video, 00:02:40Myanmar candidate blocked from constituency\nOn the trail of Myanmar's Rohingya. Video, 00:02:41On the trail of Myanmar's Rohingya\nMyanmar faces fight over constitution. Video, 00:01:47Myanmar faces fight over constitution\nPresident defends Myanmar 'brutality' Video, 00:02:34President defends Myanmar 'brutality'\nThe political sway of Myanmar's monks. Video, 00:03:09The political sway of Myanmar's monks\n'Soldiers killed' in Myanmar clashes. Video, 00:01:30'Soldiers killed' in Myanmar clashes\nOne family, 40 failed border crossings. Video, 00:04:41One family, 40 failed border crossings\nThe students taking the 'world's hardest' exams. Video, 00:04:54The students taking the 'world's hardest' exams\nWhy Mexico is not prepared for the migrant caravan. Video, 00:03:42Why Mexico is not prepared for the migrant caravan\nDoes 3D-printed 'meat' pass the taste test? Video, 00:02:05Does 3D-printed 'meat' pass the taste test?\nCows rescued from storm floods by jet ski. Video, 00:00:47Cows rescued from storm floods by jet ski\nLiverpool bomb witness: 'Am I going to get over this?' Video, 00:02:01Liverpool bomb witness: 'Am I going to get over this?'","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The government of Myanmar","Myanmar","eight armed ethnic groups"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a ceasefire agreement","end years of fighting around the country's borders"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the capital Nay Pyi Taw"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Jersey Police sign agreement with JFSC","document":"The Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC) and the States of Jersey Police have signed an agreement to share information with each other.\nThe memorandum of understanding aims to make the co-operation between the two more formal.\nIt will mean the JFSC tells the police about significant financial crimes that may have been committed.\nAnd the police will tell the commission about breaches to regulatory legislation.\nIn a joint statement, John Harris, Director General of the JFSC and Mike Bowron, Chief Officer of the States of Jersey Police, said: \"The commission and the police have long had a close and fruitful working relationship.\n\"We are therefore delighted to sign this memorandum of understanding which formally puts on record the circumstances in which our organisations will co-operate with each other.\n\"And, in particular, sets out the type of information which we have agreed to pass to each other to assist in the carrying out of our respective functions.\"\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC)","JFSC","the States of Jersey Police"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["share information with each other"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Sepp van den Berg: Liverpool reach agreement to sign defender from PEC Zwolle","document":"\nLiverpool have reached an agreement to sign 17-year-old centre-back Sepp van den Berg from PEC Zwolle for an initial £1.3m.\nThe Netherlands Under-19 international, who was also a target for Ajax, Bayern Munich and PSV Eindhoven, will officially join the Reds on 1 July.\nThe fee for Van den Berg - the Reds' first signing of the summer - could rise to £4.4m depending on add-ons.\nMeanwhile, youth team player Rafael Camacho has joined Sporting for £5m.\nThe 19-year-old Portuguese, who made his first-team debut last season with substitute appearances in the FA Cup at Wolves and at home to Crystal Palace in the Premier League, had turned down the offer of a new contract.\nVan den Berg made 15 appearances for PEC Zwolle in the Dutch top flight last season.\n\"It's just an amazing feeling,\" Van den Berg told the club website.external-link\n\"It is, for me, the biggest club in the world and it's a dream come true. I am really excited.\n\"I've seen what kind of players from the academy grew into the first team here. Of course, the trainer (Jurgen Klopp) is a great guy and one of the reasons they are successful - and also one of the reasons I came here.\"\nLiverpool compare Van den Berg to being at about the same level as Joe Gomez when they signed the defender for £3.5m from Charlton in June 2015.\nEngland international Gomez was a key part of Liverpool's defence last season before injury curtailed his season.\nThe Anfield club see Van den Berg as a player for the long term and, although there is a belief he could be with the first team immediately, the focus initially would be on his development and integration.\n.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Van den Berg","van den Berg","Liverpool"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["sign 17-year-old centre-back Sepp van den Berg from PEC Zwolle for an initial £1.3m"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"US and India sign space agreement","document":"The space agencies of India and the US have signed an agreement on future co-operation at Mars and at Earth.\nThe nations have just put satellites in orbit around the Red Planet, and plan a joint radar spacecraft to study our home world in 2020.\nBut the charter signed by Nasa and the Indian Space Research Organisation will also examine additional opportunities. The agreement was signed by agencies' two leaders at the 65th International Astronautical Congress in Toronto.\nIndia's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also known as Mangalyaan, arrived in orbit at Mars on 24 September to image the planet and study its atmosphere.\nIt was preceded by the American Maven satellite by two days. the US orbiter will also investigate the Mars' atmosphere.\nThe Toronto charter sets up a working group, which, among its activities, will explore ways for the two Red Planet missions to work together. The joint Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar mission (NISAR) will detail land change on Earth. Indian Mars probe sends first images\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the US","US","India"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["future co-operation at Mars and at Earth"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the 65th International Astronautical Congress in Toronto","Toronto"]}]} {"event_trigger":"South Sudan rivals sign ceasefire agreement","document":"Under the deal, signed in a hotel in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the fighting is due to come to an end within 24 hours. In the past week, government forces have recaptured the two main cities under rebel control.\nMore than 500,000 people have been forced from their homes during the month-long conflict.\n\"These two agreements are the ingredients to create an environment for achieving a total peace in my country,\" said Taban Deng, head of the rebel delegation, AFP reports.\nHowever, the South Sudanese government has expressed scepticism over whether the opposition will be able to control all the militias involved in fighting, the BBC's Anne Soy reports.\nEffective monitoring of the truce will be vital once it begins, as tension between the two sides is very high, South Sudan analyst James Copnall says.\nThe talks have now been adjourned and are due to continue on 7 February. What started out as a political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar on 15 December escalated into full-scale conflict, with reports of ethnic killings.\nA ceremony to mark the signing of the agreement on the \"cessation of hostilities and the question of the detainees\" took place at the hotel where the talks were hosted.\nThe agreement is thought to address the issue of 11 detainees whom the rebels wanted freed, and whose fate had previously left the talks deadlocked.\nThis video can not be played\nThe detainees - allies of Mr Machar and prominent political figures from a faction of the governing SPLM party - were taken into custody when Mr Kiir first made the allegations of an attempted coup - which Mr Machar denies.\nThe South Sudanese government had earlier said on its Twitter feed that it envisaged an amnesty for the detainees but only after their cases had been heard in court.\nAnother key rebel demand was for Ugandan troops fighting alongside the government forces to be withdrawn.\nThe question of Uganda's role was not raised during the signing ceremony but members of the rebel delegation said that they would bring up the issue again during the second round of talks, journalist Matthew Newsome told the BBC from Addis Ababa.\nThe US welcomed the deal, calling it a \"critical first step\" and urged both sides to \"fully and swiftly implement the agreement\".\nUK Foreign Secretary William Hague also welcomed the ceasefire and called for an \"inclusive process of national reconciliation\".\nLast week, the UN human rights chief said both government soldiers and rebels had committed atrocities in South Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries.\nMore than 70,000 civilians are seeking shelter at UN bases across South Sudan, and the UN estimates that considerably more than 1,000 have been killed.\nFollowing the outbreak of hostilities, it was agreed to boost the UN force and an extra 5,500 peacekeepers are being deployed to South Sudan, to bring its strength up to 12,500.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["government forces","the rebel delegation","rebel delegation"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the fighting is due to come to an end within 24 hours"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Isle of Man and Lesotho sign tax agreement","document":"The Isle of Man government has signed a tax exchange agreement with the African nation of Lesotho.\nThe agreement signed in September by the island's Treasury Minister and the Acting High Commissioner of Lesotho in the UK came into force this week.\nThe deal is part of the Isle of Man government's ongoing programme to develop closer economic and taxation co-operation with other countries.\nWater and diamonds are Lesotho's main export earners.\nThe Kingdom of Lesotho, a landlocked country, is surrounded by South Africa.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the African nation of Lesotho","Lesotho","The Isle of Man government","the Isle of Man government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["September"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["part of the Isle of Man government's ongoing programme to develop closer economic and taxation co-operation with other countries"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"RFU and Premiership Rugby sign new £225m agreement","document":"\nA new eight-year deal worth more than £225m has been agreed between the Rugby Football Union and Premiership clubs - with England getting more flexibility and greater player access in return.\nClubs will earn more for releasing players for international duty, as well as meeting the English-qualified players target and academy standards.\nEngland will get two more training camps a season and larger elite squad.\n\"This is a true partnership,\" said RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie.\n\"[It is] focused on making English rugby the best in the world for club and country.\"\nThe agreement is worth more than double the previous one, which was signed in 2007, and will give England greater flexibility in selection, with the Elite Player Squad (EPS) expanded from 33 to 45 players, while during core periods 36 players can be selected for camps rather than 33.\nRitchie said England head coach Eddie Jones \"was heavily involved\" in the process and \"is very supportive of the result - Eddie is very happy with the access this gives him to players\".\nIn terms of player welfare, England players who play a certain number of minutes throughout the autumn series will now have a mandatory one weekend rest period over Christmas.\n\"Player welfare, as ever, is a priority for us all, and so further rest periods have been built into the season,\" Ritchie added.\nPremiership clubs will also benefit for the first time if the RFU performs well financially.\nThe first four year payment from the RFU to the clubs is fixed at £112m, but the second four year payment could be higher.\n\"Success for England and the clubs depends on an effective partnership between the RFU and Premiership Rugby on many levels,\" said Premiership Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty.\n\"The significantly increased monies to the Premiership clubs, alongside their own increased TV and commercial revenues, will ensure that Aviva Premiership Rugby continues to go from strength-to-strength.\"\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Premiership clubs","the Rugby Football Union"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["eight-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Clubs will earn more for releasing players for international duty, as well as meeting the English-qualified players target and academy standards","England will get two more training camps a season and larger elite squad"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Thomas Lemar: Atletico Madrid reach 'preliminary agreement' to sign Monaco winger","document":"\nAtletico Madrid have reached a \"preliminary agreement\" to sign Monaco winger Thomas Lemar.\nThe France international - who has spent three seasons with Monaco since arriving from Caen - is in Russia for the World Cup.\nArsenal failed to sign Lemar, 22, in last summer's transfer window, while he was also a £60m target for Liverpool.\n\"Over the next days, both clubs will work to close the agreement for the definitive transfer,\" Atletico said.\nLemar has scored 22 goals in 123 games for Monaco and helped them win Ligue 1 and reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2016-17.\nHe made his France debut in 2016 and has scored three goals in 12 international games.\n ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Atletico Madrid","Thomas Lemar"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["sign Monaco winger Thomas Lemar"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Kenya and Ethiopia sign cross-border agreement","document":"Kenya and Ethiopia have signed a UN-backed trade deal worth $200m (£130m) in a bid to ease cross-border conflict.\nPresident Uhuru Kenyatta and Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn agreed the deal in the border town of Moyale.\nThe deal aims to tackle youth unemployment by creating jobs in the energy, mining and livestock industries. Tensions between rival ethnic groups have risen due to lack of land and water.\nThere was a heavy security presence ahead of the meeting on the Kenya-Ethiopia border.\n\"This is a historic function,\" Kenya's President Kenyatta was quoted as saying. He said a tarmac road would be built by September 2016, linking the two countries' capital cities.\nCross-border raids have forced thousands to flee their homes in recent years.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Kenya","Kenya-Ethiopia","Ethiopia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["to ease cross-border conflict","to tackle youth unemployment by creating jobs in the energy, mining and livestock industries"]},{"role":"Location","values":["in the border town of Moyale"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Guernsey and Hong Kong sign tax agreement","document":"A taxation agreement signed by Guernsey and Hong Kong is an important step in growing business links, Guernsey's chief minister has said.\nDeputy Peter Harwood said it would \"resolve issues relating to potential double taxation\" and \"lead to greater opportunities for new business\".\nSince 2011 Guernsey has signed six of the double taxation agreements.\nRob Gray, director of income tax, said they helped stop people and companies being charged in both jurisdictions.\nDeputy Harwood said one with Luxembourg would be signed shortly.\nLast week the chief minister signed a tax information exchange agreement with the British Virgin Islands - the 41st such accord to be reached.\nA policy council spokesman said: \"This network of agreements covers the majority of G20 countries and EU member states.\"\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Guernsey","Hong Kong"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["resolve issues relating to potential double taxation\" and \"lead to greater opportunities for new business"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"BBC Sport\nfootball","document":"The deal which should secure Crystal Palace's future has been legally agreed and signed by the club's administrator and the new owners, CPFC 2010.\nPalace were saved from liquidation last week when the consortium agreed in principle to buy the Championship outfit and their Selhurst Park ground. \"Each football club has a share in the Football League,\" said the club's administrator Brendan Guilfoyle. \"And in essence we have agreed to transfer that share to the new owners.\" It is hoped completion of the deal will happen by the end of July once the Football League's insolvency policy has been fully complied with and their due diligence completed. Guilfoyle had given the Eagles until 1500 BST on Tuesday, 1 June to reach an agreement with Lloyds Bank or he would start to liquidate the club, but a deal was struck at the 11th hour with CPFC 2010, a consortium headed by Palace fans Steve Parish and Martin Long.\n\"Achieving this sale has been a balancing act between four parties - the stadium administrator, the secured creditor Agilo, other creditors and the Football League who need to be satisfied that the deal meets their requirements,\" Guilfoyle added. Palace avoided relegation from the Championship on the final day of the season with a 2-2 draw at Sheffield Wednesday that condemned the Owls to League One. The club was docked 10 points for going into administration in January before then manager Neil Warnock left to join QPR and star striker Victor Moses was sold to Wigan. Guilfoyle's main job on taking over at the ailing club was to secure funding for the costs of the administration to run the club while at the same time looking for buyers to agree a sale. Agilo agreed to fund the running costs with a cash injection of £1m, despite already being owed £4.5m by the club, while Guilfoyle also admitted he had reduced his own fees to boost the deal. \"All the parties in this deal have recognised they will be paid back more if they can find a rescue deal that works, rather than shutting down the club forever. We and our lawyers have played our own part by reducing our fees to enable the deal to go through.\"","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["CPFC 2010","Crystal Palace"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["agreed in principle to buy the Championship outfit and their Selhurst Park ground","Guilfoyle's main job on taking over at the ailing club was to secure funding for the costs of the administration to run the club while at the same time looking for buyers to agree a sale. Agilo agreed to fund the running costs with a cash injection of £1m, despite already being owed £4.5m by the club, while Guilfoyle also admitted he had reduced his own fees to boost the deal"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"East Midlands police sign collaboration agreement","document":"Five East Midlands police forces have signed a formal agreement to share resources, aimed at saving £26m over four years.\nThe move will see the East Midlands Counter Terrorism Intelligence Unit (CTIU) combined with force special branches.\nA new major crime unit is being created and the East Midlands Special Operations Unit expanded. Police said the move would help provide an integrated response in the region. The crime units in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire will be centrally led and co-ordinated, but continue to be locally delivered.\nThe collaboration, which began last September, is being gradually phased in over a number of months.\nAll five forces' chief constables and police authority chairmen signed a formal agreement, which sets out the terms of the collaboration.\nPolice said the savings would be made by reducing the number of people dedicated to major crimes in the region from 315 to about 230, while those working on serious organised crime will fall from 350 to about 250.\nOfficers will be redeployed to their local forces but there will be an unknown number of civilian redundancies, said police.\nDeirdre Newham, chairman of the East Midlands Police Authorities' joint committee, said: \"Collaboration between police forces in the East Midlands presents a real opportunity to reshape our business.\n\"It will enable us to deliver the best possible police service, whilst making savings.\" Chief Constable Mick Creedon, of Derbyshire Police, who leads the specialist crime collaboration on behalf of the five forces, said: \"We are already seeing the benefits of creating the country's largest multi-force crime unit.\n\"The results during the first few months of operation have had a significant impact on crime in the East Midlands.\" Police said that since the creation of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit - Major Crime in September 2011, the unit has dealt with 31 new inquires, including more than 20 murders and an investigation into the death of two girls in a Northampton nightclub. Police collaborate to save £26m\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Five East Midlands police forces"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["last September"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["share resources, aimed at saving £26m over four years","help provide an integrated response in the region"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Guildford and Redhill hospitals sign radiotherapy agreement","document":"Cancer patients in Surrey will have a greater choice over where they receive radiotherapy treatment following a £10m agreement between two hospital trusts.\nFrom the end of 2013, patients who are currently treated at The Royal Surrey County Hospital, in Guildford, will be able to use East Surrey Hospital, in Redhill.\nIt is hoped the new facility will shorten journey times for patients.\nReigate and Banstead Borough Council are now considering the plans.\nMichael Wilson, who is the chief executive of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospital in Redhill, said: \"This is good news for patients living in Surrey and Sussex as it will provide care closer to home. \"It is also an example of how by working in partnership with other hospitals we are securing the future of hospital services on this site.\"\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["East Surrey Hospital, in Redhill","Redhill","The Royal Surrey County Hospital, in Guildford"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["have a greater choice over where they receive radiotherapy treatment","new facility will shorten journey times for patients"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Jamel Herring signs advisory agreement with Carl Frampton's management company","document":"Last updated on 13 September 202013 September 2020.From the section Boxing\nWBO super-featherweight world champion Jamel Herring has entered an advisory agreement with the management company that looks after Carl Frampton.\nThe American and Belfast boxers are expected to fight each other this year for Herring's world title.\nMTK Global vice-president Jamie Conlan said the Herring-Frampton bout is one that the company will be \"committed to fulfilling\".\nHerring successfully defended his title against Jonathan Oquendo last week. Oquendo was disqualified by referee Tony Weeks at the end of round eight in Las Vegas for repeated intentional headbutts.\nSpeaking after the win, 34-year-old Herring said: \"I still want the Carl Frampton fight next by all means. November, December, whatever. I still want that fight next.\"\nFrampton, 33, stayed on course for his world title challenge against Herring by stopping Scotland's Darren Traynor in London last month.\nPromoter Bob Arum suggested before that fight that Frampton will meet Herring this November as the Belfast man aims to become a three-weight world champion.\nNorthern Ireland produce their best performance of the qualifying campaign to earn a 0-0 draw that denied Italy automatic World Cup qualification.\nIreland captain Johnny Sexton will miss Sunday's autumn test against Argentina after being ruled out for up to six weeks.\nThe Republic of Ireland are finally on an upward trajectory, but will that be enough to secure manager Stephen Kenny's future?","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the management company that looks after Carl Frampton","Carl Frampton","Jamel Herring"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["an advisory agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Myanmar army and rebels sign draft ceasefire agreement","document":"Myanmar's President Thein Sein has witnessed the signing of a draft ceasefire agreement between the government and 16 rebel groups. The agreement, which came after seven rounds of talks, is a significant step towards ending decades of conflict.\nNegotiators from the armed rebel groups still have to consult with their leaders before giving final approval. Rebels from the newest and most active conflict in Kokang did not attend the talks.\nThe United Nations said the move was a \"historic and significant achievement\" and provided a basis for \"genuine and lasting peace in the country\".\nMyanmar has been engaged in armed conflict with various ethnic rebel groups seeking greater autonomy since independence from the British in 1948.\nWhile many have come into the political fold for peace deals, sporadic outbreaks of violence have continued.\nAll but two of the ethnic armed groups at the talks already have bilateral ceasefires in place.\n\"The people need peace, they desire peace and they expect peace,\" Thein Sein was reported by AFP as saying to negotiators on Tuesday.\nHe added that a full agreement could be signed in months. \"After that is signed, the road is open for political dialogue. This action will ensure the peace-builders a place in Myanmar's history,\" he said.\nThe BBC's Jonah Fisher says one representative from the armed groups told him on Monday that the government had compromised significantly at the last moment to make a deal possible.\nOur correspondent says the idea is to bring all the rebels into a process that will lead on to talks on greater devolution of power and resources - something that the Burmese government has always fiercely resisted.\nAt talks in Yangon the final four points of contention were resolved. There will be a halt to recruitment by the armed groups, their territory and status were confirmed, as was the nature and composition of the political dialogue that will follow.\nThe negotiators are now taking the text back to their groups for approval. There will then be a meeting which may lead to a signing.\nMeanwhile there is still heavy fighting in the Kokang region and there are still regular clashes in other areas.\nThe government declared a state of emergency in February as tens of thousands of refugees have been forced to flee their homes, some of them crossing the border into China.\nNaing Han Tha, who led the ethnic group negotiators for the ceasefire agreement, told AFP news agency that they planned to discuss the Kokang conflict in future dialogues.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["16 rebel groups","the Burmese government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["a draft ceasefire agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["ending decades of conflict","provided a basis for \"genuine and lasting peace in the country"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Guernsey, Jersey and Isle of Man sign taxation agreement","document":"The three UK Crown dependencies have signed double taxation agreements aimed at helping businesses and individuals to avoid paying in two places.\nThe agreements also allow the exchange of tax information between Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.\nThey were signed in London by representatives of each government.\nRob Gray, Guernsey's director of Income Tax, said they would help the islands' authorities in ending tax avoidance and evasion.\nHe said: \"In view of the ease and frequency of transactions between all of the Crown Dependencies, having effective exchange of information provisions in place will also assist the Income Tax Office in the fight against domestic tax avoidance and evasion.\"\nMr Gray said the agreement between Guernsey and Jersey was an update of the previous one signed in the 1950s while it was the first time such agreements had been signed between the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.\nEddie Teare, the Isle of Man Treasury Minister, said it would \"strengthen the close political and business ties between Crown Dependencies\".\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Guernsey","Jersey","the Isle of Man"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["double taxation","helping businesses and individuals to avoid paying in two places"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Jersey and UK sign tax sharing agreement","document":"Jersey has agreed an automatic tax information sharing deal with the UK aimed at combating tax evasion.\nIt follows a similar deal struck with the Isle of Man earlier this month and discussions with the other Crown Dependency of Guernsey.\nUK Chancellor George Osborne said it was a \"clear signal to anyone thinking they can evade their responsibilities\".\n\"The opportunities to hide your money offshore are disappearing and the net is closing in,\" he said.\nSenator Ian Gorst, Jersey's Chief Minister, said: \"It sends another clear signal that Jersey has no need or desire to tolerate tax evasion or aggressive tax avoidance.\n\"As well as our innumerable cultural, social and historical ties, the UK is our closest economic partner.\n\"In signing this agreement we are securing this vital relationship while reinforcing our international reputation as a transparent and well-regulated financial services centre.\"\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the UK","UK","Jersey"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["automatic tax information sharing","combating tax evasion"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Tottenham sign planning agreement to build new stadium","document":"\nTottenham have signed a planning agreement to build a new stadium next to White Hart Lane.\nThe Premier League club says it can continue discussions with local authorities and the London mayor in a bid to secure funding for the move.\nTottenham, however, have not given up hope of becoming the long-term tenants of the Olympic Stadium after next year's Games.\nThey have mounted a legal challenge against West Ham's current winning bid.\nSpurs want to redevelop White Hart Lane in a 20-acre industrial side adjacent to the ground in a plan known as the Northumberland Development Project (NDP).\nThe Section 106 agreement means they have agreed to pay some money towards local facilities in the area around the stadium if they decide to go ahead with plans to stay in the north London borough.\nA Tottenham statement read: \"The club can confirm that the S106 agreement in respect of the Northumberland Development Project has now been completed and planning permissions have been issued.\n\"This enables discussions with the London borough of Haringey, the Mayor of London and central government to continue as we seek to make the development viable and deliverable.\n\"As always, we shall keep all our supporters updated as these progress.\"\nWhite Hart Lane has been Tottenham's home ground since 1899 but a capacity of 36,000 restricts income from ticket sales and match-day revenue compared to that enjoyed by many of the club's Premier League rivals.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Tottenham","local authorities"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["build a new stadium next to White Hart Lane"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Soldiers sign Rutland community agreement","document":"A community covenant has been signed between the people of Rutland and soldiers due to move into the county.\nThe Royal Air Force is closing its Cottesmore base and soldiers from the Royal Anglian Regiment will arrive from Ayia Napa in Cyprus in July.\nThe 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.\nLeader of Rutland County Council, Roger Begy, said it was important to make the soldiers feel part of the community.\n\"We have had a very close, working relationship with the airforce for many years and recently with the navy and army.\n\"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.\n\"They, in turn, will work to make Rutland as pleasant as possible for us.\"\nBrigadier 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.\n\"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.\"\nMr Begy added he was not unduly worried about the soldiers transferring from notorious party town Ayia Napa to rural Rutland.\n\"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.\nThe base is due to close in March with the loss of 1,000 jobs.\nRAF 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.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["soldiers","the people of Rutland"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["ensure the troops are welcomed and that they become positively involved with life in the rural community","to strengthen ties"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Guernsey and Singapore sign double taxation agreement","document":"The deal will help businesses and individuals in Guernsey with links to Singapore to avoid having to pay taxes in both places.\nIt is the 15th double taxation agreement the island has signed.\nFiona Le Poidevin, Chief Executive of Guernsey Finance, said the agreement demonstrates the island's commitment to the global community.\nShe said signing the double taxation agreement with Singapore was a very positive development for the future of Guernsey's finance industry. Ms Poidevin said it offers significant potential for expanding financial services between the two jurisdictions.\nGuernsey has signed a total of 15 Double Tax Agreements as well as 40 Tax Information Exchange Agreements, most recently with Brazil.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Guernsey","Singapore"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the 15th double taxation agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["help businesses and individuals in Guernsey with links to Singapore to avoid having to pay taxes in both places"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Scottish gossip: Celtic, Rangers, Livingston, Hibernian, Ajer, Veerman, Mallan, Lawal","document":"\nCeltic are close to selling Kristoffer Ajer to Brentford in a £13.5m deal. The newly-promoted English Premier League club have been in talks over the Norway international in recent days, with an agreement now thought to have been reached. \nCeltic defender Kristoffer Ajer is set to undergo a medical in London today after a fee was agreed with Brentford. \nRangers hope to strike an agreement to sign Heerenveen midfielder Joey Veerman, 22, in a deal that could be worth up to £7m.\nHibernian midfielder Stevie Mallan is heading to Turkey to complete a move to Yeni Malatyaspor for \"a low six-figure transfer fee\".\nCeltic have beaten Chelsea, Norwich and a Serie A side to Watford's Bosun Lawal, 18, in a cut-price deal. \nCeltic's pursuit of Rennes duo Sacha Boey and Brandon Soppy has been played down by the French club's sporting director Florian Maurice. \n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Celtic","Brentford"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["selling Kristoffer Ajer to Brentford in a £13.5m deal"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"George North: Lions and Wales back signs new dual contract with Ospreys and Welsh Rugby Union","document":"\nGeorge North has signed a new two-year dual contract with Ospreys and the Welsh Rugby Union.\nNorth, 29, has played 102 internationals for Wales and three Tests for the British and Irish Lions.\nThe Wales back is currently sidelined by a long-term knee ligament injury suffered in April.\n\"It's an honour to play for Wales and something I never take for granted, my focus now is to get back fit and playing again,\" said North.\nThe WRU has officially scrapped the old system of national dual contracts, when they signed players on deals agreed between the individual regions and the governing body. North's deal is an exception and has been tailored to suit his individual needs. It is a similar situation to when Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones signed a contract with both Ospreys and the WRU until the summer of 2022.\n\"I have enjoyed my first few years here at the Ospreys so I'm chuffed to be extending my time here in Wales,\" added North.\n\"The club are looking to the future and I'm looking forward to playing my role in helping the club to push on this year.\"\nAfter making his Wales debut as an 18-year-old in November 2010 and scoring two tries against South Africa, North has crossed the line 43 times for his country, second only to Shane Williams.\nNorth has won four Six Nations titles and two Grand Slams, played in three World Cups and toured Australia and New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions in 2013 and 2017.\nHe excelled after being switched from wing to centre by head coach Wayne Pivac for Wales during the 2021 Six Nations success.\nNorth was expected to travel on a third Lions tour before he was ruled out of this summer's trip to South Africa.\nHe ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee when playing for Ospreys against Cardiff in the Pro14 Rainbow Cup, with the end of 2021 a potential return date.\n\"We're delighted George is continuing his career in Wales,\" said Pivac.\n\"He was absolutely integral to our Six Nations Championship win last season.\n\"We all know what he has achieved playing on the wing and he has added to that with some world-class performances playing at outside centre for his country.\n\"He has amassed a huge amount of international experience at a relatively young age and I look forward to working with him in the future.\"\nNorth joined Ospreys from Northampton in 2018 and joins fellow Lions Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, Dan Lydiate, Alex Cuthbert, Rhys Webb and Adam Beard in committing to the region.\n\"George's achievements and ability are recognised by all of us in the game, and his performances for us resulted in a successful International return with Wales in the Six Nations, which saw him win his 100th Test cap,\" said Ospreys head coach Toby Booth.\n\"His decision to extend his stay with the Ospreys is confirmation we are heading in the right direction and George will undoubtedly be at the centre of our progress as a team.\"\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Ospreys and the Welsh Rugby Union","Ospreys","George North"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["two-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["George is continuing his career in Wales"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"France Has Returned 26 Objects Stolen From an Ancient Palace in Benin, Including a Throne, Altars, and Ornate Doors","document":"French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Benin’s President Patrice Talon to officially sign an agreement returning 26 objects originally stolen by French forces from the Palace of Abomey. The objects were on display at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris until public pressure led to their return to Benin’s Ouidah Museum of History.\nThe 26 items from the kingdom of Dahomey are among 70,000 other objects in the Quai Branley’s collection that originally came from countries in Africa. The trove includes the throne of Behanzin, the last king of Dahomey, three totems, four ornate palace doors, several altars, and three warrior dance staffs.\nThe ceremony took place at the Élysée Palace, which released an official statement noting that the event “marks an important step in building a new relationship between France and Africa.”\nThis move is seen as an effort to improve France’s image in the eyes of Africans. National and international calls to return the objects culminated in 2020 when the National Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of returning these items, and others from Senegal. Both are former colonies and many French citizens trace their cultural heritage back to these countries.\nQuai Branly is in the process of seeking “to identify works believed to have been taken through violence, without the owners’ consent, or as war booty or through the coercion of the colonial administration,” the director of the museum, Emmanuel Kasarhérou, told AFP.\nExperts say that between 85 and 90 percent of the cultural heritage of Africa remains outside the continent, according to Le Monde, and that of the 90,000 African cultural objects in French institutions, 46,000 arrived in colonial times.\n“Not all objects that are in European collections have been stolen, but what proportion were? Our objective is to find out,” said Kasarhérou.\nThe items will now make their way back to Benin where they will find a temporary home at the Ouidah Museum of History and go on a tour of the country before being housed at their original home, the royal palaces of Abomey, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.\nBenin is currently building a museum at the site slated for completion in 2026, aided by France which has financed the project with €35 million ($40 million) in loans and grants.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["French President Emmanuel Macron","Benin’s President Patrice Talon"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["returning 26 objects originally stolen by French forces from the Palace of Abomey"]},{"role":"Location","values":["at the Élysée Palace"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Patients in Germany 'infected with UK COVID-19 variant in November'","document":"\nThe long-awaited post-Brexit trade deal has been signed by EU heads and was overwhelmingly approved by British MPs.\nUK lawmakers backed the agreement on Wednesday afternoon by 521 votes to 73.\nOfficially called the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, it has taken months of negotiation to agree.\nEuropean Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signed on behalf of the European Union on Wednesday morning.\nIt was then flown to London by a Royal Air Force plane where Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed for the UK at 10 Downing Street.\n“The agreement that we signed today is the result of months of intense negotiations in which the European Union has displayed an unprecedented level of unity,” Michel said.\n“It is a fair and balanced agreement that fully protects the fundamental interests of the European Union and creates stability and predictability for citizens and companies,\" he added.\nVon der Leyen stressed after signing the document that \"it has been a long road\" to get a Brexit trade deal.\n\"It's time to put Brexit behind us,\" she added.\nEuropean leaders have welcomed the deal, describing it either as a moment of \"historical importance\", an \"important milestone\", or a \"major step forward\".\nBut most have also reiterated warnings that despite the deal, changes to the current relationship will come into force on January 1.\nHours later, the UK Parliament overwhelmingly approved the trade agreement by a majority of 448.\nIt was backed by the ruling Conservative party — including the eurosceptic European Research Group — as well as the main opposition Labour party.\nKeir Starmer, Labour's leader, said in his address prior to the vote that he had instructed his MPs to vote for the deal, despite it being \"imperfect\" and \"thin\" because \"this treaty is the only way to ensure that we avoid no deal\".\n\"A thin deal is better than no deal and not implementing this deal would mean immediate tariffs and quotas with the EU which will push up prices and drive businesses to the wall. It will mean huge gaps in security, a free for all on workers' rights and environmental protections and less stability for the Northern Ireland Protocol.\n\"So we will vote for this Bill today but I do hope that this will be a moment where our country can come together and look to a better future,\" he added.\nSmaller opposition parties including the Scottish National Party, the Liberal Democrats and Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) voted against.\nJohnson signed the treaty after the vote, saying that by doing so \"we fulfill the sovereign wish of the British people to live under their own laws, made by their own elected Parliament\".\nThe agreement eventually needs approval from the EU’s legislature, which is not expected to take up the deal for weeks.\nThe leaders of the European Parliament’s political groups said they would not seek full approval until March because of the specific and far-reaching implications of the agreement.\nThe overwhelming expectation is that EU lawmakers will approve the deal.\nThree separate agreements have been signed. Their full names are as follows:\n1) Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.\n2) Agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning security procedures for exchanging and protecting classified information.\n3) Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the European Atomic Energy Community for Cooperation on the Safe and Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.\nTwo copies of each agreement will be signed. Once both parties have put their names to the documents, one of the two original copies of each agreement will be sent to the EU where they will go to the Archives of the Council and the other to the United Kingdom.\n.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the UK","UK","the European Union","European Union"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement","EU","Cooperation Agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday morning"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["post-Brexit trade dea"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2011 Negotiators from the United States Senate and House of Representatives reach a budget agreement. (Washington Post)","document":"Congressional negotiators signed off Thursday evening on a $1 trillion spending agreement for 2012 for federal agencies, barely 27 hours before a deadline that could have led to a government shutdown. After dropping minor policy prescriptions that President Obama opposed, members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees gave final approval to the plan after a four-day standoff related to Obama’s demands to extend the payroll tax holiday for 160 million workers.\nThat negotiation, lawmakers and aides said, also could be headed toward an agreement, with lawmakers considering extending the $120 billion tax break for two months to buy more time to determine how they offset the benefit’s cost so it does not add to the federal deficit.\nThe White House initially had pushed Congress to delay the spending plan until the issue of the payroll tax was resolved, a move that raised the specter of a government shutdown and threatened to increase workers’ withholding tax at the start of the new year. Linking the two measures only complicated the negotiations, however, and Republicans did not give in to Obama’s demands on how to set up the payroll tax provision. With the holiday season upon them, some aides suggested that lawmakers’ exhaustion and eagerness to leave the embattled Capitol for several weeks served as key factors in reaching the deals. Next year’s session will begin in late January. “In spite of many unnecessary obstacles, it is good to see that responsible leadership and good governance can triumph,” House Appropriations Chair­man Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) said Thursday night, referring to the spending plan. The legislation will provide the full funding for the rest of fiscal 2012 for most of the government, including the Pentagon, the Education Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. Now that the spending deal has been clinched — votes are expected in both chambers Friday — the payroll tax issue remains the last fight for the acrimonious first session of the 112th Congress, one that has been marked by repeated brinkmanship. After several days of trading blame on both issues, there was a broad shift in tone Thursday morning in negotiations on the tax plan. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) predicted the impasse would be resolved soon. And House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) told everyone to “step back and take a deep breath.”\n“I think there’s an easy way to untangle all of this,” Boehner said. “We just need to let the members do their jobs, and we need to let the two institutions do their work.”\nTalks on the payroll tax holiday lasted deep into Thursday night. They had picked up steam 24 hours earlier, when Democrats dropped their demand that the cut be paid for with a new surtax on those who earn more than $1 million a year.\n“Yeah, that’s gone,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) confirmed Thursday evening. Baucus, who is negotiating the tax package for Democrats, continued pushing to complete a year-long extension of the payroll tax provision, coupled with extended un­employment benefits and an important tweak to the Medicare reimbursement rate for doctors. “There’s momentum building toward a comprehensive agreement, but still there are a lot of pieces to put together,” Baucus said. But senior Democratic and Republican aides said an agreement had been secured to at least continue the tax break for two months, at a cost of $40 billion. Among the ideas being considered to pay for the cut, aides said, were raising fees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac collect from lenders and ending a tax break on the sale of corporate jets.\nExtending the payroll tax cut has become politically critical for Obama, the only major piece of his roughly $450 billion jobs plan that is likely to win approval. As part of a separate tax deal a year ago, the federal withholding tax dropped from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent in 2011, which gave the average worker an extra $1,000, and the president has argued that continuing the holiday for another year would help steady the economy. In exchange for agreeing to that extension, Republicans continued to insist on concessions intended to lure votes from conservatives who say the tax holiday is bad economic policy. Their most important demands were speeding up approval of the construction of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline, reforms to unemployment insurance, higher Medicare premiums for upper-income seniors and a year-long extension of a two-year pay freeze for federal workers. Baucus said one consideration was to link the eligibility period of unemployment benefits to the level of joblessness in each state. Republicans remained publicly quiet about the proposal to temporarily extend the tax break, but one senior GOP adviser noted that it would lead to two more months of Republicans pushing for the oil pipeline.\nThe hardball tactic of linking tax-holiday negotiations — as well as jobless benefits — to the completion of the must-pass spending bill irritated some Democrats who had worked with Republicans for months to reach the appropriations deal.\nRep. James P. Moran (D-Va.), who sits on the key committee, said some Democrats had told the White House that “they should not be using federal employees as pawns in a larger issue.”\n“I don’t blame them for trying to use every means available to them,” he said. “But I just don’t think that it’s right.” While seeking leverage on the tax dispute, the White House also expressed lingering concerns about some of the policy items in the spending bill, including restrictions on travel to Cuba and a minor provision related to oversight of financial trades. The spending agreement Thursday eliminated language that would have limited trips to Cuba to once every three years for those with family living there, and would have placed stricter limits on remitting money to relatives on the island.\nRemaining in the legislation is a ban on the District spending local tax money on abortion.\n The funding bill sets government spending for the year at $1.043 trillion, a level agreed to in an August deal that raised the nation’s legal borrowing limit. The figure represents a 1.5 percent drop in spending from the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. That doesn’t count $115 billion for overseas military operations, a $43 billion dip since this past year as the war in Iraq winds down. It also doesn’t include $8.1 billion in emergency disaster-relief spending.\nThe measure outlines spending for three-fourths of the government — all but the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, State, and Transportation, as well as NASA and some smaller agencies — which were settled in a November deal.\nAs Congress works to lower the federal deficit and reduce government spending, most domestic programs will see cuts.\nThe measure omits funding for the Internal Revenue Service to prepare for the 2014 implementation of the federal health-care law. But it increases funding for border agents and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.\nIt includes $8.4 billion for the EPA — a $233 million drop from last year. And provides $550 million for Obama’s signature Race to the Top education program, a cut of more than 20 percent.\n \n ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["2012"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday evening"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["1 trillion spending agreement for 2012 for federal agencies"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2012 Asa'ib Ahl al–Haq, the Iranian–backed Shiite militia that carried out deadly attacks on U.S. troops agrees to lay down its arms and join the political process in Iraq. (ABC News)","document":"A decision by a Shiite militia to transform itself from an armed, anti-American movement into a viable political force could complicate Iraq's political crisis and strengthen Iran's clout in this country as U.S. influence wanes.\nPrime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government has welcomed the recent decision by Asaib Ahl al-Haq to lay down its arms and join the political process. But bringing the former militants into the fold may alienate the Sunni minority and increase tensions between competing Shiite groups.\nAl-Maliki, who is widely believed to have played an active role in encouraging the militia to transform, may now gain an important ally that could also lessen his dependence on radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's political bloc. Al-Sadr considers Asaib Ahl al-Haq a disloyal faction that broke away from his own anti-American militia several years ago.\nAsaib Ahl al-Haq, or Band of the Righteous, believes it played an important role in resisting the American presence in Iraq and that it now deserves some political payback. The group is thought to have fewer than 1,000 armed militiamen, backed by tens of thousands of supporters. An Iraqi close to the extremist group said last year that it relies on Iran for roughly $5 million in cash and weapons each month.\nIt is unclear how committed the group is to disarming entirely. Despite agreeing to renounce violence in late December, its members have not handed over their weapons, according to the Iraqi official in charge of reconciling with the country's armed groups.\n\"The government will not buy up the group's weapons, but we are ready to take them if they want us to,\" said the government official, Amer al-Khuzaie.\nA senior member of Asaib Ahl al-Haq said in an interview this week that the group wants to ally itself with other Shiite groups to run in provincial and parliamentary elections. But he stopped short of saying the group would disarm completely, saying its members would \"do its best to secure Shiite areas.\"\nQais al-Khazali, the group's leader, was also circumspect when reached by The Associated Press late Friday.\n\"The issue of handing over our weapons will be discussed with the Iraqi government sometime in the future, away from the media,\" he said.\nIn a brief phone interview, al-Khazali also said the group is willing to turn over the body of kidnapped British bodyguard Alan McMenemy, though he wouldn't say when that might happen.\nAsaib Ahl al-Haq and the Hezbollah Brigades were among a group of Shiite militias backed by Iran that carried out lethal attacks against U.S. bases in June, the deadliest month in two years for American forces in Iraq.\nU.S. troops completed their pullout last month after America's nearly nine-year war.\nThere is little sign that the Hezbollah Brigades intends to follow Asaib Ahl al-Haq's path. The Hezbollah group, which is believed to be funded and trained by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard and its Quds Force special operations wing, issued a statement Dec. 30 denying it was joining any national reconciliation process. It said it would not challenge the Iraqi government directly but made no mention of plans to give up arms.\nA Shiite lawmaker in Baghdad said bringing Shiite militants into the political process will only strengthen Iran's influence in Iraq.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government","Maliki","Asaib Ahl al-Haq","the Iraqi government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["transform itself from an armed, anti-American movement into a viable political force"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Iraq"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2012 The United Kingdom and France sign a deal to improve cooperation on nuclear energy. (BBC)","document":"The UK has signed a deal with France to strengthen co-operation in the development of civil nuclear energy.\nThe government said it reiterated the UK's commitment to nuclear energy \"as part of a diversified energy mix\".\nThe coalition said the agreement would create a number of commercial deals in the nuclear energy field, worth more than £500m and creating 1,500 UK jobs.\nThe deal was signed at a summit between PM David Cameron and President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris.\n\"This joint declaration will signal our shared commitment to the future of civil nuclear power, setting out a shared long term vision of safe, secure, sustainable and affordable energy, that supports growth and helps to deliver our emission reductions targets,\" a statement from Downing Street said.\nThe two governments will work together with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) \"to strengthen international capability to react to nuclear emergencies and establish a joint framework for cooperation and exchanging good practice on civil nuclear security\". The move comes 11 months after a tsunami in Japan wrecked the nearby Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, leaking radioactive material into the air and sea.\nUK and French public and private sector bodies in the civil nuclear power industry will also work more closely in a number of areas.\nThese include education and training, research and development, and security. \"As two great civil nuclear nations, we will combine our expertise to strengthen industrial partnership, improve nuclear safety and create jobs at home,\" said Mr Cameron.\nLast June, ministers announced plans for the next generation of UK nuclear plants.\nThe government confirmed a list of eight sites it deems suitable for new power stations by 2025, all of which are adjacent to existing nuclear sites.\nThe sites are: Bradwell, Essex; Hartlepool; Heysham, Lancashire; Hinkley Point, Somerset; Oldbury, Gloucestershire; Sellafield, Cumbria; Sizewell, Suffolk; and Wylfa, Anglesey.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The UK","UK","France"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["strengthen international capability to react to nuclear emergencies and establish a joint framework for cooperation and exchanging good practice on civil nuclear security"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Paris"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2012 New pacts promoting trade, investment and education between China and Ireland are signed in Dublin. (BBC) (Financial Times)","document":"\nMr Xi and the Taoiseach (Irish prime minister), Enda Kenny, witnessed the signing of agreements at Dublin Castle between government departments, state agencies, universities and companies.\n\"Ireland and China have much to offer each other in food and agriculture, in high technology research and in investment,\" said Mr Kenny.\nBilateral trade between the two countries was worth about 4.2bn euros (£3.5bn; $5.5bn) in 2010.\nAlthough China accounts for just 2.5% of Irish merchandise exports and 1.9% of services, it is being targeted as a key growth area, Reuters news agency notes.\nAfter flying into Shannon Airport in the west of the Republic on Saturday evening, Mr Xi visited the offices of Shannon Development business park and attended a traditional banquet at Bunratty Castle.\nOn Sunday, he was given a 40-minute tour of a family-run dairy farm at Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, before visiting the Cliffs of Moher.\nHe then travelled to Dublin for a demonstration at Croke Park of Irish field sports - hurling and Gaelic football.\nThe Chinese vice-president swung a hurling stick and kicked a football for the cameras. \"He showed some admirable skills for his first time kicking on what is... a very holy turf for us,\" said Alan Milton, a spokesman at the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).\nMr Xi was also due to see a special performance of the hit show Riverdance.\nDr Vincent Cunnane, Shannon Development's chief executive, said the trip would enhance good relations between Irish and Chinese businesses.\n\"China has a population of over 1.3 billion which represents 20% of the world's population,\" he said.\n\"The fact that the Chinese vice-president is spending almost three days in Ireland is a major boost for the country.\"\nMr Xi's visit is being closely followed by Chinese state media.\nChina's Ambassador to Ireland, Luo Linquan, described the two countries' ties as \"an exemplar of how friendly co-existence can be maintained between two countries of different sizes and systems\".\nAnswering written questions from the Irish Times, Mr Xi himself said Chinese people admired Irish people's \"enterprising spirit and enormous contribution to development around the world\".\nBut Noeleen Hartigan, programmes director of Amnesty International Ireland, said it was crucial the Irish government made clear the concerns of many Irish people about human rights abuses in China.\n\"Even in the midst of a recession we cannot let trade opportunities blind us to our responsibility to support courageous Chinese human rights activists risking their freedom and their lives every single day,\" she said.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Ireland and China","China","Ireland"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["offer each other in food and agriculture, in high technology research and in investment"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Dublin Castle"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2012 Euro zone finance ministers reach an agreement on a second Greek bailout. (Reuters via Sydney Morning Herald)","document":"Euro zone finance ministers have sealed a second bailout for debt-laden Greece that will resolve its immediate financing needs but seems unlikely to revive the nation's shattered economy.\nAfter a marathon 13 hours of talks, euro zone officials said ministers had nailed measures to cut Greece's debt to about 121 per cent of gross domestic product by 2020, close to their original target of 120 per cent, after negotiators for private bondholders offered to accept a bigger loss to help plug the funding gap.\nThe IMF managing director, Christine Lagarde, talks with Greece's Prime Minister, Lucas Papademos, at the European Union council headquarters in Brussels.\nAgreement on a €130-billion rescue package with strict conditions attached will help draw a line under months of uncertainty that has shaken the currency bloc, and avert an imminent Greek bankruptcy.\n\"The financial volume [of the Greek package] is €130 billion and debt-to-GDP [will be] 121 per cent. Now it's down to work on the statement,\" one official involved in the negotiations told Reuters. Another confirmed the figures.\nThe euro jumped almost half a cent, reversing earlier losses, after Reuters reported the deal had been struck.\nA report prepared for ministers by EU, European Central Bank and IMF experts, obtained exclusively by Reuters, said Greece would need extra relief to cut its debts near to the official debt target 2020, given the ever-worsening state of its economy.\nIf Athens did not follow through on economic reforms and savings, its debt could hit 160 per cent by that date.\n\"Given the risks, the Greek program may thus remain accident prone, with questions about sustainability hanging over it,\" the nine-page confidential report said, highlighting the fact that Greece's problems were far from over.\nThe accord will enable Athens to launch a bond swap with private investors to help reduce and restructure its vast debts, put it on a more stable financial footing and keep it inside the 17-country euro zone.\nAbout €100 billion of debt will be written off as banks and insurers swap bonds they hold for longer-dated securities that pay a lower coupon.\nPrivate sector holders of Greek debt are expected to take losses of 53.5 per cent or more on the nominal value of their bonds. Previously they had agreed to a 50 per cent nominal writedown, which equated to about a 70 per cent loss on the net present value of the bonds.\nThe debt sustainability report delivered to ministers last week showed that without further measures Greek debt would fall to only 129 per cent by 2020.\nThe IMF had said if the ratio was not cut to nearly 120 per cent, it may not have been able to help finance the bailout, putting the whole scheme in jeopardy.\nTo help fill the financing gap, one senior euro zone source said the ECB would pass up profits it has made from buying Greek bonds over the past two years under its emergency bond-buying programme.\nThe ECB has spent about €38 billion on Greek government debt that is now worth about €50 billion. By forgoing that profit and redistributing it to national euro zone central banks, the ECB can indirectly provide debt relief to Athens.\nEconomists say that, whatever its constituent parts, the deal may only delay a deeper default by a few months. A turnaround could take as much as a decade, a prospect that brought thousands of Greeks on to the streets on Sunday to protest against austerity measures.\nDOUBTS OVER COMMITMENT\nSceptics question whether a new Greek government will stick to the deeply unpopular programme after elections due in April, and believe Athens could again fall behind in implementation, prompting exasperated lenders to pull the plug once the euro zone has stronger financial firewalls in place.\nWhile there are doubts in Germany and other countries that Greece will be able to meet its commitments, including implementing €3.3 billion of spending cuts and tax increases, the threat of contagion from a chaotic Greek default always made a deal more likely than not, no matter how tortuous the negotiations.\nGreek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde and ECB president Mario Draghi all attended the Brussels talks in a sign they were likely to be decisive.\nThe private creditor bond exchange is expected to launch on March 8 and complete three days later, Athens said on Saturday. That means a €14.5-billion bond repayment due on March 20 would be restructured, allowing Greece to avoid default.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Euro zone finance ministers"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["130-billion rescue package with strict conditions attached"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Brussels"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2010 India and Russia sign a range of treaties including on development of a fifth–generation stealth fighter and provision of nuclear reactors from Russia to India. (The Hindu) (BBC) (RIA Novosti)","document":"Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed nuclear and defence agreements worth billions of dollars during a two-day visit to India. He has met Indian PM Manmohan Singh in Delhi on a trip that saw handshakes on the joint development of a so-called fifth generation stealth fighter jet.\nThere was also an agreement to supply more Russian nuclear power reactors.\nAll five permanent UN Security Council members have now made trade-focused visits to India in recent months.\nThe BBC's Mark Dummett in Delhi says the visits are a sign of India's growing clout on the world stage. As recession bites elsewhere, India is booming, he points out.\nA Cold War ally and for many years the default weapons supplier to India, Russia has faced tough competition from Europe and the US for a slice of Delhi's booming defence market.\nWary of its rising regional rival, China, India is now one of the world's largest buyers of fighter jets, tanks, submarines and other defence equipment. As Mr Medvedev and Mr Singh met on Tuesday, nearly a dozen agreements were signed in such areas as energy, technology and chemicals.\nThe setpiece was a long-awaited deal for the joint production of a fifth-generation fighter. India reportedly plans to take as many as 300 of the aircraft.\nOn the nuclear front, Mr Medvedev agreed to provide another two civilian nuclear energy reactors in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where Russia is already setting up two reactors.\nEnergy-hungry India is one of the world's biggest nuclear power markets, with plans to expand its capacity nearly 15-fold to 63,000 megawatts by 2032.\nThe Russian president, who was joined by about 100 business leaders, is also meeting ruling Congress party president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi.\nOn Wednesday, he will tour the Taj Mahal in Agra and India's financial capital, Mumbai (Bombay). In a joint statement, Russia voiced its support for India \"as a deserving and strong candidate\" for a permanent seat in an expanded UN Security Council.\nUS President Barack Obama voiced similar backing for India's hopes of a place at the UN's top table during his visit in November.\nHailing what he described as a \"special and privileged\" strategic partnership, Mr Singh said Russia was a \"time-tested friend... that has stood by us in our times of need in the past\".\n\"It is a partnership that has, and will continue, to develop independently of our relations with other countries.\"\nOn Monday, Delhi and Moscow agreed to double bilateral trade from the current $10bn over the next five years.\nBritish Prime Minister David Cameron visited India in July, and President Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao have passed through over the past six weeks.\nEach was also accompanied by a large business delegation, and each has gone home boasting of billions of dollars of extra trade with one of the world's fastest growing economies. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["India","Russia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["nuclear and defence agreements","nuclear"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the joint development of a so-called fifth generation stealth fighter jet","joint development of a so-called fifth generation stealth fighter jet.\nThere was also an agreement to supply more Russian nuclear power reactors","an agreement to supply more Russian nuclear power reactors"]},{"role":"Location","values":["India"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Taking defence cooperation to a new level, India and Russia on Tuesday signed a deal for design and development of advanced fifth generation fighter aircraft","document":"Taking defence cooperation to a new level, India and Russia on Tuesday signed a deal for design and development of advanced fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) estimated to cost $ 295 million, the first such venture between them.\nThe contract envisages joint development of preliminary design contract (PDC) for the advanced fighter jet and will involve Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) from India and the Sukhoi Design Bureau and Rosoboronexport on the Russian side.\nThe pact was signed on the margins of a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, during which the two sides also discussed their defence relationship which is transforming from a buyer-seller format to one that, includes joint research and development, manufacturing and marketing activities.\nAccording to reports, the deal is expected to be worth over USD 295 million and the design of the aircraft is likely to be finalised within next 18 months.\nThe Indian Air Force (IAF) has plans of acquiring 250-300 of these aircraft by the year 2030. Single and twin seat versions of the aircraft are expected to be developed and the plane will be ready for flying by 2017.\nThe FGFA would be based on Sukhoi’s T-50 aircraft, which made its maiden flight in January this year.\nDuring their meeting, the two leaders also expressed satisfaction at the regular service-to-service interactions and joint exercises that have taken place between their countries.\nThe two sides also agreed to make efforts to upgrade joint military exercises in various fields including counter-terrorism.\nSince the Cold War era, Russia has been the biggest military hardware supplier to India and the Indian armed forces rely heavily on that country.\nThough India has been working to diversify its military imports, still the bulk of the hardware with the three defence forces is of Russian origin including frontline Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft and T-90 and T-72 tanks.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["India and Russia","India","Russia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The contract envisages joint development of preliminary design contract (PDC) for the advanced fighter jet and will involve Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) from India and the Sukhoi Design Bureau and Rosoboronexport on the Russian side","India"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2010 The United States Senate votes to ratify the New START Treaty with the Russia, which halves the number of deployed strategic nuclear missile launchers maintained by each nation. (The Washington Post)","document":"The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a new nuclear arms-reduction treaty with Russia, the broadest such pact between the former Cold War foes in nearly two decades.\nThe Senate ratified the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as New START, by a vote of 71 to 26, easily clearing the threshold of two-thirds of senators present as required by the Constitution for treaty ratification.\nThe final vote came after Senate Democrats accepted two amendments designed to placate Republicans who had qualms about the treaty. The amendments, which passed on voice votes with bipartisan support, emphasized the administration's commitment to a limited missile-defense program and to continued funding to modernize the aging U.S. nuclear weapons complex.\nThe amendments were to the resolution of ratification accompanying the treaty, a nonbinding statement that codifies the Senate's understanding of the pact but does not directly affect its language. Republican efforts to alter the treaty language were defeated, with supporters of the pact arguing that such changes would have forced new negotiations with Moscow and effectively killed the treaty.\nThirteen Republicans joined all of the Senate's Democrats in voting for ratification, helping to exceed the 67 votes required. Three senators - all Republicans - were not present.\nIn a floor speech shortly before the ratification vote, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), the Foreign Relations Committee chairman who shepherded the treaty through the Senate, implored senators to put politics aside and take a broad view. \"This is one of those rare times in the United States Senate . . . when we have it in our power to safeguard or endanger human life on this planet,\" he said. \"More than any other, this issue should transcend politics. . . . More than at almost any other time, the people of the world are watching us because they rely on our leadership.\"\nKerry also chided Republicans who had argued against taking up New START ratification so close to Christmas, thus delaying their departures for the holidays. \"The question is not whether we get out of here for a holiday; the question is whether we move the world a little more out of the dark shadow of nuclear nightmare,\" he said.\nKerry said after the vote: \"The winners are not defined by party or ideology. The winners are the American people, who are safer with fewer Russian missiles aimed at them.\" He said the treaty's impact \"will echo around the world,\" showing that the United States remains determined to work with Russia and other countries to reduce the global threat from nuclear weapons.\n\"With this treaty, we send a message to Iran and North Korea that the international community remains united to restrain the nuclear ambitions of countries that operate outside the law,\" Kerry said.\nNew START cleared a key hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday, advancing to a final vote with a margin that appeared to guarantee ratification and a major foreign-policy victory for President Obama. Senators voted 67 to 28 to invoke \"cloture\" to limit further debate and move to the ratification vote, with 11 Republicans joining all 56 Democrats present in the chamber.\nThe stakes were high: Defeat of the pact would have severely damaged Obama's global standing, hampering his ability to negotiate other treaties, and would have dealt a major setback to the president's \"reset\" of relations with Russia.\n\"It's one of those things in life where failing to get it would be more important than actually what you get with it,\" said George Perkovich, a scholar on nuclear nonproliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Russia","The U.S"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as New START","New START"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["showing that the United States remains determined to work with Russia and other countries to reduce the global threat from nuclear weapons","With this treaty, we send a message to Iran and North Korea that the international community remains united to restrain the nuclear ambitions of countries that operate outside the law"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2011 Pink Floyd sign a new five–year record deal with EMI after winning a lawsuit regarding digital distribution. (BBC)","document":"Pink Floyd have ended a legal battle with their record company EMI and signed a new contract with the label.\nThe rock group recently won a court ruling against the label over whether a deal signed in the pre-download age could be applied to digital sales.\n\"All legal disputes between the band and the company have been settled as a result of this new deal,\" EMI said.\nAn EMI statement said it would \"help the band reach new and existing fans through their incredible body of work\".\nThe band, who have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, have been with EMI since signing their first record deal in the 1960s. The new agreement will last for five years.\nThey have chosen not to follow acts like The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Queen and Radiohead, who have all left the label since it was taken over by private equity firm Terra Firma in 2007.\nThe recent court case centred around Pink Floyd's last record deal, which was signed before the days of legal downloads and said individual songs could not be sold without the band's permission.\nThe band argued that the rule should apply to download sales in stores such as iTunes as well as CDs, saying their \"seamless\" albums should not be split up.\nEMI disagreed, claiming the word \"record\" in the band's contract applied \"to the physical thing - there is nothing to suggest it applies to online distribution\".\nA judge sided with Pink Floyd in March, and EMI's appeal was dismissed last month.\nHowever, single Pink Floyd tracks have remained on sale through iTunes and will continue to be available under the new deal.\nSpeaking in October, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason told BBC News it was \"not actually a big punch up\" with the record company, but rather \"about getting a third party to adjudicate\".\nHe also said he was \"very fond\" of EMI but bemoaned how \"the gang known as 'business affairs' have taken over the running of the company\".\n\"I look back with considerable fondness to the days when it was the entrepreneurs and individuals who actually ran these companies and created something that was about the music,\" he said.\nAnnouncing the new deal, EMI chief executive Roger Faxon said: \"Pink Floyd are one of the most important and influential bands of all time and I know I speak for everyone at EMI when I say that it is a privilege to have the opportunity to work with them.\"\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["EMI","Pink Floyd"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["five years"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the rule should apply to download sales in stores such as iTunes as well as CDs, saying their \"seamless\" albums should not be split up"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2011 British–based global oil and gas company BP signs a deal with Russian oil firm Rosneft to exploit potentially huge deposits of oil and gas in Russia's Arctic shelf. (BBC)","document":"BP has signed a joint venture with Russian energy firm Rosneft to exploit potentially huge deposits of oil and gas in Russia's Arctic shelf.\nThe \"strategic global alliance\" will see the firms exchange expertise in exploring the region.\nAs part of the deal Rosneft will take 5% of BP's shares in exchange for approximately 9.5% of Rosneft's shares.\nIt is BP's first deal since the Deepwater Horizon spill last year, which cost it billions.\nThe BP shares stake is worth just under $8bn (£5bn).\n\"BP executives see this as the first piece of good news since that disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last April,\" said the BBC's business editor Robert Peston.\nBut he said the deal was a controversial one, with Russia not seen as an entirely transparent society nor as a stable place to do business.\n\"This unique agreement underlines our long-term, strategic and deepening links with the world's largest hydrocarbon-producing nation,\" said BP's chief executive Bob Dudley.\nHe said the \"historic\" deal would \"create value, deliver growth, and meet the world's demand for energy\".\nMr Dudley said the agreement would meet the needs of consumers, shareholders and governments.\nThe firms will explore in three areas - known as EPNZ 1,2,3 - on the Russian Arctic continental shelf. The areas covers 125,000 square kilometres in an area of the South Kara Sea.\n\"Our future joint venture will utilize the experience and expertise of BP, one of the leaders in the global oil and gas industry,\" said Rosneft's President, Eduard Khudainatov.\n\"This project is unique in its complexity and scale both for Russia and the global oil and gas industry. We see it as the next step in developing our relations with BP.\"\nReferring to the Deepwater Horizon blast Mr Dudley said that the firm had \"learned many lessons over the past year\".\nHe also said the Russian deal had not been precipitated by the backlash it had experienced in the US because of the Gulf of Mexico spill.\nSince the rig disaster in the US Gulf of Mexico BP has been disposing of assets.\nMr Dudley is the former chief executive of Russian joint venture TNK-BP, and was forced out of the country in 2008 after falling out with other shareholders. But he said he was pleased to now be working with Rosneft in \"one of the world's last remaining unexplored basins\".\n\"We are today building a relationship between BP and Rosneft that has been forged over 12 years but going far beyond anything that has gone before,\" he said.\n\"We are creating an entirely new strategic alliance between what I know are two great companies.\"\nBP and Rosneft have also agreed to set-up an Arctic technology centre in Russia which will work with Russian and international research institutes to develop technologies for the extraction of hydrocarbon resources from the Arctic shelf. UK Energy Secretary Chris Huhne hailed the agreement as a groundbreaking development.\n\"From what we know, it sounds like it's potentially good for BP,\" said Phil Weiss, analyst at New York equities firm Argus Research.\n\"BP gets access to resources, Rosneft gets access to expertise and knowledge.\"\nHowever in the US Congressman Edward Markey, who is leading Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, called for a review of the deal by US regulators.\nBP had a terrible 2010 with the Gulf of Mexico spill, which is going to cost them at least $40bn.\nBut in November BP announced it was back in profit in the three months to September after last quarter' s record loss.\nThe firm said its replacement cost profit for the period was $1.85bn (£1.15bn), as against the $17bn loss recorded from April to June.\nThe previous loss reflected the massive costs of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill crisis.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Rosneft","BP"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Rosneft will take 5% of BP's shares in exchange for approximately 9.5% of Rosneft's shares","set-up an Arctic technology centre in Russia which will work with Russian and international research institutes to develop technologies for the extraction of hydrocarbon resources from the Arctic shelf"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2010 Saudi Arabia decides it will not ban BlackBerry instant messaging after agreeing a deal to iron out security fears. (The Daily Telegraph)","document":"Saudi Arabia and the makers of the BlackBerry smartphone have reached a deal to prevent a ban on the phone's messenger service.\nThe agreement, which involves placing a BlackBerry server inside Saudi Arabia, would allow the government to monitor users' messages and allay official fears the service could be used for criminal purposes.\nThe deal could have wide-ranging implications for several other countries, including India and the United Arab Emirates, which have expressed similar concerns over how BlackBerry maker Research in Motion handles its data.\nA Saudi regulatory official said tests were now under way to determine how to install a BlackBerry server inside the country.\nThe kingdom is one of a number of countries expressing concern that the device is a security threat because encrypted information sent on the phones is routed through overseas computers – making it impossible for local governments to monitor.\nThe United Arab Emirates has announced it will ban BlackBerry email, messaging and web browsing starting in October, and Indonesia and India are also demanding greater control over the data.\nAnalysts say RIM's expansion into fast-growing emerging markets is threatening to set off a wave of regulatory challenges, as its commitment to keep corporate emails secure rubs up against the desires of local law enforcement.\nRIM says it does offer help to governments, but says its technology does not allow it, or any third party, to read encrypted emails sent by corporate BlackBerry users.\nThe consumer version has a lower level of security.\nIn Saudi Arabia – which local media say has some 750,000 BlackBerry users – the threat of the ban raised accusations the government is trying to further curb freedom of expression.\nSaudi Arabia's telecommunications regulator announced the imminent ban on Tuesday, saying the BlackBerry service \"in its present state does not meet regulatory requirements.\"\nSaudi security officials fear the service could be used by militant groups. The kingdom has been waging a crackdown for years against al-Qaida-linked extremists.\nSaudi Arabia also enforces heavy policing of the internet, blocking sites both for political content and for obscenities.\nBlackBerry phones are known to be popular both among businesspeople and youth in the kingdom who see the phones' relatively secure communication features as a way to avoid attention from the authorities. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the BlackBerry","BlackBerry","Saudi Arabia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["placing a BlackBerry server inside Saudi Arabia, would allow the government to monitor users' messages and allay official fears the service could be used for criminal purposes"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Saudi Arabia"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2010 The President of the United States Barack Obama signs a $26 billion bill to help struggling states to meet budgets. (Reuters)","document":"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved, and President Barack Obama promptly signed into law, an election-year bill providing $26 billion to struggling states by closing tax loopholes for multinational companies and cutting food aid to the poor.\nThe Democratic-controlled House of Representatives gave final congressional approval to the bill on a largely party-line vote of 247 to 161.\nDemocratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took the rare step of summoning House members back to Washington during their summer recess for a final vote on the measure after the Senate approved the legislation last week.\nThe bill will give states, hard-hit by the U.S. economic downturn, $16 billion more for Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor, and $10 billion for education in the hopes they can avoid making steep cuts in already-lean budgets.\nBudget gaps for the 50 U.S. states could total as much as $120 billion over the next year. States have slashed funding for everything from government employees to education since their revenues began collapsing in 2008 because of the weak U.S. economy.\n“Economists have told us that if this legislation were not passed and these jobs were not saved and the budgets of the states were not stabilized we would go into another deep recession, like the one we inherited from the previous administration,” Pelosi said, referring to the Republican Bush administration.\nRepublicans are trying to take back control of Congress from the Democrats in November’s congressional elections. Republicans hope to build on voter anger over the size of the U.S. budget deficit, projected at $1.47 trillion this year, by emphasizing the measure’s price tag.\n“Everyone knows that state budgets have been hit hard and no one wants teachers or police officers to lose their jobs,” said House Republican leader John Boehner, who opposed the bill. “But where do the bailouts end?”\nDemocrats want to convince voters they can strengthen a fragile economic recovery and bring down the country’s unemployment rate, currently 9.5 percent.\nA report from the research group the Rockefeller Institute of Government released on Tuesday showed that layoffs are hurting state and local governments, with their payrolls falling last month below pre-recession levels.\nThis is the only one of nine recessions since 1953 in which state government employment has fallen below its pre-recession level, the New York-based research group said.\nSince the start of the year, state and local governments have shed 169,000 jobs, according to the congressional Joint Economic Committee.\nRelated Coverage\n“We can’t stand by and do nothing while pink slips (termination notices) are given to the men and women who educate our children or keep our communities safe,” Obama said in the White House Rose Garden earlier on Tuesday as he urged the House to pass the legislation.\nObama added, “This proposal is fully paid for -- in part by closing tax loopholes that encourage corporations to shift American jobs overseas, so it will not add to our deficit.”\nDemocrats say figures from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office show the legislation will shave more than $1 billion from the U.S. budget deficit\nThe bill will be funded by tightening tax rules related to how companies allocate income between domestic and foreign subsidiaries.\nIt also cuts $11.9 billion from the food stamp program, ending part of last year’s economic stimulus plan that temporarily increased the aid given to poor families each month to buy groceries. It rescinds advance refunds of the earned income tax credit, a break given to poor families, as well.\nLast year’s $862 billion economic stimulus law temporarily raised the federal reimbursements to states for Medicaid. States have been worried about how to fill the void when the money runs out in December.\nThe education funds contained in the bill will help retain 161,000 teachers and school staffers, according to the JEC.\nBut states are concerned about the education funds, which require them to maintain school spending at the same level as 2008. The recession had not hit many states then and few can now afford to return to that higher level of spending.\nMississippi Governor Haley Barbour, a Republican, said his state will have to rewrite its budget to qualify for $98 million in education funds, moving at least $50 million into education spending from public safety and health.\n“There is no justification for the federal government hijacking state budgets,” Barbour said.\nUpset that Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry put some of his state’s stimulus money in reserve, Democrats stipulated that Texas can receive education money only if it spends some of the earlier stimulus funds. Congress is sending a message to Perry, said Representative Sheila Jackson Lee: “Don’t fool with money for children and education.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The House of Representatives","House of Representatives","President Barack Obama"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["an election-year bill providing $26 billion to struggling states by closing tax loopholes for multinational companies and cutting food aid to the poor"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Washington"]}]} {"event_trigger":"US President Barack Obama has signed into law a $600m (£385m) bill providing increased security along the US-Mexico border","document":"US President Barack Obama has signed into law a $600m (£385m) bill providing increased security along the US-Mexico border.\nThe US Senate had reconvened on Thursday during its August recess to pass the measure.\nThe funds will mostly be directed to activities on the south-west border, such as hiring 1,000 border patrol agents. Money will also pay for surveillance technology, including unmanned drones.\nA further 250 immigration and customs enforcement agents will also be funded by the bill.\n\"This new law will also strengthen our partnership with Mexico in targeting the gangs and criminal organisations that operate on both sides of our shared border,\" Mr Obama said in a statement after the bill passed on Thursday.\nHomeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters that it would take eight months for the new border patrol agents to be recruited, trained and deployed to the border. She also said that border crossings into the US were down 50% as a result of extra security and a weakened economy with fewer jobs for migrants.\nRepublicans and Democrats agreed to pass the bill on Thursday by a \"voice vote\", requiring only two senators to be present. Senator Ben Cardin, Democrat of Maryland, presided while Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, voted in the 40-minute session.\nMr Schumer, the measure's chief sponsor, hopes it will pave the way for comprehensive immigration legislation to be considered after the August recess. \"Both moderate Democrats and Republicans said they wouldn't even consider comprehensive reform until we did something about the border,\" Mr Schumer said.\nSome Republicans appear unsatisfied though, with Senator Jeff Sessions calling the bill \"a small measure\" which \"if it is not followed by strong, sustained action, it is yet another gesture without consequence\".\nThe $600m will be paid for by raising fees on some foreign work visas.\nThursday's session was only the second time in four decades that the Senate has been called back into session during August. The other time was to pass emergency measures related to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["US President Barack Obama","The US Senate"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday","August"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["600m (£385m) bill providing increased security along the US-Mexico border","US"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"President Barack Obama on Friday signed into law a $600 million bill to beef up security on the U.S. border with Mexico, and his aides pressed lawmakers to set aside election-year politics and work toward broader immigration reform","document":"President Barack Obama on Friday signed into law a $600 million bill to beef up security on the U.S. border with Mexico, and his aides pressed lawmakers to set aside election-year politics and work toward broader immigration reform.\nWith illegal immigration seen as a key issue in the November congressional elections, the Obama administration touted the border enforcement plan as laying the groundwork for a revived effort to overhaul the U.S. immigration system.\nCongress passed the measure this week and sent it to Obama, who sought the extra funding amid complaints from southwestern U.S. states that the government was failing to seal the border from illegal immigrants and drug traffickers.\nBut lawmakers have been reluctant to push ahead on the hot-button issue of immigration reform, and no serious progress is likely until after the mid-term elections.\nObama’s aides insisted the president remained committed to revamping what he has called a broken immigration system, and challenged Democrats and Republicans to show leadership.\n“They will need to address this in a bipartisan way,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters at the White House. “It cannot only be done by Democrats. The Republicans need to come to the table.”\nBut mindful of the political climate, administration officials set no timetable for breaking the deadlock.\nObama has called for comprehensive reform that includes not only better border security but a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. Republican critics support a tighter border but say citizenship proposals would amount to an amnesty for lawbreakers.\n“If the president takes amnesty off the table and makes a real commitment to border and interior security, he will find strong bipartisan support,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement.\nThe new $600 million will fund some 1,500 new border patrol agents, customs inspectors and other law enforcement officials along the border, as well as two more unmanned aerial “drones” to monitor border activities.\nCongress’ speedy approval of the measure marked a rare display of bipartisanship.\nDemocratic Senator Charles Schumer said he hoped the bill’s passage would help break the stalemate over broader immigration reform. Obama, in a statement issued on Thursday, said he wanted to continue working toward that goal.\nThere are believed to be about 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States. But immigrants’ rights advocates say Republicans have inflated concerns about illegal immigrants in order to put Democrats on the defensive ahead of the Nov. 2 congressional elections.\nWith the measure’s passage, members of Congress running for re-election will be able to spend the next several weeks boasting that they acted to reinforce the border.\nOfficials in southwestern states have asked for more help from the federal government to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, weapons and narcotics. Obama already has ordered more National Guard troops to the border for a year.\nA federal judge last month blocked key parts of an Arizona law that sought to drive illegal immigrants out of the state, handing a victory to the Obama administration, which argued the measure was unconstitutional.\nThe White House also rejected calls by some Republicans in Congress to alter the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution to eliminate language that gives automatic U.S. citizenship to all people born in the United States. These Republicans oppose automatic citizenship for babies of illegal immigrants born in the United States.\nThe amendment, ratified in 1868 in the aftermath of the U.S. Civil War, was intended to guarantee that former slaves were automatically given U.S. citizenship.\n“Those that have, with steadfast fidelity, talked about not tampering with our Constitution, have now swerved to pick the 14th Amendment as the best place to address comprehensive immigration reform,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.\n“It’s rich in its irony. It’s wrong in its approach.”\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["President Barack Obama"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["he new $600 million will fund some 1,500 new border patrol agents, customs inspectors and other law enforcement officials along the border, as well as two more unmanned aerial “drones” to monitor border activities"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2010 Gabon signs agreements with several Asian companies designed to make it rely less on its oil. (BBC) (Financial Times) (Reuters Africa)","document":"Gabon has signed deals to diversify its economy in an attempt to be less reliant on its dwindling oil reserves.\nThe government has announced contracts with Asian companies worth $4.5bn billion dollars. President Ali Bongo signed the agreements on the eve of the country's 50th anniversary of its independence from France. The projects will revamp infrastructure and create about 50,000 jobs.\nGabon's oil output has been declining for years and the new deals are presented as the first steps towards diversification.\nThe largest deal is the with OLAM, a Singapore-based company which plans to develop a huge palm oil plantation in the south east.\nThe government wants to become the leading palm oil producer in Africa. In terms of infrastructure, the OLAM deal involves the construction of a refinery, and there are plans for a possible port.\nAnother agreement was signed with the Indian company M3M, to build 5,000 low-cost housing units over the next two years. Ramky Infrastructure, another Indian construction company, will build 1,000 kilometres of tarred road over the next three years in a $1.5bn project that will be jointly financed by the Gabonese government.\nGabon has already attracted a number of Asian investors, notably Malaysian and Chinese companies, but most of them were interested in the mining and timber sectors.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Gabon","Asian companies"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["the eve of the country's 50th anniversary of its independence from France"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The largest deal is the with OLAM, a Singapore-based company which plans to develop a huge palm oil plantation in the south east","with the Indian company M3M, to build 5,000 low-cost housing units over the next two years. Ramky Infrastructure, another Indian construction company, will build 1,000 kilometres of tarred road over the next three years in a $1.5bn project that will be jointly financed by the Gabonese government"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2013 Eleven African nations including all the members of the African Great Lakes region sign a United Nations brokered peace deal for the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (BBC)","document":"Regional African leaders have signed a UN-brokered accord which aims to bring peace to the troubled eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.\nThe deal was signed in the presence of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.\nHe said he hoped it would bring \"an era of peace and stability\" to the region.\nAs many as 800,000 people have been displaced since the March 23 rebel group took up arms against the Kinshasa government last May.\n\"It is only the beginning of a comprehensive approach that will require sustained engagement,\" Mr Ban said.\nThe agreement, signed by leaders and representatives of 11 countries of the Great Lakes region, may lead to the establishment of a special UN intervention brigade in eastern DR Congo, along with political efforts to bring peace.\nAn initial attempt to get the peace agreement signed last month was called off at the last minute.\nLeaders from Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Republic and South Sudan attended the signing.\nThe M23 rebels say they want to improve living conditions for the people of eastern DR Congo, but the UN says they are supported by Rwanda, which has been heavily involved in its eastern neighbour since those responsible for the country's genocide fled there en masse in 1994.\nBosco Ntaganda, who is accused of being one of the M23 leaders, was an officer in the Rwandan army before he left to join a rebel movement in DR Congo. The ICC accuses him of using child soldiers and the UN says he controls several mines in the east of the country.\nThe group briefly seized control of the city of Goma last November after carving out an area for themselves in North Kivu province.\nDR Congo's government and rebels have been holding talks in Uganda aimed at reaching an agreement on a range of issues. In January, the rebels declared a unilateral ceasefire.\nAn earlier attempt to reach a deal collapsed in December after the group accused President Joseph Kabila of failing to honour a deal to integrate rebels into the army.\nThe region's mineral riches have been plundered by numerous groups and countries over the past 15 years and little has been spent on DR Congo's infrastructure. Setback for EU in legal fight with AstraZeneca\nBut the drug-maker faces hefty fines if it fails to supply doses of Covid-19 vaccine over the summer.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["leaders and representatives of 11 countries of the Great Lakes region","leaders","Leaders"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["bring peace to the troubled eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Addis Ababa"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2013 The UK's three main political parties reach an agreement on measures to regulate the British press. (BBC)","document":"A deal has been struck between the three main political parties on a new press regulation regime in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.\nAn independent regulator will be set up by royal charter with powers to impose million pound fines on UK publishers and demand upfront apologies from them. Party leaders told MPs the charter would preserve press freedom and protect victims of press intrusion. Many of the major newspapers said they needed time to study the details.\nPress reform campaign group Hacked Off has welcomed the deal.\nIt follows Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry into press ethics, which found that journalists had hacked thousands of phones. He called for a new, independent regulator backed by legislation designed to assess whether it is doing its job properly.\nPrime Minister David Cameron said the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labour had agreed on a new system of \"tough independent self-regulation that will deliver for victims and meet the principles set out in (Leveson's) report\". He said a new system would ensure: The charter defines publishers as newspapers, magazines or websites containing news-related material.\nBut there was confusion over how the plans would extend to the rest of the internet - with one Downing Street aide telling the BBC it would not cover blogs such as Guido Fawkes' political commentary. While the charter is intended to cover organisations publishing in the UK, the Scottish government has asked Westminster to clarify the Scottish impact of plans for press regulation, which is a devolved matter.\nAnnouncing the draft royal charter, Mr Cameron told MPs: \"What happened to the Dowlers, to the McCanns, to Christopher Jeffries and to many other innocent people who've never sought the limelight was utterly despicable. \"It is right that we put in place a new system of press regulation to ensure such appalling acts can never happen again. We should do this without any further delay.\"\nLabour leader Ed Miliband said the agreement satisfied the demands of protection for victims and freedom of the press.\nDeputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said he hoped newspaper groups would see the logic of the deal and back it.\nThe charter will not be passed by MPs, but will need to be approved at the May meeting of the Queen's Privy Council - advisers to the Queen, mostly comprising senior politicians. Meanwhile, a clause in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, which will mean that the charter cannot be amended without a two-thirds majority in Parliament, was approved in the Lords on Tuesday evening. And a separate bill, the Crime and Courts Bill, will have amendments ensuring that newspapers who refused to join the new regulatory regime would be potentially liable for exemplary damages if a claim was upheld against them.\nThe three main parties differed over whether this amounted to bringing in a new law.\nMr Cameron said a press law had been avoided - although he conceded the clauses were \"two very important but relatively small legislative changes\" that needed to be made.\nMr Miliband said there was statute underpinning the charter, \"which is actually protecting it from being changed\".\nBBC political editor Nick Robinson said the press had been informed over the days and months of wrangling, with key players being Telegraph's Lord Black, Associated Newspapers' Peter Wright, the editor of the Times John Witherow and the editor of the FT Lionel Barber. In a joint statement, the Mail and Telegraph groups, Northern and Shell, News International, the Newspaper Society and the Professional Publishers Association said the industry had not been represented in Sunday night's talks.\nIt said early drafts of the charter had contained \"several deeply contentious issues\" which had not been \"resolved with the industry\".\n\"We are not able to give any response on behalf of the industry to this afternoon's proposals until we have had time to study them,\" the statement concluded. The Sun and others have previously said they would accept everything recommended by Lord Justice Leveson - except statutory legislation. Evan Harris of campaign group Hacked Off was at the overnight talks with three other pressure group members. The group later said it believed the deal \"can effectively deliver\" Lord Justice Leveson's recommendations.\nBut the idea of a charter was criticised by free speech campaign group Index on Censorship. Chief executive Kirsty Hughes said the decision was a \"sad day for press freedom in the UK\".\nShe said: \"Index is against the introduction of a royal charter that determines the details of establishing a press regulator in the UK - the involvement of politicians undermines the fundamental principle that the press holds politicians to account.\"\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the three main political parties"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["An independent regulator will be set up by royal charter with powers to impose million pound fines on UK publishers and demand upfront apologies from them"]},{"role":"Location","values":["UK"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2013 President of the United States Barack Obama announces that Israel and Turkey have reached an agreement to normalize relations between both countries. (Reuters) (The New York Times) (CBS News)","document":"Under persistent prodding from President Obama, Israel and Turkey resolved a bitter three-year dispute on Friday with a diplomatic thaw that will help a fragile region confront Syria’s civil war, while handing the president a solid accomplishment as he closed out his visit to the Middle East.\nThe breakthrough took place in the most improbable of surroundings: a trailer parked on the tarmac of Ben-Gurion International Airport. Moments before Mr. Obama left for Jordan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telephoned the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and apologized for deadly errors in Israel’s 2010 raid on a Turkish ship that was trying to bring aid to Palestinians in Gaza. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Israel and Turkey"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["resolved a bitter three-year dispute"]},{"role":"Location","values":["a trailer parked on the tarmac of Ben-Gurion International Airport"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2013 South Korea signs a new military plan with the United States to counter a possible incursion or a limited attack from North Korea. (BBC)","document":"South Korea has signed a new military plan with the US to counter what officials call North Korean \"provocations\". The plan provides for a joint response between both countries in the event of a limited attack from the North, officials say.\nHelp from the US - which has 28,000 troops in South Korea - has until now been optional in minor skirmishes. Regional tension remains high after the North's third nuclear test last month. The US already offers South Korea a \"nuclear umbrella\", but Cold War experts have pointed out that while nuclear deterrence may address the possibility of all-out war, it does not deter low-level incidents. Under the new plan, South Korea will be able to call on US assistance should Pyongyang follow through with its recent threats, for example to attack remote South Korean islands, says the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul.\n\"This allows both nations to jointly respond to the North's local provocations, with the South taking the lead and the US in support,\" South Korean defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said on Monday.\n\"It will have the effect of preventing the North from daring to provoke us,\" he added of the deal, which was signed on Friday.\nThe \"provocative\" acts that the plan seeks to address include incursions on the border and by low-flying aircraft, and attacks on border islands, says the Agence-France Presse news agency.\nThe new plan was conceived in 2010, after North Korea shelled a border island. A South Korean warship also sank that year, leaving 46 sailors dead. South Korea said North Korea torpedoed the ship, but Pyongyang denied this.\nLast month the United Nations imposed fresh sanctions against North Korea following its nuclear test on 12 February.\nPyongyang has responded with escalating rhetoric both to this and US-South Korea joint military drills which it bitterly opposes.\nIt says it has scrapped the Korean War armistice and ended non-aggression pacts with Seoul. South Korea says North Korea cannot unilaterally dissolve the armistice and has called on Pyongyang to tone down its language. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the US","US","us","South Korea"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["both nations to jointly respond to the North's local provocations, with the South taking the lead and the US in support"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2006 An international consortium signs a deal formally launching ITER, a project to develop an experimental nuclear fusion reactor. (BBC News)","document":"The multi-billion-euro project known as Iter - or \"the way\" in Latin - will aim to produce energy from nuclear reactions like those that fuel the Sun.\nIf successful, it could provide energy that is clean and almost limitless. The project, which will be based in France, follows years of talks between South Korea, Russia, China, the EU, the US, India and Japan.\nIf all goes well, officials will build a demonstration power plant before rolling out the technology to the world. Iter says electricity could be available on the grid within 30 years.\n \n\"Fusion could become the dominant source of electricity on Earth in a century or so - we have to work to try to get it,\" Jerome Pamela of Iter told the BBC. \n \"Not doing so would be irresponsible because the outcome could be huge, great for humanity,\" he said, adding that it was nonetheless a \"very, very demanding challenge\" to essentially imitate the work of the Sun on Earth.\nIn a fusion reaction, energy is released when light atomic nuclei - the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium - are fused together to form heavier atomic nuclei. To use controlled fusion reactions on Earth as an energy source, it is necessary to heat a gas to temperatures exceeding 100 million Celsius - many times hotter than the centre of the Sun. Isn't the money that's being spent on fusion better spent on proven technologies rather than chasing a dream?\n Roger Higman, Friends of the Earth\n The technical requirements to do this, which scientists have spent decades developing, are immense; but the rewards, if Iter can be made to work successfully, are extremely attractive.\nOne of the attractions of fusion is the tiny amount of fuel needed. The release of energy from a fusion reaction is said to be 10 million times greater than from a typical chemical reaction, such as burning a fossil fuel.\n\nThe project is based in Cadarache, about 60km (40 miles) from Marseille in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region. It currently hosts Tore-Supra, one of the existing European centres for fusion research. \n Fusion is the nuclear process that operates at the core of the Sun\nProject estimated to cost 10bn euros and will run for 35 years\nIt will produce the first sustained fusion reactions\nFinal stage before full prototype of commercial reactor is built\nWork to clear a wooded area for the Iter buildings will begin in the spring. Ancillary and power facilities and a visitors' centre will go up in 2008. The reactor itself will start to take shape in 2009. The French site was chosen after a long period of bartering between the Iter parties; and the EU, as the host bloc, is shouldering 50% of the five-billion-euro construction costs.\nThe deal signed by ministers on Tuesday puts those negotiations into effect, establishing the international organisation that will implement the Iter fusion energy project.\nThe signature took place at a ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris, hosted by the president of France, Jacques Chirac, and by the president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso. After the signature ceremony, the first meeting of the Interim Iter Council will take place.\nThe green lobby is opposed to the Iter project. It believes the benefits have been oversold and the difficulties and waste production issues underplayed.\nRoger Higman, policy coordinator for Friends of the Earth, told BBC News: \"We face a very real energy crisis over the next 50 years which is to do with climate change; that we have to stop using coal, oil and gas. \"The question we would ask is: isn't the money that's being spent on fusion better spent on proven technologies rather than chasing a dream that even its proponents say will take a hundred years before it's going to providing any of our energy answers?\"\nThe proposed Iter reactor is shaped like a doughnut - a Russian-conceived design referred to as a tokomak\nDeuterium and tritium - isotopes of hydrogen - are fed into the reactor and heated to 100 million Celsius\nA powerful magnetic field holds the hot plasma, or gas, away from the walls and squeezes to initiate fusion\nIter hopes to do this in bursts of 500 seconds; a commercial reactor would have to run for prolonged periods\nIn a commercial reactor, energetic neutrons are absorbed in a surrounding 'blanket' to drive a steam-turbine system","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["South Korea, Russia, China, the EU, the US, India and Japan","EU"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["Iter - or \"the way\" in Latin","Iter"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["officials will build a demonstration power plant before rolling out the technology to the world"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Elysee Palace in Paris"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2005 The Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement addressing global warming, comes into effect. (BBC) (Reuters)","document":"The accord requires countries to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Some 141 countries, accounting for 55% of greenhouse gas emissions, have ratified the treaty, which pledges to cut these emissions by 5.2% by 2012. But the world's top polluter - the US - has not signed up to the treaty.\nThe US says the changes would be too costly to introduce and that the agreement is flawed. Large developing countries including India, China and Brazil are not required to meet specific targets for now. 'Out of control'\nThe ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto, where the pact was negotiated, is hosting the main ceremony marking the treaty's coming into force.\nRussia ratified the treaty in November 2004 - the crucial moment making the treaty legally binding.\n Russia's entry was vital, because the protocol had to be ratified by nations accounting for at least 55% of greenhouse gas emissions to become valid. This target was only met after Russia joined. But the head of the UN Environment Programme, Klaus Toepfer, said Kyoto was only a first step and much hard work needed to be done to fight global warming.\n\"Climate change is the spectre at the feast, capable of undermining our attempts to deliver a healthier, fairer and more resilient world,\" he said.\nRecent projections on planet warming made terrifying reading, he said, painting a vision of a planet that is \"spinning out of control.\"\nHe said it would be Africa which bore the burden of the world's failure to act.\nIndividual targets\nThe protocol, which became legally binding at midnight New York time (0500 GMT) on 16 February, demands a 5.2% cut in greenhouse gas emissions from the industrialised world as a whole, by 2012.\nNot just hot air - more than 140 countries have signed up\nEach country has been set its own individual targets according to its pollution levels.\nGrowing developing countries China and India are outside the framework, a fact pointed out by US President George W Bush when he abandoned Kyoto as one of his first acts when taking office in 2001.\nJapan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi issued a statement welcoming the treaty but also calling on non-signatories to rethink.\n\"From now, we have to build a system in which more nations will work together under the common framework to stop global warming,\" he said.\nEnvironmentalists held protests around the world to mark the treaty coming into force - with many targeting the US.\nSpeakers at the official ceremony include Nobel Peace prize winner Wangari Maathai.\nMs Maathai, an ecologist and Kenya's deputy environment minister, said the Kyoto Protocol would require not just efforts from governments and businesses, but also a change in the way people lived.\nTough goals\nBut even for countries that have signed up to Kyoto, meeting the goals could be difficult.\n \n \nCanada, one of the treaty's first signatories, has no clear plan for reaching its target emission cuts. Far from cutting back, its emissions have increased by 20% since 1990.\nAnd Japan is also unsure it will be able to meet its legal requirement to slash emissions by 6% from 1990 levels by 2012.\n\"Japan will make all efforts to respect the rules of the Protocol,\" said Takashi Omura, of the Japanese environment ministry. \"It will neither be easy nor insurmountable.\"","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Some 141 countries"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["by 2012"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["requires countries to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases","pledges to cut these emissions by 5.2% by 2012"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Kyoto"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2014 The governments of Romania and Hungary sign a framework agreement for opening 20 cross–border roads, strengthening traffic links with the entire European Union. (Nine O'Clock)","document":"The governments of Romania and Hungary have signed a framework agreement for opening 20 cross-border roads, including five in Arad (western Romania), County Council chairman Nicolae Iotcu announced in a press conference on Tuesday.\nVice prime minister and minister of regional development and public administration Liviu Dragnea signed on behalf of Romania; Iotcu mentioned that the roads connect Nadlac to Csanadpalota, Pecica to Battonya, Variasu Mic to Dombegyhaza, Graniceri to Elek, and Iermata Neagra to Denesmajor (all pairs of Romania and Hungary, respectively); they allow the traffic of passengers and of freight up to 3.5 tonnes.\n‘We are glad about Romania’s Government respecting our work and efforts – both of Arad County Council and of local administrations – which strengthened the road links with Hungary, and implicitly with the European Union. Thus, Arad has new opportunities of economic and tourist development, as the free movement of people, services, goods and capitals is a fundamental principle of the European Union,’ said Iotcu.\nThe agreement has been sent to the Hungarian government for ratification; it will come into force 30 days after the last mutual notification of the two governments about the completion of all the necessary internal procedures.\n‘It’s worth mentioning that the free access of individuals, vehicles, merchandise and other goods will be possible when Romania joins the Schengen [Area], except for festive moments, which require special approvals. Until then, these roads will have barriers and obstacles on the territory of both states,’ added the official of Arad.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The governments of Romania and Hungary","Romania and Hungary"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["opening 20 cross-border roads, including five in Arad (western Romania)","they allow the traffic of passengers and of freight up to 3.5 tonnes"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2014 Barack Obama, the President of the United States, signs a memorandum expanding the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to 490,000 square miles, making it the biggest marine preserve in the world. (AP via ABC News)","document":"President Barack Obama is carving out a wide swath the Pacific Ocean for an expanded marine preserve, putting the waters off-limits to drilling and most fishing in a bid to protect fragile underwater life.\nThe revamped expanded Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument will cover 490,000 square miles - an area roughly three times the size of California - and will become the largest marine preserve in the world. Millions of seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals live in the bio-rich expanse included by the new monument, which will also add new protections for more than 130 \"seamounts\" - underwater mountains where rare or undiscovered species are frequently found.\nThe move to broaden the George W. Bush-era preserve comes as Obama seeks to show concrete presidential action to protect the environment, despite firm opposition in Congress to new environmental legislation. At the United Nations this week, Obama announced new U.S. commitments to help other nations deal with the effects of climate change, as world leaders seek to galvanize support for a major global climate treaty to be finalized next year in Paris.\n\"We hope the steps taken today by the U.S. government will accelerate similar actions by a growing list of coastal nations to protect more of the world's great ocean treasures,\" said Matt Rand, who heads the ocean program at the Pew Charitable Trusts.\nObama will sign a memorandum expanding the ocean preserve on Thursday, the White House said. Secretary of State John Kerry was also to discuss the announcement during an event Thursday on ocean sustainability in New York.\nThe president signaled his intent to expand the monument in June and asked for input on the final boundaries from fishermen, lawmakers and scientists. Officials said they received more than 170,000 electronic comments on the proposal.\nThe memorandum bans commercial fishing, deep-sea mining and other extraction of underwater resources, by recreational fishing will continue to be allowed. White House officials said they decided to allow some fishing in an attempt to preserve and encourage the public's access to federal areas.\nWhile a major symbolic victory for environmentalists, who long urged Obama to take this step, the designation will have limited practical implications. That's because little fishing or drilling are taking place in the region even without the new protections.\nThe expansion also falls far short of what Obama could have done had he used the full extent of his powers.\nMaritime law gives the U.S. control up to 200 nautical miles from the coast. Under Bush, the U.S. set aside waters extending about 50 miles from the shore of an array of U.S.-administered islands in the south-central Pacific, thousands of miles from the American mainland.\nThe islands sit between Hawaii and American Samoa and are divided into five regions. Obama is extending the preserve to the full 200 miles - but only for three of the five regions.\nHad Obama expanded the preserve in all five regions, he could have protected more than 780,000 square miles, according to a geographic analysis by Pew.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["President Barack Obama"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["carving out a wide swath the Pacific Ocean for an expanded marine preserve, putting the waters off-limits to drilling and most fishing in a bid to protect fragile underwater life.\nThe revamped expanded Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument will cover 490,000 square miles","expand the monument in June and asked for input on the final boundaries from fishermen, lawmakers and scientists"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2011 The United States and Chile sign a nuclear accord. (BBC)","document":"The United States has signed a long-awaited nuclear accord with Chile despite growing misgivings about the safety of nuclear power in Chile. The Chilean government has stressed the deal was about training nuclear engineers and not building a reactor.\nBut it comes amid fears over a radiation leak at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan following last week's huge earthquake. Chile suffered its own devastating earthquake last year.\nMany environmental groups in Chile have criticised the decision to invest more in nuclear energy as other countries are scaling back their nuclear plans. The deal was due to be signed by President Barack Obama in a high profile ceremony with his Chilean counterpart, Sebastian Pinera, on his visit to Chile early next week. But the agreement was signed behind closed doors by Chilean Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno and US ambassador to Chile Alejandro Wolff.\nMr Moreno reiterated that Chile is not able to produce nuclear energy.\n\"Chile is not in a condition to have nuclear energy and what has happened in Japan has done nothing more than underline that situation,\" he said.\nBut it comes after Chile signed a similar nuclear agreement with France last month. Environmental groups in Chile are concerned that the government appears to be pursuing a nuclear agenda despite moves elsewhere in the world to review nuclear plans. Earlier this week, Germany ordered its oldest nuclear plants to be shut down for urgent safety checks. The Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, also announced he was suspending a nuclear deal with Russia following the disaster in Japan.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Chile","The United States"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["training nuclear engineers"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Chile"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2015 Japan has delivered two more ships to Vietnam that will be refurbished into patrol boats. The ships, which arrived in the port city of Da Nang, are the second delivery of a 2014 deal in which Tokyo is to provide Vietnam with six used fishing vessels that will be converted into patrol boats for Vietnam's coast guard in the South China Sea. (Voice of America)","document":" Japan has delivered to Vietnam another two ships that will be refurbished into patrol boats in disputed waters of the South China Sea.\nThe ships, which arrived Tuesday in the port city of Da Nang, are the second delivery of a 2014 deal for Tokyo to provide Vietnam with six used fishing vessels that will be converted into patrol ships for Vietnam's coast guard and fisheries ministry.\nJapan has also agreed to provide equipment and technical advice. In September, the two sides signed a separate deal for Tokyo to provide even more vessels in the future.\nThe Japanese ships follow a U.S. pledge to provide at least five refurbished fast patrol ships to improve Vietnam's Coast Guard.\nNguyen Do, captain of a Vietnamese fishing vessel that works in disputed waters, told VOA Tuesday the international aid is desperately needed.\n\"Despite being frequently attacked and chased away by Chinese vessels, we keep fishing in these waters, we have no other choices,\" he said. \"They robbed and damaged our assets, they chased us out of the area. Their vessels are well-equipped gunboats armed with weapons. These vessels belong to coast guard forces or fisheries resources surveillance, not civilian fishing boats.\"\nFishing boat captain Le Van Xinh said Hanoi needs to make good use of the new ships.\n\"If the Vietnamese government put into practice some policies to support and protect fishermen then we will be less worried while operating at sea. To be specific, if the law enforcement forces are around in our fishing field, that would help ease our worries when being harassed by foreign vessels, especially in the context of constant threats from China’s vessels, as what’s going on right now,\" he said.\nAnti-China sentiments are still running high in Vietnam as Beijing seeks to strengthen its claim over virtually all of the South China Sea.\nLast year, Beijing was sharply criticized by Hanoi when it placed an oil rig in disputed waters, leading to several small maritime confrontations and deadly rioting in mainland Vietnam.\nChinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled in Hanoi this week for a visit aimed at improving relations.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Vietnam","Japan"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["2014"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["for Tokyo to provide Vietnam with six used fishing vessels that will be converted into patrol ships for Vietnam's coast guard and fisheries ministry"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2019 General Motors and the United Auto Workers announce that they have reached a tentative deal to end a month–long strike that cost the company US$2 billion. It will be sent to union members tomorrow for final approval. If approved, workers will receive a pay raise and temporary workers will be granted a more simplified path to full–time employment. (Reuters)","document":" General Motors Co and the United Auto Workers union reached a tentative agreement on Wednesday for a new four-year labor deal, moving closer to ending a costly month-long strike that shut down GM’s most profitable factories in a test of wills over the future of U.S. auto industry jobs.\nUAW and GM reach tentative labor deal\n\nNeither the UAW nor GM released details of the deal, which is subject to ratification by UAW members, a process that could last up to two weeks. A new contract is expected to include commitments by the automaker to invest billions in U.S. vehicle factories to build new generations of electric vehicles, as well as U.S. electric vehicle battery plants. Union leaders worry that a shift to electric vehicles could cost thousands of jobs at engine and transmission factories.\nThe longest nationwide strike against a Detroit automaker since 1970 became a political event. Democratic presidential candidates joined UAW picket lines, eager to win union votes in Midwest swing states. For his part, U.S. President Donald Trump put pressure on GM Chief Executive Mary Barra before the strike to preserve jobs at a car plant in Lordstown, Ohio, that she had targeted for closure.\nTrump spoke individually with Barra and UAW President Gary Jones on Wednesday, spokesmen for GM and the union confirmed. The White House declined to comment on the discussions.\nDetails of GM’s last offer emerged over the weekend and Reuters had reported that the company boosted the amount it plans to invest in the United States to about $9 billion from its previous offer of $7 billion. That figure is unchanged in the final agreement, a person briefed on the matter said.\nThe deal also would create or retain 9,000 UAW jobs, a “substantial” number of which will be new, the source said. GM in September said its initial offer would support 5,400 jobs - and a majority of those would be new jobs.\nIf the contract is ratified, UAW workers who have been living on $250 a week in strike pay are expected to get one-time signing bonuses, as well as increases to base pay. The union had also pushed for temporary workers at GM plants who earned less than permanent UAW employees to get an easier path to full-time wages and benefits.\nGM shares closed 1.1% higher at $36.65 on Wednesday after rising as much as 2.6% during the day. Shares of some auto parts suppliers also rose after the UAW announced the tentative deal. The cost of the strike - and how quickly those costs can be recovered - will be a focus for investors as the automaker and its major suppliers report quarterly results over the next several days.\nAnalysts have estimated the strike cost GM more than $2 billion in lost production, though some of that could be made up through overtime work. The strike halted production of GM’s large pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles - key drivers of the company’s global profit.\nRelated Coverage\nThe deal is not done yet. The union’s national GM council will decide whether to accept the agreement during a meeting on Thursday. Then UAW members at GM will vote on the agreement. The strike continues at least until Thursday’s meeting, the UAW said in a statement.\nThe strike began on Sept. 16, with about 48,000 hourly workers of the UAW union at GM seeking higher pay, greater job security, a bigger share of profit and protection of healthcare benefits. Other issues included the fate of plants GM has indicated it may close, and the use of temporary workers.\nGM’s revised offer that emerged over the weekend also included an increase of its proposed ratification bonus by $1,000 to $9,000. GM also proposed 3% pay raises in the second and fourth year of the four-year-contract and 3% and 4% lump sum payments in the first and fourth year respectively. It agreed to make temporary workers with three years of service permanent and give those workers a $3,000 ratification bonus.\nThe final agreement is similar to that offer on pay and bonuses, but includes some enhancements, the person briefed on the matter said.\nThe automaker said during the talks that it had offered “solutions” for the Lordstown assembly plant and a large assembly plant in Detroit-Hamtramck that were targeted for closure. A group affiliated with electric truck maker Workhorse Group had proposed acquiring the Lordstown plant. GM also said it had proposed a “union represented battery cell manufacturing site in the U.S.”\nGM was considering using the Detroit-Hamtramck factory to build a new line of electric trucks, sources said.\nThese proposals could have changed or been dropped in the final days of the talks.\nIf the deal is approved by the workers, the union will next begin negotiations with Ford Motor Co or Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA), covering many of the same issues. The UAW previously agreed to temporary contract extensions with both automakers while it focused on GM.\nA successful ratification is not a sure thing as workers during the 2015 talks initially rejected a deal with FCA before eventually approving a revised offer.\nThis year’s talks have been overshadowed by a widening federal investigation into corruption at the union.\nFor GM and the UAW, the bargaining came at a time of industry uncertainty following nine years of strong sales and robust profit, fueled by the trucks and SUVs built by UAW workers. GM’s Barra and President Mark Reuss joined the bargaining on Tuesday, indicating a deal was close.\nUnion leaders said the rewards of GM’s recovery from its 2009 bankruptcy had not been shared fairly. Inflation-adjusted wages for all U.S. auto workers have fallen 16% since 2010, and UAW workers at the Detroit Three have received only two base wage increases of 3% in the past nine years, according to CAR.\nGM management, on the other hand, sees UAW wages as 26% higher than the average for non-union auto factories in the Southern United States. High absenteeism and rich health benefits add to the cost burdens at a time when U.S. vehicle sales are projected to decline and automakers are funding investments in electric vehicles.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["General Motors Co and the United Auto Workers union"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["new four-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the company boosted the amount it plans to invest in the United States to about $9 billion from its previous offer of $7 billion","The deal also would create or retain 9,000 UAW jobs, a “substantial” number of which will be new","its initial offer would support 5,400 jobs - and a majority of those would be new jobs"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2019 The United Kingdom and the European Union agree on a new Brexit withdrawal agreement deal following talks in Brussels. Current coalition partner the Democratic Unionist Party subsequently announces they will oppose the deal. (BBC)","document":"Boris Johnson and EU leaders have hailed the deal they have struck to take the UK out of the bloc on 31 October in an \"orderly\" fashion.\nThe prime minister now faces a battle to get the deal through Parliament on Saturday, with the DUP opposing it. DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds accused Mr Johnson of being \"too eager by far to get a deal at any cost\".\nEuropean Council President Donald Tusk did not rule out an extension to the Brexit deadline if MPs rejected it.\nEU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker earlier said: \"We have a deal so why should we have a prolongation.\"\nBut his Brussels colleagues have been more cautious, with Mr Tusk saying he would \"consult\" the leaders of EU member states about a possible extension if one was requested by the UK.\nHe said Boris Johnson's acceptance of customs checks at the point of entry into Northern Ireland, which the DUP objects to, had made a deal possible.\nMr Johnson has repeatedly insisted the UK will leave the EU on 31 October and he urged MPs to \"come together\" and \"get this excellent deal over the line\".\nHe added: \"Now is the moment for us to get Brexit done and then together work on building our future partnership, which I think can be incredibly positive both for the UK and for the EU.\"\nThe EU and UK negotiating teams worked round-the-clock on the legal text of the deal, but it will still need the approval of both the UK and European parliaments. In a statement, the Democratic Unionist Party, which the government relies on for support in key votes, said: \"These proposals are not, in our view, beneficial to the economic well-being of Northern Ireland and they undermine the integrity of the Union.\"\nThe DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds criticised Mr Johnson, telling BBC News: \"If he'd held his nerve - and held out - he would, of course, have got better concessions which kept the integrity, both economic and constitutional, of the UK.\"\nHe said he expected a \"massive vote\" against Mr Johnson's deal on Saturday in the House of Commons - and the DUP expected to \"play a crucial role\" in amending the legislation.\nThe winning post for votes in the House of Commons is 320 if everyone turns up - seven Sinn Fein MPs don't sit and the Speaker and three deputies don't vote.\nThere are currently 287 voting Conservative MPs. The prime minister needs to limit any rebellion among them.\nThen, if the DUP won't support his deal, he'll need the backing of 23 former Conservative MPs who are currently independents. Most will probably support the deal, but not all.\nThat's still not quite enough, though, so the PM will also need the backing of some Labour MPs and ex-Labour independents. In March, when MPs voted on Theresa May's deal for the third time, five Labour MPs backed it, plus two ex-Labour independents.\nThis time it's likely to be a bit higher than that because several MPs have said they would now back a deal.\nAll this still leaves the vote very close. And it's possible some MPs could abstain, making it even harder to predict the outcome.\nMost of the deal is the same as the one agreed by Theresa May last year - the main change is the Northern Ireland proposal.\nWhat's changed?\nIn a statement, the Democratic Unionists said Northern Ireland's main East-West trade route would still be subject to EU customs rules, \"notwithstanding that Northern Ireland will remain part of the UK customs territory\". \"All goods would be subject to a customs check regime regardless of their final destination,\" the statement added, and the plan for a joint EU/UK committee would give the EU a \"veto\" on which goods would be exempt from tariffs or not. \"This is not acceptable within the internal borders of the United Kingdom,\" the DUP said.\nThey expressed concerns Northern Ireland consumers would face increased costs and less choice, and Northern Ireland would also be subject to different VAT arrangements to the rest of the UK.\n\"Some progress\" had been made on democratic consent for the deal, it went on, but the idea of giving the Assembly a vote on the new arrangements that could be won by a \"simple majority\" violated the Good Friday Agreement, which demands the backing of both unionists and nationalists.\nWhile Boris Johnson may have a deal in Brussels, he absolutely does not have a deal in Westminster.\nThe DUP isn't prepared to back this package because it does not give it a veto over the new customs arrangement, which it fears could threaten Northern Ireland's position in the United Kingdom.\nTeam Johnson hopes that, by presenting this as a choice between Mr Johnson's deal and no-deal, the DUP will buckle.\nBut the DUP doesn't blink easily, and if it doesn't, the signs are Mr Johnson could be defeated on Saturday, when the party's 10 votes could be critical.\nThat could trigger the Benn Act, forcing a lengthy delay, and could encourage some opposition MP to trigger a motion of no confidence, paving the way for a general election.\nIt's going to be a titanic tussle on Saturday.\nLabour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the deal sounded \"even worse\" than the one negotiated by the PM's predecessor, Theresa May, and \"should be rejected\" by MPs. MPs have voted to hold an extra sitting in the Commons on Saturday to discuss the next steps.\nCabinet Office minister Michael Gove said the government would hold a vote on the deal and was not \"not contemplating defeat\".\nBut, he added, if the plan did not get the backing of MPs, the alternative was leaving without a deal.\nEU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said he and Mr Juncker had been told by the PM that \"he has faith in his ability to convince the majority he needs in the House of Commons\". Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage called for the deal to be rejected by Parliament, saying it would mean \"we will not be making our own laws in our own country\".\nLiberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson said: \"The next few days will set the direction of our country for generations, and I am more determined than ever to stop Brexit.\"\nMPs passed a law in September that requires the PM to request an extension on 19 October if Parliament has not agreed a deal or backed leaving without a deal by that date. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Boris Johnson and EU leaders","Boris Johnson"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["31 October"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Northern Ireland's main East-West trade route would still be subject to EU customs rules","notwithstanding that Northern Ireland will remain part of the UK customs territory","All goods would be subject to a customs check regime regardless of their final destination"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Four major pharmaceutical companies agreed to a multimillion-dollar payout over the US opioid epidemic on Monday","document":"Four major pharmaceutical companies agreed to a multimillion-dollar payout over the US opioid epidemic on Monday, hours before a landmark federal trial in which they were facing accusations of a conspiracy to profit from addiction and death.\nTeva Pharmaceuticals, the largest manufacturer of generic drugs in the world, and three drug distributors, among the biggest corporations in America, are to pay a total of $260m to settle the first of thousands of lawsuits by communities across the US which accuse the industry of creating an epidemic that that has claimed more than 400,000 lives over the past two decades.\nMonday’s trial in Ohio was intended to help establish whether opioid makers, drug distributors and pharmacy chains are liable to pay out billions to more than 2,700 cities, counties and Native American tribes.\nOther trials are scheduled in the coming months if a comprehensive deal involving all parties is not reached. Talks over a total payout of about $50bn stalled on Friday but lawyers said Monday’s settlement may provide a path to an agreement.\nThe Ohio lawsuit was brought by two counties, Cuyahoga and Summit, using anti-racketeering laws, originally written to go after organised crime. The counties claimed that manufacturers of narcotic painkillers aggressively drove up sales with knowingly false claims that they were less addictive and more effective than they were, leading to a huge surge in prescribing and addiction.\nThey also alleged that distributors and pharmacies ignored legal obligations to restrict delivery and dispensing of the drugs, even as the death toll escalated, because they were making so much money.\nEileen Shapiro, the Summit county executive, said the lawsuit was intended to prevent drug companies flooding the area with opioids which “devastated” communities and created a surge in illegal opioids led by heroin and fentanyl.\n“We started this originally to stop the behaviours,” she said. “Enough is enough.”\nThe two counties were suing for a total of $7bn. Armond Budish, the Cuyahoga executive, said $260m would only go so far in dealing with the consequences of the epidemic.\n“The question is how much is enough? This is not enough,” he said.\nBut he said it will provide some relief in offsetting the cost of treatment, the huge burden of overdoses on the emergency services and providing social care.\n“Helping families deal with the results,” he said. “Helping kids basically left as orphans by this crisis.”\nAmong the companies that agreed to payout on Monday were the distributors McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, both among the top 10 revenue-generating companies in the US. The Walgreens pharmacy chain did not settle. Its case will be joined with other pharmacies, including Walmart and CVS, at a separate trial.\nIn the weeks leading up to the trial several opioid makers reached settlements, including Johnson & Johnson which lost a major trial in Oklahoma in August when a judge found the company’s drive to sell opioids with false claims caused addiction and death.\nOpioid makers and distributors have paid out hundreds of millions of dollars to settle federal cases accusing them of failing to obey laws about cutting off opioid deliveries to pharmacies dispensing suspiciously large amounts of prescription painkillers. But the firms made no admission of liability.\nLawyers believe the industry is keen to avoid trials which will expose internal decision-making around the marketing, sale and delivery of opioids, and how much executives ignored evidence of rising addiction from prescription painkillers.\n“We now know from discovery in this case how this industry worked,” said one of the plaintiff’s attorneys, Joe Rice.\nRice and other lawyers say they will not permit drug companies to use settlements to prevent evidence of their responsibility for the epidemic from being made public. They say the release of documents will be a condition of any comprehensive agreement.\nThat will be welcomed by activists who want to see the drug industry exposed.\nEmily Walden, chair of the Fed Up coalition of families and doctors, said she wants to see the prosecution of executives responsible for marketing and other strategies that boosted opioid sales.\n“It’s pretty clear what happened and what they’ve done,” she said. “We need some accountability and it needs to lead to criminal charges. They’re getting away with murder. They’re buying their way out. They think that’s the way of doing business.”\nWalden also said the proposed $50bn comprehensive settlement falls far short of what is needed. A new study has found that the epidemic has cost more than $800bn in the last four years. The Society of Actuaries said costs ranged from increased health and social care spending to loss of earnings by people who have died and pressure on the criminal justice system.\n“We need hundreds of billions of dollars to deal with this crisis,” said Walden. “The settlement talks are not holding these companies accountable for what they’ve done. $50bn is pocket change to them.”\nThere have been some criminal prosecutions.\nIn July federal prosecutors charged three top executives of the drug distributor Miami-Luken with illegally flooding parts of Appalachia with millions of opioid pills. In May, John Kapoor, the 75-year-old billionaire founder of Insys Therapeutics, was convicted for bribing doctors to prescribe a powerful opioid, Subsys, to patients who did not need it.\nPurdue Pharma, the maker of the powerful opioid OxyContin, which played a leading part in firing up the epidemic, is negotiating to end hundreds of lawsuits. The company has filed for bankruptcy as part of a proposed agreement that would see it put into a trust and future profits go toward alleviating the epidemic. Members of the Sackler family who own the company would also pay from the personal fortunes they have built from the sale of OxyContin.\nBut the deal is opposed by several state attorneys general who want to see the company out of business and the Sacklers, who are estimated to have made more than $12bn from opioids, pay more money.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Four major pharmaceutical companies"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday","hours before a landmark federal trial in which they were facing accusations of a conspiracy to profit from addiction and death"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Teva Pharmaceuticals, the largest manufacturer of generic drugs in the world, and three drug distributors, among the biggest corporations in America, are to pay a total of $260m to settle the first of thousands of lawsuits by communities across the US which accuse the industry of creating an epidemic that that has claimed more than 400,000 lives over the past two decades","are to pay a total of $260m to settle the first of thousands of lawsuits by communities across the US which accuse the industry of creating an epidemic that that has claimed more than 400,000 lives over the past two decades"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Ohio"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Just before four drug companies were set to stand trial over their role in the opioid epidemic, a settlement has been reached","document":"Just before four drug companies were set to stand trial over their role in the opioid epidemic, a settlement has been reached.\nDistributors McKesson Corp., AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal Health will settle for $215 million with two Ohio counties, with manufacturer Teva Pharmaceuticals also paying $20 million and providing $25 million of anti-addiction medication, The Washington Post reports. This deal came shortly before opening arguments were scheduled to begin in what was to be the first federal opioid trial, the Post notes.\nIn the case, the plaintiffs had placed blame on the drug companies amid the opioid crisis and argued that \"the distributors conspired to flout the federal law that requires them to monitor sales and report outliers,\" as The New York Times writes. The Monday settlement doesn't include another defendant, Walgreens, and the Post reports its case was postponed. The Ohio counties were seeking $8 billion in the case.\nThe Wall Street Journal notes that more than 2,300 opioid lawsuits have been brought in federal court, and the settlement announced Monday does \"fall short of a more comprehensive deal currently being negotiated to resolve thousands of opioid lawsuits nationwide.\" Johnson & Johnson previously reached a $20.4 million settlement.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Distributors McKesson Corp., AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal Health","two Ohio counties","manufacturer Teva Pharmaceutical"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Distributors McKesson Corp., AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal Health will settle for $215 million with two Ohio counties, with manufacturer Teva Pharmaceuticals also paying $20 million and providing $25 million of anti-addiction medication"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Ohio"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2019 The United Automobile Workers ends their 40–day strike against General Motors after a new contract is ratified. (MLive)","document":"The UAW has ratified a new contract with General Motors, ending the union’s weeks-long strike against the automaker.\nNearly 50,000 UAW members across Michigan and throughout the country who have been on strike against GM since September voted on the proposed contract in recent days. Voting ended at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25, the strike’s 40th day, after which nationwide results were tallied and announced. UAW officials ratified the new four-year contract less than an hour later, ending the longest automotive strike in 50 years.\n“General Motors members have spoken,” said Terry Dittes, UAW Vice President and Director of the UAW-GM Department. “We are all so incredibly proud of UAW-GM members who captured the hearts and minds of a nation. Their sacrifice and courageous stand addressed the two-tier wages structure and permanent temporary worker classification that has plagued working class Americans.”\nThe new contract includes higher wages, an signing bonus of up to $11,000, performance bonuses, two 3 percent annual raises and two 4 percent lump sum payments, and an easier path to permanent employment for temporary employees.\n“We delivered a contract that recognizes our employees for the important contributions they make to the overall success of the company, with a strong wage and benefit package and additional investment and job growth in our U.S. operations,” said Mary Barra, General Motors Chairman and CEO. “GM is proud to provide good-paying jobs to tens of thousands of employees in America and to grow our substantial investment in the U.S. As one team, we can move forward and stay focused on our priorities of safety and building high-quality cars, trucks and crossovers for our customers.”\nThe scene in Flint was somber, but passers-by in cars were honking in support. By 5:30 p.m., the streets where picketers stood their ground since the middle of September in Bay City, Flint and Saginaw were mostly empty.\nFrank Trubiro, Vice President of UAW Local 598 in Flint, said the agreement gave a little to everyone involved.\n\"I think it's a solid agreement for what we could've gotten,\" Trubiro said. \"I don't think any one group got all of it, but I think everybody as a whole got something. It may not have been what they wanted, but nobody was left out.\"\nTrubiro has worked for General Motors for 36 years. The public's support, Trubiro said, is just as strong as it was when he was on strike in 1998.\n“Being employed and compensated well helps the community as a whole,” Trubiro said. “People that have been on strike before were prepared for it. None of us thought it would be a nationwide strike. It tells you how serious these negotiations are.”\nTony Mann, president of UAW Local 668 representing GM workers in Saginaw, was pleased the strike is over.\n“My membership is definitely happy that all this is over and behind us,” he said. “I know that the strike has definitely brought our membership closer. It is an eye-opening experience for some of our lower seniority folks who have never had to deal with situation before.”\nMann described the resolution as a bittersweet moment for all involved. He added an average of 74 percent of Local 668 members voted in favor of the new agreement.\n“I definitely, as being president, will back our membership in their decision,” Mann said. “I do believe that moving forward our membership will move in the right direction for the UAW. Hopefully, that we can move past this as a union as a whole and just look forward to a brighter future for the UAW.”\nShawn Pruitt, shop chairman at Local 362 Bay City, said about 68 percent of the workers there voted to approve the contract.\n“It wasn’t perfect, but our voices were heard,\" he said. \"Membership had the last say. We certainly appreciate the overwhelming support from the public.”\nDawn Dekalita, 48, has worked at General Motors in Flint for 16 years. She said stands united with her union.\n“It is what it is,\" she said about the contract. “I walked out with my union brothers and sisters and we’re going to walk back in together as one.”\nUAW President Gary Jones thanked the families of members and their local communities for their support.\n“Our members not only joined together in solidarity but felt the support of their whole community throughout this important stand,\" he said.\nMichigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also applauded the strike’s end.\n“This is good news for our working families and our economy,” Whitmer said. “Michiganders are some of the hardest working people in this country, and they deserve to be treated with respect. I was proud to stand with the UAW as they negotiated for more American jobs, better wages, and good benefits, and my administration is committed to continuing our work to close the skills gap and protect hardworking Michigan families.”\nU.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow released a statement Friday.\n“I am grateful that both parties have come to an agreement that prioritizes job security, fair pay, and strong benefits,\" Stabenow’s statement said. \"This is good news for our workers, Michigan’s families, and our economy. Michigan workers built the middle class in this country and make our economy stronger every day.”\nGM last week encouraged the UAW “to move as quickly as possible through the ratification process, so we can resume operations and get back to producing vehicles for our customers,\" after the proposed contract was approved by top union officials.\nThe strike began Sept. 16, when 49,200 hourly workers, including more than 14,000 in Michigan stopped working, idling more than 30 GM plants across the country.\nGM has factories in Ohio, New York, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, Missouri, Indiana and Kansas, but its operations are most concentrated in Michigan, where the company has plants in Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Bay City, Orion, Brownstown Township, Romulus, Warren and Lansing.\nThis UAW strike against GM was the union’s first national strike since 2007, when GM workers were out for two days.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The UAW","UAW","General Motors"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["four-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday, Oct. 25","Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["higher wages, an signing bonus of up to $11,000, performance bonuses, two 3 percent annual raises and two 4 percent lump sum payments, and an easier path to permanent employment for temporary employees"]},{"role":"Location","values":["U.S"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2019 In a move that surprised insiders, Microsoft beats Amazon Web Services to win a $10 billion cloud computing contract with the United States Department of Defense. (Reuters)","document":"Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O has won the Pentagon's $10 billion cloud computing contract, the Defense Department said on Friday, beating out favorite Amazon.com Inc AMZN.O.\nThe contracting process had long been mired in conflict of interest allegations, even drawing the attention of President Donald Trump, who has publicly taken swipes at Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos. Trump in August said his administration was reviewing Amazon’s bid after complaints from other companies.\nThe Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure Cloud (JEDI) contract is part of a broader digital modernization of the Pentagon meant to make it more technologically agile. Specifically, a goal of JEDI is to give the military better access to data and the cloud from battlefields and other remote locations.\nOracle Corp ORCL.N had expressed concerns about the award process for the contract, including the role of a former Amazon employee who worked on the project at the Defense Department but recused himself, then later left the Defense Department and returned to Amazon Web Services.\nIn a statement, an Amazon Web Services (AWS) spokesman said the company was “surprised about this conclusion.”\nThe company said that a “detailed assessment purely on the comparative offerings” would “clearly lead to a different conclusion,” according to the statement.\nAWS is considering options for protesting the award, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.\nAlthough the Pentagon boasts the world’s most potent fighting force, its information technology remains woefully inadequate, according to many officials.\nOfficials have complained of having outdated computer systems and being unable to access files or share information as quickly as they might be able to in the private sector.\nRelated Coverage\n“If I am a warfighter, I want as much data as you could possibly give me,” Lieutenant General Jack Shanahan, the director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, told reporters in August describing the importance of the contract.\nSome companies were concerned that a single award would give the winner an unfair advantage in follow-on work. The Pentagon has said it planned to award future cloud deals to multiple contractors.\nThis week, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper removed himself from reviewing the deal due to his adult son's employment with one of the original contract applicants, IBM Corp IBM.N. IBM had previously bid for the contract but had already been eliminated from the competition.\nMicrosoft said it was working on a comment. IBM and Oracle did not immediately return requests for comment.\nIn a book slated for publication Oct. 29, retired Navy commander Guy Snodgrass, who served as a speech writer to former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, said Trump called Mattis and directed him to “screw Amazon” by preventing it from bidding on the JEDI contract, according to an excerpt of the book seen by Reuters ahead of its release.\n“We’re not going to do that,” Mattis later told other Pentagon officials, according to the excerpt. “This will be done by the book, both legally and ethically.”\nSnodgrass declined to comment pending the release of his book.\nIn a statement announcing Microsoft as the winner, the Pentagon underscored its view that the competition was conducted fairly and legally.\n“All (offers) were treated fairly and evaluated consistently with the solicitation’s stated evaluation criteria. Prior to the award, the department conferred with the DOD Inspector General, which informed the decision to proceed,” it said.\nMicrosoft shares were up 3% to $144.98 in after-hours trading after the news. Amazon shares were down 0.92% to $1,745.12.\nThe Pentagon said it had awarded more than $11 billion across 10 separate cloud contracts over the past two years.\n“As we continue to execute the DOD Cloud Strategy, additional contracts are planned for both cloud services and complementary migration and integration solutions necessary to achieve effective cloud adoption,” the Pentagon said.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Defense Department","Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure Cloud (JEDI) contract","JEDI","JEDI contract"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Pentagon's $10 billion cloud computing contract","give the military better access to data and the cloud from battlefields and other remote locations"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2015 The government of Myanmar signs a peace treaty with eight ethnic armed groups, although some powerful groups stay away. (AP via Star Tribune)","document":" Myanmar's government and eight smaller ethnic rebel armies signed a cease-fire agreement to end more than six decades of fighting, but other more powerful groups refused to come on board, signaling that peace will remain elusive for some time to come.\nThe pact was signed at a ceremony in Myanmar's administrative capital, Naypyitaw, by President Thein Sein and representatives of the groups. The refusal by the larger armies, such as those of the Kachin and Wa ethnic groups, to sign it robs Thein Sein of what he had hoped would be the crowning achievement of his five-year term.\nStill, the agreement, called the \"National Ceasefire Agreement\" despite its truncated list of participants, is seen as a first step toward ending longstanding insurgencies against the Burmese-majority government by various minority groups demanding autonomy and control over their natural resources in the north, northeast and east of the country.\nEthnic groups, representing 40 percent of the country's 52 million people, have found themselves victims of military abuses and discrimination in areas spanning from health and education to road construction and access to electricity.\n\"Although some organizations are currently not ready to sign, the government decided to conclude the (agreement) with the vanguard group.\" Thein Sein said in a speech at the signing ceremony.\n\"We will continue with our efforts to bring the remaining organizations into the process. The door is open for them,\" he said. \"The road to future peace in Myanmar is now open.\"\nThough largely an agreement to keep talking, the agreement could pave the way for a more comprehensive political settlement in the future.\n\"It can't be considered a nationwide cease-fire agreement but it is the start of a process that might actually lead to all the ethnic groups signing the cease-fire agreement,\" Larry Jagan, a specialist on Myanmar and freelance journalist, told The Associated Press.\nMyanmar stunned the world by opening politically and economically in 2011 following a half-century of harsh military rule. But early reforms have since either stalled or started rolling backward. That has upped the stakes for getting cease-fire deals with all ethnic armies, one of Thein Sein's biggest pledges. \nMany ethnic armies have been fighting since the country gained independence from the British in 1948, and experts say continued civil unrest is slowing development in one of the region's poorest countries.\nThe signing of the agreement, which was also witnessed by representatives of the United Nations, the European Union, China and others, comes just before the Nov. 8 general elections for a new parliament, which will eventually lead to the election of a new president.\nCritics said the only real beneficiary of the agreement would be Thein Sein, as he would use the image as a peacemaker to try to win another presidential term. Some of the groups decided they'd rather wait and negotiate with a new government, even if that means starting from scratch.\nThe powerful Kachin Independence Army, Shan State Army and United Wa State Army — the biggest in terms of army strength and territory size— were among the groups refusing to sign.\nThings proceeded well in the early days of Thein Sein's administration, with more than a dozen groups signing bilateral cease-fire agreements. But negotiations have been on-again-off-again since then, with hundreds of meetings between rebels groups, peace negotiators and government officials.\n\"We have to keep fighting for our freedom, for our political rights,\" said Thar Phone Kyaw, the general secretary of Ta'ang National Liberation Army, which also refused to sign. He said no cease-fire agreement will be signed without assurances they will get the \"federal union\" promised to them by Myanmar's independence leader Gen. Aung San more than 60 years ago.\nThat would give them greater control over their natural resources in the northern Shan state, including a say in issues surrounding an oil pipeline to China that has displaced people and destroyed livelihoods. It would also allow them to control their own troops' movement and help end the spiraling scourge of drugs.\nStill, the agreement is not without meaning. State-run TV emphasized that point this week saying the signatories would be removed from a list of \"terrorist groups.\"\n\"It's going to allow them to move around their territory, talk to their townships, build up relationships with people on the ground that they have not been able to do because before this they were called illegal,\" said Jagan, the Myanmar specialist. \nIt also will potentially allow for development and investment in those areas, others say, serving as encouragement for other holdouts to join the process at a later date. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Myanmar's government and eight smaller ethnic rebel armies"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["National Ceasefire Agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["just before the Nov. 8 general elections for a new parliament"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["cease-fire"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Naypyitaw"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2015 The European Union has reached agreement to share at least 40,000 migrants over two years. (Reuters), (BBC)","document":"EU leaders holding late-night talks in Brussels have agreed to relocate tens of thousands of migrants who have arrived in Italy and Greece.\nSummit chairman Donald Tusk said 40,000 would be relocated to other EU states over the next two years.\nHowever, there will be no mandatory quotas for each country. The Greek debt crisis was also on the summit's agenda. Greece and its international creditors remain deadlocked after talks on Thursday.\nEarlier, Mr Tusk called on EU member states to share the burden of the boat loads of illegal migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean.\nNew figures from the UN refugee agency UNHCR show that 63,000 migrants have arrived in Greece by sea this year and 62,000 in Italy.\n\"Leaders agreed that 40,000 persons in need will be relocated from Greece and Italy to other states over the next two years,\" Mr Tusk told reporters. \"Interior ministers will finalise the scheme by the end of July.\"\nLeaders also agreed to resettle another 20,000 refugees who are currently outside the EU. French President Francois Hollande said he expected most of them to be Syrians and Iraqis, AP reported.\nDetails of where the refugees will go has yet to be decided. The scheme was made voluntary after some nations in eastern Europe refused to accept set quotas. The UK also opted out of the scheme, using one of its exemptions as agreed in the EU Lisbon treaty.\nHungary, which has seen thousands of migrants cross its border by land, and Bulgaria, one of the EU's poorest countries, have also both been granted exemptions. This angered Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who called the plan \"modest\".\nItaly has sought more help from its EU partners to handle the thousands of migrants arriving by sea, many of whom are fleeing war and poverty in countries such as Syria, Eritrea, Somalia and Nigeria. More than three million people who fled the Syrian civil war are being housed in neighbouring countries - far more than the EU has taken in.\nThe migrant crisis has been high on the agenda for the EU summit, which opened on Thursday. The final day of the summit on Friday is due to focus on security issues, namely the Ukraine crisis and tensions with Russia.\nWhy is EU struggling with migrants and asylum?\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["EU leaders"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["over the next two years"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["relocate tens of thousands of migrants who have arrived in Italy and Greece"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Brussels"]}]} {"event_trigger":"World powers have reached a deal with Iran on limiting Iranian nuclear activity in return for the lifting of international economic sanctions","document":"World powers have reached a deal with Iran on limiting Iranian nuclear activity in return for the lifting of international economic sanctions.\nUS President Barack Obama said that with the deal, \"every pathway to a nuclear weapon is cut off\" for Iran.\nAnd President Hassan Rouhani said the \"historic\" deal opened a \"new chapter\" in Iran's relations with the world.\nNegotiations between Iran and six world powers - the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany - began in 2006.\nThe so-called P5+1 want Iran to scale back its sensitive nuclear activities to ensure that it cannot build a nuclear weapon.\nIran, which wants crippling international sanctions lifted, has always insisted that its nuclear work is peaceful. There has been stiff resistance to a deal from conservatives both in Iran and the US. The US Congress has 60 days in which to consider the deal, though Mr Obama said he would veto any attempt to block it.\nThe Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives, John Boehner, said the deal would only only \"embolden\" Tehran.\n\"Instead of stopping the spread of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, this deal is likely to fuel a nuclear arms race around the world,\" he added.\nIsrael's government has also warned against an agreement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a \"stunning historic mistake\" that would provide Iran with \"hundreds of billions of dollars with which it can fuel its terror machine and its expansion and aggression throughout the Middle East and across the globe\".\nHe said he did not regard Israel as being bound by this agreement. \"We will always defend ourselves,\" he added.\nIn a televised address, Mr Obama insisted the deal would make the world \"safer and more secure\", and provided for a rigorous verification regime. \"This deal is not built on trust - it is built on verification,\" he said.\nImmediately afterwards, Mr Rouhani gave his own televised address, in which he said the prayers of Iranians had \"come true\".\nHe said the deal would lead to the removal of all sanctions, adding: \"The sanctions regime was never successful, but at the same time it affected people's lives.''\nAfter 12 years, world powers had finally \"recognised the nuclear activities of Iran\", he said.\nThe agreement will change the Middle East, perhaps a lot, but at the moment no-one knows exactly how. The biggest question is whether it will reduce or increase the turmoil in the Middle East. Iran and the world's big powers, most significantly the US, now have a habit of working together - but don't assume that will help automatically to resolve the crises and wars that Iran, the US and their allies are involved with in the region.\nThere is a danger that mutual suspicion will heat up the Middle East's fault lines, especially the cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia - and with it sectarian conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims. But the agreement in Vienna removes Iran's nuclear programme from the danger list. Two years ago, as Israel threatened to bomb Iran, it looked likely to lead to a major Middle East war. That in itself is a major diplomatic achievement. Both Mr Rouhani and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif referred to the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme as an \"unnecessary crisis\".\nMr Zarif said the deal was \"not perfect for anybody'', but that it was the \"best achievement possible that could be reached\".\nMr Obama, who is trying to persuade a sceptical US Congress of the benefits, said it would oblige Iran to:\nSanctions relief would be gradual, Mr Obama said, with an arms embargo remaining in place for five years and an embargo on missiles for eight years. Separately, the IAEA and Iran said they had signed a roadmap to resolve outstanding issues. IAEA head Yukiya Amano told reporters in Vienna, Austria, that his organisation had signed a roadmap \"for the clarification of past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran's nuclear programme\".\nHe called the agreement a \"significant step forward\", saying it would allow the agency to \"make an assessment of issues relating to possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear programme by the end of 2015\". ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Iran and six world powers - the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany","Iran","US"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["by the end of 2015"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["limiting Iranian nuclear activity in return for the lifting of international economic sanctions"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Obama Comments on Iranian Nuclear Deal By Michael R. Gordon and David E. Sanger","document":"\n Obama Comments on Iranian Nuclear Deal By Michael R. Gordon and David E. Sanger\nVIENNA — Iran and a group of six nations led by the United States reached a historic accord on Tuesday to significantly limit Tehran’s nuclear ability for more than a decade in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions.\nThe deal culminates 20 months of negotiations on an agreement that President Obama had long sought as the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency. Whether it portends a new relationship between the United States and Iran — after decades of coups, hostage-taking, terrorism and sanctions — remains a bigger question.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Iran and a group of six nations led by the United States"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["Iranian Nuclear Deal By Michael R. Gordon and David E. Sanger"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["significantly limit Tehran’s nuclear ability for more than a decade in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions"]},{"role":"Location","values":["VIENNA"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2015 The United Nations Security Council unanimously approves the Nuclear Pact between Iran and a group of six world powers in return for sanctions relief. (Voice of America) (Reuters)","document":" The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved the Iran nuclear deal Monday, clearing a path to lift crippling economic sanctions against Tehran while restraining it its nuclear development program.\nMonday's vote was largely a formality, because all of the Council's five permanent members — the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China — along with Germany, negotiated the deal with Iran. The Council ordered its nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to \"undertake the necessary verification and monitoring of Iran's nuclear commitments,' and it called on Iran to \"cooperate fully\" with the IAEA officials.\nAssuming Iran adheres to the nuclear agreement, the approved U.N. resolution calls for an eventual end to seven sets of sanctions passed since 2006 to force Iran to halt what the United Nations and the West contended was an effort to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran has always said its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes.\nThe sanctions will be dropped when the U.N. inspectors confirm that Iran's nuclear program is being conducted peacefully.\nU.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Powers, praised the Council for \"testing diplomacy,\" while adding that the deal does not diminish continuing American concerns about Iran. She said those concerns include human rights violations, Iran's support for terrorism and its ballistic missiles program.\nIsrael’s Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor called the resolution a “tragedy.”\n“Iran will now have $150 billion to fund terrorist groups. How much money will go to Hezbollah and Hamas? How much money will go to [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad]?\" he said. \"How much money will go to fund worldwide terror activities?”\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China — along with Germany, negotiated the deal with Iran"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["Iran nuclear deal"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["lift crippling economic sanctions against Tehran while restraining it its nuclear development program"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2005 Spanish prime minister Zapatero signs an agreement with president Hugo Chávez of Venezuela on the sale of warships and military transport planes. Conservative opposition leader Mariano Rajoy denounces the sale. (BBC)","document":"The deal involving ships and transport planes worth 1.3bn euros ($1.7bn; £1bn) was denounced by Spain's conservative opposition leader Mariano Rajoy.\nVenezuelan foes of President Hugo Chavez had also criticised it, he said.\nBut politicians of the governing Socialist party hit back, saying the sale would create jobs in Spain.\nThe row in Spain follows international concern over Venezuelan plans to buy 100,000 AK-47 assault rifles from Russia. The US state department has accused Venezuela of starting an arms race and has suggested the rifles could end up in the hands of Colombia's left-wing Farc rebels.\nBut Venezuela and Russia have both dismissed the US objections, saying the deal does not break international law.\n'Chavez yoke'\nSpanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is attending a four-nation summit in Venezuela that also brings together Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.\nThe arms deal is expected to be signed on Wednesday.\nOn the eve of the signing, Mr Rajoy, who leads Spain's opposition Popular Party, told local television: \"I think that what we are doing today in Venezuela in selling arms to Chavez is a monstrous error that the Spanish government should absolutely not make.\"\nHe added: \"It's something that has met with blanket criticism across the whole of the Venezuelan opposition... who suffer under the Chavez yoke.\"\nBut Socialist Party manager Jose Blanco said the sale would provide employment for Spanish workers - including those at the publicly-owned Navantia shipyards, which he said had been left \"technically bankrupt\" by the previous Popular Party government.\nThis is not the first time that Spain's two main parties have been at loggerheads over relations with Venezuela.\nIn December, Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos drew fierce protests for suggesting that the Popular Party government of former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar had supported a failed coup bid against Mr Chavez in 2002.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Spain","Venezuela"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The deal involving ships and transport planes worth 1.3bn euros ($1.7bn; £1bn)"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2005 Bulgaria and Romania sign accession treaty to the European Union, continuing the enlargement process. (press release) (BBC)","document":"The treaties contain a safeguard clause delaying entry for a year if either country fails to meet EU standards.\nThe EU wants the independence of the judiciary to be strengthened and more efforts to tackle corruption in what will be its poorest member states.\nThe signing ceremony took place at the old Neumuenster Abbey in Luxembourg.\nIf Bulgaria and Romania join in 2007, it will be the fifth enlargement of the EU project, making a total of 27 member states.\nIn May last year, eight of the 10 new member states were former communist countries.\nBulgaria and Romania missed that first round of EU expansion into eastern Europe because they had failed to implement sufficient democratic and market reforms.\nRomania and Bulgaria are poorer than any of the 25 EU states\nAt the signing ceremony on Monday, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said it had been a \"demanding and challenging voyage\" and the EU set high standards for new members.\nBut he told Bulgaria and Romania that the Commission would work with them to overcome difficulties.\n\"We have every confidence that you are capable of making even most demanding reforms,\" he said.\nThe BBC's Nick Thorpe says many governments in western Europe fear an influx of Romanians and Bulgarians and may yet find reasons for delaying full membership.\n\nThe reforms that Bulgaria and Romania have already passed into law must now be put into practice.\nCourts will have to prove that people receive a fair trial and anti-corruption authorities will have to show that no one is beyond their reach.\nThe cost of living may rise dramatically as heating bills increase and the withdrawal of state subsidies for less profitable sectors like steel and coal may add to unemployment.\nOur correspondent says the leaders of both Romania and Bulgaria will, however, find comfort in the fact that the political will to accept them is now being put into writing.\nThat should also encourage countries further down the queue in the Balkans, Turkey and Ukraine, he says.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The EU","EU","Bulgaria and Romania","Romania and Bulgaria"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["safeguard clause delaying entry for a year if either country fails to meet EU standards"]},{"role":"Location","values":["old Neumuenster Abbey in Luxembourg"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2019 The Sudanese military and representatives of civil groups agree on a deal to share power for a transition period. (DW)","document":"Sudan's ruling military council and civilian protest leaders have reached an agreement to share power for a transition period. The plan envisages a rotating presidency and civilian-military ruling council.\nMediators said progress had been made on Thursday by ruling military leaders and opposition protest groups in their efforts to establish a transition period to democracy in Sudan.\nThe talks were held in an effort to end a political crisis that began when the army ousted longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April — with the army resisting protesters' demands for civilian rule.\nPrevious discussions had collapsed over a dispute about who should lead the body governing the transition — a civilian or a member of the military.\nAfter two days of talks, the two sides agreed to \"establish a sovereign council by rotation between the military and civilians for a period of three years or slightly more,\" African Union mediator Mohamed Hassan Lebatt said at a news conference.\nThere was also agreement on forming a sovereign council to rule Sudan during the transition, with five seats for the military and six for civilians.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Sudan's ruling military council and civilian protest leaders"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["for a period of three years or slightly more"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["establish a sovereign council by rotation between the military and civilians","forming a sovereign council to rule Sudan during the transition, with five seats for the military and six for civilians"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Sudan"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2011 China and the United States sign a $45 billion export deal, including 200 Boeing airplanes. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)","document":"The US has signed a $45bn (£28bn) export deal with China, according to a Washington official.\nThe trade deal includes a $19bn purchase of 200 Boeing aircraft.\nIt comes amid an official state visit by China's President Hu Jintao to the States.\nBoeing chief executive Jim McNerney was among a host of American chief executives present at a Wednesday meeting with Presidents Hu and Barack Obama at the White House.\nAmong the other company heads attending were Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs and Jeff Immelt of General Electric.\nThe official said the trade deal included orders for US agriculture, telecoms and computer companies, and would create 235,000 jobs.\nOther beneficiaries of the agreement were technology company Honeywell, construction equipment maker Caterpillar, and Westinghouse Electric, a nuclear power company that is a subsidiary of Japan's Toshiba.\nThe Chinese order comes in the wake of another six month postponement to Boeing's new Dreamliner plane.\nIt may help the plane maker square up to European arch-rival Airbus, which recently announced a late rush of December orders had helped it beat Boeing with a 52% market share last year.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The US","US","China"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a $45bn (£28bn) export deal","includes a $19bn purchase of 200 Boeing aircraft","orders for US agriculture, telecoms and computer companies, and would create 235,000 jobs"]},{"role":"Location","values":["White House"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2014 Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President of the United States Barack Obama reach a deal to limit greenhouse gases. (Washington Post)","document":" Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President Obama struck a deal Wednesday to limit greenhouse gases, with China committing for the first time to cap carbon emissions and Obama unveiling a plan for deeper U.S. emissions reductions through 2025.\nChina, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, pledged in the far-reaching agreement to cap its rapidly growing carbon emissions by 2030, or earlier if possible. It also set a daunting goal of increasing the share of non-fossil fuels to 20 percent of the country’s energy mix by 2030.\nObama announced a target to cut U.S. emissions 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, the first time the president has set a goal beyond the existing 17 percent target by 2020.\nThe announcement capped a trip that also resulted in steps to cut tariffs on technology products, adopt warning measures to reduce the chance of accidental military conflict, and ease visas.\nThe two countries together account for about 45 percent of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions, and their commitments are likely to energize talks underway to set new post-2020 targets when climate negotiators meet in Paris in December of next year. “The announcement provides a real shot of momentum for international climate negotiations,” one administration official said before the Obama-Xi announcement.\n “We have a special responsibility to lead the global effort against climate change,” Obama said of the two nations at a joint news conference. “Today, I am proud we can announce a historic agreement.” Meeting the goals will be difficult for both countries.\nChina completes a new coal plant every eight to 10 days, and while its economic growth has slowed, it is still expanding at a brisk rate of over 7 percent.\nThe scale of construction for China to meet its goals is huge even by Chinese standards. It must add 800 to 1,000 gigawatts of nuclear, wind, solar and other zero-emission generating capacity by 2030 — more than all the coal-fired power plants that exist in China today and close to the total electricity generating capacity of the United States.\nIn the United States, Obama faces stiff opposition on climate issues from Republicans, who want to use their control of Congress to curb the power of the Environmental Protection Agency to limit carbon emissions from power plants, a key part of Obama’s “climate action plan.”\nAnd to meet its target, the United States will need to double the pace of carbon pollution reduction from 1.2 percent per year on average from 2005 to 2020 to 2.3 to 2.8 percent per year between 2020 and 2025.\nBut Xi and Obama have both made climate measures a priority.\nChina’s announcement is the culmination of years of change in attitudes among Chinese now fed up with dire levels of pollution that a study in the British medical journal the Lancet blamed for 1.2 million premature deaths in 2010 alone. China has cap-and-trade pilot programs in five provinces and eight cities. It is also the world’s largest investor in solar and wind energy.\nMoreover, it has barred coal-plant construction in some regions. Such construction has dropped from more than 90 gigawatts in 2006 to 36.5 gigawatts in 2013, according to the World Resources Institute.\nThe joint climate announcement could undercut U.S. critics who have said that limiting greenhouse gases is pointless while China refuses to join such efforts. And it could quiet those in China who have argued that carbon emissions should be measured on a per capita basis or by improvements in energy intensity.\n“It is imperative that these two countries — the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases — show real leadership. This is an important start,” said Phil Sharp, president of Resources for the Future. “Agreements like this are more important than they might appear at first glance, because in both countries there are political factions that justify inaction by pointing at the failures of the other country.”\nObama administration officials called the climate agreement a “historic step” that came together after months of negotiations, beginning when Secretary of State John F. Kerry raised the subject on a trip to Beijing in February. Obama followed up with a letter to Xi in the spring and met with Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli during the U.N. General Assembly in September. Chinese officials expressed interest in pursuing a deal that could be completed ahead of the ­Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings here this week, administration aides told reporters in a background briefing Wednesday.\nWhether Obama’s target can be set now and achieved technologically — or enforced years after he leaves office — remains unknown.\nU.S. officials said they were confident the president possesses the authority to set the new climate targets without additional authorization from Congress. But Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) said “this unrealistic plan, that the president would dump on his successor, would ensure higher utility rates and far fewer jobs.” Other Republicans joined McConnell in criticizing the deal. Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), who is widely expected to assume the chairmanship of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in January, called the pledges by Obama and Xi “hollow and not believable,” and he suggested that the agreement was tilted in China’s interest.\n“The United States will be required to more steeply reduce our carbon emissions while China won’t have to reduce anything,” Inhofe said.\nAround the globe, the pact was widely praised. Leaders of the European Union, which last month pledged a 40 percent reduction in emissions by 2030, said the new commitments by China and the United States provided an important boost to negotiations on a global climate treaty in late 2015.\n“These two crucial countries have today announced important pathways towards a better and more secure future for humankind,” said Christiana Figueres, the European Union’s top official on climate change.\nA second Obama administration official said that it is uncertain whether other countries will seek to join the United States and China in pursuing new standards.\n“Climate negotiations have been fraught for 20 years,” this official said. “There are 190-plus countries in these tough negotiations, and it’s not like they will all fall into place in five minutes. But this a really important step.”\nEarlier, the United States and China reached agreements designed to defuse tensions over international trade and military maneuvers, even as both leaders courted other Asian nations attending the APEC forum in Beijing to join separate trade pacts.\nChinese and American trade negotiators agreed Tuesday to eliminate tariffs on $1 trillion a year of global sales of information and communications technology, including dozens of high-tech products such as GPS devices, medical equipment and game consoles. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman called the deal a “breakthrough” that could boost trade and create jobs.\nThe agreement now goes to the World Trade Organization, where 52 nations must approve. If they do, it would be the first major WTO agreement since 1996.\nThe deal would benefit U.S. companies seeking greater access to China as well as U.S. and Chinese companies with plants in China aimed at making products for the American market.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President Obama"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["limit greenhouse gases, with China committing for the first time to cap carbon emissions and Obama unveiling a plan for deeper U.S. emissions reductions through 2025"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2018 The International Maritime Organisation announces agreements to reduce shipping emissions by 50% of 2008 levels by 2050, and to ban heavy fuel oil from the Arctic. (CBC) (Reuters)","document":" The United Nations shipping agency reached an agreement on Friday to cut carbon emissions, following years of slow progress.\nThe compromise plan, which will cut emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050 compared with 2008 levels, fell short of more ambitious targets.\nKitack Lim, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), said the adoption of the strategy “would allow future IMO work on climate change to be rooted in a solid basis”.\nThe IMO said it would also be pursuing efforts toward phasing out CO2 emissions entirely.\nDelegates said opposition from some countries - including the United States, Saudi Arabia and Panama - had limited what could be achieved at the IMO session this week in London.\n“The IMO should and could have gone a lot further,” said Bill Hemmings, shipping director with green campaigners Transport & Environment.\n“This decision puts shipping on a promising track.”\nGreenpeace International political adviser Veronica Frank said the plan was “far from perfect but the direction is now clear - a phase-out of carbon emissions”.\n“This decarbonisation must start now and targets improved along the way, because without concrete, urgent measures to cut emissions from shipping now, the Paris ambition to limit warming to 1.5 degrees will become swiftly out of reach,” Frank said.\nShipping association BIMCO in contrast described it as a “landmark achievement”.\nKathi Stanzel, managing director of tanker association INTERTANKO, added: “It is the culmination of international efforts to develop both ambitious and concrete plans to respond to the challenge of our century.”\nThe shipping sector, along with aviation, avoided specific emissions-cutting targets in a global climate pact agreed in Paris at the end of 2015, which aims to limit a global average rise in temperature to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius from 2020.\nEuropean Union countries along with the Marshall Islands, the world’s second-biggest ship registry, had supported a goal of cutting emissions by 70 to 100 percent by 2050, compared with 2008 levels.\nEurope’s transport commissioner Violeta Bulc and climate commissioner Miguel Arias Canete said in a joint statement while the EU had “sought a higher level of ambition, this is a good starting point that will allow for further review and improvements over time”.\nBritish-based research group InfluenceMap said an emissions cut of 70 percent would have been “much closer to what is needed if shipping is to be in line with the goals of the Paris agreement”.\nShipping accounts for 2.2 percent of world CO2 emissions, according to the IMO, the U.N. agency responsible for regulating pollution from ships.\nThis is around the amount emitted by Germany, according to the latest EU data available, and is predicted to grow significantly if left unchecked.\nThe IMO has adopted mandatory rules for new vessels to boost fuel efficiency as a means of cutting CO2 from ship engines.\nA final IMO plan is not expected until 2023.\nAccording to the text produced by the IMO working group submitted to member states, the initial strategy would not be legally binding for member states.\nThe text separately pointed to possible medium-term measures to address emissions that could include low-carbon and zero-carbon fuels, improved energy efficiency for new and existing ships and possible market-based mechanisms to encourage the shift to lower-carbon fuels.\nIt also said its final strategy should be subject to a review in 2028.\nMarshall Islands President Hilda Heine said the country’s delegation had “fought hard” for the outcome.\n“While it may not be enough to give my country the certainty it wanted, it makes it clear that international shipping will now urgently reduce emissions and play its part in giving my country a pathway to survival,” Heine said.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["International Maritime Organization (IMO)","IMO"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday","this week"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["cut emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050 compared with 2008 levels"]},{"role":"Location","values":["London"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2006 Australia and Indonesia sign a security treaty on Lombok strengthening cooperation against terrorism, enhancing joint naval border patrols and formalising military exchanges. It also supports Indonesia's sovereignty over its provinces notably Western New Guinea. (ABC News)","document":"Landmark pact: Mr Downer has signed the treaty in Indonesia. [File photo] (AFP) The foreign ministers of Australia and Indonesia have signed a landmark security treaty on the Indonesian island of Lombok.\nThe pact strengthens cooperation against terrorism, enhances joint naval border patrols and formalises military exchanges.\nIt also underlines Australia's support for Jakarta's sovereignty over its provinces. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says the agreement will be a \"bedrock for our relationship for many years to come\". The treaty was almost aborted earlier this year when Canberra granted protection visas to 43 Papuan asylum-seekers. Mr Downer's Indonesian counterpart, Hassan Wirajuda, says with the signing of the agreement, Australia cannot be considered a staging post for Papuan separatists.\nBut Mr Downer rejects suggestions the treaty has any connection with the Papuan refugee issue.\nCanberra denies the pact will give Indonesia a free hand to suppress groups seeking Papuan independence but says it will ensure Indonesia's right to deal with its own territorial issues.\nMr Downer has also described as \"completely absurd\" suggestions the treaty could result in Australia clamping down on freedom of speech.\n\"People in Australia can hold what view they like about anything they like and of course that's true about Indonesia,\" he said.\nThe agreement is not a formal defence pact but it is the first security treaty signed by Indonesia and Australia since a 1995 one was torn up after the East Timor crisis in 1999.\nCalled the Australia-Indonesia Agreement on the Framework for Security Cooperation, it pulls together many areas of the relationship in which the two countries already work together.\nThey include: law enforcement, intelligence, maritime and aviation security and cooperation in relation to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.\nThe agreement, which still needs the approval of both parliaments, also opens the door to cooperation in civilian nuclear research and Australian sales of uranium to Indonesia.\nMr Downer says a deal that ensures uranium is only used for peaceful purposes would have to be reached before Australia could export uranium to Indonesia. South-east Asia expert Jurgen Haacke, from the London School of Economics, says the drawn-out negotiations for the new treaty indicated sensitivities on both sides.\n\"I see it as an important development to the extent it is likely to highlight and reinforce existing security cooperation, while also serving to reassure Indonesians that Australia fully supports its neighbour's territorial integrity.\"\nAustralian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson pledged on Sunday the new agreement would not lead to the nation's intelligence being used against Papuan separatists.\nConcern over bomb attacks by Islamic militants has already been driving greater police and intelligence cooperation.\n\nAustralia and Indonesia have signed what has already become known as The Lombok Treaty, committing each other to wide-ranging cooperation on mutual security issues.\nAustralia and Indonesia have signed a new security pact dubbed \"The Lombok Treaty\" which sets out a framework for consultation on a wide range of security issues.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Australia and Indonesia","Indonesia","Australia","Australia-Indonesia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["Australia-Indonesia Agreement on the Framework for Security Cooperation"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["strengthens cooperation against terrorism, enhances joint naval border patrols and formalises military exchanges"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Lombok"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2011 Pharmaceutical companies Genzyme and Sanofi–Aventis are reported to have reached an \"agreement in principle\" on a deal in which Sanofi, a French company, will acquire Cambridge–based Genzyme for an undetermined amount of money. (CNBC)","document":"I can confirm that Genzyme, one of the world's largest biotechnology companies, and Sanofi-Aventis, a very large French pharmaceutical company, have reached a so called “agreement in principle” for a deal in which Sanofi will acquire Genzyme. The deal will include a contingent value right (CVR)—a type of right given to shareholders of an acquired company that ensures they receive additional benefit if a specific event occurs—and will include more cash than the current $69 a share that Sanofi is offering, according to sources close to the deal. How much cash the deal will include could not be determined. Sanofi has begun due diligence on Genzyme , a process that could take a couple of weeks and is often not begun until some sort of deal structure has been hammered out. In addition, work on the CVR is said to be complex, given the nature of that security.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Sanofi-Aventis","Sanofi","Genzyme"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["agreement in principle"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Sanofi will acquire Genzyme","The deal will include a contingent value right (CVR)"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2015 Kuwait and France sealed a deal whereby the Gulf nation will upgrade its defense capabilities with $2.8 billion worth of military equipment. Defense experts cite the ongoing conflict in Iraqi Civil War, the June 2015 terror attack claimed by ISIS in Kuwait City, and a reluctance by the U.S. to supply Kuwait as reasons for the deal. (Vice News)","document":"With the Islamic State creating chaos next door in Iraq, Kuwait is arming itself to the teeth. The tiny, oil-rich nation just signed a defense deal with France worth $2.8 billion.\nFrench Prime Minister Manuel Valls and his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad al-Sabah finalized the agreement on Wednesday in Paris. France will equip Kuwait with 24 Caracal helicopters, with an option for six more, as part of a contract worth $1.2 billion. The helicopter was designed for cargo transport and search and rescue missions, and has supported military operations in Afghanistan, Libya, and Mali.\nThe two countries have also inked two provisional agreements. One involves France upgrading and maintaining Kuwait's small patrol warships, the other reportedly involves the sale of French-made all-terrain Sherpa trucks — light armored vehicles with 360-degree firepower that can carry up to four people and are designed to withstand landmines.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["France","Kuwait"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["France will equip Kuwait with 24 Caracal helicopters, with an option for six more, as part of a contract worth $1.2 billion","One involves France upgrading and maintaining Kuwait's small patrol warships","the other reportedly involves the sale of French-made all-terrain Sherpa trucks"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Paris"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2015 The Yemeni government in exile announces that it has reached a truce with the Houthi rebels. (Al-Arabiya)","document":"Yemen’s government told the United Nations on Wednesday that it agreed to a conditional truce to end more than three months of fighting and hopes it can be implemented in the coming days, spokesman Rajeh Badi said. “The Yemeni authorities have informed the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon of its agreement to implement a truce in the coming days,” Badi told Reuters by phone from the government’s seat of exile in Saudi Arabia. Yemen’s President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the spokesman said, had set “guarantees” for a pause, including the release of prisoners by Yemen’s dominant Houthi group and their withdrawal from four provinces where they are fighting local militias. Saudi Arabia and an Arab coalition have been bombing the Iran-allied Houthi group and their allies in Yemen’s army in order to restore Hadi and back armed opponents of the Houthis.\nMeanwhile, ground combat between various Yemeni armed factions and Saudi-led air strikes have deepened the plight of civilians in Yemen, with the United Nations saying more than 80 percent of its 25 million people need some form of emergency aid. Before Saudi Arabia intervened in March to try to restore Yemen’s president to power and roll back the Iranian-allied Houthi militia now controlling large areas of the country, Yemen imported more than 90 percent of its food, mostly by sea. Since then, many shipping companies have pulled out. Those still willing to bring cargoes face incalculable delays and mandatory searches by coalition warships hunting for arms bound for the Houthis, the dominant warring faction. According to a humanitarian aid assessment compiled by the U.S. Navy and obtained by Reuters, just 42 ships reached Yemen with goods in June compared with 100 in March. Further data was not available. Before the crisis, the number of ships making calls to Yemen’s major southern port of Aden alone averaged over 1,000 annually in recent years.\nYemen’s government told the United Nations on Wednesday that it agreed to a conditional truce to end more than three months of fighting and hopes it can be implemented in the coming days, spokesman Rajeh Badi said. “The Yemeni authorities have informed the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon of its agreement to implement a truce in the coming days,” Badi told Reuters by phone from the government’s seat of exile in Saudi Arabia. Yemen’s President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the spokesman said, had set “guarantees” for a pause, including the release of prisoners by Yemen’s dominant Houthi group and their withdrawal from four provinces where they are fighting local militias. Saudi Arabia and an Arab coalition have been bombing the Iran-allied Houthi group and their allies in Yemen’s army in order to restore Hadi and back armed opponents of the Houthis.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Houthi group","Yemen’s government","government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["conditional truce to end more than three months of fighting"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2019 The Colombian military reveals that dissident FARC groups, in spite of a 2016 treaty, have been recruiting Venezuelan migrants at illegal border crossings, strengthening their numbers and increasing attacks. (Reuters)","document":"Venezuela’s crisis is spilling across the border into Colombia as Marxist rebels and right-wing paramilitaries recruit migrants to strengthen their ranks, according to five Colombian military commanders.\nViolence still simmers in Colombia despite a 2016 peace deal with leftist FARC rebels, meant to end five decades of conflict. Dissident FARC fighters, the rebel National Liberation Army (ELN), right-wing paramilitaries and drug-trafficking gangs are battling each other and the military.\nKeen for recruits, these armed groups are targeting Venezuelans as they traverse the porous 2,219-km (1,380-mile)frontier at illegal border crossings, according to the military officials, human rights officials and migrants themselves.\nFive military commanders told Reuters that as many as 30% of insurgents in Colombia’s eastern border region are Venezuelans, willing to take up arms in return for food and pay.\n“Recruitment of Venezuelans is happening,” said Colonel Arnulfo Traslavina, military commander of a special unit battling armed groups in Colombia’s eastern border state of Arauca. “The ranks of illegal armed groups are increasing. It’s a major threat to Colombia.”\nNationwide, an estimated 10% of fighters are Venezuelan, the commanders said. Their estimates were based on information from informants, deserters, captured rebels and residents.\nReuters was not able to independently verify these figures.\nThe head of Colombia’s military and government spokesman on this issue, General Luis Fernando Navarro, told Reuters that armed groups were targeting Venezuelans because they were easier to recruit than Colombians.\nAt the last official count by military intelligence in May, there were 2,296 FARC dissident combatants and 2,402 fighters from the ELN in Colombia. Including their urban offshoots, the two groups total nearly 8,400 members.\nRebel numbers are small compared with the 250,000 combat troops in the armed forces but Colombia’s rugged jungle terrain - spread across a country the size of France and Spain - makes it difficult for the military to tackle small, mobile units of fighters.\nThe military officers say they had interrogated some Venezuelans who had defected from armed groups and identified Venezuelan nationals killed in combat. They did not provide a total number for Venezuelan casualties.\nReuters was not able independently to confirm the information provided by the commanders or speak directly to any Venezuelans who had been recruited by an armed group.\nSeveral Venezuelan migrants told Reuters they had been approached by armed groups for recruitment on entering Colombia.\n“They said I’d get clothes, food, money, accommodation, a cell phone,” said Gregorio, a 20-year-old Venezuelan migrant who said he was asked to join an unspecified group in the mountains as soon as he waded across the Tachira River onto Colombian soil.\n“I was tempted, but scared... I’d been told there were bad people offering such things and I didn’t want to join,” said Gregorio, who declined to give his second name for fear of reprisals.\nAn estimated 1.3 million Venezuelan migrants have settled in Colombia in recent years, fleeing shortages of food, electricity and water as the South American nation has seen its economy unravel amid a bloody political confrontation.\nMost Venezuelans do not come to Colombia to enlist in insurgent groups but with almost nothing in their pockets, the prospect of food and shelter is enticing, said Deisson Marino, human rights ombudsman for the border region of Arauca.\n“They end up enrolled in a war that has nothing to do with them,” said Marino, whose job involves traveling to remote areas and speaking to victims of the conflict and armed groups.\nColombia’s Defense Minister Guillermo Botero has said the military has more than doubled operations against armed groups since President Ivan Duque took office in August, looking to tackle a rise in illicit drug production and trafficking. Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine.\n“The ELN has been retreating - at least its leadership - to Venezuela where it’s recruiting for greater strength, to attack us,” Botero said recently.\nA FARC dissident, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters the group was also present on Venezuelan soil and was recruiting Venezuelans.\nThe Venezuelan information ministry - which handles media enquiries for the government - did not respond to a request for comment about the conscription of Venezuelans by Colombia’s armed groups.\nVenezuela’s government has acknowledged that the ELN and dissident FARC are present on its territory. It has said it does not support the groups or tolerate their presence, and that its troops pursue them as they would any other illegal group.\nRepresentatives of the ELN did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The FARC, which became a political party after the peace deal and kept its former acronym, has publicly expelled the armed dissidents.\nSince it was founded in 1964, the ELN has funded itself from kidnapping, drug trafficking and extortion but is increasingly making money from illegal migration, the officials said.\nMilitary officials and rights workers say the ELN and colectivos - shadowy irregular armed groups in Venezuela affiliated with President Nicolas Maduro’s Socialist Party - control most of the crossing points into Colombia and demand payment from migrants and traders.\nArmy Colonel Rodolfo Morales, head of the army’s 30th Brigade in the border town of Cucuta, said migrants were also being drafted by drug trafficking groups to pick coca, the raw material for cocaine.\nAntonio, another Venezuelan migrant who declined to give his second name, said that after crossing the border he was offered money by unidentified men to go into the jungles around Tibu - a border town around 115 km north of Cucuta in the dangerous Catatumbo region - to pick coca leaves.\n“I’d rather go hungry than go with them,” said the 33-year old from the central Venezuelan state of Carabobo.\nColombia’s right-wing paramilitary groups, which battled the ELN and FARC for decades, are also recruiting migrants, the military officials said.\nThe paramilitaries were behind most of the 260,000 killings that occurred during the nation’s half-century conflict and never fully demobilized under a 2006 peace agreement.\nEddinson, 26, a migrant from Venezuela’s coastal state of Aragua, said he and three other Venezuelans were approached by armed men who identified themselves as paramilitaries as they trekked through the mountains of Santander province near the border.\nEddinson said the leader of the eight armed men - who were dressed in khaki uniforms - tried to recruit them.\n“He said that training would last six months. We’d be given salaries according to rank,” said Eddinson, adding that he and the other Venezuelans declined the offer. “He told us that we’d know our start date but not when we could leave.”\nReporting by Helen Murphy and Luis Jaime Acosta; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Rosalba O’Brien\nOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.\nAll quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["peace deal"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2016"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["end five decades of conflict"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Colombia"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2019 A peace deal is signed between the leaders of Renamo and the ruling party Frelimo in Mozambique, officially ending a conflict that plagued the country for years. (DW)","document":"A long-term peace pledge has been signed by Mozambique's president and the leader of the opposition Renamo party. The deal foresees disarmament and ex-rebels taking part in elections in October.\nPresident Filipe Nyusi and Renamo leader Ossufo Momade signed the deal Thursday in Gorongosa National Park in a rugged wildlife region used by Renamo for more than 40 years as its base.\nThe location had \"tremendous symbolic value,\" said Swiss ambassador Mirko Manzoni, who is also a personal envoy of the UN secretary general.\n\"Gorongosa was where the war started and now it is where it ends,\" Mozoni said, referring to a war between Renamo and the ruling Frelimo party that claimed a million lives after Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in 1975.\nRead more: Restoring Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park\nA deal reached in Rome in 1992 was declared void in 2013 by Renamo when government forces raided its bush camp. Fresh talks began in 2016.\nThe personal envoy of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres lauded the location of the signing ceremony\n \"We assure our fellow Mozambicans and the world that from now on violence will not be used as means for political goals,\" said Momade, who succeeded longtime Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama after his death in 2018.\n'New era,' says Nyusi\nThursday's accord \"opens a new era in the history of our country in which no Mozambicans should use weapons to resolve conflicts,\" said President Nyusi. \"We're here to say no to war.\"\nLast Tuesday, Renamo began disarming its more than 5,200 armed members.\nSome are to be absorbed into Mozambique's army and police, while others are to be re-integrated into civilian life.\nA small splinter group disavowed Momade in recent weeks, saying they would not hand over weapons while he was in charge.\n\nThursday's signing precedes presidential, parliamentary and provincial elections due in October, with Renamo seeking to win a number of provinces. Pope Francis is also expected to visit the country in September.\n ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Mozambique's president and the leader of the opposition Renamo party"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["disarmament and ex-rebels taking part in elections in October"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Gorongosa National Park"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2014 Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin sign a massive 30-year natural gas export contract worth $400 billion. (USA Today)","document":" China and Russia signed off on a huge gas deal worth as much as $400 billion Wednesday that heralds a pivot east for Russian business amid ongoing tensions with the West over Ukraine, though few details of the deal were made public.\nThe 30-year gas-export contract, seen as a move by Russian President Vladimir Putin to aggressively shift the country's commercial interests east amid mounting sanctions from the United States and Europe, was signed as the Russian leader has enjoyed a warm welcome in China, where the two countries have inked a raft of agreements during his ongoing, two-day visit.\nThe price China is paying for Russia's gas was not disclosed but the value of the agreement is thought to be somewhere near $400 billion. The deal, which will see Gazprom gas flow to China from a pipeline in Siberia, was confirmed by China's state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation.\nThe price is believed to be closer to what Russia wanted than what China was initially prepared to pay, said Thane Gustafson, a Georgetown University political science professor specializing in Russia. He said a prepayment for the gas, similar to what was agreed in oil deals, was dropped.\n\"This higher price level reflects China's willingness to pay more for cleaner fuel,\" Gustafson said.\nThe eleventh-hour deal represents \"good news for both countries,\" said Shi Yinhong, an international relations expert at People's University of China, in Beijing. \"The political requirements on both sides are so powerful they can overcome the concerns on price,\" he said. \"This is a political action by both sides.\"\nTalks for the deal had been going on for more than a decade and will see Russia export up to 38 billion cubic meters of gas per year, for 30 years, starting in 2018. The export agreement is significant because it will permit Russia to diversify the market for its gas away from Europe, which has threatened sanctions over Russia's incursion into Ukraine.\nChina's neutrality over Ukraine has begun \"tilting\" toward Russia, said Shi, but this deal will not fundamentally change a relationship he called \"a convenient coalition, not an alliance.\" The agreement is an example of \"selective cooperation, due to the situation in Eastern Europe, the Western Pacific and East Asia at this period,\" but on some issues their concerns remain incompatible, he said.\n\"It's a demonstration of the fact that Russia always has and always will have other options to develop relations elsewhere. The threat of isolation coming from the West will not be complete,\" said Sergei Utkin, political expert at the Russian Academy of Sciences.\nPlans already announced by the two nations include building the first railway bridge over their long border, and manufacturing Chinese cars in Russia.\nThe neighbors, whose relationship has long been strained by distrust, promised Tuesday to increase bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2020, up from $90 billion last year.\nAhead of his visit to Asia's largest economy, Putin told Chinese media that China is a \"reliable friend.\" The Russian leader, now spurned in the West for his annexation of Crimea in eastern Ukraine, received reliably positive news media coverage Wednesday in China, where he enjoys personal popularity as a strong leader with a macho charisma unfamiliar in China's straitlaced political system.\nPhotos and comments highlighting Putin's masculine charm dominated social media sites, although some Internet users expressed pride that the portly Xi Jinping, China's leader, is at least taller than Putin.\nBoth countries consider the other a useful counterpoint to difficult relations with the United States.\nWhile in China, Putin traveled to Shanghai to attend a two-day session of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, a little-known Asian security group that includes Iran and several Central Asian states but not the U.S. or Japan, China's longtime rival in East Asia, and one of several maritime neighbors currently embroiled in disputes over territory with China.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["China and Russia","China","Russia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["30 years, starting in 2018"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["huge gas deal worth as much as $400 billion"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2014 The heads of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus sign a treaty forming the Eurasian Economic Union. (TIME)","document":"Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus signed a treaty Thursday forming a massive new trading bloc known as the Eurasian Economic Union, Reuters reports.\nThe treaty will come into effect on January 1, 2015 as long as it’s approved by the countries’ respective parliaments. It will create the largest common market across ex-Soviet states, which its signatories hope will challenge the might of the European Union, the U.S. and China. Russian President Vladimir Putin said shortly before signing the treaty that their meeting was of “epoch-making significance,” but that it was no attempt to recreate the Soviet Union. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said the treaty represented “a bridge between the East and the West.”\nUkraine refused to join the treaty considering the conflict currently shaking the country and Russia’s recent annexation of Crimea. Armenia and Kyrgyzstan are considering joining the bloc, but other countries have turned down the opportunity to do so.\nThe new treaty unites three countries which have a combined population of 170 million people and a gross domestic product of 2.7 trillion dollars. Two of those countries, Kazakhstan and Russia, are oil producers. The deal will guarantee free transit of goods, services, capital and workers.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus","Kazakhstan","Russia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["The treaty will come into effect on January 1, 2015"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["forming a massive new trading bloc known as the Eurasian Economic Union"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2010 Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has signed a series of cooperative framework agreements with the Shanghai Financial Office. (21cbh)","document":"October 9, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has signed a series of cooperative framework agreements with the Shanghai Financial Office, a quasi-official body that promotes the city’s financial services industry, and Yangpu District Government to expand its business scope in China, the 21st Century Business Herald has learned.\nUnder the agreements, SVB, which specializes in providing financial services to technology and life sciences companies, as well venture capitalists and private equity firms, hopes to further explore venture capital (VC) opportunities and obtain a full financial services license.\nYangpu, an official “national innovation-oriented pilot district”, is building a cluster of domestic and foreign VC and domestic innovative enterprises. Bay Area Investment Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., the first overseas branch of San Francisco Bay Area Council, was inaugurated at Knowledge and Innovation Community in Yangpu on June 15.\nGerald Brady, managing director at SVB Venture Capital Group, said SVB is unable at present to provide a greater variety of financial services in China, but that the bank intends to obtain a full license. “We are investing for the future.”\nSVB is planning an enterprise VC platform in China that is similar to the Entrepreneur Services Platform it runs in Silicon Valley, California.\n\"Our long-term commitment to Chinese entrepreneurs, technology, life sciences and venture capital firms is to offer the same expertise, connections and banking services we provide to our clients in the U.S.,\" Ken Wilcox, CEO of SVB Financial Group and SVB said last December at the opening of the bank’s Shanghai representative office.\n\"Together with the Yangpu District Government and many others, we are working on several ground-breaking initiatives that will help build the infrastructure for a vibrant innovation economy in China.\"\nSVB will convene a board meeting in Shanghai in November, the first such meeting outside the U.S., according to a senior executive at SVB’s Shanghai office. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Silicon Valley Bank (SVB)","SVB","Shanghai Financial Office"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["October 9"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["promotes the city’s financial services industry, and Yangpu District Government to expand its business scope in China","China"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2010 President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez finishes a two–day visit to Iran, signing agreements on oil, energy and commerce. (CNN) ","document":" Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez ended a two-day visit to Iran on Thursday -- a trip highlighted by widening cooperation between the nations, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.\n\"The two countries' officials signed eleven letters of understanding and cooperation documents in fields of oil, energy, industries and commerce during the visit,\" IRNA reported.\nWith its burgeoning nuclear program, Iran has shown interest in uranium deposits in Venezuela.\nChavez's visit to Tehran comes a year after the Iranian leader's November 2009 trip to Venezuela. The two presidents have cultivated warm relations publicly, exchanging hugs and referring to each other as \"brother.\"\nIn 2009, Chavez welcomed Ahmadinejad with full military honors.\n\"We are here to welcome you, brother Ahmadinejad. Leader. Brother. Comrade,\" Chavez said then.\nAhmadinejad, in return, called Chavez \"a brother, who is resisting like a mountain the intentions of imperialism and colonialism.\"\nChavez is among Ahmadinejad's top supporters in Latin America. The leaders find common ground in their opposition to U.S. foreign policy.\nEarlier on his international tour, Chavez made stops in Russia and Belarus, where the Venezuelan leader also signed economic cooperation deals, which included an agreement with Moscow to build Venezuela's first nuclear power plant.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Iran","Venezuela"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["understanding and cooperation documents in fields of oil, energy, industries and commerce"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Iran"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2014 The European Union signs pacts with Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova in a move strongly opposed by Russia. (BBC)","document":"Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova have signed partnership agreements with the European Union, in a move strongly opposed by Russia. The pact - which would bind the three countries more closely to the West both economically and politically - is at the heart of the crisis in Ukraine.\nRussian President Vladimir Putin said making Ukraine choose between Russia and the EU would split it in two.\nA ceasefire with pro-Russian rebels in east Ukraine is due to end on Friday.\nUkrainian President Petro Poroshenko, in Brussels to sign the pact, said he would take a decision on an extension to the truce when he arrived back in Kiev later on Friday.\nRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he would welcome an extension, but not if it were simply an ultimatum for separatists to lay down their arms.\nMeanwhile the United Nations refugee agency said there had been a sharp rise in the numbers of displaced people in eastern Ukraine in the past week, with 16,400 people fleeing the area.\nThe total number internally displaced has reached 54,400, while a further 110,000 people left Ukraine for Russia this year.\nThere is a general sense of irritation or perhaps even anger here that Moscow has failed to convince countries like Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia not to sign this historic free trade deal today with the EU.\nMoscow has economic concerns about these deals - it is worried that the Russian market could be flooded by cheap goods from the EU that would hit Russian producers.\nMore pressing for Moscow are the geopolitical concerns here - the whole idea of former Soviet states, countries that Moscow still views as being within its sphere of influence, drifting towards Europe and one day possibly becoming part of the EU - that really grates with Moscow, particularly in the case of Ukraine.\nThere's a lot of concern about what could happen in eastern Ukraine - the ceasefire announced a few days ago by Mr Poroshenko, and the ceasefire announced by armed separatist rebels, is due to expire today. It's unclear how things are going to develop later. Ukraine crisis timeline\nWhat happens after deal is signed?\nNumbers behind the deal\nMr Poroshenko hailed the signing as Ukraine's most historic day since independence in 1991, describing it as a \"symbol of faith and unbreakable will\".\nMr Poroshenko also said he saw the signing as the start of preparations for joining the bloc.\n\"Ukraine is underlining its sovereign choice in favour of membership of the EU,\" he said.\nMeanwhile European Council President Herman Van Rompuy described it as a \"great day for Europe\".\n\"The EU stands by your side, today more than ever before,\" he told leaders of the three countries, adding that there was nothing in the agreements that might harm Russia in any way.\nBut Russian President Vladimir Putin said that \"efforts to force Ukraine into an artificial choice between Russia and the EU had pushed Ukraine towards a split, a painful internal conflict\".\nPeaceful citizens were the main victims of the conflict, he said, with thousands of people seeking refuge in Russia.\nThe European Council on Friday issued a policy statement on Ukraine, setting out key steps it expected to happen by Monday, including the return of three key checkpoints to Ukrainian forces and the \"launch of substantial negotiations on the implementation of President Poroshenko's peace plan\".\nMr Poroshenko set out a 15-point peace plan on 20 June. It involves decentralising power and holding early local and parliamentary elections.\nIt also proposes the creation of a 10km (six-mile) buffer zone on the Ukrainian-Russian border, and a safe corridor for pro-Russian separatists to leave the conflict areas.\nThe European Council did not announce any new sanctions against Russia but said that it continued to assess the situation.\nEarlier senior Kremlin adviser Sergei Glazyev described Mr Poroshenko as a \"Nazi\" and said his presidency was illegitimate because parts of Ukraine did not vote in the May elections.\nIn a BBC interview, he said that Mr Poroshenko had no constitutional right to sign the treaty, which would damage the Ukrainian economy.\nHowever, President Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that Mr Glazyev's comments did not reflect the official Kremlin position.\nMr Poroshenko's predecessor Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign the deal under pressure from Russia and protests led to his overthrow.\nAfter this Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region and pro-Russia separatists in eastern regions declared independence, claiming that extremists had taken power in Kiev.\nFighting is said to have continued in some areas of eastern Ukraine despite the temporary ceasefire. In another development, rebels released four international observers captured more than a month ago.\nAlexander Borodai, head of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic, said the members of the Vienna-based Organisation for the Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) had been freed as a goodwill gesture.\nMore than 420 people have been killed in fighting between pro-Russia rebels and government forces in eastern Ukraine since mid-April, the UN estimates.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova","Ukraine","Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia","European Union"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["bind the three countries more closely to the West both economically and politically"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Brussels"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2014 The Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott and the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe sign a free trade agreement in the Australian capital Canberra. (ABC News Australia)","document":"Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has called for Japan and Australia to walk forward with \"no limit,\" likening the countries' new economic and military agreements to taking part in a rugby scrum together.\nMr Abe addressed a special joint sitting of federal parliament today on the first full day of his visit to Australia.\nSpeaking in English, he reiterated his nation's vow of peace made after World War II, sending his condolences to Australians killed and traumatised in that conflict.\nMr Abe said he had \"absolutely no words to say\" when despairing about the numerous \"young Australians with bright futures\" who lost their lives fighting Japanese forces.\n\"May I most humbly speak for Japan on behalf of the Japanese people here in sending my most sincere condolences towards the many souls who lost their lives,\" he told the parliament.\nA free trade deal may have been the headline news, but when Japanese PM Shinzo Abe tours Canberra it will be security that tops his agenda, writes Hitoshi Nasu.\n\"This [peace] vow that Japan made after the war is still fully alive today. It will never change going forward,\" he pledged.\nHe said that deepened economic and defence ties had led to a new era in the relationship between the two nations.\n\"We will now join up in a scrum just like in rugby,\" he said, drawing laughter from MPs.\n\"Let us walk forward together - Australia and Japan with no limit – yes, we can do it.\"\nThe Japanese leader called for the vast seas and skies linking the Pacific and Indian oceans to be \"open and free\".\n\"In everything we say and do we must follow the law and never fall back into force and coercion,\" he said.\n\"When there are disputes, we must always use peaceful means to find solutions.\"\nMr Abe is signing economic and security treaties with his counterpart Prime Minister Tony Abbott during his three-day visit to Australia.\nSenior Japanese officials told the ABC that his decision to speak in English was a statement of \"friendship and regard\".\nIt is only the third major speech the Japanese leader has delivered in English as prime minister.\nHe urged Australian parliamentarians to tell young people to travel to Japan, and promised to do the same for Australia.\n\nHe finished his speech by singling out Olympic swimming legend Dawn Fraser, who was in the public gallery to watch the speech.\nMr Abe said he was \"dazzled\" by Fraser's power in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and thanked her for attending his speech.\n\"Ms Fraser,\" he said, \"to me, you are Australia.\"\n\"I hope very much that you bring forth a new dawn to Japan and new dawn to the future of Australia-Japan relations,\" he said, urging her to attend the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.\nSpeaking a short time later, Ms Fraser said Mr Abbott invited her to attend Mr Abe's speech.\nShe said \"it was a great honour\" to have been personally praised by the Japanese prime minister.\n\"It was very exciting,\" she told reporters.\n\"He's a lovely prime minister with a lovely sense of humour.\"\nIn his address, Prime Minister Tony Abbott sought to reassure Beijing that Australia's stronger security ties with Japan were not aimed at China.\n\"Ours is not a partnership against anyone,\" Mr Abbott said.\nMr Abbott also began his address by directly addressing the fact that the two countries fought each other during World War II.\nHe acknowledged that at times Australians had not felt \"kindly toward Japan\", but said the nation was now \"grateful\" for Japanese investment.\n\"Since 1957, Australian coal, iron ore and gas has powered Japan's prosperity and Japanese cars, consumer goods and electronics have transformed Australians' lives,\" he said.\nLabor leader Bill Shorten said the friendship between Australia and Japan ran deeper than \"treaties or trade agreements, summits or state dinners.\"\nHe said Australia stood by Japan during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami which also led to the Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown.\n\"Australian hearts went out to our friends in Japan. Within days, Australian search and rescue personnel, defence operation response officers, three C-17 aircraft were on the scene helping with the clean-up, the search and rescue effort,\" he said.\nMr Abe also thanked former prime minister Julia Gillard for Australia's assistance at the time, and noted the bipartisan support for the alliance.\nLabor Senator Sue Lines criticised the Prime Minister for not raising the issue of whaling.\n\"No mention of whales as yet by Abbott in his address to Japanese PM,\" the senator tweeted.\nEarlier Mr Abe and his wife were formally welcomed to Canberra in a ceremony outside Parliament.\nHis trip is the first official visit by a Japanese leader since 2002. In 2007 he visited Australia as prime minister to attend the APEC summit in Sydney.\nMr Abe and Mr Abbott have signed the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement, described by Mr Abbott as \"the first free trade agreement that Japan has made with a major developed economy\".\nMr Abe has told Parliament that Australia and Japan will also conclude an agreement on the transfer of defence equipment and technology.\nIt will bring Australia's cooperation in line with agreements Japan already has with the United States and the United Kingdom.\nTrade Minister Andrew Robb says there is a natural relationship between economic and military agreements because Australia is \"so strongly and deeply economically tied\" to China, Japan and Korea.\n\"Fifty-one per cent of all of our exports now go to Korea, Japan and China. It is in our interests, our absolute interest, to have peace in the region,\" Mr Robb told AM.\n\"And the best way in our view to do that is to have strong security ties with all three countries.\"\nNationals senator Matt Canavan welcomes the signing of the agreement, saying it will see Australian produce converted into cars.\n\"We as a nation are not going to make cars any more here in this country, but the way we are going to make a car in the future is we're going to grow wheat, we're going to grow cotton, we're going to grow beef, we're going to put it on a boat, wave goodbye to it and then magically another boat will come in the other direction with a car on it, probably from Japan,\" he said. \nHowever, Senator Canavan's senior colleague Senator John Williams raised concerns about foreign investment in Australian farmland. \n\"I want to see Australians sell the food, not the farm,\" he said.  \nThe Opposition's spokeswoman on trade, Penny Wong, has criticised the Government for not releasing details of the free trade agreement, which was struck in April, in full. \n\"No-one can make a judgment about this agreement if the Government continues to refuse to release it,\" she said.\n\"This is an agreement that has already been negotiated ... the only information Australians have is a five-page glossy pamphlet. I think they deserve more.\" \nThe Government says it will release the full text of the agreement this afternoon.\nMr Abe will also meet Mr Shorten tonight.\nLabor's foreign spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said Labor would be raising the issue of whaling with Mr Abe.\n\"Being such close friends does allow us to raise issues like whaling, where there has been some differences of opinion,\" Ms Plibersek told ABC News 24.\nAsked whether Mr Abbott should also be raising whaling, Ms Plibersek said it was a matter for the Prime Minister.\nWe acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Japan and Australia","Australia","Japan","Australia-Japan","Japan-Australia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["A free trade deal"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Canberra"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2010 United States President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign a new arms reduction treaty that will cut both countries' arsenals by a third. (BBC) (AP) (TIME)","document":" \nUS President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, have signed a landmark nuclear arms treaty in the Czech capital, Prague.\nThe treaty commits the former Cold War enemies to each reduce the number of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 - 30% lower than the previous ceiling. Mr Obama said it was an important milestone, but \"just one step on a longer journey\" of nuclear disarmament. Mr Medvedev said the deal would create safer conditions throughout the world. If ratified by lawmakers in both countries, the treaty will replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) of 1991, which has expired. Missile defence\nThe US and Russian leaders signed the New Start treaty at a ceremony attended by hundreds of officials in the lavishly decorated Spanish Hall of Prague Castle, the Czech president's residence.\nUnder the pact, each side is allowed a maximum of 1,550 warheads, about 30% lower than the 2002 Moscow Treaty. It also limits the number of deployed delivery vehicles - ballistic missiles and heavy bombers - to no more than 700. However, each bomber counts as one warhead irrespective of the fact that it might carry multiple bombs or missiles. Speaking after the signing ceremony, President Obama said the treaty demonstrated that both countries had halted the deterioration of their relations, which had prevented agreement on mutually important issues in the past. \"When the United States and Russia are not able to work together on big issues, it's not good for either of our nations, nor is it good for the world. Together we've stopped that drift and proven the benefits of co-operation,\" he added. Mr Obama said the pact was \"an important milestone for nuclear security and non-proliferation\" and set the stage for further arms cuts. \"While the New Start treaty is an important first step forward, it is just one step on a longer journey. This treaty will set the stage for further cuts, and going forward, we hope to pursue discussions with Russia on reducing both our strategic and tactical weapons, including non-deployed weapons.\"\nPlease turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Dmitry Medvedev: Nuclear treaty a 'win-win'\nHe said the talks - beginning this summer - would cover missile defence, threat assessments, and the completion of a joint assessment of emerging ballistic missiles. For his part, President Medvedev said the negotiating process had not been simple, but the treaty represented a \"win-win situation\" that would enhance strategic stability and bilateral relations. \"The result we have obtained is good,\" he said. \"We have got a document that fully maintains the balance of interests between Russia and the US. The main thing is that there are no victors or losers here.\" But Mr Medvedev said disagreements remained between Moscow and Washington over US plans for a missile defence shield, which have been modified by Mr Obama.\nNumbers here are not hugely important though in the sense that these arsenals are still far in excess of what might be needed to deter each other or, for that matter, any other potential nuclear competitor.\nThis agreement really is a starting benchmark; a formal treaty that sets the scene for much more significant reductions in the future. Indeed, much of the new agreement's importance is in its collateral benefits.\nIt marks an important improvement in US-Russia relations and it gives President Obama in particular an important boost ahead of next month's review conference for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Bolstering this agreement, which is the central pillar of efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, is a high priority for him.\n On Tuesday, Russia's foreign minister warned that it could abandon the New Start treaty \"if a quantitative and qualitative build-up of the US strategic anti-missile potential begins to significantly affect the efficiency of Russia's strategic forces\". It was Moscow's concerns over Washington's plans to base interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic that helped delay the new treaty. President Obama shelved the idea in September, although new plans include ground-based interceptor missiles in Romania. The White House has said it hopes and expects the US Senate to ratify the New Start treaty this year. Senate ratification requires 67 votes, which means it must include Republicans. The Russian lower house of parliament must also approve the treaty, but as long as the Kremlin supports it, ratification there is expected to be a formality. During private talks before the signing ceremony, Mr Obama and Mr Medvedev also discussed Iran's nuclear programme. The US wants the UN Security Council to approve tougher sanctions against Tehran, over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment. \"Unfortunately Tehran is not reacting to an array of constructive compromise proposals. We cannot close our eyes to this,\" Mr Medvedev said afterwards. Disarmament vision\nBBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus, who is in Prague, says the real significance of this deal is that it marks a warming of US-Russian ties and heralds, perhaps, tougher Russian action on Iran's nuclear programme. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. It also gives Mr Obama a disarmament success that he hopes will strengthen his hand at next month's review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), our correspondent says. An overhaul of the 40-year-old pact is seen as the central pillar of the US president's efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. However, much more significant cuts in long-range nuclear weapons could take years of negotiation with the Russians, who do not share Mr Obama's ambitious disarmament vision, our correspondent says. Nuclear weapons are in fact looming larger in Russia's security equation at a time when their role in US strategic thinking is becoming more circumscribed, he adds. On Tuesday, President Obama unveiled the new Nuclear Posture Review, which narrows the circumstances in which the US would use nuclear weapons. \"The United States will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapons states that are party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and in compliance with their nuclear non-proliferation obligations,\" it said. Countries which the US regards not complying with the NPT, including Iran and North Korea, will not be spared a nuclear response. North Korea pulled out of the NPT in 2003, while the US claims Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies. Mr Obama also pledged not to develop any new nuclear weapons, a move pushed through in the face of resistance by the Pentagon. What are these?","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["he United States and Russia","Russia","United States"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["each side is allowed a maximum of 1,550 warheads","limits the number of deployed delivery vehicles - ballistic missiles and heavy bombers - to no more than 700"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Czech capital, Prague","Prague","in the lavishly decorated Spanish Hall of Prague Castle"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2010 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will send deputy prime–minister to a summit on nuclear weapons in the United States over concerns that Egypt and Turkey might shift the focus away from preventing militants from obtaining nuclear weapons by insisting that Israel sign the Nuclear Non–Proliferation Treaty (NPT). (BBC) (Reuters)","document":"Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled a visit to the US where he was to attend a summit on nuclear security, Israeli officials say.\nMr Netanyahu made the decision after learning that Egypt and Turkey intended to raise the issue of Israel's presumed nuclear arsenal, the officials said. Mr Obama is due to host dozens of world leaders at the two-day conference, which begins in Washington on Monday. Israel has never confirmed or denied that it possesses atomic weapons. Israel's Intelligence and Atomic Energy Minister Dan Meridor will take Netanyahu's place in the nuclear summit, Israeli radio said. More than 40 countries are expected at the meeting, which will focus on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to militant groups. Iran's issue\nAccording to Israeli officials, Turkey and Egypt are planning to call on Israel to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). \"These states intend to exploit the occasion in order to slam Israel,\" said a senior Israeli source. Mr Netanyahu's decision is on the face of it quite odd. After all, he must have expected some focus on Israel's own nuclear programme at this conference. Indeed, he acknowledged this possibility two days ago when he announced he would attend. He said that since Israel was not a terrorist or a rogue state, he had nothing to fear.\n Certainly Israel is worried about pressure to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT. That is something which will increasingly become an issue since the Israelis have also announced their intention to build a civilian nuclear power station to deal with a severe electricity shortage.\nBut what about Israel's nuclear weapons? The former US President, Jimmy Carter, who is certainly in a position to know, has said the Israelis have at least 150 warheads. Mr Netanyahu has said his main priority in office is dealing with Iran's supposed intentions to develop both warheads and long range missiles capable of hitting Israel. In these circumstances, Mr Netanyahu thinks it more vital than ever to protect his own weapons programme.\n\"The prime minister expressed his displeasure over these intentions, and he will therefore not be travelling to the summit.\" Mr Netanyahu has said his main priority is dealing with Iran's supposed intention to develop both warheads and long-range missiles capable of hitting Israel. Along with India, Pakistan and North Korea, Israel is one of just four states that have not signed up to the NPT, which has 189 signatories. Earlier this week, President Obama unveiled the new Nuclear Posture Review - which narrows the circumstances in which the US would use nuclear weapons - outlining his country's long-term strategy of nuclear disarmament. On Thursday, the US president and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, signed a landmark nuclear arms treaty in the Czech capital, Prague. That treaty commits the former Cold War enemies to reduce the number of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 each - 30% lower than the previous ceiling. The BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says the cancellation of Mr Netanyahu's Washington visit comes at a time of frosty relations between the two states. The Israeli premier failed to see eye-to-eye with Mr Obama during his most recent US visit last month on the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, our correspondent adds. Washington criticised the building of Jewish homes in East Jerusalem, which prompted the Palestinians to pull out of US-brokered indirect peace talks. There were also reports that one of Mr Netanyahu's confidants called Mr Obama a \"disaster\" for Israel.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Israel"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)","Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty","NPT"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Washington"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2010 Brazil, Iran and Turkey agree on a nuclear fuel swap aimed at easing concerns from the West that Iran might building a bomb. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)","document":"\nIran has signed an agreement to send uranium abroad for enrichment after mediation talks in Tehran with Turkish and Brazilian leaders.\nCorrespondents say the plan could revive a UN-backed proposal and may ward off another round of sanctions. But the BBC's Tehran correspondent says the deal will be viewed with scepticism in Western capitals, as Iran says it will continue enriching uranium. Meanwhile, France has announced progress at the UN on fresh sanctions. AFP news agency reported that Israeli officials were accusing Iran of manipulating Brazil and Turkey to stave off sanctions. The West has long suspected that Iran's nuclear programme is aimed at making weapons - a charge Tehran denies. Progress made?\nUnder the deal, Iran's foreign ministry said it was ready to ship 1,200kg (2,645lb) of low-enriched uranium to Turkey, in return for fuel for a research reactor. The deal does not address the central nuclear issues dealt with by successive UN Security Council resolutions - namely Iran's refusal to halt its enrichment programme and address questions about its past nuclear activities. The US reacted by saying it still had serious concerns over Iran's nuclear programme, although it did not reject the agreement.\nIt said the Iranian government \"must demonstrate through deeds - and not simply words - its willingness to live up to international obligations or face consequences, including sanctions\". \"While it would be a positive step for Iran to transfer low-enriched uranium off of its soil as it agreed to do last October, Iran said today that it would continue its 20% enrichment, which is a direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions,\" said a White House statement. Russia welcomed the deal, although President Dmitry Medvedev said further talks were needed on Iran's nuclear programme. During a trip to Ukraine Mr Medvedev said the fact that Iran apparently still intended to continue its own uranium enrichment would continue to concern the international community. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said there had been \"some important progress\" in talks at the Security Council on fresh sanctions against Tehran. The UK, for its part, said work on a resolution about imposing new sanctions on Iran would continue until Tehran showed its intentions were peaceful. The German government said that nothing could replace a deal between Iran and the UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on world leaders for new talks \"with Iran based on honesty, justice and mutual respect\". The EU's high representative for foreign affairs, Baroness Ashton, was ready to meet the Iranian authorities to find a \"full and complete\" solution to the stand-off, her spokesman said. 'Negotiating ploy?'\nTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva were at the talks in Tehran with Mr Ahmadinejad. On the plus side, it appears that Iran is still interested in swapping some of its low-enriched uranium for fuel rods for its medical research reactor in Tehran, which is in need of replenishment.\nSending low-enriched uranium to Turkey would be a good first step but it does not solve the problem, because Turkey cannot produce fuel rods. There therefore needs to be a further agreement with the countries that made an earlier offer to supply them - the US, Russia and France. And these countries are likely to be very cautious as they fear that Iran will impose conditions that, for them, make a deal impossible. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said 1,200kg of low-enriched uranium would be shipped to Turkey, and that Iran would notify the IAEA \"within a week\". Under the deal, Iran has said it is prepared to move its uranium within a month of its approval by the so-called Vienna Group (US, Russia, France and the IAEA). In return, Iran says it expects to receive 120kg of more highly enriched uranium (20%) - a purity well below that used in the manufacture of nuclear weapons - within a year. If the deadline is not met, Iran says Turkey \"will return swiftly and unconditionally Iran's low-enriched uranium\". BBC Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne, in London, says the agreement does not make clear whether Iran's low-grade uranium will be used to make the new fuel or just held as a kind of security deposit. Our correspondent says Western governments will fear this is just a negotiating ploy designed to delay new sanctions. Crucially, Turkey and Brazil are both on the UN Security Council, and so have a vote on those sanctions. The Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, who spent 18 hours hammering out the deal with his Brazilian and Iranian counterparts, said there was now no need for more sanctions against Iran. \"The swap deal shows that Tehran wants to open a constructive path... there is no more ground for new sanctions and pressures,\" he said. 'Last chance'\nThe US is in the final stages of negotiating a fourth sanctions package with other UN Security Council members.\nThis new deal will be examined in great detail and with a high degree of scepticism in foreign capitals, our correspondent says. Iran backed out of a similar proposal last October citing disagreement about the details of the deal, which included a simultaneous swap, something the IAEA said was not feasible. Iran's stocks are now thought to be much larger than the 1,200kg covered by the new agreement. Both Russia and the US say the talks represent Iran's last chance to avoid harsher sanctions. Iran has been mounting a big diplomatic effort to prevent new UN sanctions; its foreign minister has visited all 15 members of the Security Council.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Iran","Brazil","Turkey"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["send uranium abroad for enrichment"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Tehran"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2010 Arab League foreign ministers meet in Cairo and reach an agreement to ask the United Nations Security Council to force Israel to end the blockade of Gaza. (Reuters)","document":"CAIRO (Reuters) - Arab states will ask the U.N. Security Council to demand an end to Israel’s blockade of Gaza, the Arab League chief said on Thursday after ministers met to respond to Israel’s attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.\nDefending Israel’s enforcement of its blockade, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday it was vital for security and would stay in place.\nIsraeli marines on Monday stormed a Turkish aid ship bound for the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas Islamists and blockaded by Israel. Nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed in the incident, which sparked widespread condemnation.\n“The Arab League will go to the Security Council and demand lifting of the blockade from Gaza,” the League secretary general, Amr Moussa, told a news conference after the talks.\n“There must be steps taken to end the siege,” Moussa said. “We ask all nations to ignore the Gaza blockade and send aid to Gaza to break the blockade.”\nTurkey, a Muslim country that had been Israel’s strategic ally, accused it of “state terrorism” and has recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv and demanded it lift its blockade.\nThose calls have been echoed by European leaders and the United Nations whose Human Rights Council voted to set up an independent fact-finding mission into the incident.\nIsrael’s key backer, the United States, is less outspoken. It has called for calm. Western powers agree with Israel that Iranian-backed Hamas is a threat but say the embargo should not punish the 1.5 million people trapped in the Gaza Strip.\nEgypt opened its Rafah border crossing to Gaza indefinitely on Wednesday -- a step seen as an attempt by Cairo to deflect criticism of its role in imposing the Gaza blockade.\nCairo has kept its border with Gaza largely closed since the Hamas Islamist group, an offshoot of the opposition Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, seized the territory in 2007.\nWriting by Edmund Blair; Editing by Michael Roddy\nOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.\nAll quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Arab League"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Arab states will ask the U.N. Security Council to demand an end to Israel’s blockade of Gaza","the Security Council and demand lifting of the blockade from Gaza"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2008 The United States Department of State renews the contract of Blackwater Worldwide to provide security in Iraq despite a number of ongoing investigations. (ABC News)","document":"Although it has been accused of tax fraud, improper use of force, arms trafficking and overbilling, the Blackwater firm will have its $1.2 billion contract for private security in Iraq renewed by the State Department, a spokesman confirmed Friday.\nThe one-year extension, worth an estimated $240 million, was requested by officials at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, two sources close to the arrangement tell ABC News.\nMeanwhile, a grand jury, federal prosecutors and congressional investigators are probing a host of allegations against the company.\nThe grand jury is reportedly investigating whether Blackwater security guards used excessive force in killing 13 Iraqi civilians in a violent incident in central Baghdad last September. At the time, many speculated the incident would effectively end the firm's work for the State Department when its contract came up for renewal in May 2008.\nFederal prosecutors are probing allegations that Blackwater personnel smuggled weapons, night-vision scopes and other sensitive material into Iraq. The firm has denied any involvement in such a scheme.\nA congressional panel is investigating whether the company illegally dodged millions in taxes by misclassifying its employees as \"independent contractors.\" The allegation, Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said at the time, was \"incorrect.\"\nAnd a State Department investigation in 2005 found Blackwater sometimes double-billed employees' time, resulting in \"duplication of profit.\"\nBlackwater has more than 850 personnel in Iraq under contract to the U.S. government in Iraq.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["State Department","Blackwater firm"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["one-year extension"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["its $1.2 billion contract for private security in Iraq renewed by the State Department"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2008 The North West Frontier Province of Pakistan signs a peace deal with Taliban militants where troops are withdrawn from the Swat valley and Sharia law introduced in exchange for a halt to suicide bombings and an attack on government buildings. (The Guardian)","document":"The Pakistani government has agreed to withdraw troops and introduce Sharia law in the conflict-ravaged Swat valley in exchange for a halt to Taliban suicide bombings and attacks on government buildings. The peace deal was signed this afternoon by the newly elected government of North-West Frontier province (NWFP) and representatives of extremist cleric Maulvi Fazlullah, whose fighters engaged in full-blooded warfare against the army last year. The breakthrough is a coup for the government, which is eager to end militant violence, but will be warily regarded by the US, which advocates a strong hand against the Taliban. The US deputy secretary of state, John Negroponte, told senators in Washington yesterday that any agreement was \"something we're going to have to watch very carefully\". The Swat valley, an idyllic area of sweeping mountains and lush fields, became a battlezone last year after the army tried to tame Fazlullah's increasingly bold militants. Today's deal concedes several of their main demands. Under the 15-point pact, Islamic law will be introduced in Malakand division, Taliban prisoners will be released from jail and their headquarters, a sprawling riverside madrasa, will be converted into an Islamic University. After signing the pact militant representative Ali Bakht Khan called on the government to release 202 comrades within two weeks. \"We will follow this agreement and cooperate to bring peace to Swat,\" he said. In return the Taliban will halt their campaign of suicide bombing, shut militant training centres and hand over foreign militants operating in their area. During last year's fighting they were joined by militants from Waziristan, at the other end of Frontier province, and other countries such as Uzbekistan.\nThe deal will stand or fall on implementation. Previous peace deals with militants in NWFP have collapsed within months. This one contains no provision for disarming the fighters, who will be allowed to keep their guns at home but not display them in public. Government officials said this was normal in tribal society. \"I don't think there is one home in the area that doesn't have a weapon,\" said Afrasiab Khattak of the Awami National Party, which rules NWFP, and one of 10 signatories to the deal. The militants have also undertaken to allow polio vaccinations take place - Fazlullah previously claimed they were part of a global conspiracy to sterilise Muslims - and to register FM radio stations that have been instrumental in spreading hate propaganda. They will also stop attacking barbers who shave beards, and girls who attend school. The central point of the agreement - the withdrawal of the army from the Swat valley - will be overseen by a 10-man committee from both sides. The deal has not been signed by Fazlullah, believed to be hiding in a remote mountain valley, but negotiators were confident it had his approval, said Khattak, one of the signatories of the deal. Khattak said that the form of Sharia law being introduced was simply a pre-existing law dating from 1999 that had not been implemented in Swat. The civil laws of Pakistan would remain in force but there would be some \"procedural amendments\", he said. The demand for Sharia enjoyed some public support in Swat due to a widespread perception that the civil system was slow, inefficient and riddled with corruption.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["newly elected government of North-West Frontier province (NWFP) and representatives of extremist cleric Maulvi Fazlullah","NWFP"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["peace deal"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this afternoon"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["withdraw troops and introduce Sharia law in the conflict-ravaged Swat valley in exchange for a halt to Taliban suicide bombings and attacks on government buildings"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2008 The anti-Syrian government and the pro-Syrian opposition in Lebanon agree on a deal which includes the election of Michel Suleiman as President of Lebanon, outlawing the use of weapons in intra-Lebanese disputes, the formation of a unity government in which the opposition will gain more than a third of ministers (giving it a veto) and a new electoral law for the 2009 parliamentary elections. (BBC News) (Bloomberg)","document":"Rival Lebanese leaders have agreed on steps to end the political deadlock that has led to the country's worst violence since the 1975-90 civil war. The Western-backed government and the pro-Syrian opposition arrived at the deal after days of talks in Qatar.\nUnder the deal, the opposition - led by the Hezbollah political and militant group - will have the power of veto in a new cabinet of national unity.\nIt also paves the way for parliament to elect a new president.\nThe post has been empty since November.\nCorrespondents say the agreement is a major triumph for Hezbollah, whose key demands have been met. 'No losers'\nIn a speech at the ceremony in the Qatari capital Doha in which the deal was signed, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said it was \"an exceptional agreement at an exceptional time\". Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh said there were \"no losers\" under the deal. \t\n\t\n\t\t \t\t\t Amr Moussa, head of the Arab League, which brokered the agreement, said it \"releases Lebanon from its shackles\". Saad Hariri, a Sunni politician who leads the governing coalition, said the agreement opened \"a new page for Lebanon\".\nHezbollah delegation leader Mohammed Raad said it would help \"towards strengthening coexistence and building the state\".\nThe agreement gives the Hezbollah-led opposition bloc enough seats in the cabinet for a veto. The controversial issue of Hezbollah's arsenal is addressed. The deal states that \"use of arms or violence is forbidden to settle political differences\". Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, has been refusing to give up any of its military capability, arguing that it is essential in the struggle against Israel. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moualem told Reuters news agency that Damascus was \"pleased that our brothers in Lebanon have reached an agreement\".\nThe US also hailed the accord. David Welch, who is in charge of Middle Eastern affairs at the state department, called it \"really a welcome development\".\nPresident vote\nThe agreement paves the way for parliament to elect army chief General Michel Suleiman as president, which officials say will happen on Sunday.\nFor months, Gen Suleiman has been accepted by all sides as the only candidate to succeed outgoing pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, but disagreements have repeatedly prevented a parliamentary vote to appoint him. An opposition protest camp in central Beirut is also to be dismantled, in what Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called a \"gift\" from the opposition. Hezbollah members have already started to carry away mattresses from the encampment. BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says the Doha deal appears to have averted calamity by acknowledging a greater political role for Hezbollah. He adds that some in the West, while applauding Lebanon's step back from the brink, may see this as a negative development. Lebanon has been in political crisis since late 2006 when the opposition left a national unity coalition cabinet, demanding more power and a veto over government decisions. The crisis turned violent two weeks ago when street battles between armed supporters of the factions left at least 65 people dead. The clashes were triggered by government attempts to outlaw Hezbollah's private telephone network and reassign Beirut airport's security chief, who is close to the opposition.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The Western-backed government and the pro-Syrian opposition"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the opposition - led by the Hezbollah political and militant group - will have the power of veto in a new cabinet of national unity.\nIt also paves the way for parliament to elect a new president","the opposition - led by the Hezbollah political and militant group - will have the power of veto in a new cabinet of national unity"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Qatar"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2008 France and Algeria sign an agreement that could lead to French nuclear power technology being employed in Algerian reactors. (BBC News)","document":"France and Algeria have signed an agreement on civil nuclear co-operation during a visit to Algiers by the French Prime Minister, Francois Fillon. Mr Fillon described the agreement as a sign of a \"transformation\" in the countries' ties.\nRelations were very bad for years after the Algerian war of independence forced France to abandon its treasured colony.\nMr Fillon said French firms would not \"give in to threats\", after a Frenchman was killed in a bombing this month.\nThe militant group al-Qaeda in North Africa claimed the bombing east of Algiers on 8 June, and promised to continue attacking Western targets.\nMilitary pact\nOn Saturday French and Algerian ministers signed a deal on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, which will see the two countries co-operate in the field of training and conduct joint research projects. Eventually nuclear power plants could be built on Algerian soil. \"There is no clearer signal of France's intention to establish an exceptional partnership with Algeria,\" said Mr Fillon, making the first visit by a French prime minister in more than two decades.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["France and Algeria","France","Algeria"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["civil nuclear co-operation"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the two countries co-operate in the field of training and conduct joint research projects"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Algiers"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2013 The United States and Russia agree on a draft United Nations Security Council resolution aiming to rid Syria of its chemical weapons. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)","document":"UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States and Russia reached an agreement on Thursday on a draft U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at ridding Syria of its chemical weapons arsenal. Following is the text of this draft resolution. The Security Council, PP1. Recalling the Statements of its President of 3 August 2011, 21 March 2012, 5 April 2012, and its resolutions 1540 (2004), 2042 (2012) and 2043 (2012), PP2. Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, PP3. Reaffirming that the proliferation of chemical weapons, as well as their means of delivery, constitutes a threat to international peace and security, PP4. Recalling that the Syrian Arab Republic on 22 November 1968 acceded to the Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, signed at Geneva on 17 June 1925, PP5. Noting that on 14 September 2013, Syria deposited with the Secretary-General its instrument of accession to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (Convention) and declared that it shall comply with its stipulations and observe them faithfully and sincerely, applying the Convention provisionally pending its entry into force for the Syrian Arab Republic, PP6. Welcoming the establishment by the Secretary-General of the United Nations Mission to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic (\"the Mission\") pursuant to General Assembly resolution 42/37 C (1987) of 30 November 1987, and reaffirmed by resolution 620 (1988) of 26 August 1988, and expressing appreciation for the work of the Mission, PP7. Acknowledging the report of 16 September 2013(S/2013/553) by the Mission, underscoring the need for the Mission to fulfill its mandate, and emphasizing that future credible allegations of chemical weapons use in the Syrian Arab Republic should be investigated, PP8. Deeply outraged by the use of chemical weapons on 21 August 2013 in Rif Damascus, as concluded in the Mission's report, condemning the killing of civilians that resulted from it, affirming that the use of chemical weapons constitutes a serious violation of international law, and stressing that those responsible for any use of chemical weapons must be held accountable, PP9. Recalling the obligation under resolution 1540 (2004)that all States shall refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons, and their means of delivery, PP10. Welcoming the Framework for Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons dated 14 September 2013, in Geneva, between the Russian Federation and the United States of America (S/2013/565), with a view to ensuring the destruction of the Syrian Arab Republic's chemical weapons program in the soonest and safest manner, and expressing its commitment to the immediate international control over chemical weapons and their components in the Syrian Arab Republic, PP11. Welcoming the decision of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) of establishing special procedures for the expeditious destruction of the Syrian Arab Republic's chemical weapons program and stringent verification thereof, and expressing its determination to ensure the destruction of the Syrian Arab Republic's chemical weapons program according to the timetable contained in the OPCW Executive Council decision of, PP12. Stressing that the only solution to the current crisis in the Syrian Arab Republic is through an inclusive and Syrian-led political process based on the Geneva Communiqué of 30 June 2012, and emphasising the need to convene the international conference on Syria as soon as possible, PP13. Determining that the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic constitutes a threat to international peace and security, PP14. Underscoring that Member States are obligated under Article 25 of the Charter of the United Nations to accept and carry out the Council's decisions, 1. Determines that the use of chemical weapons anywhere constitutes a threat to international peace and security; 2. Condemns in the strongest terms any use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, in particular the attack on 21 August 2013, in violation of international law; 3. Endorses the decision of the OPCW Executive Council, which contains special procedures for the expeditious destruction of the Syrian Arab Republic's chemical weapons program and stringent verification thereof and calls for its full implementation in the most expedient and safest manner; 4. Decides that the Syrian Arab Republic shall not use, develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile or retain chemical weapons, or transfer, directly or indirectly, chemical weapons to other States or non-State actors; 5. Underscores that no party in Syria should use, develop, produce, acquire, stockpile, retain, or transfer chemical weapons; 6. Decides that the Syrian Arab Republic shall comply with all aspects of the decision of the OPCW Executive Council of (Annex I); 7. Decides that the Syrian Arab Republic shall cooperate fully with the OPCW and the United Nations, including by complying with their relevant recommendations, by accepting personnel designated by the OPCW or the United Nations, by providing for and ensuring the security of activities undertaken by these personnel, by providing these personnel with immediate and unfettered access to and the right to inspect, in discharging their functions, any and all sites, and by allowing immediate and unfettered access to individuals that the OPCW has grounds to believe to be of importance for the purpose of its mandate, and decides that all parties in Syria shall cooperate fully in this regard; 8. Decides to authorize an advance team of United Nations personnel to provide early assistance to OPCW activities in Syria, requests the Director-General of the OPCW and the Secretary-General to closely cooperate in the implementation of the Executive Council decision of and this resolution, including through their operational activities on the ground, and further requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Director-General of the OPCW and, where appropriate, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, to submit to the Council within 10 days of the adoption of this resolution recommendations regarding the role of the United Nations in eliminating the Syrian Arab Republic's chemical weapons program; 9. Notes that the Syrian Arab Republic is a party to the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, decides that OPCW-designated personnel undertaking activities provided for in this resolution or the decision of the OPCW Executive Council of shall enjoy the privileges and immunities contained in the Verification Annex, Part II(B) of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and calls on the Syrian Arab Republic to conclude modalities agreements with the United Nations and the OPCW; 10. Encourages Member States to provide support, including personnel, technical expertise, information, equipment, and financial and other resources and assistance, in coordination with the Director-General of the OPCW and the Secretary-General, to enable the OPCW and the United Nations to implement the elimination of the Syrian Arab Republic's chemical weapons program, and decides to authorize Member States to acquire, control, transport, transfer and destroy chemical weapons identified by the Director-General of the OPCW, consistent with the objective of the Chemical Weapons Convention, to ensure the elimination of the Syrian Arab Republic's chemical weapons program in the soonest and safest manner; 11. Urges all Syrian parties and interested Member States with relevant capabilities to work closely together and with the OPCW and the United Nations to arrange for the security of the monitoring and destruction mission, recognizing the primary responsibility of the Syrian government in this regard; 12. Decides to review on a regular basis the implementation in the Syrian Arab Republic of the decision of the OPCW Executive Council and this resolution, and requests the Director-General of the OPCW to report to the Security Council, through the Secretary-General, who shall include relevant information on United Nations activities related to the implementation of this resolution, within 30 days and every month thereafter, and requests further the Director-General of the OPCW and the Secretary-General to report in a coordinated manner, as needed, to the Security Council, non-compliance with this resolution or the OPCW Executive Council decision of; 13. Reaffirms its readiness to consider promptly any reports of the OPCW under Article VIII of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which provides for the referral of cases of non-compliance to the United Nations Security Council; 14. Decides that Member States shall inform immediately the Security Council of any violation of resolution 1540 (2004), including acquisition by non-State actors of chemical weapons, their means of delivery and related materials in order to take necessary measures therefore; Accountability 15. Expresses its strong conviction that those individuals responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic should be held accountable; Political transition 16. Endorses fully the Geneva Communiqué of 30 June 2012 (Annex II), which sets out a number of key steps beginning with the establishment of a transitional governing body exercising full executive powers, which could include members of the present Government and the opposition and other groups and shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent; 17. Calls for the convening, as soon as possible, of an international conference on Syria to implement the Geneva Communiqué, and calls upon all Syrian parties to engage seriously and constructively at the Geneva Conference on Syria, and underscores that they should be fully representative of the Syrian people and committed to the implementation of the Geneva Communiqué and to the achievement of stability and reconciliation; Non-Proliferation 18. Reaffirms that all Member States shall refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery, and calls upon all Member States, in particular Member States neighbouring the Syrian Arab Republic, to report any violations of this paragraph to the Security Council immediately; 19. Demands that non-State actors not develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer, or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery, and calls upon all Member States, in particular Member States neighbouring the Syrian Arab Republic, to report any actions inconsistent with this paragraph to the Security Council immediately; 20. Decides that all Member States shall prohibit the procurement of chemical weapons, related equipment, goods and technology or assistance from the Syrian Arab Republic by their nationals, or using their flagged vessels or aircraft, whether or not originating in the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic; Compliance 21. Decides, in the event of non-compliance with this resolution, including unauthorized transfer of chemical weapons, or any use of chemical weapons by anyone in the Syrian Arab Republic, to impose measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter; 22. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by World Desk, Americas)","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The United States and Russia","United States"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["ridding Syria of its chemical weapons arsenal"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2013 The United States Senate reaches a bipartisan deal to avoid default and end the 16-day US government shutdown. The House passes the legislation by 285–144. The bill now goes to the president, who is expected to sign it. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald), (CNBC)","document":"Updated 12:31 a.m. President Barack Obama signed a last-minute Congressional deal early Thursday morning to avert a damaging debt default and to reopen the government after a more than two-week shutdown.\n The Office of Management and Budget said previously furloughed federal workers should report to work Thursday morning and Congressional leaders began to appoint budget negotiators to find a longer term budget solution. The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the stopgap bill shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday. It got through relatively easily: 285 members voted for the legislation and 144 against it. After much opposition, House Speaker John Boehner was one of 87 Republicans to vote for the plan; Representative Paul Ryan was among those who voted against it. The Senate passed the same bill 81 to 18 shortly after 8 p.m. \"I want to thank the leaders of both parties for getting us to this point,\" Obama said shortly after the Senate vote. \"We'll begin reopening our government immediately, and we can begin to lift this cloud of uncertainty and unease from our businesses and from the American people.\" Treasury Secretary Jack Lew was also pleased. \"We welcome the bipartisan action Congress is taking to resolve this crisis,\" Lew said in a statement late Wednesday. \"At the same time, we remain committed to reaching agreement on a balanced fiscal package that will create jobs, grow our economy, and put us on a path toward long-term fiscal sustainability. Without question, it will require difficult choices.\" While the deal in Congress is a temporary solution that sets up another showdown early next year, Wall Street reacted positively. Major U.S. stock indexes rose more than 1 percent Wednesday on optimism that lawmakers were finally reaching a deal to end the 16 day fiscal impasse. U.S. stock futures also rose in after-hours trading.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["President Barack Obama"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["a last-minute Congressional deal","early Thursday morning"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["end the 16 day fiscal impasse"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2013 President of the United States Barack Obama signs a bipartisan deal approved by Congress to end the Government shutdown and the debt ceiling crisis. (The Hill)","document":"President Obama signed a deal to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling on Thursday morning. [WATCH VIDEO]\nObama, who won a political victory with the congressional votes, hailed the deal, saying it would “begin to lift this cloud of uncertainty and unease from our businesses and the American people.” The legislation would fund the government through Jan. 15 and raise the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling until Feb. 7. Congress approved the debt hike one day ahead of the deadline for doing so set by the Treasury Department. \n\"Because of today’s efforts, we will continue to honor all of our commitments – a core American value – and preserve the full faith and credit of the United States,\" Treasury Secretary Jack LewJacob (Jack) Joseph LewThe Hill's Morning Report - Biden argues for legislative patience, urgent action amid crisis On The Money: Senate confirms Yellen as first female Treasury secretary | Biden says he's open to tighter income limits for stimulus checks | Administration will look to expedite getting Tubman on bill Sorry Mr. Jackson, Tubman on the is real MORE said in a statement Wednesday night. \nThe Treasury had said it would only have $30 billion on reserve after Oct. 17. \nThe new deadlines will set up new battles with congressional Republicans. \nObama refused to negotiate with Republicans over reopening the government and raising the debt ceiling, and he ended up making no concessions to the GOP.\nRepublicans had sought to end funding for ObamaCare or to delay it. They later backed off their demands but had still hoped to delay parts of Obama’s signature law. The president urged Congress to break the pattern of what he called “governing by crisis” in the eleventh hour. The new deal sets up a budget conference between the House and Senate in which Republicans are expected to press for entitlement and spending cuts, while Democrats press for tax hikes. That will put Obama right back into the budget battles that have been a hallmark of his presidency. On Wednesday night, the president expressed a willingness to reach across the aisle in those fights. \"I've said it before. I'll say it again. I'm willing to work with anybody, I'm eager to work with anybody, Democrat or Republican,\" Obama said. \"I've never believed Democrats have a monopoly on ideas.\"\nThe president added that \"there's a lot of work ahead of us including our need to win back the trust of the American people that's been lost over the last few weeks.\" He also said he’d pursue other priorities, pledging to plow forward on agenda items including passing an immigration bill along with a farm bill. Before he left the briefing room on Wednesday evening, a reporter asked if another budget battle loomed at the start of 2014. Perhaps in a nod to best wishes rather than reality, Obama paused and thought about it for a moment, before heading to the exit, turning his head and replying, \"No.\"\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Congress","President Obama"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday morning"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2008 President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev announced that the operation of Russian forces in South Ossetia is completed. He added that 'The aggressor has been punished, having sustained considerable losses. Its armed forces have been disorganised'. Medvedev also ordered the Russian Ministry of Defence to consider awarding the peacekeepers and military personnel that have 'showed their best' during the operation. (InterFax) (BBC News)","document":"Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an end to military operations against Georgia, the Kremlin says.\nHe told officials that the safety of Russian citizens and peacekeepers in South Ossetia had been restored. Russia also backed an EU plan to end the five-day-old conflict. Envoys will now try to get Georgian approval. Each side continues to accuse the other of breaking ceasefire accords, and analysts warn that the two remain far apart on a number of issues. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said it was vital that all sides cease fire, adding that Russian military operations \"really do now need to stop because calm needs to be restored\". The conflict began overnight last Thursday, when Russia responded to Georgian military action in South Ossetia. Russia received heavy criticism on Monday after its troops pushed on from the secessionist territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia towards the town of Gori in central Georgia, and into Senaki in the west. On Tuesday morning there were more reports of fighting near Gori, but witnesses later said that Russian troops appeared to have pulled back from both towns. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in his current role as EU president, held talks with Mr Medvedev in Moscow for most of the day. In a joint news conference, they said a six-point peace plan had been agreed by Russia and would now be taken to Georgia. The deal included a pledge to pull troops on both sides back to their pre-conflict positions, and a plan to begin international discussions about the future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. If Georgia agrees to the plan, Mr Medvedev said the \"path to a gradual normalisation\" in South Ossetia was open. But during the same press conference, Mr Medvedev called Georgian troops \"lunatics\" and accused Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili of lying over a previous ceasefire agreement. And just hours earlier, tens of thousands of Georgians gathered in Tbilisi's main square to hear Mr Saakashvili claim that Russia was continuing its \"ruthless, heartless destruction\" of Georgian citizens. Neither side's claims could be verified, but analysts point out that the inflamed rhetoric signifies how far away from an agreement they are. In other developments: • Nato said Russia's withdrawal announcement was \"not enough\" and that it deplored the \"disproportionate\" force used by Moscow. • President Saakashvili said Georgia would leave the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - a group which includes most of the former Soviet republics. • He also announced that Russian peacekeepers in Georgia's other breakaway region, Abkhazia, would now be regarded as an occupying army - ending an agreement in place since 1994. • Separatist rebels continued to fight against Georgian troops in the Kodori Gorge region of Abkhazia - the only area of Abkhazia still under Georgian military control. • British oil firm BP closed a key pipeline that runs through Georgia. 'Safety restored'\nAccording to a Kremlin statement, Mr Medvedev told his defence minister and chief of staff that \"the goal has been attained\". \"I've decided to finish the operation to force the Georgian authorities to peace. The safety of our peacekeeping forces and civilian population has been restored,\" he said. But Mr Medvedev warned that Russia would not tolerate any further Georgian military activity in South Ossetia, saying: \"Should centres of resistance or other aggressive attempts arise, you must take the decision to destroy them.\" Georgia also remained sceptical, the country's prime minister telling Reuters that troops would remain \"mobilised... ready for anything\" until a binding agreement was signed between the two countries. The Russian move followed strong comments from US President George W Bush, in which he spoke directly of concerns that Russia was planning to topple Georgia's pro-Western president. \"Russia has invaded a sovereign neighbouring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people,\" he said. \"Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st Century.\" Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. France's president says the ceasefire is good news\nThe BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall says Mr Medvedev's announcement must be seen in the light of the US president's words. President Bush's language was unusually blunt, she says, and if Russia cares about its relations with the US and Europe, it might have been given pause for thought. The five-day-old conflict began late on 7 August when Georgian forces bombarded South Ossetia, where a majority of people hold Russian passports. Russia quickly became involved, bombing targets throughout Georgia and sending troops in to recapture South Ossetia. Some 100,000 people are estimated to have been displaced by the conflict. What are these?","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Mr Medvedev","French President Nicolas Sarkozy"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["six-point peace plan"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["pull troops on both sides back to their pre-conflict positions, and a plan to begin international discussions about the future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Moscow"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2008 A US–Poland agreement to deploy a missile defense shield prompts unnamed Russian officials to declare Poland \"a legitimate military target\" and the deputy of the Russian general staff states that Poland \"opens itself to a nuclear strike\". (AFP via Google News) (Asia Times)","document":"WASHINGTON (AFP) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday she would travel to Poland in coming days to ink a deal on installing US interceptor missiles on Polish territory.\n\"I'm going to Poland to sign a missile defense agreement in the next couple of days, after the NATO meeting,\" she told Fox News Sunday.\nRelations between Russia and the former Soviet Republic of Poland reached a new low after Moscow voiced fury at Warsaw's sudden announcement Thursday that it had reached a deal on the long-touted missile shield with the US.\nThe timing of the announcement infuriated Russia which said the weapons were clearly pointed at Moscow and warned they made Poland a legitimate military target.\nState Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Rice would be traveling \"to Brussels, Belgium and Warsaw, Poland, departing on August 18,\" Monday.\n\"In Warsaw, Secretary Rice will sign a formal agreement with Poland on behalf of the United States for the establishment and operation of a ballistic missile defense interceptor site in Poland,\" McCormack said in a statement.\n\"This agreement is an important step in our efforts to protect the United States and our European allies from the growing threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles.\"\nForeign ministers of the 26 NATO members are due to meet in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss the crisis in Georgia, after a five-day war between Tbilisi and Moscow over the pro-Moscow region of South Ossetia.\nMcCormack said Rice had requested the North Atlantic Treaty Organization emergency session \"under instructions from President (George W.) Bush.\"\n\"We are going to help rebuild Georgia into a strong Georgian state. The Russians will have failed in their effort to undermine Georgia. And we will be looking at what we can do with the states around that region as well,\" Rice said.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Poland","United States"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["missile defense agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["in the next couple of days, after the NATO meeting"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["establishment and operation of a ballistic missile defense interceptor site in Poland"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Warsaw"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2008 President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev and President of France Nicolas Sarkozy announced after talks in Moscow that an agreement to pull Russian forces from Georgia within a month has been reached. The agreement has become possible as EU will send 200 civilian monitors to the area and guarantee that Georgia signs a pledge to not use military force in Abkhazia and South Ossetia again. (Reuters) (The Globe and Mail)","document":"TBILISI (Reuters) - Russia agreed on Monday to completely withdraw its troops from Georgia’s heartland within a month, but there was no commitment to scale back its military presence in two Georgian separatist regions.\nSarkozy brokers Georgia peace deal 01:04\nGeorgia welcomed the deal as a “step forward”, brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on behalf of the European Union during four hours of talks with Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev.\nLast month’s Russian invasion, that sent forces deep into Georgia in response to an attempt by Tbilisi to retake the breakaway region of South Ossetia, drew condemnation from the West and raised fears for the security of energy supplies.\nSarkozy and Medvedev, meeting at the neo-Gothic Meiendorf Castle outside Moscow, announced an agreement to pull back hundreds of Russian troops still stationed in buffer zones inside undisputed Georgian territory.\n“Europe will be very vigilant on the realization of the agreement we have reached with President Medvedev,” Sarkozy said later in Tbilisi. “If this agreement is applied as I hope and as I believe, we will have avoided deaths, misery and suffering.”\nThe French leader, accompanied by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, took the deal to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who offered cautious approval.\n“I think tonight a step forward was made, a step forward on the path towards the full implementation of the six points negotiated by President Sarkozy on Aug 12,” Saakashvili said.\nIn contrast to Russia’s conciliatory tone with the EU over Georgia, tensions with the United States flared on Monday when Russia said it was sending warships for exercises in the Caribbean Sea, its biggest deployment there since the Cold War.\nRelated Coverage\nSee more stories\nThe United States said it was rescinding a U.S.-Russian civilian nuclear pact, saying the time was not right for the agreement “given the current environment.”\nMedvedev, after his talks with Sarkozy, made clear that he would not reverse his decision to recognize Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, a move condemned by the West.\nRussia’s Foreign Ministry said it would formally establish diplomatic relations with the regions on Tuesday.\n“As for recognition, for us that issue is closed. From the point of view of international law, for us two new states have appeared,” Medvedev said, standing alongside Sarkozy.\nMedvedev said the deal on Russian troops withdrawals was made possible after the EU, represented by rotating president France, offered guarantees that pro-Western Georgia would refrain from any use of force against its separatist regions.\nIt still depended on the deployment of an international force to monitor the Russian troops, a contingent which would include a 200-strong EU force, according to a text of the agreement released by the Kremlin.\nGeorgia is home to pipelines carrying oil and gas from the Caspian Sea to world markets which are favored by the West because they bypass Russia. But the conflict has cast doubt on Georgia’s viability as a safe energy route.\nRussia said it was morally obliged to send in its military last month to prevent what it called a genocide in the separatist regions by an aggressive Georgian government egged on by its ally, the United States.\nThe agreement signed by Medvedev and Sarkozy did not contain any stipulation that Russia withdraw to pre-conflict positions, a demand previously mentioned by Western states.\nThat leaves Russia scope to leave troops and weapons inside South Ossetia and Abkhazia.\nA European diplomat said that returning all Russian forces to pre-conflict positions was unrealistic. “How will we get the omelette back in the egg?” said the diplomat.\nThe European Union has warned it will suspend talks on a new partnership pact unless Moscow pulls its forces from Georgia. The 27-member bloc has limited scope for influencing the Kremlin because it depends on Russia for its energy supplies.\nSarkozy said if his agreement with Medvedev was implemented, there was no reason those talks should not take place in October. That appeared to suggest the next round of scheduled talks, on September 15, would not go ahead.\n“On October 15, there must no longer be a single Russian soldier on positions beyond where they were before August 7,” he said in Tbilisi. “Either it is done, and in that case each side has kept its word, or it is not done, and then five days later Europe will draw the consequences.”\nJudges at the International Court of Justice in the Hague on Monday started hearing Georgian accusations that Russia committed human rights violations against ethnic Georgians living in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.\nRussia’s Foreign Ministry said it was sending its nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great, as well as other warships and an anti-submarine aircraft, for joint exercises in November with U.S. foe Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea.\nA ministry spokesman said the exercises had nothing to do with tensions over Georgia, but they follow Russian complaints about U.S. warships deployed in the Black Sea, an area where Moscow has been the dominant naval power.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Sarkozy and Medvedev","Sarkozy","Medvedev"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["pull back hundreds of Russian troops still stationed in buffer zones inside undisputed Georgian territory"]},{"role":"Location","values":["neo-Gothic Meiendorf Castle outside Moscow"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2008 A power–sharing agreement between Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is officially signed, making Tsvangirai Prime Minister of Zimbabwe and chair of cabinet meetings. Mugabe maintains his position as president and remains in control of the country's army. (The Telegraph)","document":"Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai have signed a power-sharing deal in Harare designed to solve the political and economic crisis crippling the country.\nSouth Africa's President Thabo Mbeki, who brokered the agreement, smiled and laughed as he watched the bitter rivals put their names to a sheaf of papers.\nThe audience watching the signing ceremony in a top Harare hotel then cheered. Although details of the agreement have not been revealed, it is widely expected to split control of the security forces between Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).\nThe deal has made Mr Tsvangirai prime minister and given him the chair of cabinet meetings. The two rivals must now share out cabinet posts between their allies.\nThe state security ministry has been abolished while the justice ministry was split in two, creating a new prisons department. The MDC is seeking to gain control of the police force through winning the home affairs ministry, and of the economy through the finance ministry. The party is offering Mr Mugabe control of the defence ministry.\nThe president, who contested a violent election with Mr Tsvangirai earlier this year, was forced into the deal by crippling economic sanctions.\nDespite the deal, however, the embargo might not be lifted for some time. Javier Solana, the EU's head of foreign policy, welcomed the deal but said he needed to see \"much more detail\" and would not lift sanctions for at least a month.\n\"It still is not very clear what will be the outcome,\" Mr Solana said before a meeting of EU foreign ministers. \"The first reaction is positive.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["a power-sharing deal"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["solve the political and economic crisis crippling the country"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Harare"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2008 The world's fifteen leading gas–producing countries sign the charter of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, making it a formal organization.(Xinhua) (BBC) (RBC) (RFE/RL)","document":"The era of cheap gas is coming to an end, Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has told ministers from the world's major gas-exporting countries.\nMr Putin said the cost of extracting gas was rising sharply, therefore \"the era of cheap energy resources, of cheap gas, is of course coming to an end\".\nThe Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) meeting in Moscow has agreed a charter and plans for a permanent base.\nSome observers say the GECF may develop into an Opec-style producers' cartel.\nThis speculation increased with the news that the charter had been adopted and that GECF leaders had agreed to establish permanent offices in Doha, Qatar.\nMr Putin had earlier said Russia was ready to set up the headquarters in St Petersburg and give it full diplomatic status.\n\"A new organisation has been born today, said Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko.\nAs the head of the government of the world's biggest gas exporter, Mr Putin's word carries weight both with producers and consumers, the BBC's James Rodgers in Moscow.\nBut despite Mr Putin's warning, gas prices - which tend to follow oil prices with a delay of a few months - seem likely to fall in the short term, he says.\nThe EU gets 42% of its gas imports from Russia, mostly via pipelines across Ukraine.\nThe Moscow meeting comes amid growing concern that a new contract dispute between Russia's gas giant Gazprom and Ukraine could disrupt gas supplies to Europe this winter.\n'Not a cartel'\nConcerns over energy security mean a formal organisation of gas exporting countries would be deeply unpopular in Europe and the US.\nIt is feared that such an organisation could hold a monopoly on world supply and set prices to suit its own needs.\nThe countries attending are Algeria, Bolivia, Brunei, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Libya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. Equatorial Guinea and Norway are attending as observers.\n\t\t \t\t\t As well as the possibility of formalising the organisation, issues including possible future cuts in gas production and the effect of lower oil prices are also likely to be on the agenda, our correspondent says.\nIndustry analysts say technical differences between the oil and gas markets - including longer-term contracts for gas exports - make it unlikely for now that gas exporters will set Opec-style quotas.\nOfficials at the meeting stressed they were not trying to set up a price-fixing cartel.\nVenezuelan Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said participant countries wanted to build a solid organisation, \"which has in its foundation the same principles that gave birth to Opec\".\nBut he added: \"It's not a cartel. We are defending the interests of our countries, that's all.\"\nUkraine row\nAt the moment Russia remains locked in a dispute with Ukraine over non-payment of debts.\nRussia's Gazprom says Ukraine owes it $2bn (£1.4bn) and has warned it may cut off gas supplies next month if the dispute remains unresolved.\nOn Monday, Gazprom said it had warned European customers about possible disruption linked to the Ukraine dispute.\n\"It is not ruled out that the current position of the Ukrainian side and some of its actions could lead to disruptions in the stability of gas supplies to Europe,\" Gazprom Chairman and First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov said in a statement.\nA similar dispute three years ago saw Russia briefly cutting gas deliveries to its neighbour, action that also affected supplies to several western European countries.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF)","GECF"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["charter and plans for a permanent base"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Moscow"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2009 Virgin Galactic and the U.S. state of New Mexico sign a US$150–250 million agreement to launch sub–orbital commercial space flights at Spaceport America, near Las Cruces and Truth or Consequences. (Space.com)","document":"\nThe company planning to take tourists into space, Virgin Galactic, and the State of New Mexico announced today that they have signed a 20-year lease agreement – a deal worth an estimated $150 million to $250 million which firmly plants the spaceline operator's world headquarters in New Mexico to make use of Spaceport America.\nThe inland Spaceport America is billed as the nation's first purposely built commercial spaceport.\nSir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic firm will make use of the WhiteKnightTwo/SpaceShipTwo launch system – now under development at Scaled Composites in Mojave, California – to loft paying customers at $200,000 a seat on suborbital treks departing from Spaceport America.\nThe WhiteKnightTwo mothership, the craft that will haul SpaceShipTwo to release altitude, made its maiden flight on Dec. 21 at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Both the carrier plane and the two pilot, six passenger SpaceShipTwo are to undergo significant testing prior to commercial operation.\nNew Mexico Governor Bill Richardson – recently nominated by President-elect Barack Obama as Secretary of Commerce – has been a champion of the spaceport, and a strong advocate for private space commerce.\n\"The signing of this agreement is a momentous day for our state and has cemented New Mexico as the home of commercial space travel,\" Richardson said in a statement. \"I want to thank Virgin Galactic for partnering with us to create a whole new industry that is going to transform the economy of Southern New Mexico – creating thousands of jobs, generating money for education, boosting tourism and attracting other companies and economic opportunities to the area.\"\nString of events\nToday's lease agreement is another in a string of events that pushes Spaceport America from artist concept to ribbon cutting and vertical and horizontal launch operations.\nThe Federal Aviation Administration's commercial space office recently issued a launch license to the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA). The lease agreement with Virgin Galactic as an anchor tenant was the final requirement set by the New Mexico Legislature to release the next level of funding for Spaceport America.\nEarlier this month, NMSA selected Gerald Martin Construction Management of Albuquerque to oversee construction of Spaceport America. The architectural firm of URS/Foster + Partners is completing their final design for the terminal and hangar facility.\nConstruction is slated to begin in the first quarter of 2009 with the terminal and hangar facility scheduled for completion in 2010. Road construction to Spaceport America is already underway.\nSpaceport business\nThe site of New Mexico's Spaceport America is 30 miles (48 km) east of Truth or Consequences and 45 miles (72.4 km) north of Las Cruces.\n\"This is a historic moment for New Mexico, Spaceport America and Virgin Galactic. A lot of very dedicated people have been working long hours to secure this lease agreement,\" said Steven Landeene, Spaceport America's Executive Director. \"Like several other companies, Virgin Galactic has realized the outstanding advantages offered by Spaceport America and the State of New Mexico.\"\nIn addition to Virgin Galactic, the Spaceport Authority has been working closely with other aerospace firms such as Lockheed Martin, Rocket Racing Inc./Armadillo Aerospace, UP Aerospace, Microgravity Enterprises and Payload Specialties.\n\"We are really looking forward to making Spaceport America and New Mexico the home and worldwide headquarters of Virgin Galactic,\" said Jonathan Firth, Virgin Galactic Projects & Operations Director.\nFirth said that New Mexico has all the right elements for a successful commercial space operation including good weather and clear airspace attributes.\nRevenue stream\n\"Obviously, it's a great day for commercial space,\" Landeene told SPACE.com. \"Virgin and New Mexico have now committed to the beginnings of the first commercial spaceline with that lease,\" he said.\nThe 20 year lease is built upon three components, Landeene explained – ground rent, facilities rent and then user fees – an approach that draws upon classic airport infrastructure.\nThe facilities rent – Virgin Galactic's use of a terminal and hangar – equates to about $50 million over the lifetime of the lease, Landeene said.\nThe user fees have been scoped out in a partnership approach. There are different fee schedules based on the activity level that Virgin Galactic has at the spaceport, including passenger fees, as well as fees where launches from Spaceport America might not involve passengers but scientific payloads, for example.\n\"There's an incentive for Virgin Galactic to conduct more missions out at the spaceport,\" Landeene stated.\nDue to the various types of flights, \"we're looking at probably $100 million to $200 million dollars in revenue for the state over the 20 year lease ... so $150 million to $250 million dollars of revenue for the state. Of course, Virgin Galactic has a revenue line of their own,\" Landeene said.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Virgin Galactic, and the State of New Mexico","New Mexico","Virgin Galactic","state"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["20-year","20 year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["lease agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["firmly plants the spaceline operator's world headquarters in New Mexico to make use of Spaceport America","Spaceport America","New Mexico"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2015 Iran, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, People's Republic of China, Germany, and the European Union (the P5+1) reach a breakthrough agreement on the general framework for an agreement on Iran's nuclear program, but sign no verbal agreement or official document. The deadline for a full deal is June 30, 2015. (The New York Times) (CNN)","document":"LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Iran and the United States, along with five other world powers, announced on Thursday a surprisingly specific and comprehensive understanding on limiting Tehran’s nuclear program for the next 15 years, though they left several specific issues to a final agreement in June.\nAfter two years of negotiations, capped by eight tumultuous days and nights of talks that appeared on the brink of breakdown several times, Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, announced the plan, which, if carried out, would keep Iran’s nuclear facilities open under strict production limits, and which holds the potential of reordering America’s relationship with a country that has been an avowed adversary for 35 years. Whether Iran is racing toward nuclear weapon capabilities is one of the most contentious foreign-policy issues challenging the West.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Iran and the United States, along with five other world powers"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["for the next 15 years"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["limiting Tehran’s nuclear program"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2015 The President of Myanmar, Thein Sein, signs the Population Control Health Care Bill requiring some parents to space each child three years apart. (AP via Daily Mail)","document":"By Associated Press Published: 01:39 BST, 24 May 2015 | Updated: 01:40 BST, 24 May 2015 YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar's president has signed off on a law requiring some mothers to space their children three years apart despite objections by a visiting senior U.S. diplomat and rights activists, who worry it could be used not only to repress women, but also religious and ethnic minorities.\nThe Population Control Health Care Bill — drafted under pressure from hard-line Buddhist monks with a staunchly anti-Muslim agenda — was passed by parliamentarians last month.\nU.S. Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he warned Myanmar leaders during face-to-face talks last week about the dangers of the bill. On Saturday, hours after the diplomat left, state-run media announced President Thein Sein had signed it into law.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Myanmar's president"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["law requiring some mothers to space their children three years apart"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2009 The United States signs the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. (BBC)","document":"Unnamed officials told reporters that efforts to improve ties depended partly on the outcome of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's trial. The US also pressed Burma to enforce a United Nations resolution imposing an arms embargo on North Korea. The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been on the diplomatic offensive ahead of a regional meeting now under way in Thailand. Earlier in her trip to Thailand, she issued warnings about how a nuclear North Korea was unacceptable to the United States, and expressed concerns about the possible transfer of nuclear technology from North Korea to Burma. The wrong road\nMrs Clinton called for the release of Ms Suu Kyi from many years of detention. \"If she were released, that would open up opportunities... for my country to expand our relationship with Burma, including investments in Burma,\" Mrs Clinton said. This point was reinforced in the face-to-face meeting between US and Burmese officials on Wednesday night, US officials said. They said they had told Burma that \"the outcome of the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi would affect our willingness and ability to take positive steps in our bilateral relationship\". Mrs Clinton was not present at the meeting with Burmese officials, and said she did not intend to appear at a possible meeting with North Korean officials either. She told reporters that the US is convinced that Burma is taking the wrong road by associating with North Korea. Mrs Clinton also told reporters that North Korea must completely and irreversibly end its nuclear weapons program or face further isolation and \"the unrelenting pressure\" of international sanctions. She said there were more positive ways ahead if the North chooses, and she is expected to announce conditions in which the North will be welcomed back into international discussions later on Thursday. Symbols matter\nMeanwhile, Mrs Clinton signed a symbolically important treaty with members of Asean. The Treaty of Amity and Co-operation binds the US more closely into the regional security architecture - something previous US administrations had fought shy of. \"I want to send a very clear message that the United States is back, that we are fully engaged and committed to our relationships in South East Asia,\" she said before the signing the treaty in the resort of Phuket. Mrs Clinton's predecessor Condoleezza Rice skipped two Asean forums, leading analysts to remark on how China was gaining friends and influencing people in the perceived US absence. Mrs Clinton also said the Obama administration would soon appoint a permanent ambassador to Asean headquarters in Jakarta. Asean comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton","members of Asean"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["The Treaty of Amity and Co-operation"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["in South East Asia","the resort of Phuket"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2009 Cuba and Russia sign a deal which allows Russia to begin oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. (BBC)","document":"Russia is to begin oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, after signing a deal with Cuba, says Cuban state media.\nRussian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin signed four contracts securing exploration rights in Cuba's economic zone in the Gulf. Havana says there may be some 20bn barrels of oil of its coast but the US puts that estimate at five billion. Russia and Cuba have been working to revitalise relations, which cooled after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia's Zarubezhneft oil concern will work alongside the Cubapetroleo monopoly in the deep waters of the Gulf. \"Every time I travel through the region, I come to Cuba to advance our joint economic-commercial projects, and I take every opportunity to communicate with my colleagues,\" Mr Sechin told local media. Under the new agreement, Russia has also granted a loan of $150m to buy construction and agricultural equipment. Havana imports more than half of its oil, mostly at a subsidised price from Venezuela. Cuba's share of the Gulf of Mexico was established in 1977, when it signed treaties with the United States and Mexico. The US Geological Survey (USGS) recently estimated that as much as 9bn barrels of oil and 21 trillion cubic feet of natural gas could lie within that zone, in the North Cuba Basin. What are these?","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Russia","Cuba"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["four contracts securing exploration rights in Cuba's economic zone","Russia has also granted a loan of $150m to buy construction and agricultural equipment"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Gulf"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2006 The Latin American TV station teleSUR, backed by the Venezuelan government, has signed a co–operation agreement with the Arabic channel al–Jazeera. (BBC)","document":"Head of Telesur Andres Izarra said his channel felt inspired by the path which al-Jazeera had taken to become a reference point in the Arab world. Telesur says it seeks to promote regional integration and offer an alternative to US networks.\nTelesur is also backed by three other left-wing Latin American governments - Argentina, Cuba and Uruguay - and can be seen in more than 20 countries.\nIt started its first broadcast from the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, last year.\nBoth Telesur and al-Jazeera have been criticised by politicians in the United States. The Qatar-based Arabic channel is seen by Washington as being often critical of the US, particularly in its coverage of the \"war on terror\". And some in the US have branded Telesur a \"propaganda tool\" for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is seen by the White House as an unfriendly head of state in South America. Last year, the US House of Representatives voted to enable the Bush administration to begin broadcasting its own TV signals to Venezuela.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Telesur","al-Jazeera"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["seeks to promote regional integration and offer an alternative to US networks"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2006 Kenya and Sudan, completing trade talks that have gone on since 2001, announce plans to sign a landmark trade agreement. (AllAfrica) Kenya, which is currently in a drought, is in desperate need of food to feed 3.5 million Kenyans by the end of March, despite the presence of the U.N. food agency. Sudan has had a huge surplus this season. (Reuters)","document":"Nairobi — Kenya and Sudan will sign a bilateral trade agreement that will open up the vast Sudanese market to Kenyan entrepreneurs.\nTrade and Industry assistant minister, Abdirahman Ali, this week led\na Kenyan delegation on week-long business trip to the Sudanese capital,\nKhartoum.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Nairobi — Kenya","Sudan"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["bilateral trade agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["open up the vast Sudanese market to Kenyan entrepreneurs"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2006 Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, holds an official meeting and banquet with the Honorary Chairman of the Nationalist Party of China (Kuomintang), Lien Chan. The two reached on the new \"15 Favourable Policies\" on relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. (People's Daily)","document":"General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Hu Jintao and visiting Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) Honorary Chairman Lien Chan underscored peace and development across the Taiwan Straits in their meeting Sunday in Beijing.\n \"Peace and development should be the theme of cross-Straits relations, and the common goal of the people both in the mainland and Taiwan,\" Hu said.\n The denial of the \"1992 consensus\" caused setbacks in cross-Straits relations, he said.\n Hu said that adhering to the \"1992 consensus\" (referring to the common belief that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China) is the vital foundation for peace and development across the Taiwan Straits.\n Although China is not reunified yet, the fact that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China has not changed, and the bonds of flesh and blood between compatriots on both sides of the strait have not changed, he said.\n Hu recalled that 14 years ago it was based on the above-mentioned common understanding and their wish to seek common ground while shelving differences that the two sides reached the \"1992 consensus,\" which resulted in the \"Wang-Koo Talks\" in 1993.\n The \"Wang-Koo Talks\" refers to the landmark meeting in 1993 between Wang Daohan, president of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Koo Chen-fu, chairman of the Taiwan-based Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF), in Singapore in April 1993. It was the first ever high-level, non-governmental talks across the Taiwan Straits.\n Lien said peace was the basis for cross-Straits prosperity and development. Compatriots from both sides of the Straits should face up to the challenges and continue to pursue peace, so as to create economic prosperity on both sides of the Straits.\n The mainland is creating a miracle with a growth rate of about 10 percent for 27 years, he noted.\n \"Peace and prosperity live together, for if there is no peace, there will be no prosperity, and only peace creates opportunities for us to pursue prosperity,\" he said.\n Lien arrived on Thursday leading a KMT delegation to attend a cross-Straits economic and trade forum, which closed on Saturday.\n Hu extended warm congratulations on the behalf of the CPC Central Committee for the success of the forum.\n \"The two-day forum is an important activity for the two parties to continue exchanges and dialog,\" Hu said.\n The mainland announced at the forum a new package of beneficial policies to promote cross-Straits economic and trade relations, and the participants also passed joint proposals for closer economic and trade ties across the Straits.\n The 15 new favorable policies announced by the mainland pointed out a new direction for the future cross-Strait economic and trade development, Lien told Hu.\n Both sides should endeavor toward peace and opening-up, as cross-Straits relations are now in a seesaw struggle between peace and opening-up on one side and conflicts and closure on the other, said Lien.\n Hu emphasized that a mutually complementary and beneficial relationship is the effective way for realizing peaceful development across the Taiwan Straits.\n Referring to the so-called \"marginalization\" of Taiwan, he urged some people in Taiwan not to \"marginalize themselves.\"\n Hu and Lien met for the first time in Beijing a year ago when Lien, then chairman of the KMT party, had an \"ice-breaking\" journey to the mainland. It was also the first meeting between top leaders of the CPC and KMT in 60 years. Source: Xinhua","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Hu Jintao","Lien Chan"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["15 new favorable policies"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Beijing"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2006 The government of Sudan signs an accord with the main Darfur rebel group, the Alliance of Revolutionary Forces of West Sudan, reached through mediation in Abuja, Nigeria. (BBC)","document":"The deal, which follows intense talks in Nigeria, calls for the disbandment of rebel forces and the disarmament of the pro-government Janjaweed militia.\nThe conflict has killed about 200,000 and left about two million homeless.\nThe peace plan, brokered by the African Union, creates a temporary regional government for Darfur, in which rebels will take part.\nThe Janjaweed are to be disbanded and the rebels incorporated into the security forces.\nDeadlines came and went in recent days, as diplomats exerted pressure on parties after all the rebels had rejected the original draft.\nDelayed signing\nIn the end the Khartoum government and the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM) said they were willing to sign, despite reservations on both sides over power sharing and security.\nThere will be tests because not all have shown courage and leadership today\n Robert ZoellickUS Deputy Secretary of State\n\"We are reaffirming that the fighting ends now in Darfur,\" SLM leader Minnawi said at Friday's signing ceremony in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.\n\"We shall go ahead with peace and we shall be serious.\" US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, who helped broker the deal, said it was a first step on what could still be a difficult path.\n\"This agreement, implemented by all of you, creates an opportunity for peace for your people,\" he said.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["he Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM)","SLM","the Khartoum government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the disbandment of rebel forces and the disarmament of the pro-government Janjaweed militia"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Nigerian capital, Abuja"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2016 President-elect Donald Trump announces that his team has made a deal with Carrier Corporation that would save around 1,000 jobs at an Indiana factory. Carrier had planned to move production from a key factory in that state to Nuevo León, Mexico. (The New York Times) (CNBC)","document":" The incoming Trump Administration and United Technologies (UTX) have reached an agreement that will keep close to 1,000 jobs at Carrier Corp., which is owned by UTX, in Indiana.\n Carrier had planned to move production from a key factory in that state to Mexico, taking with it the roughly 1,400 jobs of those who work at the Indiana plant.\n But shortly after CNBC revealed that Donald Trump was expected to travel to Indiana on Thursday to announce that a deal had been reached, Carrier itself confirmed the agreement.\n We are pleased to have reached a deal with President-elect Trump & VP-elect Pence to keep close to 1,000 jobs in Indy. More details soon.\n Later still, the President-elect tweeted that it was a “big day on Thursday for Indiana.”\n I will be going to Indiana on Thursday to make a major announcement concerning Carrier A.C. staying in Indianapolis. Great deal for workers!\n Big day on Thursday for Indiana and the great workers of that wonderful state.We will keep our companies and jobs in the U.S. Thanks Carrier Under a deal negotiated by Vice President-elect Mike Pence and UTX CEO Greg Hayes, the company will now keep most of those jobs in Indiana, sources close to the matter told CNBC. While terms of the deal are not yet clear, the sources indicated there were new incentives on offer from the state of Indiana, where Pence is governor, that helped clear a path for the agreement.\n While UTX was seeking the savings that would come from moving some production to Mexico, people familiar with the situation indicated that the savings were not worth incurring the wrath of the incoming administration, including the potential threat to the significant business that UTX currently conducts with the U.S. government, largely in the form of orders for jet engines and other defense-related equipment.\n Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee and Trump’s chief of staff, called it a great deal.\n Trump had made the expected departure of the Carrier jobs a key theme in his campaign to capture the White House, using it as an example of the type of trade relationship that hurt U.S. workers.\n On Thanksgiving Day, Trump tweeted that he was making progress on negotiating a deal with UTX. CNBC broke the story of the agreement first on Twitter. Trump Admin and $UTX reach agreement on keeping close to 1000 factory jobs in Carrier plant in Indiana- sources.\n Deal terms to keep Carrier jobs in Indiana include new inducements from state. Deal spear headed by former Indiana Gov Pence.\n @realDonaldTrump will visit Indiana on Thursday to announce deal to keep most of Carrier jobs in Indiana.- sources.\n The close to 1000 jobs being kept by $UTX at Carrier in Indiana are from the roughly 1400 that were expected to be lost in move to Mexico.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["United Technologies (UTX)","UTX","Trump Administration"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["keep close to 1,000 jobs at Carrier Corp","keep close to 1,000 jobs"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Indiana"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2016 Cuba and the European Union sign an accord in Brussels to normalize relations, formally ending the Common Position which was adopted by the Council of the European Union in 1996. (AFP via Yahoo!)","document":" The European Union and Cuba on Monday signed a deal to normalise ties that had been blocked for decades by human rights concerns under revolutionary icon Fidel Castro.\nCuba was the only Latin American country not to have a \"dialogue and cooperation\" deal with the 28-nation EU covering issues such as trade, human rights and migration.\nBut EU ministers last week dropped a policy in place since 1996 which stated that Cuba first had to improve its human rights record before getting closer links with the bloc.\nMonday's accord was signed by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and representatives from the EU member states at a Brussels ceremony capping years of difficult negotiations.\nMogherini offered condolences on Castro's death, telling reporters it was \"only natural that we are closer to Cuba as it undergoes profound change.\"\nShe said she was also \"very encouraged\" by dialogue with Havana on human rights and the accord would help foster Cuba's social and political modernisation.\nCastro died last month after more than 50 years at the helm of a self-styled Socialist paradise reviled by the West, with Cuba gradually opening up to the world, including bitter foe Washington.\nIn 2003, the EU imposed sanctions on Cuba and suspended cooperation over a crackdown on journalists and activists and it took until 2008 to get talks going again.\n\nRodriguez Parrilla said \"we have had a few differences on the way but the removal of the (1996 EU) common position re-establishes normal relations based on mutual respect.\"\nAsked what impact Donald Trump's election might have on US policy, he noted angrily that despite easing tensions, Washington had kept its economic embargo against Cuba.\n\"EU-Cuba relations do not go via Washington,\" he added.\nMogherini said she saw no reason for concern although Trump's shock election victory has stoked doubts in Europe about Washington's global stance and its crucial security guarantee.\n\"Developments in Washington will not affect in any way relations between the EU and Cuba,\" she said, stressing Brussels had and would continue to raise concerns about the impact of the US economic blockade on other countries.\nShe also highlighted Europe's wider ties with the region as a whole.\n\"We are talking about a transatlantic link not only with the United States, but also with Cuba and Latin America.\"\nOn the campaign trail, Trump had threatened to end the thaw in US ties backed by President Barack Obama unless Havana made concessions on human rights and opened up its still largely state-run economy to private business.\n\"Economic links with Europe will continue to be a priority for Cuba as we build a socialist economy,\" Rodriguez Parrilla said at the signing ceremony.\nHe recalled a speech in 2003 in which Castro hailed the historical importance of the EU as a counterweight to the United States which imposed the trade embargo and other sanctions on Cuba after it sided with Moscow in the Cold War.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Cuba","The European Union"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["normalise ties that had been blocked for decades by human rights concerns under revolutionary icon Fidel Castro"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Brussels"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2016 Google and Cuba forge a deal about better access to the Internet for the island. (The Guardian)","document":"Deal that eliminates long distances signal have to travel through Venezuela removes major obstacle to normal, faster internet in Cuba\nLast modified on Fri 14 Jul 2017 19.06 BST\nGoogle and the Cuban government have signed a deal allowing the internet giant to provide faster access to its data by installing servers on the island that will store much of the company’s most popular content.\nStoring Google data in Cuba eliminates the long distances that signals must travel from the island through Venezuela to the nearest Google server. More than a half century after cutting virtually all economic ties with Cuba, the US has no direct data link to the island.\nThe deal announced on Monday removes one of the many obstacles to a normal internet in Cuba, which suffers from some of the world’s most limited and expensive access. Home connections remain illegal for most Cubans and the government charges the equivalent of a month’s average salary for 10 hours of access to public Wi-Fi spots with speeds frequently too slow to download files or watch streaming video.\nThe deal does not affect Cuba’s antiquated communications infrastructure or broaden public access to the internet, but it could make Google websites like YouTube or Gmail up to 10 times faster for users inside Cuba. Content hosted by other companies will not be affected.\nNeither Google chairman Eric Schmidt nor Cuban officials spoke to the press after the signing ceremony in Havana.\nCuban officials appear to be accelerating their approvals of deals with US companies in an attempt to build momentum behind US-Cuba normalization before Donald Trump takes office next month. The Google pact was announced less than a week after Cuba gave three US cruise companies permission to begin sailing to the island next year. Officials familiar with the negotiations say other deals, including one with General Electric, are in the works.\nThe US and Cuba have struck a series of bilateral deals on issues ranging from environmental protection to direct mail since the declaration of detente on 17 December 2014, but business ties have failed to keep pace. The Cuban government has blamed the US trade embargo on Cuba. Many US businesses say Cuba has been moving on most proposals so slowly that some suspect the government has been deliberately limiting the development of economic ties.\nThe Google program could provide ammunition for US advocates of closer ties with Cuba. Both pro-detente forces and those arguing for a hard line on President Raúl Castro’s single-party government have been pushing for Cubans to have better access to information.\nIf the Google deal proves to truly improve internet access for a significant number of Cubans, it ties information access to US-Cuban detente in a way that could prove politically difficult to undo for anti-Castro officials in the incoming Trump administration.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Google","Cuban government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["The Google pact"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Fri 14 Jul 2017"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["allowing the internet giant to provide faster access to its data by installing servers on the island that will store much of the company’s most popular content"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Havana"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2017 President of the United States Barack Obama signs an order to ease sanctions against Sudan, citing the country's efforts to \"reduce internal conflict, improve humanitarian access to people requiring aid and curtail terrorism\". (BBC)","document":"The White House said the move was intended to acknowledge Sudan's efforts to reduce internal conflict, improve humanitarian access to people requiring aid and curtail \"terrorism\".\nThe president signed an executive order implementing the measures on Friday.\nThe move is been seen as an effort by Mr Obama to strengthen ties with Sudan before he leaves office.\nThe White House in a statement said the easing of sanctions will be delayed by 25 weeks in order to give further incentives to the Sudanese government to continue its reforms.\nMr Obama said in a letter to members of Congress that sanctions introduced by President Clinton relating \"to the policies and actions of the government of Sudan have been altered by Sudan's positive actions over the past six months\". Economic sanctions were imposed against the country after the state was labelled a \"sponsor of terrorism\".\nThe penalties being suspended could be re-imposed if Sudan were seen to backtrack on any progress.\nThe actions recognised by the US include the move by South Sudan to deny safe haven to South Sudanese rebels.\nDespite the move by the outgoing Obama administration, Sudan is expected to remain on a list of state sponsors of terrorism.\nIn 2009, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir was indicted on war crimes charges, the first to be issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against a sitting president.\nThe US foreign policy establishment has been split between those who advocate greater engagement with Sudan, and those who believe it is morally wrong to deal with what they consider a genocidal regime. Easing sanctions shows that the realpolitik wing - which in my experience has deeper knowledge of Sudanese affairs - holds the upper hand. There are legitimate questions over whether Sudan has really passed the series of tests set by the Americans in areas such as stopping aerial bombardments, opening up the political arena to dissidents and improving humanitarian access to conflict areas. However, it is clear that the sanctions, which have been in place for so long, have not brought about political change in Sudan and have hurt the people more than the politicians, a point made by Sudanese campaigners in recent months. For Sudan, which is struggling with an economic crisis, the attraction of the policy change is obvious. Questions remain. Will the Trump administration continue this new policy left to them by Obama's team? Activists from all parts of the US political spectrum are implacably opposed to the Islamists who run Sudan, and may try to exert pressure to reverse this decision. And would the US really be prepared one day to fully normalise relations with Sudan if the ICC-indicted Omar al-Bashir is still president?\nThat's for the future. For now, this announcement is an important first step towards a better relationship between the US and Sudan. Human rights activists in the US have in recent years been strongly critical of President Bashir's record in the western region of Darfur.\nThe area has for many years been plagued by tensions between mostly nomadic Arabs and farmers from the Fur, Massaleet and Zaghawa communities who have complained of persecution.\nAdministration officials first raised the possibility of a reduction in sanctions in the autumn.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Sudan"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["25 weeks"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the easing of sanctions will be delayed by 25 weeks in order to give further incentives to the Sudanese government to continue its reforms"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2017 U.S. federal judges in the states of Massachusetts, Virginia, and Washington sign orders halting implementation of parts of the executive order. (New York Daily News) (Reuters via News.com.au)","document":" Federal judges on Sunday piled on opposition to President Trump's travel bans, following an order from a Brooklyn judge that began the legal backlash to his executive orders.\n Judges in Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington State signed orders halting parts of Trump's executive orders, which brought chaos and protests to airports nationwide as authorities suddenly cracked down on passengers banned by the President's broad rules.\n In Massachusetts, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs and Magistrate Judge Judith Dein issued a seven-day ban on federal officials deporting and even detaining passengers targeted by the orders.\n Travelers flying into Boston's Logan Airport  \"will not be detained or returned based soley on the basis of the Executive Order,\" the judges wrote.\n In Virginia, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema also handed down a seven-day ban on deportations, and ordered federal officials to give lawyers access to \"all legal permanent residents\" who are detained at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.\n(Todd Maisel/New York Daily News) Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly in Washington granted an emergency stay to two unnamed individuals and set a Feb. 3 court hearing to determine their future.\n The legal tumult started Saturday night after U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly, in Brooklyn, granted a nationwide emergency stay for travelers trapped by the bans. At least 17 passengers were detained at JFK Airport on Saturday, and about 5,000 protesters swarmed the airport calling for their release.\n On Sunday, 16 Democratic state attorney generals also issued a joint statement vowing to fight Trump's order. The statement said the prosecutors were \"confident that the Executive Order will ultimately be struck down by the courts.\"\n The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement it will \"continue to enforce all of President Trump's Executive Orders in a manner that ensures the safety and security of the American people.\"\n But the same statement said the agency would \"comply with judicial orders\" and \"faithfully enforce our immigration laws.\"\n DHS also said the detained travelers — some of whom were held for up to 18 hours — were merely \"inconvenienced while enhanced security measures were implemented.\"\n \"President Trump's Executive Order affects a minor portion of international travelers, and is a first step towards reestablishing control over America's borders and national security,\" the statement said.\n DHS has not released an official tally of how many travelers have been detained since Trump signed his order Friday.\n Trump's executive order brought a 120-day suspension to America's refugee program, and an indefinite end to its intake of Syrian refugees. It also blocked all people from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen — including green card residents — from entering the United States for 90 days.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Judges in Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington State","judges"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["halting parts of Trump's executive orders"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington State","Massachusetts","Virginia"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2017 Negotiators reach a preliminary deal on capping mobile phone intercarrier (wholesale) tariffs. Roaming charges on voice and data calls for consumers within the EU are expected to be terminated on June 15, 2017. (Reuters)","document":"BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European lawmakers clinched a deal early on Wednesday to cap the wholesale charges mobile service operators pay each other to enable their customers to use their mobile phones in other European countries, paving the way for the abolition of roaming fees in June.\nThe caps on wholesale roaming charges were the last piece of the puzzle needed for the abolition of retail roaming charges on June 15, 2017, to ensure companies can afford to continue offering roaming within the EU once they can no longer charge retail customers for the service.\nUnder Wednesday’s agreement between lawmakers and the Council of EU member states, wholesale charges for data - which were the most controversial given the exponential use of mobile Internet - will be capped at 7.7 euros per gigabyte from June 2017, going down to 2.5 euros per gigabyte in 2022.\nCaps for making calls will decrease from 5 euro cents per minute to 3.2 euro cents per minute, while those for sending text messages will halve to 1 euro cent from 2 euro cents as of June, said the Council.\n“Goodbye roaming,” tweeted Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, the EU lawmaker who negotiated for the setting of wholesale rates on behalf of the European parliament.\nThe European Commission - the EU executive - will review the wholesale caps every two years and propose new ones if necessary.\nWednesday’s deal still needs to be confirmed by the full European Parliament and all member states.\nThe decade-long battle against roaming charges took on an added significance after Britain voted to quit the bloc last year in a surge of anti-EU sentiment, making Brussels keen to demonstrate the benefits of membership to ordinary citizens.\n“Today we deliver on our promise,” said Andrus Ansip, European Commission vice president.\nBut after the agreement to abolish retail roaming charges in June this year, policymakers grappled with the challenge of who would foot the bill as telecom operators still need to pay each other to keep their customers connected abroad.\nThe difficulty was compounded by wide differences in domestic prices and consumption patterns across the bloc, making a wholesale cap that suited all national markets extremely hard to settle.\nCountries in northern and eastern Europe where consumers gobble up mobile data at low prices favored lower wholesale caps to avoid companies raising prices in their home markets, effectively making poorer customers subsidize frequent travelers.\nHowever countries in southern Europe where tourism is vital to their economies worried that if wholesale prices were too low their operators could be forced to raise domestic prices to recover the costs.\nWhile politicians were quick to proclaim the end of roaming charges, some mobile service operators warned that the wholesale caps were still too high, which would force smaller operators to limit their ‘roam like at home’ offers.\n“European citizens expect the end of the roaming surcharges to happen without losing competitive tariffs and innovative offers,” said Innocenzo Genna, vice-president of MVNO Europe, which represents mobile virtual network operators who do not own a network, such as Fastweb [SCMNSF.UL], Sky and Liberty Global .\n“With the present deal on wholesale caps, they will be heavily disappointed,” he added.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["lawmakers","the Council of EU member states","Council"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["wholesale charges for data - which were the most controversial given the exponential use of mobile Internet - will be capped at 7.7 euros per gigabyte from June 2017, going down to 2.5 euros per gigabyte in 2022"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2017 The United Nations drop sanctions on Gulbuddin Hekmatyar after his Hezb–e Islami faction and the Afghan government reached a deal in September. Hekmatyar is granted immunity in exchange for his abandoning violence and supporting the Constitution of Afghanistan. (BBC News)","document":"The UN has dropped sanctions against former Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, paving the way for him to return to the country.\nThe Afghan government asked for the move as part of a deal with Mr Hekmatyar and his militant group in September. The deal grants him immunity in return for support for the Afghan constitution and a promise to abandon violence. He fought the Soviet occupation but was later accused of shelling civilians.\nMr Hekmatyar is also a former Afghan prime minister and his Hezb-e-Islami militant group is the second biggest in the country.\nHe was forced to flee Kabul in 1996 when the Taliban came to power and in 2003 was designated as a terrorist by the US.\nMr Hekmatyar's whereabouts remain unknown. He did not attend the signing ceremony in Kabul for the deal with the government.\nUnder the UN Security Council move, his assets are unfrozen and a travel ban is rescinded.\nAs a guerrilla leader in the 1980s, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar had air of icy menace about him that hinted at ruthless ambition, a characteristic he demonstrated to the full during the ferocious power-struggle that followed the end of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. He became known as the Butcher of Kabul for his faction's indiscriminate firing of rockets into the capital. The death and destruction this caused led many Afghans to welcome the takeover of the Taliban. Once one of the main recipients of western aid, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was deeply hostile to the west and was later accused by the US state department of supporting attacks by al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The deal between Mr Hekmatyar and the Afghan government was seen as being highly symbolic because it is the first to be concluded without UN or international mediation.\nBBC Afghan Service editor Waheed Massoud said Mr Hekmatyar appeared to have calculated that he would be more significant as a political leader in Kabul than as the leader of a group of fighters up in the mountains who are also competing with the Taliban for influence. Hezb-e-Islami has supporters across the country and it is thought the peace agreement could encourage some Taliban leaders to consider joining the process.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the Afghan government","Afghan government","Mr Hekmatyar"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the peace agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["September"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The deal grants him immunity in return for support for the Afghan constitution and a promise to abandon violence"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Kabul"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2017 According to the United Nations, as many as 96 families have been displaced by criminal gangs who are filling the vacuum left by FARC rebels in Colombia after the latter signed a peace deal with the government last year. (BBC)","document":"Families on Colombia's border with Venezuela have been displaced by criminal former paramilitary groups trying to fill the vacuum left by the departure of Farc rebels, the UN says. Officials said 96 families in the northern region of Norte de Santander had fled their homes.\nSome crossed the border into Venezuela and others went to refuges in local Colombian towns, the UN said.\nThe government has denied any families have been forced across the border.\nForeign Minister Maria Angela Holguin was quoted by local media as saying there was \"no certainty of any such displacement\" although she conceded that there had been some internal displacement in the Norte de Santander area.\nThe UN said tension was high in the area and they feared more families could flee. According to the UN, various groups operate or have operated in the region: the Farc, Colombia's second largest guerrilla group, the ELN, and criminal and former paramilitary groups. Officials said people are fleeing because illegal armed groups are trying to take over the mining and cocaine trade which had provided the Farc with an income.\nNorte de Santander has emerged as the country's main hub for coca cultivation. Last week peasant farmer organisations in the region around Catatumbo blocked the demobilisation of Farc units saying that their departure would leave them unprotected as the paramilitary groups gathered nearby. There have also been reports by local communities of an increased presence of criminal groups in at least three other departments: Antioquia, Uraba and Choco. The Farc - which signed a peace accord with the government last year - has largely left towns and rural areas it occupied and most of the fighters have gathered in 26 concentration zones under the watch of a multinational commission. The Colombian military is finding it difficult to take control in more isolated regions because of the problems of terrain and lack of access, the government's Peace and Reconciliation Foundation says.\nThe Farc is expected to hand over its arms by the end of May.\nIt has agreed to co-operate with investigations into drug trafficking and war crimes.\nThe armed conflict in Colombia has resulted in more than 220,000 deaths and 40,000 people missing over the past 50 years.\nAll sides have been accused of war crimes including massacres, torture and rape.\nMore than six million people have been displaced - the second highest number in the world after Syria.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The Farc","Farc","the government","government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["peace accord"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last year"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2017 An agreement is reached between Mongolian government representatives and the International Monetary Fund and other international partners on a three-year, $5.5 billion economic stabilization package. (Reuters) (IMF)","document":"ULAANBAATAR (Reuters) - Mongolia has agreed with the International Monetary Fund and other partners for a $5.5 billion economic stabilization package, according to a statement from the IMF on Sunday.\nThe landlocked nation saw its economy grow at a double-digit annual rate over 2011-2013 as foreign investors rushed in to take advantage of its vast untapped mineral deposits, but it has been hit hard by an economic crisis since 2016 due to government overspending and declining revenues from commodity exports.\nTo bailout the country - which is now scrambling to avoid missing a $580 million sovereign-guaranteed debt repayment due in March - the Asian Development Bank, World Bank and bilateral partners, including Japan and South Korea, will provide up to $3 billion in aid, the IMF said in its statement.\nPeople’s Bank of China will expand a swap line worth 15 billion yuan ($2.19 billion), while the IMF will offer three-year loans worth about $440 million, the latter added.\nThe bailout plan is pending formal approvals from the IMF board in March, according to the statement.\n“Fiscal consolidation is a key priority, as loose fiscal policy in the past was a major driver for Mongolia’s current economic difficulties and high debt,” said Koshy Mathai, IMF’s team leader for the package.\nPaving the way for the bailout was a move by the country’s lawmakers earlier this month to allow the Development Bank of Mongolia, which issued the $580 million debt that is up for repayment, to act independently of the government.\nUnder the bailout plan, Mongolia has pledged to implement fiscal reforms for greater budget discipline, maintain a flexible exchange rate and build a stronger regulatory environment for banking and finance.\nThe president of the Bank of Mongolia, Nadmid Bayartsaikhan, said the central bank would no longer bankroll fiscal policy programs, including a mortgage subsidy one that will now be self-sustaining rather than dependent on additional financing from the central bank.\nBayartsaikhan added that an independent study of the banking sector would be launched to identify weaknesses at institutions and the need for new regulations.\nThe Mongolian economy grew at 1 percent last year, its slowest pace in seven years, and may slip into recession when austerity measures imposed on the country for a debt bailout are rolled out.\nHowever, the bailout terms will not affect Mongolia’s social spending. It plans to subsidize some drug costs and a universal allowance for children will be given to those in need, Finance Minister Battogtokh Choijilsuren told reporters on Sunday.\nWith these structural changes in place, Mathai of the IMF said Mongolia could look forward to sustainable growth built upon its lucrative mining sector, as well as its growing industries in agriculture and tourism.\n“I think we’re looking at a pretty good outlook for Mongolia,” said Mathai.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Mongolia","the International Monetary Fund and other partners"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["three-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a $5.5 billion economic stabilization package"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2017 U.S. President Donald Trump signs a revised version of Executive Order 13769 eliminating Iraq from the order and reducing the indefinite suspension of Syrian refugees to 120 days. The order will be in effect on March 16, 2017. (The New York Times) (CNN)","document":"WASHINGTON — President Trump signed an executive order on Monday blocking citizens of six predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States, the most significant hardening of immigration policy in generations, even with changes intended to blunt legal and political opposition.\nThe order was revised to avoid the tumult and protests that engulfed the nation’s airports after Mr. Trump signed his first immigration directive on Jan. 27. That order was ultimately blocked by a federal appeals court.\nThe president’s second attempt at a ban was blocked by federal courts on Wednesday.\nAfter issuing the new travel ban on Monday, the Trump administration filed a notice of the new executive order to halt the legal challenge that is in place for the previous language.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["President Trump"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["an executive order","executive order"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["blocking citizens of six predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States"]},{"role":"Location","values":["WASHINGTON"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2018 President of South Sudan Salva Kiir and leader of SPLM-IO Riek Machar reach a peace agreement. Other rebel factions are also expected to join a reformed government. (BBC)","document":"Ululations, song and dance erupted in a packed hall in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, as South Sudan's President Salva Kirr and rebel leader Riek Machar signed what they called the \"final final\" peace deal. The two hugged and smiled as they exchanged the signed documents at an extraordinary summit of regional leaders, who have been pushing for the former enemies to end a brutal five-year civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and forced four million people from their homes.\nIt has taken 15 long months of shuttling between the region's capitals to negotiate this latest attempt to bring peace to the world's youngest nation.\n\"As we witness this historic milestone, we remember and grieve for the victims of the violence and hope this agreement closes that dark chapter in South Sudan,\" Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said after the signing.\nAnd it has been a dark and shameful period for the country - with both sides accused of horrendous atrocities. The UN has documented horrific accounts of gang rape, throats being slit and mass shootings.\nAmid hyperinflation, aid agencies have warned again that the humanitarian situation in the oil-rich country continues to worsen, with millions facing starvation. Speaking to the BBC after the ceremony, negotiators from both sides said they realised the task ahead in bring lasting peace for their people. \"Our people are right to doubt us, because we have let them down so many times,\" opposition negotiator Stephen Par Kuol said.\n\"But this time around, we are telling the people of South Sudan to count on us to implement this agreement fully.\"\nMartin Lomuro, South Sudan's cabinet affairs minister, agreed that the \"severity of the war\" had dented confidence.\n\"But this is much more of an agreement that is designed to lay a foundation for a new country and this is why I feel so good about it because before we haven't had a chance to build a proper nation,\" he said.\nRealistically both sides have reached a stalemate - and run out of money. Plus pressure from South Sudan's neighbours, who are hosting many of those who have fled, has led to a more sober reconciliation.\nDespite the optimism, diplomats at the ceremony - many of whom witnessed a similar scene three years ago - expressed concerns about the ability of each side to honour their commitments. After all, the 2015 power-sharing deal collapsed spectacularly in July 2016, forcing Mr Machar, the rebel leader who had recently been re-appointed vice-president, to flee for his life on foot to the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has not been back to the capital, Juba, since then. Sources: Igad, UN, Sudan Tribune, Economist, Reuters\n\"The greatest challenges are yet to come - and the key ingredient still lacking is trust,\" said David Shearer, head of the UN Mission in South Sudan.\n\"The personalities signing the agreement have in the past been former friends and foes and from my discussions with all parties, suspicions still remains widespread,\" he said.\nSimilar concerns were made by the UK, US and Norway, which have all been instrumental in funding the peace process and the failed transitional government. UK envoy Chris Trott said a significant change in approach was needed.\n\"This must include, but not be limited to, an end to violence and full humanitarian access and a real commitment to effective and accountable implementation, demonstrated by robust and enforcement mechanisms.\"\nNot really. It is all about power sharing between the two main rivals in a transitional government to be established in the next eight months. It will then last for three years, after which general elections will be held.\nThe expanded government will have Mr Kiir remaining as president while Mr Machar will take up one of the five new posts of vice-president. Other armed groups, political parties and interested entities like civil society groups and religious leaders will also have a place in the expanded government and the reconstituted parliament.\nUnlike the previous deal, the country will have a unified army with the president as the commander-in-chief.\nThe last one fell apart when the two rival armies fought in Juba. This agreement sets out a timeframe for demobilisation and eventual reintegration.\nThe next few days and weeks will be crucial for the warring parties as they need to cease all fighting in line with the preliminary agreements reached over the last few months.\nReports of fighting came within hours of Mr Kiir and Mr Machar signing one such deal in August.\nHow fast Mr Machar returns to Juba will also be key - he has been in exile for two years.\nHis team says he will go back as soon as he is assured of his safety on the ground - and that is not at all clear.\nA 4,000-strong Regional Protection Force (RPF) was promised two years ago - with a boosted mandate to guarantee security in the capital. According to the UN, 60% of these troops have been deployed to help the nearly 8,000 UN soldiers already in South Sudan.\nHowever, Mr Shearer warns that there's no further funding for the remaining troops and so it is highly unlikely that there will be more boots on the ground in coming weeks and months. But the negotiators say the leaders will be able to overcome their mistrust of each other once they actually start the task of rebuilding the crippled nation together. \"Confidence comes with working together and interacting together and reconciling - and even giving up something,\" says Mr Lomuro.\n\"So whatever grievances you have if we discuss things in an honest manner, we will develop that confidence.\"","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Salva Kirr","Riek Machar"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the \"final final\" peace deal"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["end a brutal five-year civil war","end"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Addis Ababa"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2018 The Vatican signs a provisional agreement with China on the process used to appoint bishops, a breakthrough after years of contentious negotiations on the management of Catholic leadership in the communist country. (The Washington Post)","document":"The Vatican said on Saturday that it had reached a “provisional agreement” with China on the process used to appoint bishops, a breakthrough after years of contentious negotiations on the management of Catholic leadership in the communist country.\nThe deal paves the way for bishops to be recognized by the Vatican and the Chinese government, a step toward ending the current system — one that has divided followers — in which some bishops are backed by only one side or the other.\nThe accord marks a potentially transformative step in relations between the world’s most populous country and one of the most powerful religious institutions. Some outside experts say the agreement could end seven decades of strain between the sides, opening the door for the possible resumption of diplomatic ties, which were severed in 1951.\nBeijing and the Holy See have long been at odds on leadership of Catholics in China, where the government has appointed bishops and authorized which churches can operate. Their deal comes even as President Xi Jinping has tightened his grip on power, cracking down on freedoms and saying that any practice of religion must be “Chinese in orientation.”\nFor Pope Francis, the outreach to China has been perhaps his most ambitious diplomatic venture, an effort to broaden the appeal of a faith that has lost ground in much of the Western world and is dealing now with a global wave of sexual abuse cases. Catholicism is one of the five religions officially tolerated by Chinese leaders, but it has been steadily eclipsed in popularity by Protestant and evangelical denominations.\nFrancis will probably draw pointed criticism from many Catholic opponents of the deal, who say the church is eroding its credibility by compromising with an officially atheist country that has long targeted Catholics and others with surveillance and persecution.\nCardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, said the agreement reached on Saturday in Beijing “is of great importance, especially for the life of the Church in China.”\n“What is required now is unity, is trust and a new impetus; to have good Pastors, recognized by the Successor of Peter — by the Pope — and by the legitimate civil Authorities,” Parolin said in a statement.\nChina seeks to put state stamp on faith\nAfter announcing the agreement, the Vatican said it was lifting the excommunications of seven Chinese bishops ordained without papal approval. That concession, a central part of the agreement, means that all bishops in China are now recognized by the Vatican — and operating under the pope’s authority.\n“Of course, this is not an accord that solves all problems of the church in China, but certainly it’s a historic step,” said Elisa Giunipero, director of the Confucius Institute at Milan’s Sacred Heart Catholic University.\nThe church in China has long been split between Catholics who swear allegiance to the Vatican and others who practice the faith in state-sanctioned churches supervised by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association.\nSome church leaders have the backing of the Vatican but not of the Chinese government, meaning they operate furtively in unofficial churches. The agreement reached Saturday was not published, and neither the Vatican nor China said how the issue of those leaders would be addressed.\nEstimates put the number of Catholics in China between 10 and 12 million. About half are affiliated with government-managed churches. Citing “Vatican sources,” Reuters said the deal gives the pope veto power in the naming of candidates for bishop.\n“Pope Francis hopes that, with these decisions, a new process may begin that will allow the wounds of the past to be overcome, leading to the full communion of all Chinese Catholics,” the Vatican said in a statement.\nThe issue of bishop appointments has for decades been the main point of contention between the Vatican and China, which have negotiated since the 1980s to end the impasse. But those efforts have faced significant opposition, particularly from Catholics in Hong Kong, who say that Chinese Catholics have a right to practice their religion without the meddling of the Chinese government.\nCardinal Joseph Zen, the former bishop of Hong Kong, said earlier this year that “if the government is managing the church, it is not the Catholic Church anymore.”\nUnder Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican recognized some bishops appointed by the Chinese government. But the diplomatic efforts increased under Francis, continuing even as the church dealt with sexual abuse scandals.\nFrancis has talked about his wish to travel to China, and he spoke in a 2016 interview about the “greatness of the Chinese people.” At the beginning of the year, in a conciliatory move, the Vatican urged two bishops unsanctioned by the Chinese government to step aside in favor of figures with government backing.\n“We don’t have to look at the agreement as a point of arrival, but as a starting point,” the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, a confidant of Francis, wrote in an op-ed in La Civiltà Cattolica, a Rome-based periodical. “The improvement of Chinese Catholic religious quality of life won’t be automatic. Challenges still remain, but of course the process is a positive factor for Chinese Catholics.”\nThe Vatican said its agreement with China “is the fruit of a gradual and reciprocal rapprochement” and includes a possibility for “periodic reviews of its application.”\nThe Chinese foreign ministry released a statement saying that “China and the Vatican will continue to maintain communications and push forward the process of improving relations between the two sides,” according to the Associated Press.\nThe accord is also a sensitive issue for Taiwan, which is viewed by China as a breakaway province. The Vatican is the only European state to maintain full diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it had been assured by the Vatican that the deal with China would not affect diplomatic relations.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Vatican","China"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The deal paves the way for bishops to be recognized by the Vatican and the Chinese government, a step toward ending the current system","Chinese government","bishops"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2018 Eric Reid returns to the NFL, signing a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers. (WRAL) (CBS Sports)","document":"One of the best available free agents finally has a home: The Panthers signed safety Eric Reid on Thursday. \n\"Eric has been a starting safety in the NFL and has played at a high level throughout his career,\" general manager Marty Hurney said, via the team's website. \"After we put (safety) Da'Norris Searcy on injured reserve, Ron (Rivera) and I discussed our options, and Eric was at the top of our list. He is a physical safety with good ball skills and play-making ability.\"\nReid, a 2013 first-round pick of the 49ers, knelt alongside Colin Kaepernick during the 2016 season to protest social injustice, and did the same in 2017, went unsigned this offseason and was passed over by several teams -- including the Titans and Falcons -- in need of help at safety before the Panthers signed him. In May, Reid  filed a collusion grievance against the NFL, and a week later the NFL Players Association filed a non-injury grievance on his behalf. \nAccording to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, \"Reid did not agree to dismiss or settle his collusion grievance as part of his contract in Carolina.\"\nIn Carolina, Reid joins a defense that has uncharacteristically struggled this season; the unit, regularly among the league's best, currently ranks 23rd overall, via Football Outsiders' metrics, and are 20th in pass defense. Reid should help improve those numbers. The Panthers, who are in a three-way tie atop the NFC South, are on their bye. They'll host the Giants in Week 5 and we're guessing there's a good chance Reid plays for the first time since Dec. 2017.\n ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Panthers","Eric Reid"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The Panthers signed safety Eric Reid"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2018 U.S. President Donald Trump says that the United States will withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a 1987 nuclear arms treaty with Russia. (The Guardian)","document":"\n\nDonald Trump has confirmed the US will leave an arms control treaty with Russia dating from the cold war that has kept nuclear missiles out of Europe for three decades.\n“We’ll have to develop those weapons,” the president told reporters in Nevada after a rally. “We’re going to terminate the agreement and we’re going to pull out.”\nTrump was referring to the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF), which banned ground-launch nuclear missiles with ranges from 500km to 5,500km. Signed by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, it led to nearly 2,700 short- and medium-range missiles being eliminated, and an end to a dangerous standoff between US Pershing and cruise missiles and Soviet SS-20 missiles in Europe.\nThe Guardian reported on Friday that Trump’s third national security adviser, John Bolton, a longstanding opponent of arms control treaties, was pushing for US withdrawal. The US says Russia has been violating the INF agreement with the development and deployment of a new cruise missile. Under the terms of the treaty, it would take six months for US withdrawal to take effect.\nUS hawks have also argued that the INF treaty ties the country’s hands in its strategic rivalry with China in the Pacific, with no response to Chinese medium-range missiles that could threaten US bases, allies and shipping.\nBolton and the top arms control adviser in the National Security Council (NSC), Tim Morrison, are also opposed to the extension of another major pillar of arms control, the 2010 New Start agreement with Russia, which limited the number of deployed strategic warheads on either side to 1,550. That agreement, signed by Barack Obama and Dmitri Medvedev, then president of Russia, is due to expire in 2021.\n“This is the most severe crisis in nuclear arms control since the 1980s,” said Malcolm Chalmers, the deputy director general of the Royal United Services Institute. “If the INF treaty collapses, and with the New Start treaty on strategic arms due to expire in 2021, the world could be left without any limits on the nuclear arsenals of nuclear states for the first time since 1972.”\nSpeaking to reporters in Nevada, Trump said: “Russia has violated the agreement. They’ve been violating it for many years and I don’t know why President Obama didn’t negotiate or pull out.\n“We’re not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and do weapons and we’re not allowed to. We’re the ones that have stayed in the agreement and we’ve honoured the agreement but Russia has not unfortunately honoured the agreement so we’re going to terminate the agreement, we’re going to pull out.”\nAsked to clarify, the president said: “Unless Russia comes to us and China comes to us and they all come to us and they say, ‘Let’s all of us get smart and let’s none of us develop those weapons,’ but if Russia’s doing it and if China’s doing it and we’re adhering to the agreement, that’s unacceptable. So we have a tremendous amount of money to play with with our military.”\nJeffrey Lewis, the director of the East Asia nonproliferation program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, said: “This is a colossal mistake. Russia gets to violate the treaty and Trump takes the blame.\n“I doubt very much that the US will deploy much that would have been prohibited by the treaty. Russia, though, will go gangbusters.”\nRussian state news agencies on Saturday cited a foreign ministry source as saying Washington’s move to pull out of the treaty is motivated by a dream of a single global superpower.\n“The main motive is a dream of a unipolar world. Will it come true? No,” a foreign ministry source told Ria Novosti state news agency.\nThe official said that Russia has “many times publicly denounced the US policy course towards dismantling the nuclear deal”.\nWashington “has approached this step over the course of many years by deliberately and step-by-step destroying the basis for the agreement,” the official said, quoted by Russia’s three main news agencies.\n“This decision is part of the US policy course to withdraw from those international legal agreements that place equal responsibilities on it and its partners and make vulnerable its concept of its own ‘exceptionalism’.”\nRussian senator Alexei Pushkov wrote on Twitter that the move was “the second powerful blow against the whole system of strategic stability in the world, with the first being Washington’s 2001 withdrawal from the anti-ballistic missile treaty”.\n“And again the initiator of the dissolution of the agreement is the US,” Pushkov wrote.\nThe Pentagon has been generally supportive of the INF treaty but defense secretary James Mattis warned other Nato ministers earlier this month it would no longer be tenable if Russia did not withdraw its Novator ground-based missile, which the US has argued for nearly four years violates the INF range restrictions.\nNato ministers issued a joint statement saying the INF agreement “has been crucial to Euro-Atlantic security and we remain fully committed to the preservation of this landmark arms control treaty”. But they urged Russia to come clean about the capabilities of its new missile.\nThe Chinese arsenal has also been a source of concern for the US Pacific Command. Its former commander, Adm Harry Harris, told the Senate in March: “We have no ground-based capability that can threaten China because of, among other things, our rigid adherence, and rightfully so, to the treaty that we sign on to, the INF treaty.”\nLewis disagreed that the INF leaves the US at a significant disadvantage in the Pacific.\n“The China stuff is nonsense,” he said. “INF does not prohibit sea- and air-based systems, not does it prohibit South Korea and Japan from developing long-range missiles. If China were a real problem, the US and its allies could have acted long ago.”\nAlexandra Bell, a former senior state department official and now senior policy director at the Centre for Arms Control & Non-Proliferation, said: “When problems arise in arms control, you work and fix them.\n“What shocks me is that this president who is constantly telling us he is deal-maker has failed utterly to save Reagan’s nuclear legacy. He did nothing with his relationship with Putin. There were trades to be made to fix this treaty and he couldn’t pull it off.”\nShe added: “Why would the North Koreans have any reason to believe in any deal made with this president, with Bolton whispering in his ear.”","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Ronald Reagan","Mikhail Gorbachev"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF)","INF"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1987"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["banned ground-launch nuclear missiles with ranges from 500km to 5,500km"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2018 The European Union reaches a provisional agreement on a system to investigate foreign investments into Europe. (Reuters)","document":" The European Union on Tuesday provisionally agreed on rules for a far-reaching system to coordinate scrutiny of foreign investments into Europe, notably from China, to end what a negotiator called “European naivety”.\nNegotiators for the European Parliament and the EU’s 28 member states struck a deal to protect strategic technologies and infrastructure, such as ports or energy networks.\nUnder the plan, developed in the wake of a surge in Chinese investments, the European Commission would investigate foreign investments in critical sectors and offer opinions.\nThe opinions could address concerns over whether the security of vital infrastructure could be compromised or that innovations that have had years of expensive research could be lost to foreign hands.\n“It will mark the end of European naivety,” Franck Proust, who headed the parliament’s negotiating team, said ahead of the talks. “All the world powers - the United States, Japan, China, - have a method of screening. Only Europe does not.”\nThe proposed new law does not name China, but its backers’ complaints over investments by state-owned enterprises and for technology transfers are clear references to Beijing.\nThe proposal, demanded by France, Germany and the previous government of Italy, still needs the support of the 28 EU states at a meeting on Dec. 5. Their backing is by no means certain given opposition from a number a countries, including Cyprus, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta and Portugal.\nSome of the opponents have welcomed Chinese investment, such as Greece, whose largest port Piraeus is majority-owned by China’s COSCO Shipping.\n“This is not about closing down our markets but about acting responsibly,” said Austrian Economy Minister Margarete Schramboeck, whose country represented the EU states and urged them to back the compromise text.\nParliament will vote on the proposal in February or March.\nEU lawmakers succeeded in pushing through tougher screening than initially proposed, such as obliging the Commission to screen deals and requiring EU countries to cooperate.\nThey also extended the list of “critical sectors” to include aerospace, health, nano-technology, the media, electric batteries and the supply of food.\nThe system would not require individual countries to carry out screening. Currently 13 nations have a system in place. Those that do will need to inform other EU members and the Commission if they screen an investment.\nAll would have to provide an annual report to the Commission, which would also be obliged to give its opinion if a third of member states expressed concerns about a planned foreign investment.\nHowever, EU countries, and not the Commission, would still make final decisions on whether to block foreign investments on security and public interest grounds.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["China","The European Union"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["developed in the wake of a surge in Chinese investments, the European Commission would investigate foreign investments in critical sectors and offer opinions"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2018 The United States, Canada and Mexico sign the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement in Buenos Aires, replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement. (TTNews) (NPR)","document":" President Donald Trump signed the USMCA trade deal on Friday, alongside Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto in Buenos Aires.\n \n \nPresident Donald Trump signed the USMCA trade deal on Friday, alongside Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto in Buenos Aires.\n\nPresident Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto signed the new U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement — or USMCA — in Buenos Aires Friday, using the backdrop of the G-20 Summit to resolve a trade dispute between America and its closest neighbors.\n\"Let's go,\" all three leaders said as they sat alongside each other to sign multiple copies of the deal.\nThey then shuffled binders around in front of them, to finalize the deal that remakes one of the world's largest free trade zones. When the signing was over, they paused for a photo-op. \"Might as well hold that up,\" Trump said, displaying the fresh signatures as the three leaders sat together.\nDespite that and other prodding, Trudeau opted not to follow his peers in holding up his binder to celebrate — a sign, perhaps, of the lingering effects of the contentious process that was triggered when Trump imposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada earlier this year, which remain in place.\nThe signing event and the leaders' remarks were livestreamed. You can watch the event here.\nIn the lead-up to the signing, Canadian officials had \"made it clear they didn't want to celebrate the end of a year of U.S. attempts to twist Canada's arm with the tariffs still in place,\" the CBC reports. But that wish ran counter to the desires of Trump and Peña Nieto, both of whom have preferred to portray the deal as a victory that helps to cement their legacies.\n\"This has been a battle, and battles sometimes make great friendships,\" Trump said at the start of the signing ceremony.\nSaying all three countries will benefit from the deal, Trump said of the USMCA, \"It is probably the largest trade deal ever made.\"\nThe USMCA (read the whole text here) replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement, which had created a free trade zone between the three countries back in 1994. The deal will require ratification by all three countries' legislatures before taking effect.\n\"The biggest change this deal makes, really, is to the automotive sector,\" NPR's Scott Horsley reports, \"where it does put higher requirements on North American content, and in particular high-wage content, for vehicles to trade duty-free.\"\nThe USMCA deal emerged in early October, months after President Trump hit Mexico and Canada with tariffs on their steel and aluminum products. That move set off retaliatory tariffs and intense negotiations to create a new trade pact.\nCalling the deal \"the new North American Free Trade Agreement, Trudeau said it \"lifts the risk of serious economic uncertainty that lingers throughout a trade renegotiation process — uncertainty that would have only gotten worse and more damaging if we had not reached a new NAFTA.\"\nThere is more work to be done, Trudeau said, calling the recent announcement that General Motors will close plants in Canada and the U.S. \"a heavy blow.\"\nTurning to address Trump, said \"And Donald, it's all the more reason why we need to keep working to remove the tariffs on steel and aluminum between our countries.\"\n\"General Motors has said that those steel and aluminum tariffs robbed it of a billion dollars in profits in the last year,\" Scott Horsley reports. In June, GM also warned the Trump administration that new tariffs could result in \"a smaller GM.\"\nWhen it was his turn to speak, Peña Nieto said the trade agreement includes provisions for e-commerce and informational technology — subjects that he said made it necessary to update NAFTA.\n\"In fact, one-third of the agreement includes topics that were not included in the first agreement,\" he said.\nPeña Nieto also said the USMCA \"is the first trade agreement that incorporates elements that address the social impact of international trade; it enables the participation of more sectors in the economy.\"\nAmong those provisions, he said, are protections for workers' rights and the environment, and elements that seek to extend the benefits of free trade more broadly.\nThe signing took place on Peña Nieto's final day in office; Mexico's newly elected president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, will be sworn in on Saturday.\nShortly before the signing ceremony, Peña Nieto awarded presidential senior adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner with the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor Mexico gives to foreigners.\nThe move \"shocked many in Mexico,\" as NPR's Carrie Kahn reported earlier this week, referring to the outrage and anger that has poured out online.\nLater in the G-20 meetings, Trump will turn to another high-profile trade crisis, when he has dinner on Saturday with Chinese President Xi Jinping.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Canada","Mexico","Mexico Canada","America"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the USMCA trade deal","USMCA trade deal"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["using the backdrop of the G-20 Summit to resolve a trade dispute between America and its closest neighbors"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Buenos Aires"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2018 Irish President Michael D. Higgins signs a bill making abortion legal in the Republic of Ireland for the first time. (Irish Times)","document":"Áras an Uachtaráin said on Thursday that President Michael D Higgins had signed the Bill on abortion and it had become law.\nA Bill that will give women access to abortion for the first time in the history of the State has been signed into law by President Michael D Higgins. A statement released by Áras an Uachtaráin on Thursday evening said: “Having considered the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018, the President has signed the Bill and it has accordingly become law.” The Bill finished its final stage in the Seanad earlier this month after weeks of sometimes heated debate in both the Dáil and Seanad. It follows a referendum in May on the removal of the Eighth Amendment from the Constitution, which guaranteed the unborn and mother an equal right to life. Some 67 per cent of the electorate voted to repeal the amendment. Minister for Health Simon Harris will now have to sign a number of statutory instruments to give effect to the Bill now that it is signed into law by the President.\nThe Bill was signed by the President as the Medical Council deleted provisions from its code which will mean that no ethical guidance on performing abortions will be in place for doctors when the legislation comes into force next month.\nHaving considered the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018, the President has signed the Bill and it has accordingly become law.\nThe council took the decision to delete four of the five paragraphs dealing with abortion from its guide on professional conduct and ethics because they conflicted with the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act.\nThe decision was taken at a specially convened meeting on Wednesday night. The council is updating the ethical guide but this process will not be ready in time for the introduction of abortion services on January 1st.\nTwo of the four deleted paragraphs state that a doctor has an ethical duty to make every reasonable effort to protect the life and health of pregnant women and their unborn babies; and that in exceptional circumstances, it may be necessary to terminate the pregnancy to protect the life of the mother while making every effort to preserve the life of the baby. The other two deal with situations where there is a real and substantial risk to the life of the woman, and the provision of information for abortions abroad.\nThe remaining paragraph remains in place, slightly edited to change the reference from “abortion” to “termination of pregnancy”. It states that doctors “have a duty to provide care, support and follow-up for women who have had a termination of pregnancy”.\nThe council plans to write to all 23,000 registered doctors in the State to inform them of the changes to the guide.\n“We are currently engaging in a very comprehensive process to update the Medical Council guidelines having only recently closed a consultation with doctors and key stakeholders in which over 1,400 responses were received,” said Dr Suzanne Crowe, chair of the council’s ethics working group. “Today’s announcement ensures that our ethical guidance is not in conflict with the new legislation and provides reassurance to doctors who are involved in delivering this service.”\nAside from the paragraphs on abortions, sections of the guide dealing with “dignity of the patient”, “equality and diversity” and “conscientious objection” are being reviewed.\nOnce a new wording is finalised, the council will again consult with doctors and other stakeholders, but this would not happen before the legislation comes into force, Dr Crowe said.\n\n \n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["President Michael D Higgins"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Bill on abortion","Bill"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["give women access to abortion for the first time in the history of the State"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2018 U.S. President Donald Trump signs the First Step Act, a bipartisan prison and sentencing reform bill, into law. (The Guardian)","document":"\nDonald Trump on Friday signed into law the First Step Act, a prison and sentencing reform bill with strong bipartisan support, having passed the Senate earlier this week and in the House yesterday.\n“The First Step Act will make communities SAFER and SAVE tremendous taxpayers dollars,” the president said in a statement. “It brings much-needed hope to many families during the holiday season.”\nThe result of coalition-building in a partisan political climate, First Step earned support from politicians as ideologically diverse as senators Kamala Harris and Ted Cruz, and from advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Fraternal Order of Police.\nTrump’s strong support was largely seen as a result of the involvement of his son-in-law and top adviser Jared Kushner. At the signing ceremony, he thanked Kushner personally.\nOf prisoners who could not advocate for themselves from behind bars, Kushner said: “We were their lobbyists.”The act expands rehabilitative opportunities, increases “good time”-served credits for most federal prisoners, reduces mandatory minimum sentences for a number of drug-related crimes and formally bans some correctional practices including the shackling of pregnant women.\n“This bill could have died a dozen different deaths,” said Van Jones, co-founder of advocacy group #cut50, which was integral in the bill’s design. “But the broad coalition that came together to pass it refused to give up.\nJones, a frequent outspoken critic of Trump on his CNN show, added: “Many have seen their loved ones sent to prison or were incarcerated themselves. For all of us, this fight was deeply personal.”\nEarly critics of the bill, such as New Jersey senator Corey Booker and the ACLU, who felt that the legislation did not go far enough, came around in large part due to major additions to the House version of the bill by the Senate, which added language on sentencing reform. The first House version only contained reforms on the way inmates are treated in prison.\nIn exchange, progressive reformers had to accept a number of changes to which prisoners will be eligible for benefits under the act, based on the crime for which they were convicted. The sentencing reforms were also mostly not made retroactive, meaning they do not apply to inmates already sentenced.\n“The First Step Act is by no means perfect,” said Jesselyn McCurdy, deputy director of the Washington legislative office at the ACLU. “But we are in the midst of a mass incarceration crisis, and the time to act is now.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Donald Trump"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the First Step Act","First Step Act"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The act expands rehabilitative opportunities, increases “good time”-served credits for most federal prisoners, reduces mandatory minimum sentences for a number of drug-related crimes and formally bans some correctional practices including the shackling of pregnant women"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2019 The United Kingdom and Switzerland sign a trade continuity agreement to maintain current trade relations post-Brexit. (The Guardian)","document":"\n\nBritain has signed a trade continuity agreement with Switzerland to avoid disruption for thousands of businesses post-Brexit, less than 50 days before the UK is due to leave the EU.\nThe Department for International Trade said the agreement would maintain UK-Swiss trade under the preferential terms currently available to both countries through an EU free trade deal.\nIt comes as ministers rush to ensure the continuity of about 40 free trade deals held by the EU covering more than 70 countries, which Britain currently has access to via EU membership but will lose after Brexit.\nMinisters have conceded in private meetings with business leaders that they will not be able to replace all of the deals before the Brexit deadline on 29 March, meaning a large proportion of UK exports could shift to World Trade Organization rules. This would mean higher border tariffs and extra costs for companies in Britain and abroad.\nJapan has sought to extract hefty concessions from Britain before Brexit, while talks with many nations have been delayed by the lack of clarity over Britain’s future trading relationship with the EU.\nThe trade between Britain and the countries and regions covered by the EU free trade agreements amounts to about 14% of all UK goods imports and exports each year, worth as much as £117bn in 2017.\nSigning the Swiss trade continuity deal will enable ministers to declare that progress is being made, but deals with major trading partners including Canada, South Korea and Japan remain to be signed.\nBritain has agreed mutual recognition trade deals with Australia and New Zealand, as well as trade continuity agreements with Switzerland, Chile, the Faroe Islands and the eastern and southern Africa trading bloc.\nLiam Fox, the international trade secretary, who signed the Swiss accord in Berne on Monday with a Swiss federal councillor, Guy Parmelin, said the deal was of “huge economic importance” to Britain and would benefit 15,000 UK exporters.\n“Not only will this help to support jobs throughout the UK but it will also be a solid foundation for us to build an even stronger trading relationship with Switzerland as we leave the EU,” Fox said.\nThe deal simplifies trade and allows businesses in both countries to continue trading freely after Brexit without any additional tariffs, as is currently the case as part of EU membership.\nA spokesperson for the Department for International Trade said: “Our priority is to avoid disruption to our global trading relationships as we leave the European Union and we are seeking continuity for existing free trade agreements.”","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Britain","Switzerland"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["trade continuity agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["maintain UK-Swiss trade under the preferential terms currently available to both countries through an EU free trade deal"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2019 Saudi Arabia signs $20 billion dollars in deals with Pakistan. (BBC News)","document":"Saudi Arabia has pledged investment deals worth $20bn (£15.5bn) with Pakistan which is seeking to bolster its fragile economy. The deals include funding for an $8bn oil refinery in the city of Gwadar.\nIt comes as part of a high-profile Asian tour by the kingdom's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Pakistan is suffering a financial crisis. It has only $8bn left in foreign reserves and is looking to international backers for support.\nPrime Minister Imran Khan has been seeking help from friendly countries in order to cut the size of the bailout package his country is likely to need from the International Monetary Fund, under very strict conditions. The country is seeking its 13th bailout since the late 1980s and Saudi Arabia has already provided a $6bn loan.\nPakistan also said it would confer its highest civilian honour on the Saudi crown prince, the Order of Pakistan, a day after the investment deals were finalised. The move is at odds with other countries who have condemned the Kingdom over its role in the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year.\nSaudi Arabia and Pakistan signed provisional agreements and memorandums of understanding in the energy, petrochemicals and mining sectors, according to reports. Of the latest deals, Prince bin Salman said: \"It's big for phase one, and definitely [our commercial relationship] will grow every month and every year, and it will be beneficial to both countries.\" Pakistan is the first stop on an Asian tour by the crown prince, known as MBS. He is scheduled to be in India by Tuesday and will visit China on Thursday and Friday. The prince is seeking to recast his international image in the wake of the Jamal Khashoggi affair. The journalist was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.\nAgainst this backdrop, the current tour can be seen as a charm offensive by MBS, who is seeking to bolster relationships with dependable allies as he doles out cash, says the BBC's Abid Hussain.\nWhile Pakistan stands to benefit from Saudi Arabia's largesse, the south Asian country is also important to the kingdom. The two countries have a long-standing military relationship and the MBS visit comes at a time when geopolitics in the region are shifting - including concerns over the influence of Iran. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Pakistan","Saudi Arabia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["investment deals worth $20bn (£15.5bn)","The deals include funding for an $8bn oil refinery in the city of Gwadar"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2019 Italy signs $2.8 billion in deals with the Belt and Road Initiative. (Reuters)","document":" Italy signed a preliminary accord with China on Saturday that makes it the first country of the Group of Seven industrialized nation to join the Chinese Belt and Road infrastructure project.\nAround 30 parallel deals were signed on the sidelines of the visit to Rome by Chinese President Xi Jinping, including 10 with Italian companies and others with ministries and public bodies.\nItalian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said the deals were worth an initial 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion) but had a potential value of 20 billion.\nHere are details of some of the accords.\nItaly’s state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) signed an agreement with Bank of China to let it sell “Panda” bonds - debt sold by foreign entities to investors in mainland China.\nCDP said it will issue bonds worth 5 billion renminbi ($744.5 million). CDP and Bank of China will also co-finance Italian companies for 4 billion renminbi. A CDP official told Reuters on Friday that the first tranche of Panda bonds will be issued in the coming weeks.\nCDP and Italian gas company Snam have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Silk Road fund (SRF) for cooperation on international investments in China and in the about 120 countries that have already signed up for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).\nSnam and SRF said they will consider possible cooperation in the natural gas sector -- pipelines, storage facilities, LNG infrastructure and biomethane plants.\nItalian metals company Danieli has signed a deal to build part of a steel plant in China that will then be transferred to Azerbaijan.\nTRIESTE AND GENOA PORTS China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) has signed two cooperation agreements with the authorities of Trieste’s port and with the commissioner supervising the reconstruction of the bridge of Genoa that collapsed last year.\nAnsaldo Energia said it signed a deal with China United Gas Turbine Company (UGTC) for technology cooperation in the field of heavy duty gas turbines.\nAnsaldo Energia has also been awarded a contract worth approximately 25 million euros to supply a AE94.2K gas turbine and syngas compressor train for Bengang combined cycle power plant, located in Benxi in the northeast China.\nChina’s e-commerce group Suning, top shareholder of Italian Serie A soccer team Inter Milan, announced a deal with the Italian Trade Agency to boost Made-in-Italy exports to China.\nIntesa Sanpaolo has signed a MoU with the Chinese city of Qingdao to develop wealth management services for local clients through a wholly-owned company called Yi Tsai. Intesa aimed to sell its own financial products in Qingdao in the near future, Intesa CEO Carlo Messina said.\nItalian energy giant Eni has signed a MoU with Bank of China to secure a credit line.\nItaly’s railways group Ferrovie dello Stato, Atlantia’s airport operator Aeroporti di Roma and the museums of sports car maker Ferrari have signed a commercial deal with China’s biggest online travel agency Ctrip to develop Chinese tourism in Italy.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["China","Italy"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["join the Chinese Belt and Road infrastructure project"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2019 South Korea's Hyundai Motor reaches an agreement with Tencent to partner on research and development of self–driving cars. Hyundai plans to roll such cars out commercially by 2030. (Reuters)","document":"South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co and Chinese technology firm Tencent Holdings have signed a preliminary deal to develop software for driverless vehicles, South Korea’s Maeil Business Newspaper reported on Saturday.\nBoth companies plan to conduct joint research and development on safety and security systems for self-driving cars, which Hyundai seeks to roll out commercially by 2030, the report, which cited unnamed industry sources, said.\nThe agreement was signed on the sidelines of a business forum held in Seoul on Thursday by the South Korean government and China’s Guangdong province, it said.\nHyundai and Tencent did not offer any immediate comments on the report.\nThe two companies are also exploring ways to utilize Tencent’s popular WeChat messaging app in developing China-targeted car models, the newspaper said.\nHyundai, the world’s 5th largest automaker together with affiliate Kia Motors, has been fostering partnerships with self-driving tech and social media firms as it aims to introduce highly automated vehicles by 2020 and fully autonomous vehicles by 2030.\nHyundai Mobis, another affiliate of the car maker, clinched an agreement last month with Russia’s largest internet search engine Yandex to jointly develop control systems for driverless vehicles.\nShenzhen-based and Hong Kong-listed Tencent has also ventured into self-driving tech and had advertised to recruit engineers in Silicon Valley last year.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co","Chinese technology firm Tencent Holdings"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["develop software for driverless vehicles"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Seoul"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2019 U.S. President Donald Trump bypasses Congress to approve the sale of billions of dollars' worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, citing Iranian threats against the latter. (BBC)","document":"US President Donald Trump is approving the sale of billions of dollars' worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, citing Iranian threats to its arch rival.\nMr Trump invoked a rarely used aspect of federal law to push through the $8bn (£6bn) deal - bypassing Congress.\nHe did so by declaring that ongoing tensions with Iran amounted to a national emergency.\nThe move has angered those who fear the weapons may be used against civilians in Yemen by Saudi-led forces.\nSome Democrats accused the president of bypassing Congress because the sale of weapons - including precision-guided bombs - would have been strongly opposed on Capitol Hill.\nWeapons will also reportedly be sold to the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.\nMembers of Congress have heavily criticised Saudi Arabia's human rights record over its role in the Yemen conflict and for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul last October.\nOn Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo notified Congress of the administration's decision to make the sale. In a letter, widely reported in US media, he said that \"Iranian malign activity\" required the \"immediate sale\" of weapons.\n\"[Iran's] activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad,\" he wrote.\nHe said the transfers \"must occur as quickly as possible in order to deter further Iranian adventurism in the Gulf and throughout the Middle East\".\nThe move quickly garnered opposition. Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, accused Mr Trump of \"granting favours to authoritarian countries\".\n\"[He] has failed once again to prioritise our long term national security interests or stand up for human rights,\" he said in a statement.\nRepublican Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Senator Jim Risch, said he had been informed by the Trump administration that it planned to confirm \"a number of arms sales\".\n\"I am reviewing and analysing the legal justification for this action,\" he said.\nSenior Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said the US needed to rein in Saudi Arabia rather than hand it more weapons.\n\"My whole view of Saudi Arabia changed with the murder of Jamal Khashoggi,\" she said.\nKhashoggi, who was a strong critic of the Saudi government, was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. His body was reportedly dismembered and his remains have still not been found.\nIran also reacted angrily to the US move, with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif calling it \"extremely dangerous\" for international peace.\nNews of the Trump administration's decision came shortly after it announced it would bolster the US military presence in the Middle East. An additional 1,500 troops, as well as fighter jets and drones, will be deployed to the region in the near future.\nPatrick Shanahan, the acting Defence Secretary, says the move was intended to counter \"ongoing threats posed by Iranian forces, including the IRGC [Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps] and its proxies\".\nTensions between the US and Iran began rising this month when Washington put pressure on countries still buying from Iran by ending exemptions from sanctions. The decision was intended to bring Iran's oil exports to zero, denying the government its main source of revenue.\nMr Trump reinstated the sanctions last year after abandoning the landmark nuclear deal that Iran has signed with six nations - the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.\nIran has now announced it it will suspend several commitments under the deal.\nThere has also been a spike in tensions in the Gulf more widely. Four oil tankers were damaged in what the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said were sabotage attacks while drone attacks on two oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Houthi rebels - who are supported by Iran - forced the temporary closure of a pipeline. Iran denied it was behind the incidents but Rear Admiral Michael Gilday, director of the US Joint Staff, has accused the IRGC of being directly responsible.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["US","Saudi Arabia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the sale of billions of dollars' worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia","weapons"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2017 European Union leaders gather in Rome to mark 60 years since the Treaty of Rome was signed. (BBC)","document":"European Union leaders have stressed the need for unity at a celebration in the Italian capital marking 60 years since the Treaty of Rome was signed. Twenty-seven European Union countries, not including the UK, signed a new declaration to honour the 1957 treaty, which led to the bloc's foundation. With Brexit looming, UK PM Theresa May is not attending the celebrations.\nEuropean Commission head, Jean-Claude Juncker, spoke of a new mood of optimism about the way forward. \"The atmosphere is now such that we can approach this with confidence,\" he said, referring to the future of the bloc as Britain leaves. Mrs May plans to launch the Brexit process on Wednesday by formally triggering article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. Pro-EU march in London goes silent for attack victims\nOn the Capitoline Hill, where the six original states signed the Treaty of Rome on 25 March 1957, the 27 leaders put their names to a declaration of unity. \"Prove today that you are the leaders of Europe, that you can care for this great legacy we inherited from the heroes of European integration 60 years ago,\" European Council President Donald Tusk said. \"Europe as a political entity will either be united, or will not be at all.\"\nChancellor Angela Merkel of Germany described the signing of the declaration as moving. She also repeated the German position that different members of the EU could move at different speeds - a notion opposed by Poland. \"A Europe of different speeds does not mean that there is not a unified Europe. \"We clearly say that we want to go in the same direction, and there are some things non-negotiable like the single market, the four basic freedoms, that are our values of liberty, of freedom of opinion, of freedom of speech, of freedom of press, of freedom of religion, and that makes us strong, and we shall not compromise on that.\"\nEU abuzz ahead of two key dates\nDavid Willey: My part in the Treaty of Rome signing\nThe celebratory summit comes as the EU faces a range of challenges, including Brexit and the rise of populist parties. Pro- and anti-EU protests took place in several member states. Thousands gathered for a march in London against Brexit; and in the Polish capital, Warsaw, thousands took to the streets to show solidarity with the EU. In pictures: Marches in major cities mark EU anniversary\nIn Rome itself, there were a range of protests, both opposed to and in favour of the EU. The Eurosceptic Fratelli d'Italia met in a central university hall to declare that the bloc needed to be \"shut down\". Security has been tightened across the Italian capital following Wednesday's terrorist attack in London. Pope Francis welcomed the leaders to the Vatican on the eve of the summit. In a speech, he said that all bodies risk dying if they do not look ahead, and thus urged the EU to approach the future with renewed vigour. He also warned against \"false forms of security\" promised by populists who want to wall themselves off, and instead urged greater solidarity. The original Treaty of Rome launched the European Economic Community, the EU's forerunner. It was signed by six countries: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. The US was among those countries that sent congratulatory messages to EU leaders. \"Together we look forward to another 60 years and more of shared security and shared prosperity,\" read the White House statement. President Donald Trump has more often been critical of the union, calling Brexit a \"good thing\", and predicting more countries will follow suit. In a new Declaration of Rome, the 27 countries are reaffirming their shared desire to continue with what is a greatly expanded and deepened union. But there are huge challenges. The UK's looming exit is the Union's biggest setback ever. And after a decade of crises and sense of growing threats at home and abroad, European leaders are looking for ways to reinvigorate their project, but struggling to find a united way forward. EU summit: My part in the Treaty of Rome signing","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Twenty-seven European Union countries, not including the UK"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["new Declaration of Rome"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["honour the 1957 treaty"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Italian capital","Italian capital"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2017 A memorandum is signed by Russia, Iran, and Turkey calling for de–escalation of the Syrian Civil War, although neither the Syrian government nor the Syrian opposition are signatories. (The New York Times)","document":"BEIRUT, Lebanon — Russia, Iran and Turkey signed a memorandum on Thursday to create four “de-escalation zones” in Syria, to reduce bloodshed in a war now in its seventh year, but many questions remained about the plan.\nPresented at talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, the memorandum was the most ambitious of recent proposals, but it was not signed by the Syrian rebels or government. Rebel representatives said it left too many loopholes for the Syrian military to continue what the rebels called indiscriminate bombings of civilian areas.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Russia","Iran","Turkey"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["create four “de-escalation zones” in Syria, to reduce bloodshed in a war now in its seventh year"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Astana, Kazakhstan"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2017 Russia, Iran and Turkey reach an agreement, effective this midnight, to establish four \"safe zones\" in Syria over which all military aircraft, including Turkish, Russian, and American aircraft, will be barred from flying. (Reuters) (Fox News)","document":"\nMOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) - A de-escalation agreement in Syria takes effect at midnight but Russia’s air force will continue strikes against Islamic State elsewhere in the country, Russian news agencies cited the Defense Ministry as saying on Friday.\nThe largest of the four de-escalation zones is in northern Syria and includes Idlib province and adjoining districts of Latakia, Aleppo and Hama with a total population of over 1 million, the ministry said.\nIran and Turkey agreed on Thursday to Russia’s proposal to establish the de-escalation zones.\nBut details of the memorandum the three guarantors signed were sketchy, while the main Syrian opposition group said it lacked all legitimacy.\nThe zones appear intended to halt conflict in specific areas between government forces and rebels, and would potentially be policed by foreign troops.\nThe fact that the de-escalation agreement was supported by the United Nations, the United States and Saudi Arabia guaranteed its implementation, the RIA and Interfax news agency quoted Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin as saying.\nIn Washington, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters the U.S.-led coalition in Syria had not altered its operations, but declined to comment on the de-escalation zones.\nWith the help of Russia and Iranian-backed militias, the Syrian government has gained the military upper hand against rebel groups, including some supported by Turkey, the U.S. and Gulf monarchies.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Russia","Turkey","Iran"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["takes effect at midnight"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["A de-escalation agreement","de-escalation agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The largest of the four de-escalation zones is in northern Syria and includes Idlib province and adjoining districts of Latakia, Aleppo and Hama"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Syria"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2017 The Dutch Senate approves the European Union's Association Agreement with Ukraine, setting the stage for it to be ratified as early as July, pending royal promulgation. The process was previously delayed by a non-binding referendum where a majority of Dutch voters rejected ratification of the agreement. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)","document":"The Dutch Senate has approved the European Union's Association Agreement with Ukraine, paving the way for ratification of the pact strengthening ties between the EU and Kyiv.\nThe 50-to-25 vote in the upper house of parliament in the Netherlands on May 30 marks one of the final stages in a long path to the landmark deal, which had initially been slated for signing in November 2013.\nThen-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych balked at the deal under pressure from Moscow, prompting massive protests that pushed him from power in February 2014.\nRussia responded by seizing Ukraine's Crimea region and backing separatists whose war against Kyiv's forces has killed more than 9,900 people in eastern Ukraine -- moves that have reinforced the desire of many Ukrainians for closer relations with the EU.\nThe Dutch lower house of parliament backed the agreement in a vote weeks before March 15 parliamentary elections, and King Willem-Alexander is expected to sign it into law in the coming days.\nEuropean diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity have told RFE/RL that it could be ratified during an EU-Ukraine summit in July and would enter into force in early autumn.\nEuropean Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a statement that the vote \"sends an important signal from the Netherlands and the entire European Union to our Ukrainian friends: Ukraine's place is in Europe. Ukraine's future lies with Europe.” On his Facebook page, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko thanked Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his country for their support, hailing the agreement as \"a guarantee of our freedom, independence, and territorial integrity.\"\nMeanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the ratification of the accord \"will give the authorities in Kyiv a bit more time to cultivate the fable of a 'bright European future',\" according to Russian news agencies.\nThe Netherlands is the only EU country that has yet to approve the agreement with Ukraine.\nThe agreement's fate was plunged into uncertainly when 61 percent of Dutch voters opposed it in a citizen-driven, nonbinding referendum in April 2016.\nThe Dutch government eased voters' concerns in December by adding a legally binding supplement to the Association Agreement to underscore that it will not give Kyiv the right to automatic EU membership or guarantee any EU military aid for Ukraine.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Ukraine","Dutch","the European Union","European Union"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the European Union's Association Agreement with Ukraine"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2017 Following talks in Belfast, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) agrees to a \"confidence and supply\" deal to support a Conservative Party minority-government. (BBC)","document":"Downing Street and the Democratic Unionist Party say they are still in discussions over a possible deal to secure support for a minority Conservative government.\nOn Saturday, Downing Street announced a deal had been agreed in principle - but both sides then issued statements saying talks were ongoing.\nThe Tories need the support of the DUP's 10 MPs for a Commons majority.\nNo 10 described it as a \"confidence and supply\" deal rather than a coalition.\nPrime Minister Theresa May is under pressure after Thursday's general election left her without a majority.\nLabour leader Jeremy Corbyn told the Sunday Mirror he could still be prime minister.\nForeign Secretary Boris Johnson, meanwhile, dismissed reports of a Tory party leadership bid as \"tripe\".\nThe agreement being discussed between the DUP and the Tories, who fell eight seats short of a majority in Thursday's election, is not a full coalition, but an agreement which sees the smaller party support the larger one in key votes such as on the Budget.\nDowning Street and the DUP issued separate statements overnight, emphasising that the deal between them had not yet been finalised. The tone of both was in contrast to Saturday evening's message from No 10, which said a deal had been agreed in principle.\nIn a DUP statement released at midnight, the party said: \"The DUP held discussions with representatives of the Conservative Party in line with Arlene Foster's commitment to explore how we might bring stability to the nation at this time of great challenge.\n\"The talks so far have been positive.\"\nThe DUP also retweeted a Sky News journalist's tweet claiming Downing Street's first statement had been issued in error.\nWithin an hour, Downing Street said the details would be put forward by both parties \"as and when\" they were finalised. It added: \"We will welcome any such deal being agreed, as it will provide the stability and certainty the whole country requires as we embark on Brexit and beyond.\"\nNo explanation has been given for the change by Downing Street.\nIn response to the earlier Downing Street statement, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron called on Mrs May to make public immediately the details of the deal \"stitched up behind closed doors\".\nSinn Féin's leader in Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill said the DUP had \"betrayed the interests of the people\" and the new arrangement would \"end in tears\". Mr Corbyn said the government did not have any credibility to go forward and the Labour Party would do what it could to stop it, including by voting down the Queen's Speech.\nThe DUP are pro-union in UK terms, pro-Brexit and socially conservative. The party's 2017 manifesto outlined calls for increases in the personal tax allowance, continued rises in the national living wage, renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent and revisiting terrorism laws - all similar to Conservative policy.\nBut they differ in areas including abolishing air passenger duty, cutting VAT for tourism businesses and maintaining a triple lock on pensions.\nTory chief whip Gavin Williamson met DUP chiefs in Belfast on Saturday.\nNewsnight political editor Nick Watt said the DUP and Conservatives had been \"looking at the full range of possibilities\" during Mr Williamson's visit.\nThe parties had discussed everything from just an informal undertaking to a full coalition agreement.\nHe added: \"I am told that what the DUP are looking at is securing benefits. So keep the pension triple lock and preserve universal benefits such as the winter fuel allowance for pensioners.\n\"That would allow the DUP to say 'we are not just acting in the interests of Northern Ireland, we are true unionists, we are acting in the interest of the whole of the United Kingdom'.\"\nMeanwhile, the Mail on Sunday reported a \"close ally\" of Mr Johnson as saying it was \"go-go-go\" to get him to take over the party from Mrs May. But Mr Johnson tweeted: \"Mail on Sunday tripe - I am backing Theresa May. Let's get on with the job.\"\nThis deal would see the DUP promise to back the government in votes of no confidence and supply - or Budget - issues. In return, the government would support or fund some of the DUP's policies.\nThese deals tend to be loose and a long way short of a formal coalition.\nMinority governments like this are not uncommon. John Major survived without a majority in the dying days of his Tory administration in the mid-1990s.\nLabour's Harold Wilson and James Callaghan governed with minorities for much of the 1970s.\nBut these governments can be quite constrained in what they can do, passing as little legislation as possible to avoid defeat.\nThey can also be unstable and short lived, if the deal between the parties breaks down and fresh elections have to be called.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Downing Street","the Democratic Unionist Party"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["a \"confidence and supply\" deal"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["secure support for a minority Conservative government"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2017 Total, CNPC and NIOC sign an investment of $5 billion in South Pars, the world largest gas field. (Reuters)","document":"DUBAI/PARIS (Reuters) - France’s Total signed a deal with Tehran on Monday to develop phase 11 of Iran’s South Pars, the world’s largest gas field, marking the first major Western energy investment in the Islamic Republic since the lifting of sanctions against it.\nTotal will be the operator with a 50.1 percent stake, alongside Chinese state-owned oil and gas company CNPC with 30 percent, and National Iranian Oil Co subsidiary Petropars with 19.9 percent.\nThe project will have a production capacity of 2 billion cubic feet per day, or 400,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day including condensate, Total said in a statement, adding that the gas will supply the Iranian domestic market starting in 2021.\nThe first stage of the South Pars development will cost around $2 billion, Total added.\nThe project will cost up to $5 billion and production is expected to start within 40 months, Iran’s oil ministry said in a statement.\n“This is a major agreement for Total, which officially marks our return to Iran to open a new page in the history of our partnership with the country,” Total Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanne said.\nThe offshore field was first developed in the 1990s. Total was one of the biggest investors in Iran until the country drew international sanctions in 2006 over suspicions that Tehran was trying to develop nuclear arms.\nTotal signed an initial agreement with Tehran on Nov. 8, a day after the U.S. presidential election victory of Donald Trump, who had criticized the deal lifting sanctions against Iran.\nTotal had delayed the final investment decision as it waited for the Trump administration to renew the U.S. sanctions waivers.\nTrump extended sanctions relief for Iran in May, but is imposing new measures against Iran’s ballistic missile program.\nIran, the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, hopes its new petroleum contracts will attract foreign companies and boost oil and gas output after years of under-investment.\nA senior Iranian official said at the signing ceremony that he hoped the deal with Total would encourage other international companies to invest in Iran’s oil and gas fields, which need tens of billions of dollars of foreign money.\n“This contract will send a strong political message to the world especially at the time that the Americans have adopted a confrontational course (against Iran),” Iran’s SHANA news agency quoted the head of the country’s petroleum contracts committee, Mehdi Hosseini, as saying.\n“This shows that the world is not following their path,” Hosseini was quoted as saying.\nHe added that experience has shown that after a deal with Total, other European and Asian companies would sign deals with Iran.\n“In the 1990s, the French were the first who took the risk and invested in South Pars, but ended up paying a huge penalty to the United States later. They are taking the same risk again,” said Reza Mostafavi Tabatabaei, president of London-based ENEXD, a firm involved in oil and gas equipment in the Middle East.\n“However, phase 11 of South Pars is twice the size of other phases, a lucrative opportunity that cannot be ignored,” he added.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Total","Chinese state-owned oil and gas company CNPC","National Iranian Oil Co subsidiary Petropars"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["develop phase 11 of Iran’s South Pars"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2017 The United States, Russia and regional countries reach a ceasefire deal in southwestern Syria. (Reuters) (AP)","document":"HAMBURG (Reuters) - The United States, Russia and Jordan reached a ceasefire and “de-escalation agreement” for southwestern Syria on Friday, as the U.S. government under President Donald Trump made its first attempt at peacemaking in the country’s six-year-old civil war.\nThe ceasefire, due to start at noon Damascus time (0900 GMT) on Sunday, was announced after a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit of major economies in the German city of Hamburg.\nU.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the area covered by the ceasefire affects Jordan’s security and is a “very complicated part of the Syrian battlefield.”\nRussia and Iran are the main international backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while Washington supports some of the rebel groups fighting to topple him.\n“I think this is our first indication of the U.S. and Russia being able to work together in Syria, and as a result of that we had a very lengthy discussion regarding other areas in Syria that we can continue to work together on to de-escalate the areas,” Tillerson said.\nPrevious similar ceasefires have failed to hold for long and it was not clear how much the actual combatants -- Assad’s government and the main Syrian rebel forces in the southwest -- are committed to this latest effort.\nFormer U.S. President Barack Obama struggled to find a strategy to end Syria’s civil war, which killed nearly half a million people, turned cities into ruins and forced millions to flee abroad.\nSyria has also tripped up Trump, who promised better relations with Moscow but angered Russia in April by ordering missile strikes against a Syrian air base to punish Assad after a chemical weapons attack.\nThe Syria deal appeared to give Trump a diplomatic achievement at his first meeting with Putin where they also discussed the thorny issues of Moscow’s alleged interference in the U.S. 2016 presidential election and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.\nBacked by Russian air power, Assad has regained ground in the last year or so lost to the mostly Sunni Muslim rebels.\nRelated Coverage\nRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the accord includes “securing humanitarian access and setting up contacts between the opposition in the region and a monitoring center that is being established in Jordan’s capital.”\nThe ceasefire should pave the way toward a more robust pacification effort, said a senior State Department official involved in the talks. “It is a first step in what we envision to be a more complex and robust ceasefire arrangement and de-escalation arrangement in southwest Syria, certainly more complex than ones we have tried in the past.”\nThe official said further discussions would be needed to decide crucial aspects of the ceasefire, however, including monitoring its enforcement.\nTillerson said that by and large the objectives of the United States and Russia in Syria “are exactly the same.”\nBut Washington and Moscow have long been at odds over Syria.\nThe United States has often called for the removal of Assad, who it blames for shootings of protesters at the start of the conflict and, more recently, chemical weapons attacks on civilians.\nRussia and Iran strongly back the Syrian leader, who gives both countries a strategic foothold in the Mediterranean Sea.\nDespite the ceasefire deal, Tillerson said the United States still sees “no long-term role for the Assad family or the Assad regime. And we have made this clear to everyone. We certainly made it clear in our discussions with Russia.”\nRobert Ford, who resigned in 2014 as U.S. ambassador to Syria over policy disagreements, said the Trump administration, like that of Obama, has “no national objective for the future of Syria nor any strategy for how to secure an objective were one identified.”\nBy contrast, Russia’s overall aim is clearer, said Ford, now a fellow at the Middle East Institute think tank in Washington.\n“The Russian objective is to insulate Damascus and the Syrian national government from outside pressure trying to pressure it into major concessions,” he said.\nA group of Syrian rebels that took part in the latest peace talks in Kazakhstan this month said in a statement it had “great concern over the secret meetings between Russia and Jordan and America to conclude an individual deal for southern Syria in isolation from the north,” which it described as an unprecedented event that “divides Syria and the opposition.”\nThe Syrian government and the Southern Front, the main grouping of Western-backed rebel groups in southwest Syria, did not immediately react to the ceasefire deal.\nIt was not immediately clear exactly which areas of southwestern Syria would be covered by the ceasefire but earlier talks between the United States and Russia about a “de-escalation zone” covered Deraa province, on the border with Jordan, and Quneitra, which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.\nBritish Defence Secretary Michael Fallon welcomed any ceasefire in Syria but wanted to see results on the ground.\n“The recent history of the Syrian civil war is littered with ceasefires and it would be nice ... one day to have a ceasefire,” Fallon said at an event in Washington.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Russia","The United States","United States","Jordan"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["start at noon Damascus time (0900 GMT) on Sunday"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a ceasefire and “de-escalation agreement” for southwestern Syria"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2017 South Australia finalizes a deal with Tesla, spearheaded by tweets originating from CEO of Tesla Elon Musk, to install a battery system in the state. Tesla said in a statement that upon completion by December 2017, the system would be the largest lithium-ion battery storage project in the world, overtaking an 80 megawatt-hour power station at Mira Loma in California also built using Tesla batteries. (Reuters)","document":"SYDNEY (Reuters) - Tesla Inc TSLA.O has won an Australian contract to install the world's biggest grid-scale battery, in what experts say will be a litmus test for the reliability of large-scale renewable energy.\nTesla’s CEO Elon Musk, known for his bold approach to cars, clean energy and space exploration, trumped dozens of competing proposals to build the gigantic lithium-ion battery that will serve as emergency back-up power for South Australia - a state racked by outages.\nBut under the agreement, Tesla must deliver the 100-MW battery within 100 days of the contract being signed or it will be free - a commitment Musk made in a Tweet in March.\n“There will be a lot of people that will look at this -‘Did they get it done within 100 days? Did it work?’” Musk told reporters in South Australia’s capital city of Adelaide.\n“We are going to make sure it does.”\nThe battery, designed to light up 30,000 homes if there is a blackout, will be built on a wind farm operated by France’s Neoen - parts of which are still under construction.\nMusk said failing to deliver the project in time would cost his company “$50 million or more”, without elaborating.\nIt will be the largest lithium-ion battery storage project in the world, overtaking an 80 megawatt-hour facility in California, also built using Tesla batteries.\nOver the last three years, South Australia has decided to shut down its coal-fired power stations and instead rely on wind, solar and gas. In particular it has raced ahead of the rest of the country in turning to wind power, which supplies 40 percent of its energy.\nThe move has been applauded by environmentalists but left the state prone to outages as there is no way to store enough energy when the wind doesn’t blow. In September, South Australia’s 1.7 million residents were left without power, some of them for up to two weeks, when the grid overloaded and collapsed.\nThe battery is aimed at getting around the problem of inadequate storage.\n“Cost-effective storage of electrical energy is the only problem holding us back from getting all of our power from wind and solar,” said Ian Lowe a professor of science at Australia’s Griffith University.\n“This project is a significant innovation to demonstrate the feasibility of large-scale storage.”\nDozens of companies from 10 countries, including privately owned Lyon Group, working with U.S. power company AES Corp AES.N, expressed interest in the project.\nNow the sector is waiting to see if Musk can make good on his promise.\n“Tesla has been telling the world that it can and will finish the project within three months, said a source at a Korean competitor to Tesla, declining to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.\n“It seems that confidence helped Tesla win, but typically this kind of project takes six months so we have to wait and see whether or not Tesla can do it,” the source said.\nLithium-ion batteries have been in widespread use since about 1991, but mostly on a small scale, such as in laptops and cell phones. A typical lithium-ion battery can store 150 watt-hours of electricity in 1 kilogram of battery, representing more than double the capacity of nickel batteries.\nFor their proponents who have long been pushing for grander use, the success of Musk’s big South Australian experiment will be key to greater acceptance.\n“For lithium technology to take off on a global scale, they clearly need the storage capacity to make sure renewables can deliver 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Adrian Griffin, a geologist who specializes in lithium extraction.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["South Australia","Tesla Inc TSLA.O"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["install the world's biggest grid-scale battery"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"The EU's highest court today ruled that it was unlawful to order European airlines to hand over information about transatlantic air passengers to the US government","document":"The EU's highest court today ruled that it was unlawful to order European airlines to hand over information about transatlantic air passengers to the US government.\nThe European court of justice ruling said the US did not provide adequate protection for air passengers' privacy.\nUnder the Passenger Name Records agreement, reached in May 2004, EU airlines have been obliged to give Washington 34 items of information about passengers flying to the US. The details include names, addresses, all forms of payment and contact telephone numbers.\nThe ruling, which gives the European commission and member states four months to find a solution, maintains the legality of the agreement until September 30 \"for reasons of legal certainty\".\nThe court ruled that the decision by the council of ministers - the decision-making body that represents national governments - to sign the agreement had lacked an adequate legal basis.\n\"Consequently, the court annulled the council decision approving the conclusion of the agreement and did not consider it necessary to consider the other pleas relied on by parliament,\" a court statement said.\nThe US and European airlines said the ruling would have no immediate impact on transatlantic air travel and left time to find an agreed solution to the data transfer issue.\nUS and commission officials said they were confident a fresh agreement could be reached. Stewart Baker, the assistant secretary of state for the Department of Homeland Security, said he expected \"a solution that will keep the data flowing and the planes flying\".\nFranco Frattini, the commissioner with responsibility for security, said the US and EU needed \"continuity\".\nEuropean airlines played down the impact of the ruling, saying there should be no short-term effect on travellers.\nUS officials insisted that the transfer of personal details was essential in the fight against terror following September 11.\nThey had warned that failure to agree a deal on passenger data would mean prolonged delays for air passengers from Europe because more processing would be required on their arrival in the US.\nThe judges today said the agreement had to be annulled because existing EU data protection law only covers commercial data and not that used for security purposes.\nGraham Watson, the Liberal Democrat leader in the European parliament, led the campaign against the legislation and welcomed the result.\n\"Today's judgment vindicates the four-year campaign that I and my colleagues led in the European parliament to protect the privacy of airline passengers,\" he said.\nStewart Room, the head of data protection at Rowe Cohen solicitors, said there was no authority within EU law for the original deal.\n\"The starting point is that the European directive on data protection does not extend to matters of public security,\" he said.\n\"Consequently, it is unlawful for the commission, or anyone else in the EU, to make the passenger records available to a government under that directive. It had to fail because the commission does not have the legal authority.\"\nMr Room said bilateral agreements between European governments and the US could be one way to circumnavigate the EU rules - something the Liberal Democrat MEP Sarah Ludford said MEPs would be alert to.\nHowever, he questioned whether the data would be useful and whether there was still the political will to push through more information collection projects.\n\"Law and order agencies are sucking in more data than they can process,\" he said. \"There may be some quality data within the information, but you end up in a situation where you cannot see the wood for the trees.\n\"There has to be a real question as to whether the government still has the will to carry this forward in the light of the controversy over other massive data collection projects, such as the introduction of identity cards.\"\nThe deal on \"processing and transfer of personal data\" on transatlantic flights was backed by EU governments and the European commission.\nIt meant complying with US anti-terrorist legislation requiring that all airlines operating flights to, from or across US territory provide the authorities with electronic access to all passenger data in their reservation and departure control systems.\nThe verdict could pose a major problem for individual European airlines. They may face the threat of sanctions from Washington if they refuse to cooperate with the US electronic passenger information requirements, or sanctions from their national data protection authorities if they do.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["European airlines","the US government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["until September 30"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Passenger Name Records agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["May 2004"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["EU airlines have been obliged to give Washington 34 items of information about passengers flying to the US","US"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"The court said the decision to hand over the data, including addresses and credit card details, lacked an \"appropriate legal basis\"","document":"The court said the decision to hand over the data, including addresses and credit card details, lacked an \"appropriate legal basis\".\nThe US says the information helps identify potential terrorists.\nEU and US officials say they are confident a solution can be found to enable the data transfers to continue.\nStewart Baker, an assistant secretary of state for the US Department of Homeland Security, said: \"I am confident that we will find a solution that will keep the data flowing and the planes flying.\"\nIt's really a problem for the lawyers\n\n The agreement demands that within 15 minutes of take-off for the United States, a European airline must send the US authorities 34 items of personal information about the passengers on board.\nWashington had warned that it would impose heavy fines and deny landing rights for any airline failing to comply with the agreement.\nThe US authorities also said passengers would be subject to long security checks on arrival if the data was not sent in advance.\nParliament opposition\nThe US demanded tighter airline security worldwide after the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington by suicide hijackers.\nThe ruling ensures that there is... no disruption of transatlantic air traffic, and that a high level of security is maintained until 30 September\n European Commission spokesman Johannes Laitenberger\n The European Parliament argued that the US did not guarantee adequate levels of data protection and that handing over the data violated passengers' privacy.\nIt asked the European Court of Justice to annul the deal.\nHowever, the court did not consider the privacy argument in its ruling, and confined itself to examing the legal basis of the data transfer.\nIt said the EU Data Protection Directive, on which the Council of the European Union and the European Commission based their actions did not apply to data collected for security purposes.\nIt gave the EU until 30 September 2006 to find a new legal solution.\nPassengers unaffected\n\"The ruling ensures that there is no lowering of data protection standards, no effect on passengers, no disruption of transatlantic air traffic, and that a high level of security is maintained until 30 September,\" said the European Commission's chief spokesman Johannes Laitenberger.\n\"The Commission is committed to working with all parties involved to find an appropriate arrangement by that time.\"\n\"It does not seem to alter the reality of the situation to any major extent,\" said David Henderson, a spokesman for the Association of European Airlines","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["US","EU"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["within 15 minutes of take-off for the United States, a European airline must send the US authorities 34 items of personal information about the passengers on board"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2006 Albania signs a Stabilisation and Association Agreement, a first step toward joining the European Union. (VOA)","document":"\nAlbania has signed a pre-membership agreement with the European Union.\nThe deal, signed Monday in Luxembourg, sets the framework for detailed political and economic negotiations required for Albania's eventual entry into the 25-nation European trading bloc. In a statement, the EU urged Albania to use the so-called Stabilization and Association agreement to \"push ahead with its reform agenda.\"\nThe statement points to what it says are needed Albanian improvements in property restitution, minority rights, press freedoms and governance. It also acknowledges what it calls \"encouraging steps\" by the Tirana government to combat corruption and organized crime.\nThe EU signed similar pre-membership deals with the Balkan nations of Croatia and Macedonia in 2001.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Albania","the European Union"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["Stabilization and Association agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["detailed political and economic negotiations required for Albania's eventual entry into the 25-nation European trading bloc"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Luxembourg"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2006 The International Committee of the Red Cross admits the Israeli Magen David Adom and the Palestine Red Crescent Society. The resolution, ending 58 years of struggle, was passed by a 237–54 vote, over Muslim objections. (CNN) (BBC)","document":"The Magen David Adom has sought membership since the 1930s, but its red Star of David emblem is not accepted under the Geneva conventions. The breakthrough came with approval of a third emblem, the Red Crystal, to identify relief and emergency workers.\nA vote was held after Muslim states opposed Israel's membership over the status of land it occupied in 1967.\nThe same meeting of the international Red Cross and Red Crescent movement in Geneva approved membership for the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC).\nIt had been excluded because the statutes only allow relief societies from sovereign states to join, but the rule was specifically modified to include the PRC.\nIt is hoped that the move to upgrade both societies from observer status will help engender better co-operation, say Red Cross officials.\nTwo-thirds majority\nThe Red Cross and Red Crescent conference in Geneva had hoped for a universal consensus on Israel's admission, but the agreement almost collapsed when Syria raised objections over Israel's role in the occupied Golan Heights. RED CROSS EMBLEMS\n Used in conflict zones to protect medics and civil defence teams\nOriginal symbol, reverse of Swiss flag, adopted in 1864 Red Crescent first used by Ottoman Empire in 1870s; formally recognised in 1929; used by 33 of 185 RC societies\nRed Crystal can be used alone or in combination with recognised symbols\n The issue was then put to a vote, in which 237 states and societies voted for the changes, with 54 voting against and 18 abstaining.\nThis gave the necessary two-thirds majority to modify the movement's statute and allow the change of emergency relief symbols. An amendment demanding that the movement's rules apply to all the occupied territories - putting them under Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian responsibility - was also rejected. Correspondents say the Red Cross traditionally tries to work by consensus and to avoid potentially bruising ballot box confrontations among members.\nThe chair of the American Red Cross, Bonni McElveen-Hunter, said it would now pay about $45m in dues it has withheld since 2000 because of Israel's exclusion. 'Crusader symbol'\nThe Red Cross symbol - the reversal of the colours on the Swiss national flag - was adopted in 1863 when the organisation was set up to care for wounded soldiers.\nThe reversed Swiss flag was meant to signify neutrality\nMuslim countries objected to the use of the cross symbol, which is redolent of the Crusades in medieval times, and have used a crescent instead since the 19th Century.\nBut until now, members have baulked at introducing a third symbol - a situation exacerbated by international opposition to Israel and its post-1967 occupation of Arab lands. The new symbol, a red square at an angle on a white background, can be used by any relief teams in areas where there is sensitivity about Christian or Muslim symbols.\nIsraelis, including military medics, will be able to use the crystal by itself on a white flag. On their own territory - or with the agreement other states participating in UN operations abroad - they will be able to combine it with the star of David.\nUnder the Geneva conventions relief workers and ambulances bearing Red Cross-authorised symbols are protected under international law and must be granted free access to people in need of help. In the past, RC officials have argued that having too many emblems could compromise their protection.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Red Cross","RED CROSS","the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC)","PRC","The Magen David Adom"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["approved membership for the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC)"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Geneva"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2006 The government of Angola and the Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda sign a peace agreement ending the Independence War in Cabinda. AngolaPress","document":"On a document, the Command of the separatist movement FLEC, under FCD`s authority, considers as fundamental, the observation of a total and lasting cease fire, as well as the firm determination to scrupulously fulfil the statement`s content, meant to secure peace and national reconciliation in Cabinda.\nOn its turn, FAA reiterates that it will observe with rigour this cease-fire that resulted from reconciliation and peace for Cabinda, after the Congo Brazzaville´s Understanding.\nUnder the accords, FAA commits itself to adjusting its military presence in\nthe province, by reducing its forces in the region without losing its defence capacity, having into account the missions in this part on of the country.\nPresented the statements the deputy chief of FAA staff, General Geraldo\nSachipengo \"Nunda\" and Cabinda Forum for Dialogue Secretary for Defence and\nSecurity, General Mauricio Amado Nzulo.\nThe act was witnessed by the heads of the respective delegations, namely the Territory Administration minister, Virgilio Fontes Pereira, and Antonio Bento Bembe, chairman of the mentioned Cabinda forum, as well as representatives of political parties working in this province.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Cabinda"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["FAA commits itself to adjusting its military presence in\nthe province, by reducing its forces in the region without losing its defence capacity, having into account the missions in this part on of the country","FAA commits itself to adjusting its military presence in","he province, by reducing its forces in the region without losing its defence capacity, having into account the missions in this part on of the country"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2006 The US and France have agreed on the wording of a UN resolution to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.(BBC NEWS)","document":"It calls for a \"full cessation of hostilities\", demanding that Hezbollah halt all attacks and Israel stop all offensive military operations.\nA BBC correspondent at the UN says the wording would allow Israel some freedom if it argues it needs to defend itself.\nThe UN Security Council has held initial consultations on the draft. Israel has so far reacted cautiously.\nUS Ambassador to the UN John Bolton said the Security Council meeting on Saturday was \"very productive\".\n\"We received a lot of encouraging comments on the draft text,\" he said, adding that member states needed to send it back to their capitals to seek instruction.\nLatest Mid-East crisis map\nFull text: Draft UN resolution\nMeanwhile the violence has continued, with Israeli commandos clashing with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon.\nThe Israeli army said eight soldiers had been wounded and several militants were killed in the raid on an apartment in Tyre suspected of housing Hezbollah fighters in the city.\nHezbollah has continued to fire rockets into northern Israel - about 170 were fired on Saturday. Three women were killed in an attack in the mainly Arab village of Arab al-Aramshe.\n'Confrontation'\nThe draft resolution follows weeks of disagreement over the precise wording of a call to end the violence in Lebanon.\nIsrael said several militants were killed in its raid in Tyre\nMr Bolton said the text did not include a requirement for an immediate cessation of hostilities.\nBut it does call for \"the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military actions\".\nThe draft - sent to all 15 member states in the Security Council - also calls for the current UN force in Lebanon to monitor any cessation in fighting.\nLebanon's initial reaction was to express reservations. A Lebanese envoy to the UN, Nouhad Mahmoud, said: \"We would have liked to see our concerns more reflected in the text.\"\nHe said the text lacked a call for Israeli forces in Lebanon to withdraw. \"That is a recipe for more confrontation,\" he said.\n HAVE YOUR SAY\n People are incredibly naive if they expect diplomacy to have any effect at all Nicholas Cocks, Southampton Send us your comments\nIsraeli cabinet minister Isaac Herzog called the text an \"important development\".\nHe said military operations would continue \"in the coming days, but we have to know that the timetable is becoming increasingly shorter\".\nSwift passage of the resolution seems likely, says the BBC's James Robbins at the UN in New York, and a formal vote could come as soon as Monday.\nForeign ministers are expected to come to New York for that vote, to give maximum weight to a call to all sides to stop fighting and work for a long-term political settlement, our correspondent adds.\nUK Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed news of the agreement, calling it \"an absolutely vital first step in bringing this tragic crisis to an end\".\nThe White House said President George W Bush was \"happy with the progress being made\".\nAid warning\nAs the violence on the ground continues, the Israeli army has warned residents in the Lebanese city of Sidon to stay away from rocket launching sites.\nIn other developments:\nAid agencies have warned of difficulties in delivering supplies to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the fighting, after four bridges on the main coastal highway north from Beirut were destroyed on Friday.\n\"Now the main highway is bombed we have a major, major setback... it's like a de facto blockade at the moment,\" Astrid van Genderen Stort, spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency told the BBC.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Israel","Hezbollah"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Hezbollah halt all attacks and Israel stop all offensive military operations"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2006 Ugandan government and rebel group Lord's Resistance Army sign a truce, in efforts to end the 20–year conflict. (BBC News)","document":"The agreement, reached during peace talks held in Juba, southern Sudan, is expected to take effect on Tuesday. A final peace deal will then be sought. Thousands have died during the 20-year conflict in northern Uganda, and more than one million have fled their homes.\nLengthy efforts to end the war have culminated in the peace talks in Juba.\nUnder the terms of the truce signed by both sides, the rebels will leave Uganda and their bases in Sudan and DR Congo to gather at two assembly points, where they will be protected by the government of southern Sudan.\nThe Ugandan government has promised that, once the truce is in place, it will not try to attack the rebels.\nTalks on a comprehensive peace agreement will then get under way.\nUgandan President Yoweri Museveni has set a 12 September deadline for a final peace deal.\nGuarantees\nThe LRA had already called a ceasefire, but Uganda had insisted that a comprehensive agreement - with the rebels providing details of their forces and deployment - needed to be in place before a ceasefire could be agreed.\nThe government also wanted a guarantee the LRA would not use the halt in fighting to reinforce its positions.\nThe International Criminal Court (ICC) wants the LRA's top officials - among them leader Joseph Kony - to face charges including murder, rape and forcibly enlisting children. Against the wishes of the ICC, Uganda has offered amnesty to LRA leaders in exchange for the peace talks.\nThe LRA has abducted thousands of children and forced them to fight since the conflict began.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["LRA","The Ugandan government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["take effect on Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the rebels will leave Uganda and their bases in Sudan and DR Congo to gather at two assembly points, where they will be protected by the government of southern Sudan"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Juba, southern Sudan","Juba","southern Sudan"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2006 Vivendi Universal, the world's biggest music group, has signed a deal to make its music catalogue available on a free legal downloads service.(BBC)","document":"New York-based Spiralfrog will launch its service in December and make its money by carrying adverts on the site.\nSpiralfrog aims to take on market leader Apple's iTunes service, which charges 99 cents per song in the US.\n\"Offering young consumers an easy-to-use alternative to pirated music sites will be compelling,\" Spiralfrog Chief Executive Robin Kent said.\nMr Kent, the former head of the Universal McCann advertising agency, added that his research suggested that in return for free music, young people would be willing to endure adverts - as long as the brands and products were relevant to them.\n'Shrewd move'\nUS-based music industry legal specialist Josh Lawler said news of the new service was \"inevitable\".\nSpiralfrog will have to find a way to pay artists from the advertising dollars they are generating\n Josh Lawler, music industry specialist\n\"It's a very shrewd move by Universal,\" he told BBC News.\n\"The music industry is going to a point where all delivery will probably be some form of downloading or streaming.\"\nFigures from the International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI) estimate that for each legal download, 40 are done illegally.\nMr Lawler added that the success of Myspace had underlined the power of the internet to make or break artists - as well as proving that advertising-based formats can work.\nFunding question\nBut while Spiralfrog is discussing possible deals with other big record firms, questions still remain over how the artists featured on Spiralfrog will be paid.\n\"The internet is very much a viable media, but the trick is going to be getting it off the ground in the first place,\" Mr Lawler added.\n\"Spiralfrog will have to find a way to pay artists from the advertising dollars they are generating.\n\"But they're not necessarily going to know how many advertising dollars there are and so some artists are going to be hesitant about it,\" he said.\nRapid growth\nThe music downloads industry is a burgeoning market. According to the IFPI, 60 million MP3 players were sold in 2005, while 420 million single tracks were downloaded during the year - up 20 times on two years earlier.\n DOWNLOADS INDUSTRY*\n 60m MP3 players sold worldwide\n420m single tracks downloaded\nRevenues from music downloads for MP3s and mobile phones totalled $1.1bn\n350 legitimate download sites in 2005, up from 50 in 2003\n*Source: IFPI Digital music report 2006\nMany of the models sold are also expected to be incompatible with Apple's online record store - such as Sony's Walkman.\nAt the same time, numerous companies are jumping on the downloads bandwagon.\nEntertainment retailers HMV and Virgin already offer music downloads, while music television channel MTV has opened its own online shop, Urge.\nMicrosoft is preparing to launch a music store to go with its Zune player, made by Toshiba, which is popularly viewed in the industry as an \"iPod killer\".","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Spiralfrog"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["December"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Offering young consumers an easy-to-use alternative to pirated music sites"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2006 The Turkish Parliament votes to authorize the Turkish government to send troops to the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon. Deputy speaker Nevzat Pakdil said 340 of the 533 lawmakers present in the 550-seat house voted for the deployment; 192 voted against and one abstained. (Turkish Press)","document":"Deputy speaker Nevzat Pakdil said 340 of the 533 lawmakers present in the 550-seat house voted for the deployment; 192 voted against and one abstained. Under the motion, Turkey will send a naval force to patrol the eastern Mediterranean, deploy troops, help train the Lebanese army and support allied countries in naval and air transport. The motion foresees a one-year deployment, but it is not yet clear how many troops will be deployed, nor when or where. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has said the number of soldiers is not likely to exceed 1,000. Details of the deployment were expected to become clearer after talks here Wednesday between Turkish leaders and visiting UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who arrived in Ankara hours before the vote.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Turkish","UN"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["one-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Turkey will send a naval force to patrol the eastern Mediterranean, deploy troops, help train the Lebanese army and support allied countries in naval and air transport"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Ankara"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2006 The National Liberation Forces (FNL) signs a ceasefire with Burundi, the last rebel group to enter the peace process to end the Burundi Civil War.(BBC)","document":"The FNL (National Liberation Forces) had been the only one of Burundi's main Hutu groups to remain outside a five-year-old peace process.\nThe process culminated last year with the election of a government led by Hutu ex-rebel leader Pierre Nkurunziza.\nUnder a new ceasefire agreement signed on Thursday, the FNL's estimated 3,000 fighters are due to disarm.\nThey are expected to start gathering at assembly points, where they must decide whether they want to be integrated into the national army or be demobilised.\nThe African Union and United Nations are due to help monitor the 30-day process. No overall deal\nDespite the accord, analysts remain cautious about the prospects for lasting peace after 13 years of civil war in Burundi.\nHundreds of thousands have fled the Burundi conflict over the years\nThe two sides remain far apart on issues critical to a comprehensive peace agreement and the truce was overshadowed by a government crisis.\nEarlier this week, Vice-President Alice Nzomukunda resigned, saying corruption and human rights abuses were hampering government business. More than 300,000 people have died in the war sparked in 1993 by the assassination of Burundi's first Hutu head of state.\nSince independence in 1961, the country has been plagued by tension between the dominant Tutsi minority and the Hutu majority.\nPosts in the previously Tutsi-dominated army have been split equally between Tutsis and Hutus as part of a peace deal with other Hutu rebel groups.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Burundi","The FNL (National Liberation Forces)"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["30-day"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["new ceasefire agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the FNL's estimated 3,000 fighters are due to disarm","FNL"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2006 Negotiators from the European Union and the United States reach a deal on sharing trans–Atlantic passenger data used in anti–terrorism investigations. (The Independent)","document":" European Union and US negotiators have reached a deal on the sharing of trans-Atlantic air passenger data used in anti-terror investigations, diplomats said in Luxembourg today.\n Details of the exact deal were not yet clear after marathon talks which started late yesterday.\n The EU diplomats said EU government representatives had not yet been formally notified of the deal.\n A 2004 trans-Atlantic air passenger privacy deal - which the EU high court voided last May for technical reasons - lapsed after negotiators missed an October 1 deadline.\n Negotiations collapsed last week when EU negotiators - seeking a simple replacement accord - could not agree to US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's request for a more routine sharing of passenger data among US law enforcement agencies.\n Reaching a new deal had been an EU priority to ensure airlines can continue to legally submit 34 pieces of data about passengers flying from Europe to US destinations. Such data - including passengers' names, addresses and credit card details - must be transferred to US authorities within 15 minutes of a flight's departure for the United States.\n Washington had warned that airlines failing to share passenger data faced fines of up to 6,000 dollars (£3,200) per passenger and the loss of landing rights.\n European Union and US negotiators have reached a deal on the sharing of trans-Atlantic air passenger data used in anti-terror investigations, diplomats said in Luxembourg today.\n Details of the exact deal were not yet clear after marathon talks which started late yesterday.\n The EU diplomats said EU government representatives had not yet been formally notified of the deal.\n A 2004 trans-Atlantic air passenger privacy deal - which the EU high court voided last May for technical reasons - lapsed after negotiators missed an October 1 deadline.\n Negotiations collapsed last week when EU negotiators - seeking a simple replacement accord - could not agree to US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's request for a more routine sharing of passenger data among US law enforcement agencies.\n Reaching a new deal had been an EU priority to ensure airlines can continue to legally submit 34 pieces of data about passengers flying from Europe to US destinations. Such data - including passengers' names, addresses and credit card details - must be transferred to US authorities within 15 minutes of a flight's departure for the United States.\n Washington had warned that airlines failing to share passenger data faced fines of up to 6,000 dollars (£3,200) per passenger and the loss of landing rights.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["US","European Union"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["today"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the sharing of trans-Atlantic air passenger data used in anti-terror investigations"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Luxembourg"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2006 The British and Irish governments set a provisional date of 26 March 2007 for restoring devolution to Northern Ireland through the St Andrews Agreement. (BBC)","document":"It contains a target date of 26 March 2007 for a new executive to be up and running.\nThe parties have until 10 November to respond to the plan. If they agree to it, a first and deputy first minister would be nominated on 24 November.\nThe plan follows three days of multi-party talks at St Andrews in Scotland.\nPrime Minister Tony Blair said there would have to be some form of electoral endorsement of the plan - either an election or a referendum. TIMETABLE TO GOVERNMENT\n 10 November - parties respond to proposals24 November - first and deputy first minister nominated Electoral endorsement of plans14 March 2007 - nomination of executive26 March 2007 - executive up and running\nReaction to NI plan\nHe said the two key components of a plan were that all parties accept the police and courts and have a clear agreement on power-sharing.\n\"So those are the two essential parts of it,\" Mr Blair said. \"We've been through different parts of this process many times over the past few years but I think this is a sound basis to proceed.\"\nThe government's plan also envisages the devolution of policing and justice powers in two years from the creation of the executive. HAVE YOUR SAY\n This is long overdue for the people of Ulster. I pray that devolution will finally take hold and that peace and goodwill can be restored between both the Catholic and Protestant communities. Good luck to you all.\n Peter Alsop, Calne, Wiltshire, England Send us your comments\nHowever, this would be subject to a cross-community vote in the assembly.\nA financial package is also included in the draft agreement. One of the proposals is a cap on domestic rates under the new capital value system if the governments' plans are accepted by the parties. READ THE AGREEMENT\n Text of the proposals to restore devolution in Northern Ireland(131KB)\nMost computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download the reader here\nIt also suggests the possibility of further rates relief for pensioners on lower incomes. Speaking after the governments revealed their plan, DUP leader Ian Paisley said Northern Ireland was at a crossroads and republicans had a choice and \"delivery to make\".\n\"Delivering on the pivotal issue of policing and the rule of law starts now,\" Mr Paisley said.\nHe said the DUP negotiators had dealt with a number of issues during the talks and that in the delivery of an overall package they \"had retained the retention of academic selection\" in the province's post-primary sector.\nSinn Fein president Gerry Adams said that the plans needed to be consulted on, but restoring the political institutions was an \"enormous prize\".\n\"Common-sense political realism and the interest of all our people demand we achieve this,\" he said.\n'Mexican standoff'\nWhere the key players stand\nUlster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey said what had been agreed was the \"Belfast Agreement for slow learners\".","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["26 March 2007"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["all parties accept the police and courts and have a clear agreement on power-sharing"]},{"role":"Location","values":["St Andrews in Scotland"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2007 The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 1747, imposing additional economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran for its ongoing nuclear programme. (Washington Post)","document":"UNITED NATIONS, March 24 -- The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Saturday to approve a resolution that bans all Iranian arms exports and freezes some of the financial assets of 28 Iranian individuals and entities linked to Iran's military and nuclear agencies.\nThe 15 to 0 vote came one day after President Mahmoud Admadinejad canceled plans to travel to New York to confront the Security Council, leaving his foreign minister to speak in his place. It unfolded as 15 British sailors and marines seized by Iranian naval forces were transferred to Tehran, escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries. (See story, A12)\nThe 15-nation panel imposed the latest sanctions in response to Iran's refusal to abide by repeated U.N. demands to stop its most sensitive nuclear activities, including the enrichment of uranium and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.\nThe council also threatened to impose new penalties on Tehran after 60 days if it fails to stop its nuclear activities and provide verifiable assurance that it is not secretly pursuing a nuclear weapon.\nThe measures adopted Saturday fell far short of the punishing trade, travel and military sanctions initially proposed by the United States and its European partners. But they insisted they were pleased with the outcome.\n\"We got more than we thought we were going to get\" in this resolution, said R. Nicholas Burns, the U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs. He also said that it criminalizes Iran's military support for extremists and exposes its political isolation. \"If Iran has Qatar, a Gulf Arab state; and Indonesia, a Muslim state; and South Africa, a leading member of the nonaligned movement, voting for these sanctions, Iran is in trouble internationally.\"\nIran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told the council after the vote that its action was \"unlawful, unnecessary and unjustifiable\" and that \"pressure and intimidation\" would not force Iran to abandon its right, under the 1970 Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, to develop nuclear energy. He characterized those targeted by the sanctions as \"heroes.\"\n\"Suspension is neither an option nor a solution,\" he said. \"We realize now that we must be prepared to pay the price for our dignity and our independence.\"\nAfter the vote, the council's five permanent members -- the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China -- issued a statement deploring Iran's \"failure\" to comply with U.N. resolutions but reiterated an offer to talk to Iran to resolve the nuclear standoff.\nThe resolution goes beyond Iran's nuclear program, targeting individuals and institutions that have been linked to Iran's widening military role in the Middle East.\nFor instance, the resolution imposes an asset freeze on several commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, including Brig. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Quds force, which oversees Iran's support for foreign Islamic revolutionary movements -- including Hezbollah, Hamas and Iraqi Shiite militants.\nThe resolution's widening scope suggests that the United States and its allies are seeking to use the council as part of an effort to contain Iran, and some council members and observers were concerned that Western powers may be using the council to undercut the regime. \"Is this aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, or is this regime change in another form?\" asked Jean du Preez, director of the international organizations and nonproliferation program at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The U.N. Security Council","Security Council"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["March 24"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["bans all Iranian arms exports and freezes some of the financial assets of 28 Iranian individuals and entities linked to Iran's military and nuclear agencies"]},{"role":"Location","values":["UNITED NATIONS"]}]} {"event_trigger":"The United States has concluded a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the Republic of Korea, making it the latest such agreement reached under the president's trade-promotion authority (TPA)","document":"By Kathryn McConnellUSINFO Staff Writer Washington -- The United States has concluded a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the Republic of Korea, making it the latest such agreement reached under the president's trade-promotion authority (TPA), the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced April 2. The agreement was concluded April 1, the last day TPA allows the president to submit free-trade agreements to Congress for an up or down vote, without amendments. Congress will have 90 days to consider the agreement before trade-promotion authority expires on June 30.\nWith the pending expiration of TPA, also called fast-track authority, the United States does not plan to start any new FTA negotiations, said Sean McCormack, state department spokesman.\nFast-track authority was granted to President Bush in 2001, when the House of Representatives was controlled by Republicans. With Democrats now in control in Congress, renewal of TPA is uncertain.\nThe Korea FTA is the \"most commercially significant\" free-trade agreement the United States has reached in more than 10 years, or since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), according to a USTR press release.\nThe negotiations that led to the U.S.-Korea FTA demonstrate \"that two countries with large, complex and dynamic economies, and a tradition of robust public involvement can work through challenges and craft a high-quality free trade agreement,\" said Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Karan Bhatia.\nSouth Korea is the world's 10th-largest economy and the United States' seventh-largest trading partner. The United States is Korea's third-largest market. Two-way trade in goods between the two countries carried an estimated value of $72 billion in 2006, USTR said.\nWhen implemented, the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) would expand trade and investment flows between the two countries across a comprehensive list of economic sectors including agriculture, industrial and consumer products, automobiles and textiles, USTR said.\nThe agreement also would further enhance the U.S.-Korea partnership that has been \"a force for stability and prosperity in Asia,\" President Bush said in an April 2 statement.\nU.S. business groups have urged swift adoption of a U.S.-Korea FTA, which had been in negotiations for 10 months.\nUnder the agreement, more than $1 billion worth of U.S. farm exports to Korea would become duty-free immediately and most remaining agricultural tariffs would be phased out over the first 10 years after the agreement is enacted.\nMore than 90 percent of bilateral trade in industrial and consumer goods would become duty-free in three years after enactment with remaining tariffs eliminated within 10 years, USTR said.\nThe agreement would eliminate Korea's engine displacement-based tax system for imported cars. The United States says that system discriminates against U.S.-made autos, which generally are larger than domestically produced Korean cars.\nThe pact also would ensure that U.S. investors in Korea have the same rights as Korean investors and that intellectual property rights (IPR) are protected.\nIt would require both the United States and Korea to enforce their environmental and labor laws and would establish mechanisms for enhancing cooperation in safeguarding labor rights and environmental protections.\nThe full texts of a press release announcing the agreement and Bhatia's prepared remarks are available on the USTR Web site. Bush's letter to Congress concerning the agreement is available on the White House Web site.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The United States","United States","United States-Korea","the Republic of Korea","Korea"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["free-trade agreement (FTA)","FTA","free-trade agreement","Free Trade Agreement","free trade agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["more than $1 billion worth of U.S. farm exports to Korea would become duty-free immediately and most remaining agricultural tariffs would be phased out over the first 10 years after the agreement is enacted"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"The United States and the Republic of Korea yesterday, April 1, successfully concluded a free trade agreement","document":" The United States and the Republic of Korea yesterday, April 1, successfully concluded a free trade agreement that will create economic opportunities for their people and enhance their economic and strategic partnership.\n“This is a historic moment for our two countries. The United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) will provide U.S. farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, and service providers exciting new market opportunities in a growing, dynamic country.  It will contribute to Korea’s successful transformation to a 21st century economic power,\" said U.S. Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab.   \"The completion of this landmark agreement is testimony to the industriousness, creativity and determination of our two peoples.  It demonstrates that two countries with large, complex economies and robust public involvement in policy debates can work through great challenges to build stronger trade and investment ties.\" The KORUS-FTA represents the United States’ most commercially significant FTA in over a decade.  The Republic of Korea is the world’s tenth largest economy, with a GDP of nearly $1 trillion.  Korea is already the United States\nAgriculture\nHistorically, Korea has been one of the most protected agricultural markets in the world.  The KORUS FTA will create highly valuable new export opportunities for American farmers and ranchers by eliminating and phasing out tariffs and quotas on a broad range of products.  Under the agreement, over $1 billion worth of U.S. farm exports to Korea will become duty-free immediately.  Most remaining tariffs and quotas will be phased out over the first ten years the agreement is in force.\nIndustrial Goods and Consumer Products\nNearly 95% of bilateral trade in consumer and industrial products becomes duty-free within three years of entry into force of the Agreement, with most remaining tariffs eliminated within 10 years.\n\nThe KORUS FTA will eliminate discrimination in engine displacement-based taxes, long a significant impediment to market access in Korea.  The agreement contains strong commitments to addresses the specific standards-related concerns raised by U.S. auto manufacturers and to create a working group to review auto-related regulations being developed as an early warning mechanism to prevent new problems from arising and to promote good regulatory practice in Korea.  The agreement also contains a special enhanced dispute settlement mechanism for auto-related measures, with strong remedies to deter actions on autos that are inconsistent with the agreement. Textiles\nWith the inclusion of the “yarn forward” rule of origin, the KORUS FTA will give apparel products from Korea preferential access to the U.S. market while supporting U.S. fabric and yarn exports and jobs.  Textile and apparel makers in both countries will benefit from a special textile safeguard and strong customs enforcement requirements.\n\nThe agreement ensures that U.S. investors in Korea will have the same rights and enjoy equal footing with Korean investors.  These rights will be backed by a stable, transparent legal framework.\n\nThe agreement will expand market access and investment opportunities in a number of service sectors, including telecommunications and e-commerce.  The agreement will also expand market opportunities for U.S. audio-visual products.\nIntellectual Property Rights Protections\nThe agreement provides high-level standards for protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, including trademarks, copyrights and patents, consistent with U.S. standards.\nLabor Rights and Environmental Stewardship\nThe agreement requires both countries to enforce their own labor and environmental laws, ensures access to legal mechanisms to ensure enforcement, and establishes mechanisms to enhance cooperation in efforts to safeguard labor rights and environmental protections.  ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the Republic of Korea","The Republic of Korea","The United States","United States"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["The United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA)","KORUS FTA"]},{"role":"Date","values":["April 1"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Under the agreement, over $1 billion worth of U.S. farm exports to Korea will become duty-free immediately.  Most remaining tariffs and quotas will be phased out over the first ten years the agreement is in force","agreement","over $1 billion worth of U.S. farm exports to Korea will become duty-free immediately.  Most remaining tariffs and quotas will be phased out over the first ten years the agreement is in force.\nIndustrial Goods and Consumer Products\nNearly 95% of bilateral trade in consumer and industrial products becomes duty-free within three years of entry into force of the Agreement, with most remaining tariffs eliminated within 10 years"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2007 Sudan and a breakaway faction of the Justice and Equality Movement of Darfur sign a peace treaty. (Sudan Tribune)","document":"July 15, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan and a splinter rebel faction from Darfur have signed on Sunday a peace agreement in the Egyptian capital, the official SUNA reported today.\nThe Sudanese government and a breakaway faction from the Justice and Equality Movement, (JEM) led by Ibrahim Yahia Abdelrahaman, signed an agreement in Cairo according to which leadership of the former rebel faction would return to the Sudan and engage in dialogue for resolution of issues of difference.\nSudan has inked this deal with a small rebel faction while International mediators in the Darfur crisis, who met in Libya, discussed ways to bring all the Darfur rebel groups to negotiate with Khartoum to end the four year conflict.\nThe agreement also includes the return of refugees and IDPs to their villages and action for prevalence of security in Darfur.\nIbrahim Yahia, who is from the Massalite ethnic group, is the former governor of West Darfur state. He joined the JEM in 2004.\nMutrif Sideq, the first Undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has signed on behalf of the government. He said the agreement stipulates remedy of the private and public condition of the returnees. He said the agreement also deals with the security matters and in some areas in Darfur and lay the foundation for the development of a number of areas in Darfur.\nMore than 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been displaced in the Darfur region of western Sudan since 2003, when ethnic African rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated Sudanese government, accusing it of decades of neglect.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Sudan","a splinter rebel faction from Darfur"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["peace agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["leadership of the former rebel faction would return to the Sudan and engage in dialogue for resolution of issues of difference"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Egyptian capital","Cairo"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2018 EU finance ministers reach an agreement on reforming bank capital rules. (Reuters)","document":"BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union finance ministers reached an agreement on Friday on reforming bank capital rules, a major step towards boosting the bloc’s financial stability and a stepping stone towards a deal on a backstop for its bank-rescue fund in June.\nThe accord came after 18 months of heated debate among the 28 EU governments on how to apply new global bank capital rules that overhauled financial regulations after the 2007-2009 global crisis.\nIt paves the way for another breakthrough on the bloc’s bank rescue fund, which ministers committed on Friday to equip with a backstop, although the final decision will be made only in June.\nThe two measures are seen as interlinked because the banking capital rules are expected to reduce bank risk, which would allow more sharing of risk among euro zone countries in the form of a common backstop to prop up the sector’s rescue facility, known as Single Resolution Fund.\nGermany’s Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said after the meeting that the deal was a good start that would provide momentum towards further progress in the area.\nUnder the accord, which must be approved by EU lawmakers, European banks will have to abide by a new set of requirements aimed at keeping their lending in check and ensuring they have stable funding sources.\nGermany and France fully backed the deal, others accepted it with some reservations. Italy and Greece, which abstained, said the deal on capital rules should be matched by an agreement on sharing banking risk by June.\nItaly’s position, although in line with past statements, was partly dictated by the fact that it has yet to form a government after inconclusive elections in March.\nUnder the deal, the euro zone’s agency for troubled banks, the Single Resolution Board, will be given a clearer mandate to set the level of capital buffers that banks should hold against the risk of failure.\nThe so-called Minimum Requirement for own funds and Eligible Liabilities (MREL), which introduces into EU legislation the global standard known as Total Loss Absorbing Capacity (TLAC), will be set at 8 percent of large banks’ total liabilities and own funds.\nThe SRB will, however, be able to require higher buffers for banks it deems insufficiently safe, or a lower buffer for better capitalised institutions.\nMinisters agreed on a more favourable capital treatment for large banks in countries that belong to the bloc's banking union, such as France's BNP Paribas BNPP.PA, Netherlands' ING INGA.AS and Italy's Unicredit CRDI.MI, as their exposure to other countries in the bloc will be treated as a safer domestic exposure. The agreement “will allow our banks to better finance households and firms in France and in Europe,” the French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said.\nHowever, Britain’s finance minister Philip Hammond and ministers from smaller EU states said that departure from global standards could heighten risk.\nThe new rules would also require large foreign banks to set up intermediate parent undertakings (IPUs) that would bring their EU operations under a single holding company. The move effectively mirrors U.S. rules and is seen as crucial to protecting the bloc’s financial stability against risks posed by major banks.\nIn a minor concession to reluctant states, ministers reiterated their intent to reach an agreement on a state-funded backstop for the euro zone’s bank-funded Single Resolution Fund.\nThe fund is currently equipped with 17 billion euros ($19.9 billion), but that is not considered enough to cope with a larger banking crisis.\nThe backstop is expected to be provided by the euro zone’s state-backed bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism.\nAnother measure of risk sharing, a common insurance of covered bank deposits, is still far from being agreed, despite being a pillar of the banking union, the EU’s flagship project to strengthen its banking sector after years of crisis.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["European Union finance ministers"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["reforming bank capital rules"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2018 Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain signs into law the official merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administrative province. (RFE/RL)","document":"Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain has signed legislation that merges the country's tribal regions with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and therefore grants some 5 million people in the regions the same rights as other Pakistanis.\nHussain signed the law in Islamabad on May 31.\nThe bill had previously been passed by the lower and upper houses of parliament as well as the assembly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the necessary two-thirds majority.\nThe legislation rids the northwestern tribal areas of what were seen as discriminatory laws under which those regions have been governed since the colonial rule of Britain.\nPakistan was granted independence from London in 1947.\nThe Federaly Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) include seven territorial agencies: Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan. They are mainly rugged, mountainous areas along the border with Afghanistan.\nPakistan's government, led by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, formally steps down on May 31, the end of its five-year term.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["May 31"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["merges the country's tribal regions with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and therefore grants some 5 million people in the regions the same rights as other Pakistanis"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Islamabad"]}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2018 The government of Myanmar announces that it has reached a repatriation agreement with the United Nations regarding Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, saying it will assure that refugees \"can return voluntarily in safety and dignity.\" Members of the UNHCR and the UNDP will be allowed to work in Rakhine State to monitor the process. (The Guardian)","document":" Refugees in Bangladesh who fled violence at hands of the military express concerns over details of the plan Last modified on Mon 11 Jun 2018 08.56 BST\nMyanmar’s government has announced an agreement with two UN agencies for the return of refugees who fled violence in Rakhine state, but Rohingya have expressed concerns that it does not do enough to guarantee their safety.\nOver 700,000 ethnic Rohingya Muslims have fled to squalid camps in neighbouring Bangladesh since last August, when Myanmar’s army led a brutal crackdown, which saw tens of thousands tortured and killed, villages razed to the ground and women raped, following insurgent attacks on security posts. The memorandum is a key step forward in the slow and halting process of repatriation. Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in November to begin repatriating the Rohingya, but the refugees expressed concern that they would be forced to return and would face unsafe conditions in Myanmar if the process was not monitored by aid groups. This was a view echoed by the international community. The UN has been denied access to Rakhine since August last year, but UNHCR and UNDP staff will be able to enter the region and properly assess the conditions. Knut Ostby, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar, said there were “hundreds of thousands of people living in totally unsustainable conditions on the Bangladesh side. They cannot stay where they are and so it’s important we try to do our best to bring them back home, but in a way that is voluntary, dignified and safe and gives them a chance to rebuild their lives.”\nIn a statement, the Myanmar government said they had made the agreement with the UN so that verified displaced people “can return voluntarily in safety and dignity”.\nHowever, the details of the memorandum were sparse and left many concerned that it would not address some of the key issues of repatriation, such as whether the UN supported the Myanmar government’s plans to temporarily house those Rohingya who have been accepted back to Myanmar in a 124-acre “transit camp” in Hla Po Khaung, northern Rakhine, before they are sent to one of 11 designated settlement areas to live. Many Rohingya believe these settlements will simply be “open air prisons”.\nBangladesh-based Rohingya political activist Ko Ko Linn alleged that incidents of violence were still being carried out against Rohingya in Myanmar, making safe repatriation seem impossible at this stage. “While the situation for the Rohingya still remains so hostile, we cannot believe that Myanmar has been sincere in the process to repatriate them,” he said.\nAnother issue is that while the Myanmar government statement specified that the memorandum applied to Rohingya who had been “duly verified”, many lack the necessary paperwork and documentation having fled the violence with few, if any, possessions. The memorandum also does not spell out the UN’s role in Rakhine post-repatriation, and the role the UN agencies would play in ensuring the Rohingya community were not subject to the same violence, which was described by the US and the UN as ethnic cleansing. Mohammad Umor, a 48-year-old Rohingya refugee who lives in Balukhali camp since he fled Myanmar in August, told the Guardian that the Rohingya wanted the UN to promise to keep peacekeepers in Rakhine after repatriation. “They must facilitate our return to our original villages and our confiscated lands and other properties must be returned to us,” said Umor. “We cannot live with those police and soldiers – who raped and killed so many Rohingya people – around us. The UN and Burma [Myanmar] government must keep UN peacekeeping forces for our safety in Rakhine.”\nHowever, Ostby emphasised that “once the conditions are in place for the return, then we will deal with protection issues when that repatriation happens”.\nThe UN said in a separate statement that conditions in Myanmar were still not yet appropriate for the return, but that they would be working with the government to make progress. Ostby said the two key conditions that the Myanmar government had to demonstrate for the UN to green light repatriation were assured citizenship for the Rohingya – ensuring they were “able to have an identity, to be able to exist as normal persons in society” – and also an assurance that they would not be at risk of being attacked or subject to any local violence.\nRohingya Muslims face official and social discrimination in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, which denies most of them citizenship and basic rights by not recognising them as one of the country’s indigenous ethnic groups. Ensuring that the Rohingya are no longer considered a “stateless people” is a key condition of the memorandum, though so far the Myanmar government has not shown any willingness to accept the Rohingya as citizens, and in official statements often still refers to them derogatorily as “Bengalis”.\nThe official timeline given for repatriation by the Bangladesh government is two years but Ostby admitted that was optimistic. “It’s more important to make sure we are not bringing people back into an unstable situation,” he said. “It’s an enormous job and obviously this is not a final agreement where everybody will magically be returned. It’s now that the work starts.”\nShaikh Azizur Rahman contributed to this report\n… ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Myanmar’s government","Myanmar government","the Myanmar government","two UN agencies"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the return of refugees who fled violence in Rakhine state"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2018 International mining firm BHP Billiton signs an agreement with Brazilian authorities over criminal culpability and civil compensation liability over a mine site collapse that killed nineteen. The deal halts litigation for up to two years but does not confirm a final amount for a settlement. (Reuters)","document":"RIO DE JANEIRO/MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Samarco [SAMNE.UL] and parent companies Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd have signed a deal with Brazilian authorities that settles a 20 billion reais ($5.30 billion) lawsuit related to a 2015 dam burst that killed 19 people, Vale and BHP said on Monday.\nThe agreement, signed by prosecutors from the federal government and the states of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo, mandates improvements in governance for the Renova Foundation, created to help victims of the accident, Vale said.\nIn a separate statement, BHP said the agreement sets a two-year timeline to reach a settlement over a separate 155 billion reais lawsuit, which will remain suspended while the parties continue to negotiate. It did not give a timeline on licensing and when operations may resume.\n“It’s good that it moves along closer to a resolution obviously, and potentially caps some of the risk around (the settlement), given the earlier numbers that had been put out there,” said portfolio manager Andy Forster of Sydney’s Argo Investments, which has holdings in BHP.\n“But it’s still uncertain around what the size of the total settlement could actually be.”\nBrazil’s worst environmental catastrophe happened when a dam designed to hold back mine waste burst, leaving a trail of destruction for hundreds of kilometers.\nPart of the terms of the agreement announced on Monday include a greater role for affected people in the governing bodies of the Renova Foundation.\nThe deal marks a key milestone for beleaguered Samarco, but it still faces a hefty debt load and little clarity on when it might receive key permits to resume operations.\n“The positive is we don’t have a big compensation number which was the market’s concern,” said analyst Glyn Lawcock at UBS in Sydney. “The negative is that we still don’t have a definitive outcome or a definitive amount, or a timeline for restart.”\nVale has said it expects the company to resume operations in 2018 or early next year, but has pushed back forecasts several times.\nThe mine still needs two permits to reopen, and the lack of a clear timeline makes it harder for the companies to renegotiate the debt load, sources have told Reuters.\n“It seems that if everything goes well, and the plaintiffs feel the community are being compensated fairly and the land is being rehabilitated...then there could be no more increase in cash out the door for BHP and Vale,” said UBS analyst Lawcock.\n“But if the plaintiffs feel that as they move forward two years and there’s still things to be done...then there may be more money to be spent, is our understanding.”\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Samarco [SAMNE.UL] and parent companies Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd","Samarco","Brazilian authorities"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["two-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["settles a 20 billion reais ($5.30 billion) lawsuit related to a 2015 dam burst that killed 19 people","help victims of the accident"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2018 Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV reports that a cease-fire is reached to end the latest round of fighting with Israel. (NBC News)","document":" Follow NBC News JERUSALEM — The border between the Gaza Strip and Israel was quiet on Friday after a reported Egyptian-brokered truce calmed a deadly, two-day outburst of violence.\nAl-Aqsa TV reported late Thursday local time that a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas — the Palestinian militant group the runs the strip — had been mediated by Egypt and other regional players, it said.\nIsraeli officials, who did not comment on the reports, say the latest round of strikes hit 150 military targets and came in response to 180 rocket launches from Gaza. Thirty rockets were intercepted by that country’s “Iron Dome” defense system.\nFour Palestinians, including an unborn child, were killed over two days, according to Health Ministry officials. Ali Algandor, 30, died Wednesday. And overnight Wednesday to Thursday, a 22-year-old pregnant woman was killed along with her 1-year-old daughter, officials said. The woman’s husband was also injured.\nEleven people were wounded in the Israeli city of Sderot near northern Gaza after six rockets were fired from the strip. Israeli officials said that one woman was seriously wounded in a rocket attack, and 20 other people have also been hurt. Some of those people were admitted for shock.\nIsrael has fought three wars in Gaza in the last decade — the latest in 2014 — and fears are growing that a new conflict is on the way. Any cease-fire will face a test later on Friday, as Palestinians in the narrow strip of land blockaded by Israel and Egypt planned on resuming weekly border protests.\nAfter a quiet night, Israel's military told residents in the south of the country who had spent much of the past two days in rocket shelters that they could return to their daily routines. The area has suffered weeks of intensifying rocket attacks and fires set by incendiary kites and explosive balloons.\nTalk of a cease-fire began around July 20 after officials said gunmen killed an Israeli soldier near the border, which prompted Israeli strikes by warplanes, tanks and artillery that were said to have left at least four Palestinians dead.\nThe U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process called for calm in a statement on Thursday.\n\"For months I have been warning that the humanitarian, security and political crisis in Gaza risks a devastating conflict that nobody wants. The U.N. has engaged with Egypt and all concerned parties in an unprecedented effort to avoid such a development,\" Nickolay Mladenov said.\n\"Our collective efforts have prevented the situation from exploding until now. If the current escalation however is not contained immediately, the situation can rapidly deteriorate with devastating consequences for all people,\" Mladenov said.\nGazans have held weekly protests since March 30, some of which have become violent, to demand the right of return for Palestinian refugees. Some 70 percent of Gaza residents are descended from or themselves refugees driven from their homes after the creation of the State of Israel.\nMore than 150 Palestinians have been killed during the recent protests, and a Gaza sniper killed an Israeli soldier.\nEgypt and the United Nations have been trying to mediate a cease-fire, stop the violence from escalating and ease profound hardship in Gaza, which is home to two million Palestinians. A political impasse between Hamas and Fatah, the faction that dominates the Israel-occupied West Bank, also has made it impossible for Palestinians to present a strong or united front.\nIsrael lays the blame for the violence on Hamas.\n\"We will continue to defend our citizens against terror rockets as any other state would,\" said Israel's Permanent Representative to the U.N., Danny Danon, on Twitter.\nThursday's fighting brought back memories of the most recent war, in 2014. Air raid sirens wailed in southern Israel overnight and throughout the day, sending families scrambling into bomb shelters, canceling outdoor summer cultural events and forcing summer camps indoors. The Israeli air force, meanwhile, pounded targets across Gaza.\nA Palestinian rocket struck the southern city of Beersheba late in the afternoon, landing in an open area. It was the first time a rocket had hit the city since the 2014 war.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Israel","Hamas"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["cease-fire"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2018 The United States and Mexico reach common ground on key trade terms in the North American Free Trade Agreement. Canada has yet to sign off on the agreement. (BBC) (Reuters)","document":"The US and Mexico have agreed to revamp Nafta, the North American Free Trade Agreement, in what Donald Trump called a \"really good deal\" for both countries. The US President, who has frequently criticised the existing deal, made the announcement on Monday.\nCanada - the other member of Nafta - is yet to agree to the new terms and will hold more discussions on Tuesday.\nMr Trump had threatened to pull out of the deal, triggering a year of talks.\nHe demanded a renegotiation of the 1994 trade agreement, which he blames for a decline in US manufacturing jobs, especially in the car industry.\nUS shares rose and the Mexican peso strengthened on news of the preliminary deal on Monday.\nMr Trump said the US and Mexico had agreed on terms that would make for a deal that was \"much more fair\". Negotiators have been rewriting the Nafta treaty over the past year, but in the past five weeks, Canada has not been part of the discussions.\n\"We will see whether or not we decide to put up Canada or just do a separate deal with Canada,\" Mr Trump said.\nHe also threatened Canada with tariffs on cars and said he wanted to get rid of the name Nafta, which he said has \"bad connotations\".\nCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has had a \"constructive conversation\" with Mr Trump since the deal with Mexico was announced, his office said.\nCanadian foreign minister Chrystia Freeland is expected to travel to Washington DC for talks on Tuesday. Negotiators want to agree a deal before the newly elected Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, takes office in December. He has been reluctant to continue Enrique Pena Nieto's police of opening up of Mexico's energy sector, which could complicate negotiations.\nIn order to meet that deadline, the Trump administration must present Congress with a deal at least 90 days in advance - meaning the deadline is this Friday.\nHowever, Mr Obrador said on Monday that the two-way agreement with the US was just the first step in a new treaty.\n\"We're very interested in it remaining a three-country deal,\" he said. \"The free-trade agreement should remain as it was originally conceived.\" A spokesman for Ms Freeland said the country was \"encouraged\" by the progress made by the US and Mexico but did not comment on the specific terms.\nThe US and Canada have been at loggerheads on a range of trade matters, including Canadian protections for its dairy industry and US tariffs on steel and aluminium.\n\"We will only sign a new Nafta that is good for Canada... Canada's signature is required,\" said spokesman Adam Austen. A senior US trade official said: \"There are still issues with Canada but I think they could be resolved very quickly.\"\nIn a televised telephone call with Mr Trump, Mr Pena Nieto stressed the importance of an agreement that includes Canada.\nHowever, Mexican foreign minister Luis Videgaray said his country was prepared to strike a bilateral US-Mexico deal.\nNafta covers more than $1tn (£780bn) in annual trade. The update is to include provisions to govern intellectual property, digital trade and investor disputes, among other issues.\nIn the preliminary agreement announced on Monday, the US and Mexico agreed that 75% of a product must be made in the two countries to receive tax-free treatment - higher than in the existing deal.\nOn cars, the two sides also settled on rules that will require 40% to 45% of each vehicle to be made by workers earning at least $16 an hour to discourage firms from moving production to lower-wage Mexico.\nThe pact would last for 16 years, the US said, and be reviewed every six years - but will not carry the threat of automatic expiration. Politicians in all three countries have the final say over trade agreements.\nIn the US, Republicans, who typically support free trade, have pressed the White House to strike a deal, arguing that the relatively open borders have benefited American farmers and other groups.\nSenator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, called the development a \"positive step\", adding: \"Now we need to ensure the final agreement brings Canada into the fold and has bipartisan support.\"\nThe US Chamber of Commerce also said it was critical that the agreement continued to include Canada.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["US","Mexico"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the North American Free Trade Agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["US shares rose and the Mexican peso strengthened on news of the preliminary deal on Monday","Monday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2018 The United Nations reports that a ceasefire has been agreed upon by non-governmental militias fighting in Tripoli. (BBC)","document":"Rival militia factions that have been fighting in Libya's capital Tripoli for the past week have agreed a ceasefire, the United Nations says.\nAt least 47 people have been killed and 1,800 families internally displaced by the violence, officials say.\nLast week, a ceasefire deal announced by officials from western cities only held for a few hours.\nA UN-backed government is nominally in power in the capital, but militias occupy much of the rest of the country.\n\"Under the auspices of [UN envoy Ghassan Salame], a ceasefire agreement was reached and signed today to end all hostilities, protect civilians, safeguard public and private property,\" the Unsmil mission said.\nThe ceasefire also provides for the reopening of the capital's only functioning airport, Mitiga, which has been closed since 31 August due to the clashes. The agreement \"does not aim to fix all the Libyan capital's security problems; it seeks to agree on a broader framework on the way to start addressing these issues,\" the mission said. The talks included military officers, leaders of various armed groups in and around the capital and the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). This is the third attempt to end the outbreak of violence in Tripoli as the first two ceasefires were broken almost immediately. This time there's a signed agreement mediated by the United Nations. By Rana Jawad, BBC North Africa correspondent\nIf the ceasefire holds, it will be a short-term fix because the underlying issues that drive these bouts of deadly militia violence in Tripoli are rooted in governance, and institutional issues that could take years to overcome. For the international community, containing this deadly conflict was a priority because it threatened the standing of the only government they can deal with and what has been a painstakingly slow return of foreign missions and diplomats to Tripoli since 2014. But this ceasefire only buys them time. Every government that has come and gone, whether backed by the international community or not, has legitimised these competing armed groups on and off, including all those involved in the fighting this past week. This allowed them to grow more powerful and richer over the years, and for the rivalry to deepen and boil over as it did this month. As it stands, the authorities need some of them to remain in power because they have not figured out how to do without them. If they can maintain the peace long enough, it may give the UN and member-states a chance to take control of further mediation and new parallel efforts that start finding solutions to the root causes of Libya's troubles.\nThe armed group that sparked the eight-day conflict posted a statement saying its commander supported the truce; the group claims the agreement includes the departure of its rivals from Tripoli. Those rivals are militia brigades which are nominally attached to the interior ministry in the Tripoli government. The violence has forced thousands of people to flee to nearby towns or seek shelter in other parts of the capital, while many more have remained trapped inside their homes.\nThe violence broke out last week when militias from a city to the south of Tripoli attacked its southern areas, leading to fighting with local militias that support the GNA.\nHundreds of migrants trapped by the fighting have been moved to other detention centres.\nLibya has faced continuing chaos since Nato-backed forces overthrew long-serving ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011. Hundreds escape Libya jail amid clashes\nNations call for calm after Libya clashes\n'Militants' kill Libyan checkpoint officers\nHow Libya holds the key to solving Europe's migration crisis\nLibya rivals agree 'historic' election plan\nIs it possible to hold elections in lawless Libya?\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the United Nations","United Nations","Rival militia factions"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["today"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["end all hostilities, protect civilians, safeguard public and private property"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2016 The FARC orders all its fighters to observe a ceasefire from midnight local time (Monday 1 a.m. EDT). (BBC)","document":"A ceasefire has come into effect in Colombia between the main leftist rebel group and the government, ending one of the world's longest insurgencies. The ceasefire at midnight local time (05:00 GMT Monday) came after four years of peace talks in Cuba between the Farc and the government.\nThe final agreement on ending the 52-year-old war will be signed next month.\nFarc leader Rodrigo Londono, known as Timoleon Jimenez or Timochenko, gave the order to stop firing.\n\"Never again will parents be burying their sons and daughters killed in the war,'' Timochenko told journalists. \"All rivalries and grudges will remain in the past,\" he said. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed a decree earlier to halt military operations against the Farc, also from midnight.\n\"One of the country's most painful chapters\" was coming to an end, he said in a tweet on Sunday, calling the ceasefire a \"historic step\". Crucial milestone: Analysis by Will Grant, BBC News, Havana\nIn one sense, the Farc's announcement of a total ceasefire is purely procedural. In another, it is a historic moment towards a lasting peace. It is procedural in that the bilateral ceasefire had already been agreed and there has in effect been a truce on the ground for several months. But the definitive ceasefire was supposed to come into force the day after the final peace agreement was signed by President Santos and the leader of the Farc, Timoleon Jimenez - an event expected in Cartagena at the end of September. This moves that forward in a gesture of goodwill on both sides. It is historic in that - finally - it brings to an end more than 50 years of conflict which left an estimated 260,000 people dead and millions internally displaced. These milestones are crucial for the Colombian peace process. Perhaps more important is what comes next: a popular vote on the agreement in early October. That will decide the fate of the years of negotiation in Havana and, in the process, the political futures of both President Santos and the Farc.\nA peace agreement was announced on Wednesday in Havana, at the peace talks.\nFarc fighters will ratify the accord in September and a Colombian popular vote on the agreement will follow on 2 October.\nUnder the terms of the agreement, the Farc (the Spanish acronym for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) will give up its armed struggle and join the legal political process.\nIn March Colombia announced the start of peace negotiations with the second largest rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), but the rebels have yet to meet the government's precondition of releasing all of their hostages and stop all kidnapping. 1964: Set up as armed wing of Communist Party\n2002: At its height, with an army of 20,000 fighters controlling up to a third of the country\n2008: The group's worst year, when it suffered a series of bitter defeats\n2012: Start of peace talks in Havana\n2016: Definitive ceasefire\nAre you in Colombia? Can the ceasefire be maintained? ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["government","the main leftist rebel group"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["next month"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the Farc (the Spanish acronym for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) will give up its armed struggle and join the legal political process"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Cuba"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2016 Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC guerrilla leader Rodrigo Londoño, also known as Timochenko, sign a peace accord in Cartagena, ending the longest running armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere. The final agreement will be submitted to popular ratification in a referendum on October 2.(Reuters)","document":"CARTAGENA, Colombia (Reuters) - Colombia’s center-right government and the Marxist FARC rebel group signed a peace deal on Monday to end a half-century war that killed a quarter of a million people and once took the Andean country to the brink of collapse.\nAfter four years of peace talks in Cuba, President Juan Manuel Santos, 65, and rebel leader Timochenko - the nom de guerre for 57-year-old Rodrigo Londono - warmly shook hands on Colombian soil for the first time and signed the accord with a pen made from a bullet casing.\nA crowd of dignitaries chanted: “Long live Colombia, long live peace” as Santos handed Timochenko a white dove pin. One man waved a large Colombian flag that had an extra white stripe in homage to the peace deal.\n“The horrible night of violence that has covered us with its shadow for more than half a century is over,” Santos said through tears. “We open our hearts to a new dawn, to a brilliant sun full of possibilities that has appeared in the Colombian sky.”\nColombians will vote on Sunday on whether to ratify the agreement, but opinion polls show it should pass easily.\nAttendees at the event, many of whom also wept, observed a minute of silence in memory of those killed, maimed, raped, kidnapped and displaced during the war.\nThe end of Latin America’s longest-running war will turn the FARC guerrillas into a political party fighting at the ballot box instead of the battlefield they have occupied since 1964.\n\n\n“No one should doubt that we will conduct politics without arms,” said Timochenko, who asked for forgiveness from FARC victims. “We are all prepared to disarm in our minds and our hearts.”\nGuests at the ceremony in the Caribbean coastal city of Cartagena were asked to wear white and included United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Cuban President Raul Castro and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.\nShowing its support for the peace deal, the European Union on Monday removed the FARC from its list of terrorist groups.\nKerry said Washington would also review whether to take the FARC off its terrorism list, and has pledged $390 million for Colombia next year to support the peace process.\n“Anybody can pick up a gun, blow things up, hurt other people, but it doesn’t take you anywhere. ... Peace is hard work,” he said of a rare diplomatic good news story for the Obama administration as it contends with the seeming intractable war in Syria and other conflicts.\nIn the worst days of the war, attacks shook the capital, Bogota, which rebels threatened to overrun, and battles between the guerrillas, paramilitaries, drug gangs and the army raged in the countryside, parts of which remain sown with landmines.\nThousands of civilians were killed in massacres, especially in rural areas, as the warring sides sought to prevent people from collaborating with or supporting enemy forces.\nDespite widespread relief at an end to the bloodshed and kidnappings of the past 52 years, the deal has caused divisions within Latin America’s fourth-largest economy.\nFormer President Alvaro Uribe and others are angry the accord allows rebels to enter parliament without serving any jail time.\nIn Cartagena on Monday, huge billboards urged a “yes” vote in the referendum, while Uribe led hundreds of supporters with umbrellas in the colors of the Colombian flag urging voters to back “no.”\nThe FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which began as a peasant revolt, became a big player in the cocaine trade and at its strongest had 20,000 fighters. Now, its some 7,000 fighters must hand over their weapons to the United Nations within 180 days.\nColombians are nervous over how the rebels will integrate into society, but most are optimistic peace will bring more benefits than problems.\n“This is the moment, it’s now or never,” said 50-year-old lawyer Melquis Pulecio, as he watched the ceremony with thousands of others on a big screen in central Bogota. “We are tired of this war - we were born to war.”\nColombia has performed better economically than its neighbors in recent years, and peace should reduce the government’s security spending and open new areas of the country for mining and oil companies.\nBut criminal gangs may try to fill the void in rebel-held areas, landmines hinder development and rural poverty remains a huge challenge.\nWith peace achieved, Santos, a member of a wealthy Bogota family, will likely use his political capital to push for tax reforms and other measures to compensate for a drop in oil income caused by a fall in energy prices.\n“It’s such an important day,” said Duvier, a nom de guerre for a 25-year-old rebel attending a FARC congress last week in the southern Yari Plains that ratified the peace accord. “Now we can fight politically, without blood, without war.”\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Colombia’s center-right government","the Marxist FARC rebel group"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["end a half-century war"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Referendum voters in Colombia narrowly fail to ratify a peace deal between the Government of Colombia and FARC. (Reuters), (Deutsche Welle), (BBC)","document":"Voters in Colombia have rejected a landmark peace deal with Farc rebels in a shock referendum result, with 50.2% voting against it.\nThe deal was signed last week by President Juan Manuel Santos and Farc leader Timoleon Jimenez after nearly four years of negotiations. But it needed to be ratified by Colombians in order to come into force.\nAddressing the nation, President Santos said he accepted the result but would continue working to achieve peace.\nColombians were asked to endorse or reject the peace agreement in a popular vote on Sunday. The \"yes\" campaign had the backing not just of President Santos but of a wide array of politicians both in Colombia and abroad, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. But there was also a vocal campaign for a \"no\" vote, led by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Polls conducted ahead of Sunday's vote suggested a comfortable win for the \"yes\" campaign.\nBut in a surprise result, 50.2% of voters rejected the agreement compared with 49.8% who voted for it. The difference with 98.98% of the votes counted was less than 54,000 votes out of almost 13 million ballots. Turnout was low with fewer than 38% of voters casting their votes.\nColombia was divided regionally with most of the outlying provinces voting in favour of the agreement and those nearer the capital and inland voting against it.\nIn Choco, one of the provinces hardest hit by the conflict, 80% of voters backed the deal. In the town of Bojaya, where at least 119 people were killed when a church was hit by Farc mortar bombs, 96% of residents voted \"yes\".\nColombia's capital, Bogota, also voted \"yes\" with 56%.\nThe province of Vaupes, in the east of the country, also registered strong support for the deal, with 78% voting in favour. Vaupes has also seen its share of conflict, including the attack on the town of Mitu, which the rebels seized control of in 1998 after taking a large number of police officers hostage. Some of the officers were held hostage by the Farc for 12 years before being freed by the army in 2010.\nIn the eastern province of Casanare on the other hand, 71.1 % voted against the deal.\nIt is an area where farmers and landowners have for years been extorted by the Farc and other illegal groups. In Antioquia, the home state of ex-President Uribe, 62% rejected the deal. Most of those who voted \"no\" said they thought the peace agreement was letting the rebels \"get away with murder\".\nUnder the agreement, special courts would have been created to try crimes committed during the conflict.\nThose who confessed to their crimes would have been given more lenient sentences and would have avoided serving any time in conventional prisons. This, for many Colombians, was one step too far. They also balked at the government's plan to pay demobilised Farc rebels a monthly stipend and to offer those wanting to start a business financial help.\n\"No\" voters said this amounted to a reward for criminal behaviour while honest citizens were left to struggle financially.\nMany also said that they simply did not trust the rebels to keep their promise to lay down arms for good. They pointed to previous failed peace negotiations when the rebels took advantage of a lull in fighting to regroup and rearm as evidence that the Farc had broken their word before.\nOthers were unhappy that under the agreement, the Farc would be guaranteed 10 seats in the Colombian Congress in the 2018 and 2022 elections.\nThey said this would give the newly created party an unfair advantage.\nRead more about the deal's most contentious points\nPresident Santos said that the bilateral ceasefire between government forces and the Farc would remain in place. He has told government negotiators to travel to to Cuba to consult Farc leaders on the next move.\nPresident Santos has promised to \"continue the search for peace until the last moment of my mandate because that's the way to leave a better country to our children\".\n\"I won't give up,\" he said. The Farc leader known as Timochenko also said that the rebels remained committed to securing an end to the conflict. \"The Farc reiterates its disposition to use only words as a weapon to build toward the future,\" he said after the result. \"Count on us, peace will triumph.\"\nBut before the vote, President Santos had told the BBC that there was \"no Plan B\" for ending the conflict, which has killed an estimated 260,000 people. He said he would meet all political parties on Monday to discuss the next steps and \"open space for dialogue\".\nRead more: Viewpoint: What next for Colombia after 'no' vote?\nThe main proponent of the vote against the agreement was former President Alvaro Uribe. Following the \"no\" vote, Mr Uribe insisted that he was not opposed to peace but that he wanted to renegotiate some of the agreement, which he said needed \"corrections\".\nAmong the \"corrections\" he has demanded are, among others:\nHe said he wanted \"political pluralism which can't be perceived as a reward for crimes committed, social justice without risk to honest enterprise\".\n\"We want to contribute to a national accord and be heard,\" he said.\nHowever, it is not clear whether the Farc would agree to the \"corrections\" Mr Uribe wants or if they would even consider renegotiating the deal which took four years of formal negotiations and two years of secret talks to reach. One of surprise, as even Mr Uribe, the main backer of the \"no\" vote, had predicted that the \"yes\" vote would win. Some of those who had gathered to watch the result on giant screens expressed their disappointment.\nOne woman in Medellin told Caracol radio: \"I never thought I could be this sad. I haven't got any victims in my family, nor any siblings who've joined the guerrilla, but I think of my country, of the young people and my heart breaks into a thousand pieces.\"\nFarc leader Timochenko expressed his disappointment with the result which he blamed on \"the destructive power of those who sow hatred and revenge\" and \"have influenced the Colombian people's opinion\".\nOpponents of the agreement, however, took to the streets to celebrate their unexpected win. Many said that \"justice has won\" and expressed their relief at the result.\nOne Colombian woman told BBC Mundo that Colombians had not forgotten that the path of the Farc was \"paved with kidnappings, killings and drug trafficking\".\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["President Juan Manuel Santos","Farc leader Timoleon Jimenez"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["last week","Read more about the deal's most contentious points"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["bilateral ceasefire"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 France seeks United States and Russian support for a Security Council resolution to impose a new truce that will allow aid into Aleppo, which has experienced two weeks of heavy Syrian and Russian bombing of rebel-held areas. (Reuters)","document":"PARIS/MOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) - France is to launch a new push for United Nations backing for a ceasefire in Syria that would allow aid into the city of Aleppo after some of the heaviest bombing of the war.\nAs diplomatic efforts resumed, the Syrian military said army commanders had decided to scale back air strikes and shelling in Aleppo to alleviate the humanitarian situation there.\nIt said civilians in rebel-held eastern Aleppo were being used as human shields and a reduced level of bombardment would allow people to leave for safer areas.\nIntense Syrian and Russian bombing of rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo followed the collapse last month of a ceasefire brokered by Moscow and Washington, which backs some rebel groups. The United States broke off talks with Russia on Monday, accusing it of breaking its commitments.\nFrance said Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault would travel to Russia and the United States on Thursday and Friday to try to persuade both sides to adopt a Security Council resolution to impose a new truce.\nAyrault has accused Syria, backed by Russia and Iran, of war crimes as part of an “all-out war” on its people. Damascus rejects the accusation, saying it is only fighting terrorists.\nSpeaking to French television channel LCI, Ayrault said: “If you’re complicit in war crimes then one day you will be held accountable, including legally. I think with the Russians you have to speak the truth and not try to please them.”\nThe former prime minister said he would also ask Washington to be “more efficient and engaged” and not allow a laissez-faire attitude to take over just because presidential elections were approaching in November.\n“ALL THAT’S LEFT”\nRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry discussed Syria by telephone on Wednesday, but no details emerged. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Lavrov would meet Ayrault in Moscow on Thursday.\nThe two-week-old Russian-backed Syrian government offensive aims to capture eastern Aleppo and crush the last urban stronghold of a revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that began in 2011.\nRelated Coverage\nHalf of the estimated 275,000 Syrians besieged in the rebel-held eastern part of the city want to leave, the United Nations said, with food supplies running short and people driven to burning plastic for fuel.\nMothers were reportedly tying ropes around their stomachs or drinking large amounts of water to reduce the feeling of hunger and prioritise food for their children, the U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in Geneva.\nThe Security Council began negotiations on Monday on a French and Spanish draft resolution that urges Russia and the United States to ensure an immediate truce in Aleppo and to “put an end to all military flights over the city”.\n“This trip is in the framework of efforts by France to get a resolution adopted at the U.N. Security Council opening the path for a ceasefire in Aleppo and aid access for populations that need it so much,” the French foreign ministry said.\nRussian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said on Monday that Moscow was engaged in discussions on the draft text even if he was not especially enthusiastic about its language.\nThe draft text, seen by Reuters, urges Russia and the United States “to ensure the immediate implementation of the cessation of hostilities, starting with Aleppo, and, to that effect, to put an end to all military flights over the city.”\nThe draft also asks U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon to propose options for U.N.-supervised monitoring of a truce and threatens to “take further measures” in the event of non-compliance by “any party to the Syrian domestic conflict”.\nA senior Security Council diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “In the experts’ negotiations they (Russia) have opposed every single dot and comma of the resolution.”\nFrench officials have said that if Moscow were to oppose the resolution they would be ready to put it forward anyway to force Moscow into a veto, underscoring its complicity with the Syrian government.\n“It’s all that’s left,” said a French diplomatic source. “We’re not fools. The Russians aren’t going to begin respecting human rights from one day to the next, but it’s all we have to put pressure on them.”\nAyrault said in the television interview that the situation was unacceptable. “It is deeply shocking and shameful,” he said. “France will not close its eyes and do nothing. It’s cynicism that fools nobody.”\nThe collapse of the latest Syria ceasefire has heightened the possibility that Gulf states including Saudi Arabia and Qatar - backers of Syrian rebels - might arm the opposition with shoulder-fired missiles to defend themselves against Syrian and Russian warplanes, U.S. officials have said.\nQatar’s foreign minister said outside powers need to act fast to protect Syrians because foreign military backing for the government is “changing the equation” of the war.\nA United Nations expert said that analysis of satellite imagery of a deadly and disputed attack on an aid convoy in Syria last month showed that it was an air strike.\nSome 20 people were killed in the attack on the U.N. and Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoy at Urem Al-Kubra near Aleppo.\nThe United States blamed two Russian warplanes which it said were in the skies above the area at the time of the incident. Moscow denies this and says the convoy caught fire.\n“With our analysis we determined it was an air strike and I think multiple other sources have said that as well,” Lars Bromley, research adviser at UNOSAT, told a news briefing.\nIn northern Syria, rebels were expecting stiff resistance from Islamic State in their attempt to capture a village that is of great symbolic significance to the jihadists, a rebel commander said.\nWith Turkish backing, rebels fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner have advanced to within a few kilometres (miles) of Dabiq, the site of an apocalyptic prophecy central to the militant group’s ideology.\nWriting by Giles Elgood and Philippa Fletcher, editing by Peter Millership\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["France","United Nations"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a ceasefire in Syria that would allow aid into the city of Aleppo"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin sign several agreements including a $12.9 billion defense and energy deal. Russian state oil major Rosneft pays for a controlling stake in both India's Essar Oil and port facilities that it already owns. (Reuters)","document":"GOA, India (Reuters) - India and Russia signed billions of dollars of defense and energy deals on Saturday at a summit that sought to inject new life into a relationship that has been tested by shifting global alliances and conflict in the Middle East.\nUnder the biggest agreement, a group led by Russian state oil major Rosneft ROSN.MM said it would pay $12.9 billion for a controlling stake in both India's Essar Oil and port facilities that it owns. The countries, which had strong ties during the Cold War, announced plans for a joint venture to build helicopters in India. New Delhi said it would also buy surface-to-air missile systems and stealth frigates from Moscow.\n“Ours is a truly unique and privileged relationship,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the western seaside state of Goa.\nModi said that his views were aligned with Putin’s on the unstable situation in Afghanistan and the Middle East, where Moscow is at odds with the West in the five-year-old civil war in Syria that has killed hundreds of thousands.\n“We are conducting a comprehensive dialog on a wide scale of international issues, in which Indian and Russian approaches are close to each other or coincide,” said Putin.\nModi also praised Putin’s support for the fight against international terrorism, which India accuses its neighbor and rival Pakistan of sponsoring. “Russia’s clear stand on the need to combat terrorism mirrors our own,” Modi said.\nThe Rosneft-Essar deal will be the biggest foreign takeover in India, and Russia’s largest outbound deal, according to Thomson Reuters data.\nRelated Coverage\nIt comes as Russia moves to reassert its role in global affairs and at a time when its own economy is stagnant, hit by Western sanctions and low oil prices.\nUnder the deal, a group led by Rosneft will acquire 98 percent of Essar Oil, and with it a 400,000 barrels-per-day refinery and port at Vadinar for $12.9 billion, the two sides said.\nRussian state bank VTB VTBR.MM said it would refinance $3.9 billion owed by the Essar Group. Rosneft would pay $3.5 billion and its partners, oil trader Trafigura and investment fund UCP the same amount for an equal joint stake.\nThe refinery deal follows a string of upstream investments in Russia by Indian companies in recent months that, Modi said, were worth $5.5 billion.\nAlso on display was Russia’s nuclear prowess, with the second reactor of the Russian-built Kudankulam plant in Tamil Nadu hooked up to the grid and concrete being poured in a ceremony carried by a TV linkup to mark the start of work on the third and fourth reactors there.\nPutin said that Russia would be able to build a dozen nuclear reactors in India over the next 20 years to back Modi’s growth strategy for Asia’s third-largest economy, which continues to suffer chronic power shortages.\nThe defense pacts will also deepen military ties between the two countries that dates back to the Soviet era, when India entirely depended on Moscow to equip its armed forces. The United States has since taken over as India’s top arms supplier.\nIndian military officials have said the plan is for the joint venture to build at least 200 Kamov 226t helicopters required by the country’s defense forces. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will be the local partner of Russian Helicopters and state arms exporter Rosoboronexport.\nThe S-400 surface-to-air missiles would strengthen India’s defenses along its borders with China and Pakistan, Indian military officials have said. Also agreed were plans to build and supply stealth frigates for the Indian navy.\nRussia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who is in charge of space and military industries, said two frigates could be built in India and two in Russia, RIA news agency reported. Rogozin said the ships may later be equipped with missiles manufactured by BrahMos Aerospace, a venture co-owned by the Indian and Russian governments.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["India","Russia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["billions of dollars of defense and energy deals","a group led by Russian state oil major Rosneft ROSN.MM said it would pay $12.9 billion for a controlling stake in both India's Essar Oil and port facilities that it owns"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and EU officials sign the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). (BBC)","document":"The European Union and Canada have signed a long-delayed landmark trade deal, following weeks of uncertainty due to opposition in Belgium. The deal was signed in Brussels by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and top EU officials.\nThe signing ceremony initially planned for Thursday had been cancelled after Belgium's Wallonia region vetoed the agreement.\nAll 28 EU states approved the deal on Friday when consensus was reached.\nThe Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as Ceta, required all EU member states to endorse it.\nThe deal removes 99% of tariffs - and officials hope it will generate an increase in trade worth $12bn (€10.9bn; £9.8bn) a year. The deal was due to be signed at 11:00 local time (10:00 GMT), but was postponed after Mr Trudeau's plane had to turn back to Ottawa airport after experiencing \"mechanical issues\" shortly after take-off.\nAfter the agreement was finally signed several hours later, Mr Trudeau said: \"Canadians and Europeans share the understanding that in order for real and meaningful economic growth, we need to create more good, well-paying jobs for our citizens. \"Progressive trade agreements like the one signed today, will do just that.\"\nEuropean Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker referred to \"a new chapter\" in relations between the EU and Canada, which would open new opportunities \"more than half-a-billion people on both sides of the Atlantic\".\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Canada","The European Union"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["removes 99% of tariffs"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Brussels"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2016 The Saudi-led military coalition and the Houthis (Ansar Allah) arrive at a ceasefire agreement effective as of 17 November 2016, as a result of talks led by US Secretary of State John Kerry with the region's leaders.(The Guardian)(Arabian Business)","document":"\nUS secretary of state John Kerry has said that Yemen’s Houthi rebel group and the Saudi-led coalition fighting it had agreed to a ceasefire from Thursday, as Washington presses for an end to the war before Barack Obama leaves office.\n The internationally recognised Yemeni government quickly rejected the move, complaining of being bypassed. But it may have little choice if leaned on by Saudi Arabia, on which it depends both militarily and financially.\nMore than 10,000 people have been killed and over 3 million displaced in the past 20 months in a war that has been overshadowed by the Syria conflict but which has created a humanitarian catastrophe.\n Kerry, in what could be his last trip to the Gulf before Obama’s term ends in January, is seeking a breakthrough to end the fighting between the Houthis, allied to Iran, and the Saudi-backed government of Yemeni president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.\n Speaking after talks in Oman, which is close to the Houthis, and the United Arab Emirates, a key member of the Saudi-led coalition, Kerry said he had presented Houthi delegates with a document outlining a ceasefire and peace deal.\n He said the Houthis, whom he met in Oman on Monday night, had agreed to a ceasefire from Thursday, provided the other side implemented it. “And thus far the Emiratis and the Saudis ... they have both agreed to try to move forward with this,” he said.\n The ceasefire would be on the same terms as an earlier one that ran from April until the end of August, when UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait ended in disagreement.\n Kerry also said the parties “have agreed to work towards the establishing a new national unity government in a safe and secure Sana’a (the capital) ... as a goal towards the end of the year”.\n But Yemeni foreign minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi said Kerry’s announcement had not been coordinated with his government.\n “The government was not aware of, nor is it interested in, what Secretary Kerry announced, which represents a desire to scuttle peace efforts by trying to reach an agreement with the Houthis apart from the government,” Mekhlafi wrote on his official Twitter page.\n “I believe the current US administration is incapable of providing any guarantees to any party and what Kerry has said is no more than a media bubble at our people’s expense,” Mekhlafi told Qatar-based al-Jazeera television.\n Yemen is a security concern for the United States, partly because al-Qaida has a strong local wing there. In August, Kerry proposed during a visit to Saudi Arabia that the Yemeni parties work simultaneously on setting up a unity government that would incorporate the Houthis while the armed group withdrew from cities it has captured since 2014.\n UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has been trying to build on the proposals and brought about a three-day ceasefire last month, but fighting resumed as soon as it ended.\n In his remarks in Abu Dhabi, Kerry said the Saudis, Emiratis and Houthis had agreed publicly for the first time to send representatives to a de-escalation and coordinating committee and accept the envoy’s roadmap as the basis for negotiations.\n Hadi’s government says the Houthis have illegally seized power in a coup backed by Iran, and demands that they quit the cities they have seized and hand over heavy weapons before any political settlement starts.\n The Houthis say they seized power to end corruption and to get rid of Islamist militants they say expanded their influence during Hadi’s presidency. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the Saudi-led coalition","Saudi-led coalition","Saudi","Yemen’s Houthi rebel group"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["from Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a ceasefire from Thursday"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2016 Hamas says it has reached a truce with the Israeli military following hostilities today along the Gaza-Israel border. There were no casualties. (The Jerusalem Post) (Reuters)","document":"Violence erupted along the Israel-Gaza border on Wednesday as Israeli forces and Palestinian militants exchanged fire and Israeli war jets bombed targets in the enclave, ruled by the Islamist Hamas group.\nThere were no immediate reports of casualties in the rare flare-up along the frontier, which has been largely quiet since a 2014 war.\nThe outbreak of violence coincided with work by the Israeli military to uncover tunnels being built by Gaza militants that Israel fears could be used to infiltrate its territory. The Palestinians fired mortar bombs at Israeli forces operating near the border fence, prompting fire from Israeli tanks and warplanes that bombed open areas in the northern and southern sectors of the Gaza Strip. “Our efforts to destroy the Hamas terror tunnel network, a grave violation of Israel’s sovereignty, will not cease or be deterred,” military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said.The Hamas armed wing, Izz el-Deen Al-Qassam Brigades, said the raid was a violation of the 2014 ceasefire and demanded that Israel pull out its forces “immediately”.”The enemy must not make pretexts and must leave Gaza immediately, they should deal with their fears and concerns outside the separation line,” the group said in a statement.\nA senior Hamas official in exile, Moussa Abu Marzouk, said calm along the Gaza-Israel border was being restored following intervention with the two sides on the part of Egypt, which brokered the truce that stopped the 2014 war.\n“Contacts were made with Egyptian brothers, who sponsored the last ceasefire agreement. Their response was quick, serious, which helped restore things to where they were before,” Abu Marzouk in a post on his official Facebook page.\nOn Tuesday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu inspected a large tunnel discovered in April on the Israeli side of the border. Israel said it had been dug by Hamas.\nIsraeli security sources say half a dozen classified anti-tunnel technologies have long been under development, though held up by funding problems that were partly alleviated by a U.S. research grant of $40 million this year.\nHamas leaders, while stressing they do not seek an imminent war, see tunnels as a strategic weapon in any armed confrontation with Israel and have vowed not to stop building them.\nMore than 2,100 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed during the 2014 Gaza conflict. Sixty-seven Israeli soldiers and six civilians in Israel were killed by rockets and attacks by Hamas and other militant groups.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Israeli forces","Hamas"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["ceasefire"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2016 The government of Colombia and FARC rebels sign a ceasefire deal, putting an end to 50 years of conflict in the country between the two sides. (BBC)","document":"The Colombian government and the Farc rebels have signed a historic ceasefire deal, bringing them closer to ending more than five decades of conflict.\nThe announcement is seen as one of the last steps before a full peace deal is signed, which is expected within weeks.\nColombia's president and the Farc leader shook hands in celebration.\nThe longest-running insurgency in the Western Hemisphere left an estimated 220,000 people dead and almost seven million displaced.\nThe announcement in Havana caps formal peace talks that started three years ago in the Cuban capital.\nThe Farc in the 21st Century is a strange beast.\nGone is the bipolar vision of the Cold War, and gone too are most of the group's original intellectual architects, many killed in combat.\nToday, somewhat anchorless, the rebels continue to go through motions of an armed insurgency but they know a new future is beckoning.\nThey remain primed for war - machine guns by their beds, handguns under their pillows, all night lookouts keeping watch for an enemy that no longer seems to be searching for them.\n\nBut it does not mark the start of the ceasefire, which will only begin with the signing of a final accord.\nColombia's President, Juan Manuel Santos, has previously said he hopes to sign that accord by the end of July.\nThursday's announcement includes:\n\"Let this be the last day of the war,\" Farc leader Rodrigo Londono, known as Timochenko, said at the announcement.\nBoth sides agreed to let the courts rule whether a popular vote can be held in Colombia to endorse the deal, which was a promise made by Mr Santos.\nThe president said at the ceremony that this was a \"historic day\".\n\"We have reached the end of 50 years of death, attacks and pain,\" he said. \"This is the end of the armed conflict with the Farc.\"\nThe announcement of the Farc ceasefire dominated the headlines of the online editions of the main Colombian newspapers and other media outlets.\nCentre-left newspaper El Espectador featured extensive coverage of the news of the agreement and a banner headline, which reads: \"The guns went silent\" along a striking image of two guerrilla fighters in action. It also covered the key points of the deal as well as the history of the conflict.\nConservative newspaper El Tiempo emphasised President Juan Manuel Santos's statement that the final agreement would be signed in Colombia, not Cuba. Medellin-based newspaper El Colombiano featured a commentary by former President Alvaro Uribe, who remains sceptical about the prospects for peace, saying \"the word peace is wounded.\"\nOne of the main national radio networks RCN ran a story citing Farc leader Timochenko saying: \"We are going to do politics without arms.\"\nBoth sides still need to establish how the peace deal in its entirety will be implemented, verified and approved.\nUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and leaders of Latin American countries also attended the ceremony. More about the rebels\nThe agreement was welcomed elsewhere, with the EU's foreign representative Federica Mogherini calling it \"a turning point in the Colombian peace process\".\nUS Secretary of State John Kerry said that \"although hard work remains to be done, the finish line is approaching and nearer now than it has ever been\".\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The Colombian government","the Farc rebels"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["is expected within weeks"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["ceasefire deal"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Colombia"]}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2016 The Eastern Bloc of the FARC-EP, a unit of the FARC rebel group, announces its rejection of the recent ceasefire signed by its leader Timoleón Jiménez and the Colombian government of President Juan Manuel Santos, declaring it will not lay down its arms and demobilize and will continue to fight the government. (Reuters via The Guardian)","document":"\n\nA unit of Colombia’s Farc rebel group has said it will not lay down arms or demobilize under a potential peace deal with the government, the first public sign of opposition to an accord from within the rebel ranks that may set back efforts to end five decades of war.\n The statement by the Armando Rios First Front, a 200-strong guerrilla unit in the south-eastern jungle province of Guaviare, comes nearly two weeks after leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) and the government announced a ceasefire deal – the result of more than three years of peace talks.\n “We have decided not to demobilize, we will continue the fight for the taking of power by the people for the people, independent of the decision taken by the rest of the members of the organization,” the unit said on Wednesday.\n The First Front, which held ex-presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three American contractors hostage, said the deals being reached at talks in Cuba would not solve the social and economic problems which first motivated the Marxist group to take up arms in 1964.\n President Juan Manuel Santos has said the peace talks, aimed at ending a conflict which has killed more than 220,000 and displaced millions, may conclude as early as this month. Any deal will be put to Colombians for approval in a plebiscite vote.\nThe First Front, which is known to have links to the drug trade, said it would respect any Farc rebels who agreed to peace, but called on other units to join forces to continue the fight.\n “We invite all guerrillas and militia who are not in agreement with demobilization and the laying down of Farc weapons to join forces and continue united as an organization,” the statement said.\n Santos said earlier on Wednesday that any Farc unit that did not adhere to a peace agreement would continue at war and be killed or jailed.\n “Anyone with doubts, best leave them aside and join the peace accord, because it’s the last opportunity they will have to change their lives, because otherwise they will end up, I assure you, in a grave or jail,” Santos said.\nFarc leaders negotiating in Havana did not immediately respond to the decision by the breakaway unit, but security sources said other units could also reject a peace agreement, and throw the process into doubt. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc)","Colombia","Farc"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["ceasefire deal"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2019 Both countries announce an initial deal where new tariffs to be mutually imposed on December 15 would not be implemented. China says it \"will buy more high quality of American agricultural products\", while the United States says it will halve the existing 15% tariffs. (The Guardian)","document":"China and the US have reached an initial deal to resolve a bruising trade war between the two countries, according to statements from both sides.\nChina’s vice-commerce minister, Wang Shouwen, said in a late night briefing on Friday that the US had agreed to cancel some of its existing tariffs on Chinese goods, while Donald Trump tweeted that the two countries had agreed to a “very large Phase One Deal”.\nCalling the agreement an “amazing deal for all”, Trump said China had agreed to “many structural changes and massive purchases” of “Agricultural product, Energy, Manufactured Goods, plus much more”. He said the 25% tariffs would remain and previous 15% tariffs would be halved to 7.5%.\nHe also confirmed that a new round of tariffs planned for 15 December on goods including laptops, toys and video games would not go ahead “because of the fact that we made the deal”.\nTrump said negotiations on a phase two deal would begin “immediately, rather than waiting until after the 2020 election”.\nThe remarks came after a day of silence from Beijing, following US media reports that an agreement “in principle” had been reached that would see the US roll back some of the tariffs on $360bn of Chinese goods in exchange for Chinese commitments to buy US agricultural products and other concessions.\nNews of the deal comes days before the White House is due to impose the new tranche of tariffs on $160bn in consumer goods, which experts say would have escalated trade tensions further. Reports said China had agreed to purchase $50bn worth of US farm goods while the US offered to cut existing tariffs on Chinese goods by as much as 50%.\nChinese officials did not confirm commitments to purchase US agricultural products, stating only that the country “will buy more high quality of American agricultural products” but relevant detail would be disclosed later.\nOfficials said the two sides had agreed on the text of a nine-chapter agreement covering intellectual property, technology transfers, agricultural products and dispute settlement among other topics. Wang said both sides would need to go through legal checks, translations, and arrangements for an official signing ceremony.\nLiao Min, of the office of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs, said China would also consider not implementing previously planned tariffs on US products, to go in effect on 15 December.\n“China hopes the US will fulfill its commitment. Removing tariffs is the core concern of China’s,” he said.\nThe Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 index closed only slightly higher on the news on Friday and experts questioned how much the agreement resolves long-running tensions between the two countries.\n“The deal will ultimately be weighed in terms of how much it does to address structural issues like intellectual property and market access,” said Shehzad Qazi of China Beige Book. “The push for financial decoupling and of course the larger technological competition are also all here to stay.”\n“Trump’s trade war may have been the opening salvo of a long drawn conflict,” he said.\nAs China comes under more pressure to support its slowing economy, major structural changes are less likely.\n“The trade war so far has damaged the bilateral relationship in every dimension,” said Dan Wang, the China analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit.\n“This may be the end of act 1, but far from the end of the trade talks. China will continue to rely on industrial policies and the state sector to lead growth. The role of state-owned enterprises is strengthened, not weakened during this economic downturn and the opening-up policies are rather limited,” she said.\nBeijing’s muted response earlier on Friday had raised questions about whether an agreement had been reached. Speaking at a symposium in Beijing, China’s minister of foreign affairs, Wang Yi, did not mention the negotiations.\nInstead, he took the occasion to criticise the US for having “seriously damaged the hard-won mutual trust” between the two countries. Wang said the US had “slandered” China by criticising it over its policies in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.\n“We will never accept the so-called unilateral sanctions and any acts of bullying,” he said.\nFor the last year and a half, Beijing and Washington have been locked in a tit-for-tat trade war that has inflicted pain in both economies, caused market uncertainty, and slowed global growth.\nCritics say striking a deal now negates the last year and a half of pressure on China to reform practices that give its businesses an unfair advantage.\nThe US senator Marco Rubio wrote on Twitter that the deal would “give away the tariff leverage needed for a broader agreement on the issues that matter the most such as sub­sidies to do­mes­tic firms, forced tech transfers & blocking US firms access to key sectors”.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["US","China"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["resolve a bruising trade war between the two countries","resolves long-running tensions between the two countries"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2019 Russia and Ukraine reach a new five-year agreement on gas transit. (AP)","document":"MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Russia and Ukraine have agreed to continue sending gas through Ukraine to Europe for five years.\nThe decision that was announced Saturday removes worries that Europe could be denied a substantial amount of the Russian gas that it relies on for heating and industry.\nRussia ships about 40 percent of its European gas deliveries through pipelines that cross Ukraine. The current contract is to expire at the end of the year and delays in concluding a new one caused concern in Europe.\nOfficials in the Russian and Ukrainian capitals said they plan to have the new contract signed before New Year’s Day. Ukrainian Energy Minister Alexei Orzhel told reporters on Saturday that the agreement foresees shipments of 65 billion cubic meters through Ukraine in 2020 and annual shipments of 40 billion cubic meters thereafter. Those amounts are smaller than what Russia has sent through Ukraine in previous years. Russia has been working intensively to build new delivery networks that bypass Ukraine. Those networks include the under-construction Nord Stream 2 undersea pipeline between Russia and Germany, whose immediate future has been thrown into doubt after the company laying sections of the pipeline said it is suspending work because of U.S. legislation threatening sanctions.\nThe Ukraine-Russia deal also includes payment by Russia of $2.9 billion to settle an arbitration claim arising from previous transit disputes, and waives new claims, said Alexei Miller, head of Russia’s state natural gas monopoly, Gazprom.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Ukraine","Ukraine-Russia","Russia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["five years"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["before New Year’s Day"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["continue sending gas through Ukraine to Europe for five years"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2019 Local officials say Taliban have killed 17 local militiamen in an attack on their base in Khwaja Bahauddin District, Takhar Province. A Taliban spokesman says they killed 21 gunmen. The Taliban propose a 7 to 10-day nationwide ceasefire, after which a peace deal with the United States would be signed. (Al Jazeera)","document":"\nThe Taliban has previously refused all offers of a ceasefire by the Afghan government, except for a three-day truce in June 2018 over the Eid al-Fitr holiday.\nThe current ceasefire proposal would last a week to 10 days and a peace deal with the United States would then be signed, the Taliban officials said.\nTalks between Afghans on both sides of the conflict would follow to decide on the shape of a post-war Afghanistan.\nThe Taliban shura, or ruling council, is currently debating whether to accept the US ceasefire proposal, Taliban officials said.\nThe officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, but were familiar with the ongoing US-Taliban negotiations.\nOn Monday, a US soldier was killed in combat in the northern Kunduz province. The Taliban claimed it was behind a deadly roadside bombing that targeted American and Afghan forces in Kunduz.\nThe following day, a Taliban attack on a checkpoint killed at least seven Afghan army soldiers in the northern Balkh province.\nAnother six Afghan troops were killed in the same province on Thursday in an attack on an army base.\nAt least 10 Afghan soldiers were killed on Friday in a complex attack on a checkpoint in the southern Helmand province.\nThe Taliban frequently targets Afghan and US forces, as well as government officials. But many civilians are also killed in the crossfire or by roadside bombs planted by fighters.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Taliban","the United States"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["last a week to 10 days"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["peace deal"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2020 Norway agrees to take in 600 refugees from Rwanda who were previously evacuated from Libyan detention camps. Rwanda last September signed an agreement with the United Nations to take in asylum seekers from Libya while their status was being processed, to cut down on human trafficking in the Mediterranean. (Reuters)","document":"KIGALI/OSLO (Reuters) - Norway this year will take in 600 people evacuated to Rwanda from Libyan detention centers, the Nordic country said on Wednesday as it sought to discourage the smuggling of refugees across the Mediterranean Sea.\nRwanda, from where more than 2 million people were displaced amid genocide in 1994, signed a deal with the United Nations in September meant to help resettle people detained in Libya while trying to reach Europe.\nThe migrants evacuated to Rwanda have been given asylum-seeker status there while the U.N refugee agency determines whether they are refugees.\n“Norway accepted to receive close to 500 people and Sweden took in seven last month. Others are still waiting,” Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta told a news conference in the capital, Kigali.\nIn a statement to Reuters, Norwegian Justice Minister Joeran Kallmyr said the number for 2020 would in fact be 600, but added that would not lead to an increase in the overall number of refugees the government previously committed to.\nAs part of a compromise last year among Norway’s four-party government coalition, Kallmyr’s anti-immigration Progress Party has agreed to accept a total of 3,000 refugees from U.N. camps in 2020.\n“It’s important to me to show that we don’t support cynical people smugglers, and instead bring in people who need protection in an organized manner. A transit camp like the one in Rwanda will contribute to that effort,” Kallmyr said.\nEuropean authorities have been trying to close the route across the Mediterranean that has seen thousands of people die at sea while trying to reach Europe in recent years.\nLast year, before the deal was signed, the United Nations estimated that about 4,700 people seeking refuge were estimated to be in Libyan detention centers, some of them run by militias and under siege amid civil war.\nPeople smugglers have exploited the turmoil in Libya since 2011 to send hundreds of thousands of migrants on dangerous journeys across the central Mediterranean, although the number of crossings dropped sharply from 2017 amid an EU-backed push to block departures.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Norway","the United Nations","United Nations"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["September"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["help resettle people detained in Libya while trying to reach Europe"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2005 Representatives of Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement reach a tentative peace settlement in negoations in Helsinki, Finland. They intend to sign a formal truce in August 15. (Jakarta Post) (Reuters) (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC)","document":"At the end of a meeting in Finland on Sunday, the two sides agreed a draft deal to end the 29-year insurgency.\nThe government and rebels from the Free Aceh Movement (Gam) had agreed to sign the truce at a ceremony on 15 August.\nBut questions remain over the issue of political representation, which has proved a sticking point throughout.\nDuring talks earlier in the week Gam abandoned its demand for Acehnese independence in return for a certain amount of autonomy and greater access to the region's rich natural resources, and both sides agreed to establish an Aceh monitoring mission, overseen by experts from \nGam rebels have been fighting for an independent state\nBut the main difficulty has been the rebels' request for participation in local Acehnese politics.\nIt appears the government may have acquiesced to this demand, but is still unclear whether the accord will allow Gam to form its own Aceh-based party - and if so, when.\n\"A local party would need a change in the law, that would need the agreement of the parliament,\" Mr Kalla told reporters in Jakarta on Sunday. \"The government will try as hard as it can to create the political and legal situation in support of that.\" Under current legislation, every political party in Indonesia must have representation in at least half of the country's 33 provinces, and have its headquarters in Jakarta. Analysts say that any exception to that rule could lead to demands from other separatist groups elsewhere in Indonesia, which some Indonesian officials - especially among the military - fear could spark further attempts at secession from Jakarta. Cautious optimism\nIn Aceh itself - where more than 120,000 people died in the 26 December tsunami - opinions on the peace deal are divided.\n15,000 people have been killed in three decades of conflict\n\"I hope that both sides will respect this agreement,\" said Dian, one of many Acehnese who lost several family members in the tsunami. \"All we want here is to live peacefully and free, to go anywhere we want and be able to express our opinions,\" she told the Associated Press.\nBut others remembered that the last peace deal, brokered in late 2002, fell apart soon afterwards with each side blaming the other for not sticking to the agreement.\n\"All this is only promises, just like the promises from previous negotiations,\" newspaper agent Joni Sukandar told Reuters news agency on Monday.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["rebels from the Free Aceh Movement (Gam)","Gam rebels","Indonesia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday","15 August"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["truce"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Finland"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Both the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement, or GAM, say they are optimistic this peace agreement will hold. But during the signing ceremony","document":"Both the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement, or GAM, say they are optimistic this peace agreement will hold. But during the signing ceremony, the self-styled GAM prime minister in exile and chief negotiator, Malik Mahmud, expressed some concerns.\nMr. Malik says GAM cannot rely on the government to disarm militias allegedly funded by the military, because it denies their existence. \"The Free Aceh Movement expresses its deep concern over the continuing presence of TNI proxy militias in Aceh, despite the signing of the Aceh peace agreement,\" he said. \"The government has since denied that any militias exist in Aceh, hence the logic follows, there is no need for their disarmament.\"\nEarlier truces between the two warring factions ended in renewed conflict. But the December tsunami that ravaged Indonesia's Aceh province also brought the two sides back to the negotiating table.\nWith much of the oil- and gas-rich province destroyed and more than 160,000 people killed in the tsunami, both sides now say they want to concentrate on helping in the reconstruction of Aceh.\nGAM spokesman Bahtiar Abdulah says he believes the agreement will hold with international help.\n\"I think we had quite a substantial achievement in this peace agreement which we believe is workable if both parties work hard toward this goal and also with the help of the international community, and the international monitoring team,\" said Mr. Bahtiar. \"I'm optimistic that it will work.\"\nThe first of some 200 monitors from the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations began arriving in Aceh on Sunday to monitor the peace deal.\nUnder the agreement, which was worked out over five rounds of talks in Helsinki with a Finnish mediator, GAM will disarm and the Indonesian security forces will withdraw. The government also agreed to allow GAM to form its own political party, and for partial autonomy in the province.\nIn addition, the agreement allows Aceh to retain 70 percent of all revenues from oil, gas, and other resources.\nA human rights court is also to be be established in Aceh, along with a commission for truth and reconciliation.\nIndonesian government spokesman Andi Mallerangeng says the government hopes this agreement will lead to lasting peace. \"We are hoping with this signing of the MOU is the beginning of a long and lasting peace in Aceh, of a comprehensive peace that we can now focus on rebuilding and reconstructing Aceh,\" he said.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the Free Aceh Movement, or GAM","GAM","Free Aceh Movement","the Indonesian government","Indonesian government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["GAM will disarm and the Indonesian security forces will withdraw","GAM"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Helsinki"]}]} {"event_trigger":"The Indonesian government and rebels from the Free Aceh Movement (Gam) have signed a peace deal aimed at ending their nearly 30-year conflict","document":"The Indonesian government and rebels from the Free Aceh Movement (Gam) have signed a peace deal aimed at ending their nearly 30-year conflict. Representatives from each side signed the official document in Helsinki.\n\"This is the beginning of a new era for Aceh,\" said former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, who mediated the talks. \"Much hard work lies ahead.\"\nEfforts to end the conflict resumed after the tsunami in December, which destroyed vast swathes of Aceh.\nIn the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, big screens were set up in the main mosque so that people could witness the signing.\n \nLocals have also begun two days of prayers in support of the peace process, in the hope that this time it really does signal the start of a new chapter for their beleaguered province. \"I can't predict what will happen now,\" said local school teacher Nassruddin. \"I only know we want to see an end to the fighting, we want prosperity, and to feel safe,\" he told the Associated Press.\n15,000 people have died in more than 29 years of conflict between the government and the rebels in Aceh.\n\nAfter the two sides had signed the peace deal on Monday, Mr Ahtisaari said: \"We are witnessing here today the culmination of a peace process, which led to a memorandum of understanding between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement.\"\n\"We are here to try to make history,\" said Indonesian Justice and Human Rights Minister Hamid Awaluddin, at the signing ceremony. \"Let's not make the bitterness of the past destroy our future.\"\nIn Aceh, people prayed that this time the peace would last\nMalik Mahmud, the head of the Gam delegation, also spoke of a more peaceful Aceh.\n\"This peace process has required a leap of faith from Gam,\" he said. \"It is a leap of faith we have taken to give the people of Aceh the opportunity to build a brighter future.\"\nBut he added: \"It would be naive not to recognise there are many challenges. We know the real hard work remains ahead of us.\"\nUnder the agreement, whose details were only released on Monday, the rebels have put to one side their demand for full independence, accepting instead a form of local self-government and the right eventually to establish a political party. In turn, the Indonesian government has agreed to release political prisoners and offer farmland to former combatants to help them reintegrate into civilian life. \nGam rebels have been fighting for an independent state\n A human rights court will be established, as will a truth and reconciliation commission.\nNon-local Indonesian troops and police will leave Aceh, and Gam revels will disarm, in a process which will be overseen by a joint European Union and Asean monitoring team. During his speech to mark the signing, Malik Mahmud said that pro-government militias in Aceh must also be disarmed.\n\"It is difficult to believe police will take arms from them,\" he said, adding that the international monitoring team will need to ensure this requirement is enforced.\nGam estimates there are 10,000 such militia troops active in Aceh.\nThe BBC's Jakarta correspondent, Rachel Harvey, says that while the signing of the deal is undoubtedly a step forward, the first real test is likely to come in one month's time, when rebels are supposed to start handing in their weapons.\nPrevious peace deals have fallen apart and on the ground there is still deep mistrust between the two sides. But there does now seem to be a real political will to make this agreement work, our correspondent says. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["rebels from the Free Aceh Movement (Gam)","rebels","Free Aceh Movement","Gam","Gam rebels","The Indonesian government","Indonesian government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["ending their nearly 30-year conflict"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Helsinki"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2005 Countries of the European Union attempt to work out a deal to end the \"bra wars\", the Chinese textile import row. (BBC)","document":"As he began talks with member states, Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson vowed to do everything in his power to end the deadlock.\nHe also played down fears that the row could lead to a clothing shortage that may leave retailers with empty shelves.\nBut Chinese state media has demanded an immediate end to quotas, accusing the EU of protectionism.\nAs he began a round of one-to-one negotiations with EU members Mr Mandelson refused to give details about how he planned to clear the backlog of goods such as trousers and bras.\nI have set in motion procedures to unblock the goods that have been caught\n Peter Mandelson\nExperts believe he could put forward two solutions - one would allow China to bring forward some of its 2006 quota allowance to this year. The other involves raising overall quota limits - but that is likely to be opposed by EU members with large textile industries.\nStranded goods\nMr Mandelson has insisted fears that holding goods at EU ports would lead to a shortage of winter stocks for retailers were far-fetched.\n\"I cannot accept that EU retail businesses should be penalised unfairly by the agreement with China,\" he added.\n\"I have set in motion procedures to unblock the goods that have been caught,\" he told a press conference in Brussels.\nWith the co-operation of EU member states, Mr Mandelson said he hoped the goods \"stranded\" at European ports could be released by the middle of September.\nHowever, the EU's retailers representative, Xavier Durieu, accused Mr Mandelson of doing too little too late and condemned EU blocks on Chinese goods - adding the move was penalising retailers.\nMillions of items are held up in European customs warehouses\nMr Durieu accused Brussels of failing to foresee the problem - which had forced companies to either pay out extra for new goods to fill their shelves amid fears empty shops would scare off customers, or lose their profits as their stocks remained locked in warehouses. Retailer fears\nWith around 50 million sweaters and 17 million pairs of trousers detained at European ports, stores across the continent are anxious that the clothes are released in time to prepare for the Christmas rush. \"It is very possible that towards November or December you will see prices rising across the UK simply because there is not enough capacity now to produce the kind of cheap goods that China has excelled in,\" said Alisdair Grey, from the British Retail Consortium.\nBut despite widespread claims that China is flooding western markets with cheap goods - some manufacturers worst hit by the quota system are actually owned by European firms, BBC Beijing correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes has found.\nOne British-owned factory, which produces high-quality cashmere sweaters for customers including Burberry and Jaeger, says it has been thrown into disarray.\nThe owner told Mr Wingfield Hayes he is now hunting for factories in South Asia to take up the extra work.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["EU","China"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["end the deadlock"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2020 The government of Ukraine concludes a ceasefire deal with rebel forces, which will begin at midnight. The conflict in Eastern Ukraine has been going on since 2014, and has killed over 14,000 people. (AP)","document":" Ukrainian and rebel forces in war-torn eastern Ukraine have started preparing for a “full and comprehensive” cease-fire scheduled to begin at midnight, a move that officials hope can lead to more steps to resolve the 6-year-old conflict.\nRebel officials said Sunday they have instructed their troops about the cease-fire and issued a decree banning the use of weapons. Ukraine’s military said their forces “have begun preparations” for the ceasefire. If upheld, it would “pave the way for implementing other clauses” of the Minsk peace deal, the office of Ukraine’s president said earlier this week, calling the cease-fire a “breakthrough.”\nBrokered in 2015 by France and Germany, the Minsk peace plan aimed to resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists that flared in 2014 after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its support for the separatists. The conflict has since killed more than 14,000. The presidents of Russia and Ukraine both commended the cease-fire deal in a phone call Sunday and underscored the importance of implementing the agreements reached at the December summit in Paris.\nRussia President Vladimir Putin expressed concern over Kyiv’s calls to revise the Minsk agreements and said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s “position about the non-alternative nature of the Minsk agreements, once again voiced during this call, should translate into real actions,” the Kremlin said.\nZelenskiy in turn, stressed the need “for further practical steps” aimed at releasing Ukrainians who are imprisoned by rebels in eastern Ukraine, in the annexed region of Crimea and in Russia, according to a statement by his office.\nThe 2015 deal envisaged that Ukraine can regain control over its border with Russia in the separatist-held regions only after they are granted broad self-rule and hold local elections. The accord helped reduce the scope of hostilities, but Ukrainian forces and the rebels have continued to exchange artillery salvos and gunfire. In December, the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany met in Paris for another round of talks, expressing support for the Minsk deal and agreeing to revive the peace process. Zelenskiy, who won the 2019 election on promises to end the conflict, wanted Ukraine to get control of its border first before local elections, but the Kremlin has insisted the deal should be implemented without revisions. The new cease-fire deal was reached Wednesday by members of the Tripartite Contact Group that includes representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and was welcomed by EU officials. During his traditional Sunday blessing in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis also commended the cease-fire, adding that it needed to be put into practice ″to rebuild confidence and lay the foundations for a much needed and long awaited reconciliation with the people.″ ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Ukrainian","rebel forces in war-torn eastern Ukraine"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["begin at midnight"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a “full and comprehensive” cease-fire","cease-fire","the cease-fire"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2020 Zimbabwe's government signs a $3.5 billion agreement with the Commercial Farmers' Union to compensate white farmers who were forcibly evicted from their land during a controversial land redistribution program in the 2000s under former President Robert Mugabe. (CNN)","document":"\nZimbabwe's government signed an agreement Wednesday worth $3.5 billion to compensate white farmers who were evicted from their land during a controversial and often violent land redistribution program in the early 2000s under former President Robert Mugabe. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Zimbabwe's government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["worth $3.5 billion to compensate white farmers who were evicted from their land during a controversial and often violent land redistribution program in the early 2000s"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"The autonomous government of northeast Syria has signed a deal for the marketing of crude oil with a U.S. company, Al-Monitor reports, citing unnamed sources in the know","document":"The autonomous government of northeast Syria has signed a deal for the marketing of crude oil with a U.S. company, Al-Monitor reports, citing unnamed sources in the know. What’s more, the report says the deal had the blessing of Washington.\nMost of Syria’s oil is in the northeast of the country, which is under the control of a Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council, the political wing of opposition formation Syrian Democratic Forces, which has enjoyed U.S. support through the prolonged conflict.\nA representative of the Syrian Democratic Council to the United States confirmed that the deal was made by Delta Crescent Energy LLC, Al-Monitor said, although she did not provide any further details.\nThe unnamed sources also told Al-Monitor that the United States was going to supply two modular refineries to northeastern Syria, which will satisfy a fifth of the oil-rich region’s needs. At the moment, most of the oil still produced in Syria—around 60,000 bpd—is refined in makeshift facilities. Before the war, the country produced 380,000 bpd.\nSeparately, Kurdistan 24 reported that Senator Lindsay Graham had revealed a deal between the Syrian Democratic Forces and a U.S. oil company to modernize the oil fields under the control of the opposition group. According to the Al-Monitor sources, this is the same deal closed with Delta Crescent Energy.\n“I talked to General Mazloum yesterday, with the SDF,” Graham told Foreign Secretary Pompeo during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee session. “Apparently, they’ve signed a deal with an American oil company to modernize the oil fields in northeastern Syria. Are you supportive of that?”\nIn response, Pompeo noted that “The deal took a little longer than we had hoped,” revealing that the State Department was involved in closing the deal. He added, “we are now in implementation, and it can be very powerful.” \nThe deal comes on the heels of new sanctions announced by Washington against the Syrian government, under the so-called Caesar Act.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Delta Crescent Energy","a U.S. company","a U.S. oil company","The autonomous government of northeast Syria","SDF"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the marketing of crude oil"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Syria’s foreign ministry said on Sunday that an American oil company had signed an agreement with Kurdish-led rebels who control northeastern oilfields","document":" Syria’s foreign ministry said on Sunday that an American oil company had signed an agreement with Kurdish-led rebels who control northeastern oilfields in what it described as an illegal deal aimed at “stealing” Syria’s crude.\nA ministry statement, published on state media, did not name the firm involved in the deal with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance that seized swathes of north and east Syria from Islamic State with U.S. help.\nThere was no immediate response from SDF officials to a Reuters’ request for comment. There was no immediate comment from U.S. officials on Sunday.\nA U.S. senator and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had referred to an oilfields deal between the SDF and a U.S. firm during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Thursday.\nRepublican Senator Lindsey Graham said during the committee hearing that SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi informed him that a deal had been signed with an American company to “modernize the oil fields in northeastern Syria”, and asked Pompeo whether the administration was supportive of it.\n“We are,” Pompeo responded during the hearing streamed live by PBS. “The deal took a little longer ... than we had hoped, and now we’re in implementation.”\nDamascus “condemns in the strongest terms the agreement signed between al-Qasd militia (SDF) and an American oil company to steal Syria’s oil under the sponsorship and support of the American administration”, the Syrian statement said. “This agreement is null and void and has no legal basis.”\nSyria produced around 380,000 barrels of oil per day before civil war erupted following a crackdown on protests in 2011, with Iran and Russia backing President Bashar al-Assad’s government and the United States supporting the opposition.\nDamascus lost control of most oil producing fields in a stretch east of the Euphrates River in Deir al-Zor. Western sanctions have also hit the energy industry.\nU.S. President Donald Trump has said that despite a military pullback from northeast Syria, a small number of American forces would remain “where they have oil”. The Pentagon said late last year that oilfield revenues would go to the SDF.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)","SDF","an American oil company","American oil company"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["modernize the oil fields in northeastern Syria"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Turkey's top diplomat on Thursday said Greece and Egypt violated the rights and continental shelves of Turkey and Libya by signing a maritime deal on exclusive economic zones (EEZ)","document":"Turkey's top diplomat on Thursday said Greece and Egypt violated the rights and continental shelves of Turkey and Libya by signing a maritime deal on exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the Eastern Mediterranean. In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency, Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed that the text and map of the agreement had yet to be revealed, adding: \"However, it's obvious by the given coordinates that the deal not only violates the rights and continental shelf of Turkey but also of Libya.\"\n\"Hence, an agreement that violates our continental shelf, which we have reported to the UN, is null and void and the reason why we've come to this point is that countries like Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, are trying to sign agreements with Egypt and Israel while ignoring Turkey,\" Cavusoglu added.\n\"We'll continue to show them and the world that this agreement is null and void on the table and in the field.\"\nEgypt announced earlier on Thursday that it signed a bilateral agreement with Greece on the delimitation of maritime jurisdictions between the two countries in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Turkish Foreign Ministry slammed the \"so-called agreement\" in a statement, asserting that Greece and Egypt had no mutual sea border and that the deal was \"null and void\" for Ankara. It added that the demarcated area in the agreement was located on Turkey's continental shelf, as Ankara had reported to the UN.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Greece","Egypt"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["earlier on Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the delimitation of maritime jurisdictions between the two countries in the Eastern Mediterranean"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Egypt and Greece signed an agreement on Thursday designating an exclusive economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean between the two countries","document":"Egypt and Greece signed an agreement on Thursday designating an exclusive economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean between the two countries, an area containing promising oil and gas reserves, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said.\nShoukry made the announcement at a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Cairo.\n“This agreement allows both countries to move forward in maximizing the utilization of the resources available in the exclusive economic zone, especially promising oil and gas reserves,” Shoukry said.\n“The agreement with Egypt is within the framework of international law, respects all concepts of international law and the law of the sea and good neighbourly relations, and contributes to security and stability in the region,” Dendias said.\nEgypt and Greece are at odds with Turkey, which last year angered the two countries by signing a maritime delimitation agreement with the internationally recogniζed Libyan government, in a move that escalated disputes over potential offshore gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean.\nEgypt and Greece condemned the deal as “illegal” and a violation of international law.\nTensions were already high between Greece and Turkey because of Turkish gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Cyprus. The NATO members are also at odds over mineral rights in the Aegean Sea.\nEarlier this month, Egypt said that part of a seismic survey planned by Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean potentially encroached on waters where Cairo claims exclusive rights.\nIn June, Greece and Italy signed an agreement on maritime boundaries, establishing an exclusive economic zone between the two countries and resolving longstanding issues over fishing rights in the Ionian Sea. [Reuters]","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Egypt","Greece"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["designating an exclusive economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean between the two countries","establishing an exclusive economic zone between the two countries"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2020 The government approves a proposed deal with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to restructure around $65 billion in foreign government bonds, following President Alberto Fernández's successful negotiations with creditors and the International Monetary Fund the previous week after the country defaulted in May. The government plans to submit the proposal to the SEC on August 17. (Reuters)","document":"BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina’s government on Sunday officially unveiled its amended bond restructuring offer in the state gazette and said creditors would have until August 28 to approve it.\nIt follows the issuing on Saturday night of an official decree approving a second round of amendments to the government’s initial offer made back in April, an important step to clinch a deal.\nIn an accompanying statement, the government said it would submit the new offer to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday.\nOn Sunday, the government said in the official gazette that the invitation would expire at 5pm New York City time on Aug. 28, confirming an anticipated delay to its earlier deadline of Aug. 24 to give bondholders a 10-day window after the formal SEC filing.\nArgentina and its main creditor groups reached an agreement in principle on Aug. 4 to restructure about $65 billion in distressed sovereign bonds after months of talks, breaking an impasse that had threatened to derail negotiations.\nIn the statement on Saturday night, the government said the formalized offer aimed to “bring public finances into balance, give certainty to the private sector and provide the country with a new platform for growth”.\nIt added the proposal reflected the financial terms of the Aug. 4 agreement and dialogue with creditors, the International Monetary Fund and other international bodies on legal elements. It gave details of the amendments, which involved improving the net present value of the offer with earlier coupon payments but not additional cash flow.\nWith an already weak economy further punished by the coronavirus, the government wants to avoid the kind of messy sovereign bond default that punctuated a crisis in 2001 that tossed millions of middle class Argentines into poverty.\nAfter the bond revamp is done, Argentina will start talks with the International Monetary Fund toward a new program to replace a defunct $57 billion standby lending deal negotiated by the previous administration two years ago.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Argentina","the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["restructure about $65 billion in distressed sovereign bonds"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2020 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak sign an agreement in Warsaw to redeploy about 1,000 U.S. troops from Germany to Poland so as to bring the total to 5,500. The agreement also includes a potential increase to 20,000 U.S. troops if Poland is under threat. (BBC)","document":"US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has signed a new defence agreement with Poland that will see American troops redeployed there from Germany.\nThe deal will see the number of US troops in Poland rise to about 5,500.\nPolish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said the number could quickly be increased to 20,000 if a threat justified it.\nUS President Donald Trump has previously accused Germany of not contributing enough to Nato.\nBut the US move has raised concern among Nato allies worried over possible Russian expansionism.\nThe Enhanced Defence Co-operation Agreement (EDCA) was signed by Mr Pompeo and Mr Blaszczak in Warsaw on Saturday.\n\"This is going to be an extended guarantee - a guarantee that in case of a threat our soldiers are going to stand arm-in-arm,\" Poland's President Andrzej Duda said at the signing ceremony.\n\"It will also serve to increase the security of other countries in our part of Europe.\"\nAbout 4,500 US troops are currently stationed in Poland and another 1,000 will be added under the new pact. The headquarters of the US Army V Corps will also be relocated from Germany to Poland.\nLast month the US confirmed that almost 12,000 troops - out of more than 38,000 - would be withdrawn from Germany in what it described as a \"strategic\" repositioning of its forces in Europe.\nAbout 6,400 troops are being sent home with the rest moved to other Nato countries including Poland, Italy and Belgium.\nPresident Trump said the move was a response to Germany failing to meet Nato targets on defence spending.\nBilled by its advocates as a means to better defend Nato and strengthen deterrence against Moscow, this new military agreement could be as much about politics as it is about strategy. The US already contributes to and commands a small multi-national Nato battlegroup in Poland, with regular exercises drawing in additional forces. A land-based ballistic missile defence system is under construction. But since 2018 in particular, Polish politicians have been pushing for much more, at one stage arguing that a full US division should be permanently based in the country with Warsaw shouldering at least some of the cost; a plan dubbed by some as \"Fort Trump\". The new agreement falls well short of this. But it sends a clear signal about Mr Trump's preferences. Muscular Poland, with relatively strong defence spending, is the sort of ally the president likes. By contrast he has already announced the pull-out of some US forces from Germany, which he believes does not carry its share of the defence burden. It is not clear that the shifting around of forces will necessarily strengthen Nato at a time when many of its key problems seem to relate to internal cohesion.\n\"We don't want to be the suckers any more,\" Mr Trump told reporters shortly after the move was announced. \"We're reducing the force because they're not paying their bills; it's very simple.\"\nMr Trump has long complained that European Nato members should spend more on their own defence and not rely so heavily on the US to shoulder the costs of maintaining the alliance.\nThe row between the allies focuses around the target agreed by all Nato members that defence spending should reach 2% of GDP (gross domestic product, the total value of goods produced and services provided in a country) by 2024.\nGermany, along with other countries, has yet to meet this target.\nGerman officials have criticised the US move, suggesting it could weaken Nato and embolden Russia.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Poland","US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["The Enhanced Defence Co-operation Agreement (EDCA)"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["American troops redeployed there from Germany","Germany","The deal will see the number of US troops in Poland rise to about 5,500"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Warsaw"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2020 The Hellenic Parliament formally ratifies a maritime agreement with Egypt, that defines maritime boundaries and an exclusive economic zone between the two countries in the Mediterranean Sea. (Reuters)","document":"Greek parliament ratified an accord defining maritime boundaries between Greece and Egypt on Thursday, amid rising tensions with neighbouring Turkey over energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean.\nThe pact, which was sealed earlier this month and has already been ratified by Egypt’s parliament, was approved by a majority of Greek lawmakers.\nThe Athens-Cairo agreement has angered Turkey which says that it infringes on its own continental shelf. The agreement also overlaps with maritime zones Turkey agreed with Libya last year, decried as illegal by Greece.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Greece","Egypt"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["earlier this month"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["defining maritime boundaries between Greece and Egypt"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2020 Argentina announces a deal with its creditors, allowing a way out of its ninth sovereign default. (Irish Times)","document":"\nArgentina has defused fears of a messy default after it gained backing from creditors, allowing it to exchange 99 per cent of the bonds involved in a $65 billion (€54 billion) restructuring, a deal that could set a precedent for future sovereign crises.\nAfter months of winding and tense negotiations, framed by the coronavirus pandemic, bondholders tendered 93.55 per cent of the eligible bonds in the exchange, economy minister Martin Guzman said at a news conference on Monday.\n“In recent days we have worked on the conditions of an offer that gained massive acceptance by our creditors as a result of the dialogue process in past months,” Guzman said.\nA strong deal is a major win for Argentina, Latin America’s third largest economy, as it looks to escape from its ninth sovereign default and revive an economy in its third year of recession and expected to contract around 12.5 per cent this year.\nReuters reported on Friday, when the deal deadline closed, that the government was confident of high creditor support after winning over its main three creditor groups to a deal in principle earlier in August.\nCenter-left president Alberto Fernandez, who took power in December, said Argentina had been in a “labyrinth” of debt that had now been solved. He thanked allies, including Pope Francis, an Argentine, and Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The government said the deal and a separate restructuring of local law dollar debt combined would bring financial relief of $37.7 billion over the 2020-2030 period, and help cut average interest payments on foreign law bonds to 3 per cent from 7 per cent.\n“Now there are other challenges, the first of which is to reactivate the domestic market,” Fernandez said at the Casa Rosada presidential palace.\nGuzman said Argentina now needed to turn attention to sealing a new programme with the International Monetary Fund to replace a defunct $57 billion facility agreed in 2018, as well as tackling provincial debt amid various smaller regional restructurings.\nHe said the government planned to send a 2021 budget bill to Congress in mid-September, which would include a forecast for a primary fiscal deficit next year of around 4.5 per cent. A new deal with the IMF is unlikely before March next year, said Guzman.\nThe 1 per cent of bonds that did not meet collective action clause (CAC) thresholds of support for a restructuring indicates there were some pockets of holdouts on individual bonds, though Guzman told reporters it was not a major issue and would be resolved.\nThe bonds being restructured have CACs that mean the government needs a certain level of support to restructure them. Older 2005 indenture bonds require a combined 85 per cent of creditor support, with two-thirds of support needed on each individual series.\nThe strong support and few holdouts stands in contrast to Argentina’s 2005 debt restructuring, which saw creditors holding around a quarter of bonds reject a deal, leading to over a decade of legal battles.\n“I was expecting them to easily clear the CAC threshold on most of the bonds, but this result was on the high side of my expectations,” said Ajata Mediratta, president of Greylock Capital Management in New York, which was involved in the talks.\nEduardo Levy Yeyati, an economist at Torcuato Di Tella University, said the good result underscored the important role of CACs, similar to what had happened with a recent successful restructuring in Ecuador. “Once the government made a realistic offer acceptable to creditors, the CACs induced the rest to get on board, dissuading holdouts and avoiding costly litigation,” he said. We now have four years ahead of us to implement the policies that make this swap a sustainable solution.” ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["creditors","Argentina"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["exchange 99 per cent of the bonds involved in a $65 billion (€54 billion) restructuring"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2020 Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Abdelaziz al-Hilu, the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM–N), sign an agreement to transition the country into a secular state. The agreement comes three days after the signing of a peace deal between Sudan's transitional government and the Sudan Revolutionary Front, to which the SPLM–N opted out of. (Anadolu Agency)","document":"Sudan’s government has reached an agreement with a rebel leader laying out conditions for his faction to recognize the peace deal signed with rebel groups earlier this week.\nMaking Sudan a secular state is the core focus of the agreement signed by Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and Abdul Aziz Alhilu, leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement - North (SPLM-N), on Thursday.\nIt said that Sudan’s constitution should be based on the principle of separation of religion and state and be geared towards ending discrimination in the country.\n“Sudan is a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural society. Full recognition and accommodation of these diversities must be affirmed,” reads the declaration document seen by Anadolu Agency.\n“For Sudan to become a democratic country where the rights of all citizens are enshrined, the constitution should be based on the principle of ‘separation of religion and state’ in the absence of which the right to self-determination must be respected.”\nIt said that “freedom of belief and worship and religious practice shall be guaranteed in full to all Sudanese citizens.”\n“The state shall not establish an official religion. No citizen shall be discriminated against based on their religion,” read the agreement.\nThe understanding is expected to draw a strong reaction from former Sudanese ruler Omar al-Bashir’s supporters, who have held multiple protests against what they say is the transitional government's “failure and corruption.”\nAlhilu’s SPLM-N is one of two factions that opted out of the peace deal between the transitional government and rebel groups signed in South Sudan’s capital Juba on Monday.\nThe deal gives a share to the rebels in government institutions – 35% of cabinet ministers, 75 seats in the upcoming 300-member transitional legislative assembly, and three members in the 11-person Sovereign Council.\nIt also proposes a federal system for Sudan and grants autonomy to the South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions.\nUnder the agreement, the Darfur region, which was split into five states, will be reunified into one area after seven months and have its own governor.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Sudan People’s Liberation Movement - North (SPLM-N)","SPLM","Sudan’s government"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["laying out conditions for his faction to recognize the peace deal signed with rebel groups earlier this week","Under the agreement, the Darfur region, which was split into five states, will be reunified into one area after seven months and have its own governor"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2020 In a meeting at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He sign \"Phase 1\" of a new trade deal in which the U.S. will relax some of the tariffs imposed on Chinese imports while China agreed to buy more American products. Both sides also agree to not impose new tariffs. (NPR)","document":" President Trump and Vice Premier Liu He, China's top trade negotiator, sign a \"Phase 1\" trade agreement between the U.S. and China at the White House on Wednesday.\n \n \nPresident Trump and Vice Premier Liu He, China's top trade negotiator, sign a \"Phase 1\" trade agreement between the U.S. and China at the White House on Wednesday.\nUpdated at 2:07 p.m. ET A year and a half after launching his trade war against China, President Trump signed a partial truce on Wednesday. \"We mark more than just an agreement. We mark a sea change in international trade,\" Trump said during a White House signing ceremony. \"At long last, Americans have a government that puts them first.\"\nThe president agreed to relax some of the tariffs he imposed on Chinese imports. In exchange, Beijing has agreed to buy more American products and make other changes.\n\"This is a big win for the president,\" Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Fox News, while conceding the \"Phase 1\" agreement does not achieve all of the reforms the administration initially sought.\n\"It's not everything,\" he acknowledged. \"There will be a 'Phase 2.' But this is the first time we've had a comprehensive agreement with China.\"\nAs part of that deal, China has promised to provide more protection for American companies' intellectual property and to stop requiring U.S. companies to share their technology as a cost of doing business in China.\nBeijing has a history of backsliding on such pledges. But the administration expressed confidence that the terms of this deal are enforceable. \"This agreement will work if China wants it to work,\" said U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. \"They expect and we expect it to be enforced to the letter.\" The administration agreed not to impose tariffs last month on some $160 billion in Chinese imports — including popular consumer items such as cellphones and laptops — as part of the Phase 1 agreement. It also reduced the tariff rate on another $112 billion worth of goods from 15% to 7.5%.\nBut steep 25% tariffs remain in place on much of what the U.S. buys from China, including components that American factories use to assemble finished products. While Trump insists that China is paying those tariffs, numerous studies have found the costs are largely borne by American importers.\n\"This continues to be a drag on the manufacturing sector, which really has not been doing well in the last couple of quarters,\" said Syracuse University economist Mary Lovely.\nFarmers also took a hit during the trade war, as China cut back sharply on its purchases of U.S. agricultural products.\n\"It's been a long haul, and the lack of certainty is probably the most challenging portion of this,\" said Kristin Duncanson, who raises soybeans, corn and hogs in south central Minnesota. \"We can weather the weather. We know how to do that. It's weathering the politics that's the tough part.\"\nDuncanson estimates her soybean crop lost 30% to 40% of its value during the trade war, thanks to low prices and the lack of Chinese demand. That loss was only partially offset by federal aid for affected farmers. Duncanson is hoping for a rebound once the trade agreement is signed.\n\"We're optimistic that signing the agreement will reopen some opportunities, especially for the Upper Midwest,\" she said. \"But I'm also a realist enough to know until those beans are actually shipped to customers that we can't count our chickens before they're hatched.\"\nThe administration says China has pledged to boost its purchases of U.S. goods and services over the next two years by $200 billion over 2017 levels. That would represent an increase of more than 50%. That includes $32 billion in additional agricultural purchases, $78 billion in manufactured goods, $52 billion in energy products, and $38 billion in additional U.S. services. \"We're delighted that the Chinese consumers will now enjoy the greater access to the best products on earth: those made, grown and raised right here in the USA,\" Trump said. Lovely said it's possible for China to increase its purchases by $200 billion, but warned it could have a disruptive effect on global trade flows.\n\"This should be giving our other trade partners some serious anxiety because one way [for China] to achieve those targets is simply to stop buying from other countries and shift purchases to the U.S.,\" she said.\nChina's Vice Premier Liu He joined Trump at the White House for the signing ceremony. While the agreement leaves major economic disputes between the two countries unresolved, Lovely said the 18-month trade war has allowed both sides to send a message.\n\"The U.S. is going to use whatever muscle it can to get what it wants,\" she said. \"On the other hand, it's also shown the United States that China's going to be very hard to bully.\" NPR thanks our sponsors","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["China","President Trump","Vice Premier Liu He","Vice Premier Liu","U.S"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["\"Phase 1\" trade agreement between the U.S. and China","Phase 1\" trade agreement between the U.S. and China","\"Phase 1\" agreement","the Phase 1 agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The president agreed to relax some of the tariffs he imposed on Chinese imports. In exchange, Beijing has agreed to buy more American products and make other changes"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the White House","White House"]}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2020 The United Kingdom and United States governments announce they have agreed to protect the wreckage of the RMS Titanic. The agreement, signed by the British government in 2003, has come into effect after being ratified by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. An official also says the UK will work with Canada and France to bring \"even more protection\" to the wreckage. (BBC)","document":"The wreckage of RMS Titanic is to be protected under a treaty between the US and UK governments. The international agreement gives the governments power to grant or deny licences allowing entry of the wreck or removal of artefactsIt was signed to ensure the resting site of more than 1,500 passengers and crew is preserved and respected.\nBuilt by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, the Titanic sank in 1912 on its maiden voyage from Southampton.\nThe ocean liner sank after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic.\nSigned by the UK in 2003, the treaty comes into force after being ratified by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the end of 2019.\nThe wreck has not previously been protected under explicit legislation as it lies in international waters.\nUK Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani described the agreement as \"momentous\".\n\"Lying two and a half miles below the ocean surface, the RMS Titanic is the subject of the most documented maritime tragedy in history,\" she said.\n\"It will be treated with the sensitivity and respect owed to the final resting place of more than 1,500 lives.\"\nMs Ghani added that the UK will now work closely with other North Atlantic countries, like Canada and France, to bring \"even more protection\" to Titanic.\nThe wreck was discovered in 1985 about 350 nautical miles off the Canadian coast of Newfoundland, two-and-a-half miles below the ocean surface.\nAn international agreement between multiple countries to protect the wreck has been in negotiation since 1986.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["UK","US"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["2003"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["gives the governments power to grant or deny licences allowing entry of the wreck or removal of artefactsIt"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2020 The U.S. and the Taliban sign a deal. (Reuters)","document":" The United States signed a deal with Taliban insurgents on Saturday that could pave the way toward a full withdrawal of foreign soldiers from Afghanistan and represent a step toward ending the 18-year-war there. Below are the key details.\n- The deal includes a timeline for the withdrawal of all U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan as well as guarantees from the Taliban that it will prevent militant groups including al-Qaeda from using Afghan soil to threaten the security of the United States and its allies.\n- The agreement was signed in the Qatari capital Doha, which is the Taliban’s political headquarters and has hosted talks over the past year and a half.\n- Senior Taliban leaders took part along with U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.\n- The agreement lays the groundwork for negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government - known as intra-Afghan talks - to end a war that began after the United States launched attacks on Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001 hijacked plane attacks.\n- The U.S.-Taliban agreement calls for a phased withdrawal of American and coalition forces and also requires the Taliban to initiate a formal dialogue with the Afghan government and other political and civil society groups on a permanent nationwide ceasefire and power-sharing in post-war Afghanistan.\n- Bringing back troops from America’s longest war could be a boost for U.S. President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election in November.\n- “The United States will reduce the number of U.S. military forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 and implement other commitments in the U.S.-Taliban agreement within 135 days of the announcement of this joint declaration and the U.S.-Taliban agreement,” the United States and Afghanistan said in a joint statement on Saturday.\n- A full withdrawal of all U.S. and coalition forces would occur within 14 months of this deal getting signed, if Taliban fulfill their end of the deal, according to the text of the agreement.\n- Up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners will be released and the Taliban will release up to 1,000 prisoners by March 10, according to the text of the deal.\n- The United States will work with the UN Security Council to remove Taliban members from sanctions by May 2020, the accord says.\n- The next step would be for negotiators to work out an agreement for comprehensive ceasefire and the future governance of the country. Officials and experts say this will pose serious challenges as the Afghan government has until now been sidelined.\n- Even before getting to talks with the Taliban, Afghanistan’s two main political rivals - President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah - must settle a dispute over which officials, opposition members and activists should negotiate with the insurgents.\n- That process was further complicated last month by competing victory claims by Ghani and Abdullah in a disputed Sept. 28 election.\n- The prospect of a peace arrangement with the Taliban has been raised by Afghan and U.S. leaders for more than a decade. Momentum towards the latest deal came after Trump appointed Khalilzad as his special envoy to Afghanistan.\n- Progress had stalled several times, most notably in September when Trump canceled talks after an attack in Kabul that killed 12, including an American soldier.\n- Talks began again in late 2019, culminating in a seven-day “reduction in violence” agreement that ended on Saturday with the Doha signing.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Taliban","The United States","United States"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a timeline for the withdrawal of all U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan as well as guarantees from the Taliban that it will prevent militant groups including al-Qaeda from using Afghan soil to threaten the security of the United States and its allies"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the Qatari capital Doha"]}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2016 The United Nations and human rights groups warn the tentative EU deal with Turkey that would return irregular migrants in exchange for political and financial rewards could be illegal. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi says it's unclear whether migrants, set to be returned, would be afforded the refugee protection as stated in international law. Amnesty International's Gauri van Gulik says this is outsourcing Europe's refugee responsibility. \"The EU is treating Turkey as the only solution it has to the refugee crisis,\" van Gulik added.(Reuters) (Los Angeles Times)","document":"The United Nations and human rights groups warned on Tuesday that a tentative European Union deal to send back all irregular migrants to Turkey in exchange for political and financial rewards could be illegal.\nEU-Turkey migration deal nothing to celebrate, says U.N.\n\n“I am deeply concerned about any arrangement that would involve the blanket return of anyone from one country to another without spelling out the refugee protection safeguards under international law,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.\nHe was speaking hours after the 28 EU leaders sketched an accord with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Brussels that would grant Ankara more money to keep refugees in Turkey, faster visa-free travel for Turks and a speeding up of Ankara’s long-stalled membership talks.\nRights group Amnesty International called the proposed mass return of migrants a “death blow to the right to seek asylum”. Relief charity Doctors without Borders said it was cynical and inhumane.\nBut Davutoglu insisted the preliminary deal would not stop Syrian refugees legitimately seeking shelter in Europe.\n“The aim here is to discourage irregular migration and ... to recognize those Syrians in our camps who the EU will accept - though we will not force anyone to go against their will - on legal routes,” he said at a meeting with his Greek counterpart in the Turkish coastal city of Izmir.\nThe executive European Commission also said the deal to put an end to a mass influx of more than a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond, due to be finalised next week, was legally sound.\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel, who pushed for the accord to assuage anxious voters before regional elections on Sunday, said things were finally moving in the right direction after nearly a million Syrians, Iraqis, Afghans and others flooded into Germany alone last year.\nDenying charges by German critics that Turkey was using refugees to blackmail Europe, she told a campaign event that Ankara had taken in 2.7 million Syrian refugees. “That’s why it’s only fair of us to ask first: can we give Turkey a little bit of help in shouldering this task?” Merkel said.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Turkey","EU"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["send back all irregular migrants to Turkey in exchange for political and financial rewards"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2016 European Union and Turkish officials agree on how to handle the flood of refugees. The deal, to return irregular migrants to Turkey, includes acceleration of the country's long-stalled bid for membership in the union; billions of euros in extra aid, 3 billion euros now, another 3 billion by 2018; and, visa-free travel for Turks once the country satisfies the EU criteria. Europe will be taking in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) strongly condemns the deal as \"ugly and illegal.\" The agreement is set to go into effect Sunday, March 20, 2016. (CNN) (Middle East Eye) (Reuters)","document":"BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union sealed a controversial deal with Turkey on Friday intended to halt illegal migration flows to Europe in return for financial and political rewards for Ankara.\nEU seals deal to return migrants, but is it doable?\n01:20\nThe accord aims to close the main route by which a million migrants and refugees poured across the Aegean Sea to Greece in the last year before marching north to Germany and Sweden.\nBut deep doubts remain about whether it is legal or workable, a point acknowledged even by German Chancellor Angela Merkel who has been the key driving force behind the agreement.\n“I have no illusions that what we agreed today will be accompanied by further setbacks. There are big legal challenges that we must now overcome,” Merkel said after the 28 EU leaders concluded the deal with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.\n“But I think we’ve reached an agreement that has an irreversible momentum,” Merkel said, adding it showed that the EU was still capable of taking difficult decisions and managing complex crises.\nUnder the pact, Ankara would take back all migrants and refugees, including Syrians, who cross to Greece illegally across the sea. In return, the EU would take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and reward it with more money, early visa-free travel and faster progress in EU membership talks.\nMigrants who arrive in Greece from Sunday will be subject to being sent back once they have been registered and their individual asylum claim processed. The returns are to begin on April 4, as would resettlement of Syrian refugees in Europe.\nWhile many in Brussels hailed the agreement as a game-changer, Amnesty International decried it as a “historic blow to human rights”, saying Europe was turning its back on refugees.\n“Guarantees to scrupulously respect international law are incompatible with the touted return to Turkey of all irregular migrants,” the rights advocacy group said, criticizing Ankara’s track-record on human rights.\nRelated Coverage\n“Turkey is not a safe country for refugees and migrants, and any return process predicated on it being so will be flawed, illegal and immoral.”\nTurkey’s human rights record has drawn mounting criticism amid a crackdown on Kurdish separatists, arrests of critical journalists and the seizure of its best-selling newspaper.\nDutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte sought to reverse the narrative, saying the idea was to discourage illegal and perilous voyages across the Aegean and open legal paths to Europe instead.\n“There is nothing humanitarian in letting people, families, children, step on boats, being tempted by cynical smugglers, and risk their lives,” he said.\nThe EU would also accelerate disbursement of 3 billion euros already pledged in support for refugees in Turkey and provide a further 3 billion by 2018. It would help Greece set up a task force of some 4,000 staff, including judges, interpreters, border guards and others to manage each case individually.\n“All new irregular migrants crossing from Turkey into Greek islands as from 20 March 2016 will be returned to Turkey. This will take place in full accordance with EU and international law, excluding any kind of collective expulsion,” the deal said.\nEuropean Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said it would be a Herculean task for Greece to handle the returns and the chairman of the EU leaders’ summits, European Council President Donald Tusk, said the deal was not a silver bullet.\n“Reality is more complex,” Tusk said, noting a broader EU strategy to control migration that included keeping the land route from Greece to Germany closed to irregular migrants.\nJust as the deal was clinched, Turkey said it had intercepted hundreds of migrants trying to reach the Greek island of Lesbos.\n“It’s a historic day today because we reached a very important agreement between Turkey and the EU,” Davutoglu said. “Today we realized that Turkey and EU have the same destiny, the same challenges and the same future.”\nTurkey’s four-decade-old dispute with Cyprus had been a key stumbling block. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades insisted there could be no opening of new “chapters” in Turkey’s EU talks until Ankara de facto recognizes the Cypriot state.\nBut the issue was sidestepped as EU leaders agreed to open a negotiating chapter that was not one of the five blocked by Nicosia. Anastasiades said he was “fully satisfied” after the sides agreed to swiftly open only chapter 33 on budget policy.\nAnkara’s central objective -- visa-free travel for Turks to Europe by June -- would still depend on Turkey meeting 72 long-standing EU criteria.\nFacing a backlash from anti-immigration populists across Europe, the EU is desperate to stem the influx but faced legal obstacles to blanket returns of migrants to Turkey.\nEU partners would provide additional manpower and resources to help Athens cope with the new challenge and with a backlog of 43,000 migrants already bottled up on its territory.\nWhile the talks were in progress, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused the EU of hypocrisy over migrants, human rights and terrorism, as supporters of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) set up protest tents near the summit venue.\nErdogan said Europe was “dancing in a minefield” by directly or indirectly supporting terrorist groups.\n“At a time when Turkey is hosting three million, those who are unable to find space for a handful of refugees, who in the middle of Europe keep these innocents in shameful conditions, must first look at themselves,” he said in a televised speech.\nReporting by Renee Maltezou, Robin Emmott, Paul Taylor, Andreas Rinke, Gabriela Baczynska, Julia Fioretti, Jan Strupczewski, Humeyra Pamuk, Alastair Macdonald, Elizabeth Pineau, Tom Koerkemeir in Brussels and Ayla Jean Yackley in Istanbul, Writing by Paul Taylor and Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Alastair Macdonald and Catherine Evans\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Turkey","The European Union"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["halt illegal migration flows to Europe in return for financial and political rewards for Ankara","Ankara"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2016 Finland and Russia agree to impose temporary restrictions at two Arctic border crossing points on the Finnish–Russian border following an increased flow of asylum seekers from Russia to Finland. Under a deal clinched by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in Moscow, crossings at two popular entry points, Salla and Raja-Jooseppi, will be reserved only for Finnish, Russian and Belarusian citizens and their family members for a period of 180 days. (Reuters)","document":" Russia and Finland agreed on Tuesday to impose temporary restrictions at two Arctic border crossing points following an increased flow of asylum seekers from Russia to Finland earlier this year.\nUnder a deal clinched by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Sauli Niinisto in Moscow, crossings at two popular entry points, Salla and Raja-Jooseppi, will be reserved only for Finnish, Russian and Belarusian citizens and their family members for a period of 180 days.\n“The aim of this restriction is to prevent organized illegal immigration. According to EU commitments, Finland aims to prevent the emergence of new routes for illegal immigration,” the Finnish president’s office said in a statement.\nFinland’s 833-mile (1,340 km) border with Russia marks an external limit of the European Union’s passport-free Schengen area. Helsinki has been worried it could become a more popular route into the EU for migrants as the weather improves and the main Balkan route via Turkey and Greece gets harder to access.\nClose to 1,000 asylum seekers entered Finland from Russia in the first two months of 2016, up from about 700 in the whole of 2015, although the flow of migrants has halted this month after an improvement in bilateral border cooperation.\nThe Finnish government has said many of the migrants in question were Afghans or Indians and were not escaping war or persecution, and some had lived in Russia a long time.\nThe two countries also signed a memorandum of understanding to increase the sharing of information on immigration.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Russia","Finland"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["180 days"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["crossings at two popular entry points, Salla and Raja-Jooseppi, will be reserved only for Finnish, Russian and Belarusian citizens and their family members for a period of 180 days"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Moscow"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Israel’s Supreme Court blocked a controversial plan to develop the country’s natural gas fields on Sunday","document":"Israel’s Supreme Court blocked a controversial plan to develop the country’s natural gas fields on Sunday, dealing a blow to energy companies operating in the eastern Mediterranean and drawing fire from the government.\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached a deal last year with Texas-based Noble Energy NBL.N and Israel's Delek Group DLEKG.TA that would leave them in control of the country's largest gas field, Leviathan, while forcing them to sell smaller, yet sizeable, assets.\nThe agreement also provided an outline for the next decade, with the government committing to leave taxes, export quotas and other regulation unchanged, and the companies agreeing to develop Leviathan at an accelerated pace.\nThe court, however, said the government was not in a position to make such long-term commitments.\nA commitment “that binds the government to the outline, including no changes in legislation and opposing legislative initiatives for 10 years - cannot stand,” the court said in its ruling.\nThe cabinet could try to pass a law in parliament, the judges said, but given the strong opposition and Netanyahu’s single-seat majority, such a move seemed unlikely.\nThe court gave the government a year to come up with an alternative arrangement or the outline will be cancelled.\n“(The) decision severely threatens the development of the gas reserves of the state of Israel,” Netanyahu said of perhaps his biggest political setback since re-election a year ago.\nThe prime minister even made the unusual step of defending the deal in the Supreme Court last month. [L8N15T06I]\n“Israel is seen as a state with excessive judicial interference in which it is difficult to do business,” he said. “We will seek other ways to overcome the severe damage that this curious decision has caused the Israeli economy.”\nRelated Coverage\nNoble and Delek have held off on developing Leviathan, a $5-$6 billion investment, until the deal was approved.\nIn a joint statement, they commended the court for opposing just one section of the outline.\n“In order to allow us to meet the framework goals, primarily the development of Leviathan by the end of 2019, we call on the government to facilitate the stability provisions in a short time frame,” the companies said.\nExpect a sharp drop in gas companies’ share prices on Monday in Tel Aviv, said Noam Pincu, an analyst at the Psagot brokerage.\nThe deal would have also encouraged new energy companies who have been waiting for regulatory uncertainty to clear up before investing in exploration.\nHowever, it also drew a lot of opposition including from public advocacy groups and opposition lawmakers, who said it would still have left Noble and Delek in control of too much of Israel’s gas.\nLeviathan, with an estimated 22 trillion cubic feet of gas, was one of the world’s largest offshore discoveries of the past decade. It is earmarked mostly for exports and the developers have inked a number of preliminary, multi-billion dollar deals.\nAnalyst Yehonatan Shohat of Leader Capital Markets, one of Israel’s top investment banks, said he expected Netanyahu to return to the negotiating table rather than seek a new law.\n“The bottom line is that it’s bad news for the partners, but in our estimation, and given the sensitivities of the subject, the last word has yet to be spoken,” he said.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Israel's Delek Group DLEKG.TA","Israel","Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu","Texas-based Noble Energy NBL.N"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["last year"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["develop the country’s natural gas fields"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Israel’s High Court rejected Sunday afternoon Israel’s natural gas plan which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed last December with US and Israeli gas companies","document":"Israel’s High Court rejected Sunday afternoon Israel’s natural gas plan which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed last December with US and Israeli gas companies to\n\t develop Israel's offshore gas deposits.\nThe judges rejected the “stability clause”, and since it is a prerequisite for the plan – the whole plan was thus rejected. The stability clause was supposed to allow the government or the Knesset to not change the plan for a period of ten years. It was meant to serve as protection from regulatory changes in taxation, antitrust limitations and export quotas. With the exception of Noam Solberg, four of the five justices ruled that the stablity clause was illegal.  \n  Nevertheless, the state was given a period of one year during which it could fix any problematic aspects of the deal. At the end of that period of time, if a deal is not worked out, the plan will be cancelled.   Deputy Supreme Court president Elyakim Rubinstein wrote: \"The stability clause in this chapter of the plan, in which the government undertakes for a decade to not only not legislate but to also fight any legislation against the plan’s provisions, was determined without authority – and as such is rejected. It was determined in contrast to the general principle of administrative law regarding the prohibition of shackling the authority’s ability to judge. The government does not have the power to decide not to decide and not to act.\"  \nRubinstein added that this was especially the case when the government seeks to limit the judgment of the next government, \"whose composition and ideology will be different than this one.\" Rubinstein also stated that the stability clause substantially binds the Knesset’s ability to use its discretion.  \n \n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu","US and Israeli gas companies"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["last December"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["develop Israel's offshore gas deposits"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2020 The New England Patriots reach an agreement to sign quarterback Cam Newton. He will replace the Patriots' longtime quarterback Tom Brady, who left the team in March. (AP)","document":"The New England Patriots have reached an agreement with free-agent quarterback Cam Newton, bringing in the 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player to help the team move on from three-time MVP Tom Brady, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.\nThe one-year deal is worth up to $7.5 million with incentives, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it publicly. A Patriots spokesman said the team had nothing to announce Sunday night. The signing was first reported by ESPN.\n“I’m as excited as I don’t know what right now!!” Newton posted on Instagram. “All praise to God!! Dropping content tomorrow!! I hope you’re ready!! Let’sgoPats.”\nThe Patriots had been heading to training camp with 2019 fourth-round draft choice Jarrett Stidham as the heir apparent to Brady, who led the team to six Super Bowl championships since 2001 but signed with Tampa Bay this offseason. Stidham appeared in three games last season, completing two passes for 14 yards with one interception. The only other experienced quarterback on the defending AFC East champions’ roster was 34-year-old Brian Hoyer, who has started 38 games in an 11-year career with seven NFL teams, including the Patriots twice. A three-time Pro Bowl selection who was the league’s top player in 2015, Newton remains the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdowns rushing by a quarterback. He had one year remaining on a five-year, $103.8 million contract, but the Panthers saved $19.1 million under the salary cap by releasing him on March 24.\nThe 31-year-old Newton was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft after leading Auburn to a national championship and winning the Heisman Trophy. He helped the Panthers reach the playoffs four times, including the Super Bowl in 2015.\nThe Panthers finished 15-1 that season and Newton won league MVP honors after throwing for 3,837 and 35 touchdowns and rushing for 636 yards and 10 TDs. But he was criticized after Carolina’s 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl for not jumping on a loose ball late in the game and cutting his postgame news conference short.\nAfter missing the postseason in 2016, the Panthers returned after going 11-5 the next year, losing to the New Orleans Saints in the wild-card round. More problematic, a shoulder injury severely hampered his throwing in 2018; after starting 6-2, the Panthers lost their next seven games.\nNewton had surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff before the 2019 season. But he injured his foot in a brief appearance in the third preseason game against New England; he played only two games last season before being placed on injured reserve with a broken bone in his foot.\nNewton has been rehabbing ever since, posting several workout videos on Instagram. But because of the new coronavirus, he hasn’t had a chance to meet with other teams to show he’s healthy.\nIn nine seasons, he has completed 2,371 passes for 29,041 yards and 182 touchdowns with 108 interceptions. He has also run for 4,806 yards and 58 scores. ___","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The New England Patriots","free-agent quarterback Cam Newton"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The one-year deal is worth up to $7.5 million with incentives"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2020 Palestinian militant group Hamas announces that a ceasefire agreement has been reached with the Israeli government to end a month-long series of cross-border firing involving the launch of incendiary balloons in the Gaza Strip. The agreement follows mediation talks with Egyptian and Qatari officials. (AFP via The Guardian)","document":"Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas have announced they have reached a Qatari-mediated deal with Israel to end more than three weeks of cross-border exchanges of fire.\nAfter talks with Qatari envoy Mohammed al-Emadi, “an understanding was reached to rein in the latest escalation and end [Israeli] aggression against our people,” said the office of the Palestinian territory’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar.\nIn the latest escalation, Israel has bombed Gaza almost daily since 6 August, in response to airborne incendiary devices and, less frequently, rockets launched across the border.\nThe fire bombs – crude devices fitted to balloons, inflated condoms or plastic bags – have triggered more than 400 blazes and damaged swathes of farmland in southern Israel, according to the fire brigade.\nAn Egyptian delegation had been shuttling between the two sides to try to broker a renewal of an informal truce under which Israel committed to ease its 13-year-old blockade of Gaza in return for calm on the border.\nIt was joined by Al-Emadi, who also held talks with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv.\nA Hamas source said there had been “a total halt” to balloon and other attacks against Israel, in agreement with other factions in the coastal strip, home to some 2 million people.\n“Fuel supplies will return and the power station will be restarted from Tuesday,” the source said.\nA punitive Israeli-imposed ban on fuel deliveries cut electricity supplies to just four hours a day, supplied from the Israeli grid.\nFinancial aid from gas-rich Qatar has been a major component of a truce first agreed in November 2018 and renewed several times since.\nIsrael had also agreed to take other steps to alleviate unemployment of more than 50% in Gaza, but disagreements over implementation have fuelled repeated flare-ups.\nThese escalated into full-blown conflict in 2008, 2012 and 2014, and mediators have been working to prevent a new war.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Israel","Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["end more than three weeks of cross-border exchanges of fire","Israel committed to ease its 13-year-old blockade of Gaza in return for calm on the border"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2020 Japan and the United Kingdom reach a tentative free trade agreement, which British trade secretary Liz Truss hails as the UK's \"first major post-Brexit trade deal\". (CNBC)","document":" The U.K. and Japan on Friday agreed in principle to a trade deal, in a move that sees the U.K. strike its first major agreement post-Brexit.\nThe announcement, which the U.K. hailed as a “historic moment,” comes as Britain struggles to secure an agreement with its closest trading partners in the European Union.\nBritain’s trade department said U.K. businesses would benefit from tariff-free trade on 99% of exports to Japan. It also suggested the deal would see the country increase trade with Japan by £15.2 billion ($19.5 billion). \nThe deal will include digital and data provisions that go “far beyond” the EU-Japan deal, Britain claimed, enabling the “free flow of data whilst maintaining high standards of protection for personal data.”\nThe tentative agreement, which will require the approval of both the U.K. and Japanese parliaments, is scheduled to come into the force at the end of the year. \n“This is a historic moment for the UK and Japan as our first major post-Brexit trade deal,” Liz Truss, U.K. international trade secretary, said in a statement.\n“Strategically, the deal is an important step towards joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership and placing Britain at the centre of a network of modern free trade agreements with like-minded friends and allies,” Truss said.\nSterling traded at $1.2817 during lunchtime deals, around 0.1% higher for the session.\nNegotiations between the U.K. and Japan started on June 9. Since then, Britain said more than 100 negotiators had met via remote means or in-person to negotiate the deal. \nLate last month, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe abruptly announced his intention to step down, citing health reasons. The 65-year-old said he would fulfill his duties as prime minister until the next leader is appointed.\nU.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this year that Britain could become the Superman of global trade, striking lucrative agreements on its own terms following the country’s exit from the EU in January.\nThe proposed deal with Japan marks the first major deal for the world’s fifth-largest economy post-Brexit.\nCarolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, described the agreement as a “breakthrough moment” that would be “welcomed by businesses across the country.”\n“Business will help support the Government in its efforts to secure more trade deals around the world and promote their benefits to communities. The Japan deal can be the first of many,” Fairbairn said.\nHowever, critics of Johnson’s “global Britain” agenda suggest free trade agreements with countries around the world are unlikely to offset exports lost to the EU if it cannot reach an agreement with Brussels.\nThe U.K. and EU are currently at loggerheads over Britain’s so-called Internal Market Bill. The bill, proposed earlier this week, seeks to amend part of the country’s Brexit deal with the EU. If approved, it would allow ministers to change parts of the Northern Ireland protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement, negotiated last year. \nNorthern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, a government minister, has since conceded the Internal Market Bill would “break international law.”\nIn response, the U.K.’s opposition Labour party has condemned the proposal, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday she was “very concerned about the announcement from the British government.”\nStateside, Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House and a vocal Democrat lawmaker, said Wednesday that if the U.K. violates its international agreements, “there will be absolutely no chance of a U.S.-U.K. trade agreement passing the Congress.” \nThe U.K. and the EU are currently trying to reach a trade agreement before the end of the transition period on December 31, with the U.K. set to go onto World Trade Organization rules if no agreement is reached.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Japan","The U.K"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["come into the force at the end of the year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["U.K. businesses would benefit from tariff-free trade on 99% of exports to Japan"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2020 OPEC and allies strike a deal to cut oil production by 9.7 million barrels per day, the largest such cut agreed upon, starting May 1. (BBC)","document":"Opec producers and allies have agreed a record oil deal that will slash global output by about 10% after a slump in demand caused by coronavirus lockdowns.\nThe deal, agreed on Sunday via video conference, is the largest cut in oil production ever to have been agreed.\nOpec+, made up of oil producers and allies including Russia, announced plans for the deal on 9 April, but Mexico resisted the cuts.\nOpec has yet to announce the deal, but individual nations have confirmed it.\nThe only detail to have been confirmed so far is that 9.7 million barrels per day will be cut by Opec oil producers and allies.\nOn Monday in Asia, oil rose over $1 a barrel in early trading with global benchmark Brent up 3.9% to $32.71 a barrel and US grade West Texas Intermediate up 6.1% to $24.15 a barrel. Shares in Australia jumped 3.46% led by energy exporters, but Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.35% on continued concerns of poor global demand because of the spread of the coronavirus.\n\"This is an unprecedented agreement because it's not just between Opec and Opec+... but also the largest supplier in the world which is the US as well as other G-20 countries which have agreed to support the agreement both in reducing production and also in using up some of the surface supply by putting it into storage,\" Sandy Fielden, director of Oil Research at research firm Morningstar, told the BBC.\nUS President Donald Trump and Kuwait's energy minister Dr Khaled Ali Mohammed al-Fadhel tweeted the news, while Saudi Arabia's energy ministry and Russia's state news agency Tass both separately confirmed the deal on Sunday.\nThe big Oil Deal with OPEC Plus is done. This will save hundreds of thousands of energy jobs in the United States. I would like to thank and congratulate President Putin of Russia and King Salman of Saudi Arabia. I just spoke to them from the Oval Office. Great deal for all!\n\"By the grace of Allah, then with wise guidance, continuous efforts and continuous talks since the dawn of Friday, we now announce the completion of the historic agreement to reduce production by approximately 10 million barrels of oil per day from members of 'OPEC +' starting from 1 May 2020,\" wrote Dr al-Fadhel in a tweet.\n\nGlobal oil demand is estimated to have fallen by a third as more than three billion people are locked down in their homes due to the coronavirus outbreak.\nPrior to that, oil prices slumped in March to an 18-year-low after Opec+ failed to agree cuts.\nTalks were complicated by disagreements between Russia and Saudi Arabia, but on 2 April oil prices surged after President Trump signalled that he expected the two countries to end their feud.\nThe initial details of the deal, outlined by Opec+ on Thursday, would have seen the group and its allies cutting 10 million barrels a day or 10% of global supply from 1 May. Another five million barrels were expected to be cut by other nations outside the group such as the US, Canada, Brazil and Norway. It said the cuts would be eased to eight million barrels a day between July and December. Then they would be eased again to six million barrels between January 2021 and April 2022.\nIndependent oil market analyst Gaurav Sharma told the BBC that the deal agreed on Sunday was \"marginally lower\", compared to the 10 million barrels per day that was originally announced on Thursday. Mexico had balked at making these production cuts, which delayed the deal being signed off.\nThen on Friday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that Mr Trump had offered to make extra US cuts on his behalf, an unusual offer by the US president, who has long railed against Opec.\nMr Trump said Washington would help Mexico by picking up \"some of the slack\" and being reimbursed later, but he did not detail how the arrangement would work.\n\"Now a rehashed deal placating Mexico has resurfaced to calm the market, yet, look closer and the doubts surface,\" Mr Sharma said.\n\"The bulk of the output cuts are predicated on Russia and Saudi Arabia cutting 2.5 million barrels per day from agreed - and somewhat inflated - levels of 11 million barrels per day. More importantly, for most of 2019, Russia displayed very poor form in complying with previously agreed Opec+ cuts. So the market is unlikely to take the announced cut at face value.\"\nHe added that forecasts for a drop in demand in the summer appear to be \"dire\", with even the most optimistic forecasts pointing to a reduction of 18.5 million barrels per day.\nMr Sharma said: \"The announcement can stem the bleeding, but cannot prevent what is likely to be a dire summer for oil producers with the potential to drag oil prices below $20 (£16; €18).\"\n\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["allies","Opec producers"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["slash global output by about 10"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2020 The Walt Disney Company reports it is entering a US$5 billion unsecured credit agreement, possibly to make up for shortfalls in its theme park division. Citibank, N.A. is the main broker of the deal. (Reuters)","document":" Walt Disney Co said on Monday it has entered an unsecured credit agreement for $5 billion, at a time when companies across industries are scrambling to bolster their liquidity to weather the fallout from the coronavirus crisis.\nDisney’s theme parks business has taken a particularly severe hit as lockdowns have restricted people’s movement and gatherings in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.\nThe company said in a filing here the credit agreement, which has terms similar to another one it entered on March 6, will mature on April 9, 2021, adding that the fund could be used for day to day operations.\nThe agreement can be extended for another year at the time of maturity if the lenders agree, it said.\nCitibank N.A. served as the designated agent for the agreement, Walt Disney said.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Walt Disney Co"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["an unsecured credit agreement for $5 billion"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2017 South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump agree to revise the South Korea Ballistic Missile Range Guidelines which caps South Korea's missile development. (Reuters)","document":" U.S. President Donald Trump agreed with South Korean President Moon Jae-in to revise the two countries’ treaty capping the development of the South’s ballistic missiles as Seoul has hoped to, Moon’s office said on Saturday.\nSouth Korea’s development of its ballistic missiles is limited to range of 800 kilometers (500 miles) and payload weight of 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) under a bilateral treaty revised in 2012.\nThe two leaders discussed the issue as a way to boost the South’s defense against growing threat from North in a telephone call, South Korea’s Blue House said.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["U.S. President Donald Trump","South Korean President Moon Jae-in"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["revise the two countries’ treaty capping the development of the South’s ballistic missiles"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"President Trump struck a deal with Democratic congressional leaders on Wednesday to increase the debt limit and finance","document":" President Trump struck a deal with Democratic congressional leaders on Wednesday to increase the debt limit and finance the government until mid-December, blindsiding his own Republican allies as he reached across the aisle to resolve a major dispute for the first time since taking office.\nThe agreement would avert a fiscal showdown later this month without the bloody, partisan battle that many had anticipated by combining a debt ceiling increase and stopgap spending measure with relief aid to Texas and other areas devastated by Hurricane Harvey. But without addressing the fundamental underlying issues, it set up the prospect for an even bigger clash at the end of the year.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["President Trump","Democratic congressional leaders"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["until mid-December"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["increase the debt limit and finance the government until mid-December"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"President Donald Trump forged a surprising deal with Democrats in Congress on Wednesday to extend the U.S. debt limit and provide government funding until Dec. 15","document":" President Donald Trump forged a surprising deal with Democrats in Congress on Wednesday to extend the U.S. debt limit and provide government funding until Dec. 15, embracing his political adversaries and blindsiding fellow Republicans in a rare bipartisan accord.\nA 'good moment' of bipartisanship: Schumer on Trump's deal with Dems\n\nTrump, living up to his reputation for unpredictability, met at the White House with congressional leaders from both parties and overruled Republicans and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who wanted a longer-term debt-limit extension rather than the three-month Democratic proposal the president embraced.\n“We could have done a one-year deal today,” Mnuchin told reporters aboard Air Force One later in the day en route back to Washington from an event in North Dakota where Trump spoke about taxes.\nMnuchin said Trump chose a short-term deal to keep his options open on possibly raising military funding later this year, suggesting a longer-term government funding deal might have blocked that.\nTrump is very focused on military spending, “particularly with what’s going on in North Korea and other parts of the world today,” Mnuchin said. “The president wasn’t willing to give up his need for additional military spending.”\nIf passed by the Republican-led Congress, the three-month agreement would avert an unprecedented default on U.S. government debt, keep the government funded at the outset of the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 and provide aid to victims of Hurricane Harvey.\n“It was a really good moment of some bipartisanship and getting things done,” top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said.\nLess than an hour before the meeting, Republican House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan had called the Democratic proposal that Trump later embraced a “ridiculous and disgraceful” idea that would “play politics with the debt ceiling.”\nEven with the three-month extension of the debt limit, a Senate Republican aide told reporters that nothing in the tentative deal would stop the Treasury Department from using its powers to extend the deadline, depending on revenue flow. In the past, the debt limit deadline has been extended for several months under those powers.\n\n\nSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, overridden by Trump during the meeting, said he would bring the deal to the Senate floor for a vote.\n“The president can speak for himself, but his feeling was that we needed to come together, to not create a picture of divisiveness at a time of genuine national crisis,” McConnell told reporters.\nThe agreement was an uncommon instance of bipartisan compromise since Trump took office in January. Washington has suffered through bitter partisanship that has at times left the U.S. capital dysfunctional under Trump and his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. Trump had tangled repeatedly with Schumer and top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi.\n“We had a very good meeting with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer,” Trump, a wealthy businessman who as a candidate touted his deal-making skills, told reporters aboard Air Force One, without mentioning McConnell or Ryan, with whom he has had fraught relations.\n“We agreed to a three-month extension on debt ceiling, which they consider to be sacred, very important. Always we’ll agree on debt ceiling, automatically because of the importance of it,” Trump said.\nConservative groups were aghast, accusing Trump of caving in to the Democrats rather than insisting on spending cuts to accompany the debt ceiling increase, and some hard-line Republicans expressed opposition to it.\nRepublican leaders and Mnuchin pushed in the meeting for an 18-month debt limit hike, then floated six months, but Pelosi and Schumer held firm to their three-month proposal and Trump sided with them, according to people familiar with the meeting.\nThe party in power, in this case Republicans, often argues for the longest debt limit increase as possible for two reasons. First, it protects members of Congress from casting multiple votes on the politically unpopular legislation over a short period of time, especially in the run-up to the 2018 congressional elections. Second, it helps stabilize markets.\nFor minority Democrats, whose votes are needed to pass debt ceiling increases, they could potentially use the debt limit vote later in the year as leverage to win concessions on a tax overhaul package that Trump badly wants to advance.\nEven though Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, Trump has yet to win passage of any major legislation, with Democrats typically united against him.\nThe House on Wednesday approved roughly $8 billion in initial emergency aid for relief and rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey, which tore into Texas on Aug. 25, with the measure now going to the Senate.\n“Our No. 1 priority was getting funding for Harvey,” Mnuchin said. “To get the funding for Harvey, we needed to extend the debt limit.”\nU.S. shares rose and the dollar gained against the safe-haven Japanese yen as word of the deal helped mitigate investor concerns about North Korea and a major hurricane barreling toward Florida. The news also lifted the yield on benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notes US10YT=RR after it had fallen to a near 10-month low at 2.054 percent.\nThe Treasury Department has said the ceiling must be raised in the next few weeks. If not, the government would be unable to borrow more money or pay its bills, including its debt payments. That could hurt the U.S. credit rating, cause financial turmoil, harm the economy and possibly trigger a recession.\nRepresentative Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota, was aboard Air Force One when he heard about the short-term deal. He told reporters on the plane: “I will tell you that I gasped when I heard it.”\nHe said the deal would be a “tough sell” for House Republicans but that some would “warm up to the idea” when they learned more about it.\nAdditional reporting by Susan Cornwell, David Shepardson, Jeff Mason, Amanda Becker, Doina Chiacu, James Oliphant and David Morgan; \n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Democrats in Congress","Congress","Democrats","President Donald Trump"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["until Dec. 15"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["extend the U.S. debt limit and provide government funding until Dec. 15"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2017 Fifty countries (50) sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted on 7 July 2017, at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The world's nuclear-weapon states oppose the measure. (AP via MSN.com)[permanent dead link] (Reuters) (United Nations)","document":"Dozens of countries signed a treaty to ban nuclear weapons on Wednesday amid tensions over North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests, although the United States, Britain, France and others boycotted the event at the annual United Nations gathering of world leaders.\nThe treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons will enter into force 90 days after 50 countries have ratified it. Only a few states were due to deposit their ratification on Wednesday.\n“There remain some fifteen thousand nuclear weapons in existence. We cannot allow these doomsday weapons to endanger our world and our children’s future,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said as he opened the treaty for signing.\nEarlier this month North Korea conducted its sixth and largest nuclear weapons test. U.S. President Donald Trump told the 193-member U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday that if threatened, the United States would “totally destroy” the country of 26 million people and mocked its leader, Kim Jong Un, as a “rocket man.”\nThe treaty was adopted in July by two-thirds of the 193 U.N. member states after months of talks, which the United States, Britain, France and others skipped. They instead pledged commitment to a decades-old Non-Proliferation Treaty, which aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology.\nThe United States, Britain and France are among nine countries believed to have nuclear weapons.\nl\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Dozens of countries","countries"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["enter into force 90 days after 50 countries have ratified it"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["ban nuclear weapons"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2017 Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, sign a unity deal in Cairo, that is also publicly supported by the governments of Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The Fatah-controlled Palestinian National Authority (PNA), along with Israel, currently govern the West Bank. According to the signatories of the deal, the PNA will take administrative control of the Gaza Strip, and, along with Hamas, police its borders. The signatories consider the agreement a first step, and, if productive, plan to meet next month to address the remaining issues. The government of Israel opposes any involvement by Hamas in a Palestinian government. (The New York Times), (BBC)","document":" After a decade of hostility and recrimination, the two main Palestinian factions came together in on Thursday to sign a reconciliation deal that holds out the tantalizing prospect of a united Palestinian front.\nHopes for the agreement, signed under the watchful eye of Egyptian intelligence, were tempered by the knowledge that many previous Palestinian initiatives have failed. Yet there is optimism that this time may be different, partly because the stakes are so much higher.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the two main Palestinian factions"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a reconciliation deal that holds out the tantalizing prospect of a united Palestinian front"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2017 Syria signs the Paris Agreement. This will make the United States the only country not in the Paris Agreement, when they plan to leave on 4 November 2020. (The Guardian)","document":"\nSyria has decided to sign the Paris agreement on climate change, the world’s final functioning state to do so. The surprise decision, taken amid a brutal civil war in the country, will leave the US as the only country outside the agreement if it follows through on President Donald Trump’s vow to leave.\nSyria’s decision brings to 197 the number of nations signed up to the landmark 2015 pact on global warming, the first in more than 20 years of UN negotiations to bind both developed and developing countries to a clear limit on temperature rises.\nThe 2015 Paris climate agreement is the first truly global deal to tackle climate change. It commits governments to limit temperature rises to no more than 2C (3.6F) – which scientists say is the threshold of safety, beyond which the effects of global warming are likely to become catastrophic and irreversible –  and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C. It has been signed by 197 countries. The US is on course to become the only country outside the agreement if it follows through on Donald Trump’s vow to leave.\nPresident Barack Obama signed the accord and it was ratified before his term of office ended, but this summer Donald Trump began the process of withdrawing from it. Withdrawal will take several years under UN rules, so the US officially remains a party until 4 November 2020, the day after its next presidential election. The US is the only country to renege on the agreement.\nCivil society groups said the US, the world’s largest economy and second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after China, was now isolated on the world stage.\nPaula Caballero, global director of the climate programme at the World Resources Institute, said: “Now the entire world is resolutely committed to advancing climate action – all save one country. This should make the Trump administration pause and reflect on their ill-advised announcement about withdrawing from the Paris agreement.”\nMichael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club environmental group, said: “As if it wasn’t already crystal clear, every single other country is moving forward together to tackle the climate crisis, while Trump has isolated the US in an embarrassing and dangerous position. Trump’s desperate moves to help corporate polluters by refusing to acknowledge the climate crisis shows he neither cares about leadership nor does he understand it.”\nObservers said that although the White House could withdraw the federal government from the pact, cities and states in the US would continue to take action on climate change, for instance by investing in renewable energy.\nThe French government, according to reports, said Trump had been excluded from the invitations to more than 100 world leaders to meet in Paris for a climate conference next month, to follow on from the Paris agreement.\nThe US delegation in Bonn, where two weeks of UN climate negotiations are in their second day, did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment.\nThe US is participating in the Bonn talks, according to the UN climate chief Patricia Esposito, but its contributions so far have been low-key. Under UN rules, it will continue to be allowed to do so until the formal withdrawal can be completed in 2020.\nAt the Bonn talks, called COP23 in the UN jargon, countries are hoping to come up with a roadmap to meet the goals set out in the Paris agreement. In 2015, countries agreed to hold rising temperatures to no more than 2C, which scientists say is the limit of safety, beyond which the ravages of climate change are likely to become catastrophic and irreversible.\nSuch a roadmap must include ways to toughen the promises on curbing greenhouse gas emissions that countries made in Paris. The Paris pledges are not in themselves enough to satisfy the 2C limit, and if left unchanged would lead to a 3C rise in temperatures, according to studies. A 3C rise would mean far higher sea level rises, heatwaves and droughts afflicting large swaths of the globe and making agriculture impossible in those areas, while devastating floods would increase in other areas.\nTo meet the Paris goals, countries will have to ratchet up their commitments on emissions reductions, which will be a difficult negotiation. Scientific advice at the Bonn conference has been clear, however: this year is likely to be the third warmest on record, confirming a warming trend that bears the fingerprints of human activity affecting the global climate.\nSyria’s decision was largely symbolic, given the country’s disarray, and follows a similar announcement before the Bonn talks by the only other holdout on the Paris accord, Nicaragua.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Syria"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Paris agreement","Paris agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["tackle climate change"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2017 The BBC reveals that a secret deal in mid-October allowed hundreds of ISIL fighters and their families, including some of their \"most notorious members\", escape from Raqqa in a convoy that was between 6 to 7 km long. The United States government confirms that the deal with ISIL was made and that the evacuations took place. The possibility of a deal was previously reported as early as October 14. (BBC) (Rudaw) (The Guardian)","document":"Lorry driver Abu Fawzi thought it was going to be just another job. He drives an 18-wheeler across some of the most dangerous territory in northern Syria. Bombed-out bridges, deep desert sand, even government forces and so-called Islamic State fighters don’t stand in the way of a delivery. But this time, his load was to be human cargo. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters opposed to IS, wanted him to lead a convoy that would take hundreds of families displaced by fighting from the town of Tabqa on the Euphrates river to a camp further north. The job would take six hours, maximum – or at least that's what he was told. But when he and his fellow drivers assembled their convoy early on 12 October, they realised they had been lied to. Instead, it would take three days of hard driving, carrying a deadly cargo - hundreds of IS fighters, their families and tonnes of weapons and ammunition. Abu Fawzi and dozens of other drivers were promised thousands of dollars for the task but it had to remain secret. The deal to let IS fighters escape from Raqqa – de facto capital of their self-declared caliphate – had been arranged by local officials. It came after four months of fighting that left the city obliterated and almost devoid of people. It would spare lives and bring fighting to an end. The lives of the Arab, Kurdish and other fighters opposing IS would be spared. But it also enabled many hundreds of IS fighters to escape from the city. At the time, neither the US and British-led coalition, nor the SDF, which it backs, wanted to admit their part. Has the pact, which stood as Raqqa’s dirty secret, unleashed a threat to the outside world - one that has enabled militants to spread far and wide across Syria and beyond? Great pains were taken to hide it from the world. But the BBC has spoken to dozens of people who were either on the convoy, or observed it, and to the men who negotiated the deal. In a greasy yard in Tabqa, underneath a date palm, three boys are busy at work rebuilding a lorry engine. They are covered in motor oil. Their hair, black and oily, stands on end. Near them is a group of drivers. Abu Fawzi is at the centre, conspicuous in his bright red jacket. It matches the colour of his beloved 18-wheeler. He’s clearly the leader, quick to offer tea and cigarettes. At first he says he doesn’t want to speak but soon changes his mind. He and the rest of the drivers are angry. It’s weeks since they risked their lives for a journey that ruined engines and broke axles but still they haven’t been paid. It was a journey to hell and back, he says. One of the drivers maps out the route of the convoy\n “We were scared from the moment we entered Raqqa,” he says. “We were supposed to go in with the SDF, but we went alone. As soon as we entered, we saw IS fighters with their weapons and suicide belts on. They booby-trapped our trucks. If something were to go wrong in the deal, they would bomb the entire convoy. Even their children and women had suicide belts on.” The Kurdish-led SDF cleared Raqqa of media. Islamic State’s escape from its base would not be televised. Publicly, the SDF said that only a few dozen fighters had been able to leave, all of them locals. But one lorry driver tells us that isn't true. We took out around 4,000 people including women and children - our vehicle and their vehicles combined. When we entered Raqqa, we thought there were 200 people to collect. In my vehicle alone, I took 112 people.” Another driver says the convoy was six to seven kilometres long. It included almost 50 trucks, 13 buses and more than 100 of the Islamic State group’s own vehicles. IS fighters, their faces covered, sat defiantly on top of some of the vehicles. Footage secretly filmed and passed to us shows lorries towing trailers crammed with armed men. Despite an agreement to take only personal weapons, IS fighters took everything they could carry. Ten trucks were loaded with weapons and ammunition. The drivers point to a white truck being worked on in the corner of the yard. “Its axle was broken because of the weight of the ammo,” says Abu Fawzi. This wasn’t so much an evacuation - it was the exodus of so-called Islamic State. The SDF didn’t want the retreat from Raqqa to look like an escape to victory. No flags or banners would be allowed to be flown from the convoy as it left the city, the deal stipulated. It was also understood that no foreigners would be allowed to leave Raqqa alive. Back in May, US Defence Secretary James Mattis described the fight against IS as a war of “annihilation”.“Our intention is that the foreign fighters do not survive the fight to return home to north Africa, to Europe, to America, to Asia, to Africa. We are not going to allow them to do so,” he said on US television. But foreign fighters – those not from Syria and Iraq - were also able to join the convoy, according to the drivers. One explains: .","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["US","us","The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)","SDF"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["let IS fighters escape from Raqqa"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2017 Twenty-three European Union countries sign a defence integration pact known as the Permanent Structured Cooperation. NATO members Denmark, Portugal and the United Kingdom (withdrawal from EU underway), and non-NATO members Malta and Ireland, opt out. (Reuters)","document":"France and Germany edged toward achieving a 70-year-old ambition to integrate European defenses on Monday, signing a pact with 21 other EU governments to fund, develop and deploy armed forces after Britain’s decision to quit the bloc.\n\n\nFirst proposed in the 1950s and long resisted by Britain, European defense planning, operations and weapons development now stands its best chance in years as London steps aside and the United States pushes Europe to pay more for its security.\nForeign and defense ministers gathered at a signing ceremony in Brussels to represent 23 EU governments joining the pact, paving the way for EU leaders to sign it in December.\nThose governments will for the first time legally bind themselves into joint projects as well as pledging to increase defense spending and contribute to rapid deployments.\n“Today we are taking a historic step,” Germany’s Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told reporters. “We are agreeing on the future cooperation on security and defense issues ... it’s really a milestone in European development,” he said.\nThe pact includes all EU governments except Britain, which is leaving the bloc, Denmark, which has opted out of defense matters, Ireland, Portugal and Malta. Traditionally neutral Austria was a late addition to the pact.\nParis originally wanted a vanguard of EU countries to bring money and assets to French-led military missions and projects, while Berlin has sought to be more inclusive, which could reduce effectiveness.\nRelated Coverage\nIts backers say that if successful, the formal club of 23 members will give the European Union a more coherent role in tackling international crises and end the kind of shortcomings seen in Libya in 2011, when European allies relied on the United States for air power and munitions.\nUnlike past attempts, the U.S.-led NATO alliance backs the project, aiming to benefit from stronger militaries.\nThe club will be backed by a 5-billion-euro defense fund for buying weapons, a special fund to finance operations and money from the EU’s common budget for defense research.\nMembers will also be required to submit national plans and be subject to a review system identifying weak spots in European armies with the goal of plugging those gaps together.\nMany governments say Russia’s seizure of Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014 was a turning point, after years of defense spending cuts that left Europe without vital capabilities.\n“This is a commitment for countries to do better together,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. “It comes at a time of significant tension,” he said, referring indirectly to Russia’s rising military reach and Islamic militants who have attacked European cities.\nDespite an Anglo-French-led EU defense integration effort in 1998, Britain blocked formal collaboration on military matters, wary of the creation of an EU army.\nDefense integration was revived by France and Germany, with support from Italy and Spain, in a show of unity after Britons voted to leave the EU in June 2016.\nThe EU had struggled in military and humanitarian missions in the Balkans, Libya and in Africa over the past 20 years and were caught off guard by Russia’s Crimea annexation.\nAs the EU initiative, known as Permanent Structured Cooperation, has gained momentum, British officials have been pressing for involvement. Britain's aerospace industry and its biggest defense firm BAE Systems BAES.L fear losing out, diplomats said. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson likened London’s support to Gothic architecture, saying: “We are there, like a flying buttress to support the cathedral,” he told reporters.\nIn a possible compromise, Britain may be able to join in, but only on an exceptional basis if it provides substantial funds and expertise.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["21 other EU governments","EU governments","France","Germany"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["fund, develop and deploy armed forces after Britain’s decision to quit the bloc"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2020 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announces he has signed a deal with Azerbaijan and Russia to end the war by Tuesday morning. A Kremlin spokesman confirms the deal. Later, Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev says a \"trilateral agreement\" has been signed. President of Russia Vladimir Putin says Russian peacekeepers will be deployed. The agreement cedes several districts to Azerbaijan, including the Lachin District. The agreement will also establish a transport corridor through Armenia, linking Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan. (Reuters)","document":"Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia said they have signed a deal to end the military conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region after more than a month of bloodshed.\n\n\nArmenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan first announced the signing on social media in the early hours of Tuesday and the Kremlin and Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev later confirmed the news.\n“The signed trilateral statement will become a (crucial) point in the settlement of the conflict,” Aliyev said in a televised online meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.\nPutin said Russian peacekeepers would be deployed along the frontline in Nagorno-Karabakh and the corridor between the region and Armenia.\nArayik Harutyunyan, the leader of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, said on Facebook that he gave agreement “to end the war as soon as possible”.\nThe declaration has followed six weeks of heavy fighting and advancement by the Azerbaijan’s forces. Baku said on Monday it had seized dozens more settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh, a day after proclaiming victory in the battle for the enclave’s strategically positioned second-largest city.\n“The decision is made basing on the deep analyses of the combat situation and in discussion with best experts of the field,” Prime Minister Pashinyan said.\nRelated Coverage\n“This is not a victory but there is not defeat until you consider yourself defeated. We will never consider ourselves defeated and this shall become a new start of an era of our national unity and rebirth.”\nArmenian protesters marched to the prime minister’s official residence in Yerevan, Government House No. 1, after the ceasefire was announced, said local news outlet Norlur.am.\nVideos seen on social media showed crowds inside the building, but the prime minister’s location was unclear.\nThe Nagorno-Karabakh fighting has raised fears of a wider regional war, with Turkey supporting its ally Azerbaijan, while Russia has a defence pact with Armenia and a military base there.\nAzerbaijan says it has since Sept. 27 retaken much of the land in and around Nagorno-Karabakh that it lost in a 1991-94 war which killed an estimated 30,000 people and forced many more from their homes. Armenia has denied the extent of Azerbaijan’s territorial gains.\nSeveral thousand people are feared killed in the flare-up of the conflict. Three ceasefires have failed in the past six weeks and Azerbaijan’s superior weaponry and battlefield gains have reduced its incentive to seek a lasting peace deal.\nAzerbaijan said on Sunday it had captured Shusha, known by Armenians as Shushi, which sits on a mountaintop overlooking Stepanakert, the city regarded as the enclave’s capital by its ethnic Armenian administration.\nPresident Aliyev announced a list of 48 settlements he declared liberated on Monday in several parts of the enclave.\nAn Azeri defence ministry video posted online showed Azerbaijan’s national flag flying over deserted streets in what it said was Shusha.\nArmenia disputed that the city had fallen.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Azerbaijan","Armenia","Russia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["end the military conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region","Nagorno"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2020 Fifteen Asia–Pacific nations sign the world's largest free–trade agreement in Vietnam. It replaces the Trans–Pacific Partnership, from which the administration of Donald Trump withdrew the United States in early 2017. (DW) (Financial Times)","document":"Ten ASEAN nations, plus five other Asia-Pacific countries, have signed the world's biggest trade deal in terms of GDP. The pact is expected to drive economic growth in a region hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.\nFifteen nations in the Asia-Pacific region have entered into the world's largest free-trade agreement, which they hope will accelerate the recovery of their economies, ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic.\nThe Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, was signed on Sunday on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), held via videoconference due to the pandemic.\nRead more: Joe Biden is hardly the free trader Asia is hoping for\nThe virtual summit was hosted by Vietnam which held the rotating chair position in the run-up to the event.\n Send Facebook Twitter reddit EMail Facebook Messenger Web Whatsapp Web Telegram linkedin Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3lJcc\nThe RCEP deal, signed eight years after negotiations first began, covers 2.2 billion people and a third of the world's economy. It had previously been expected that the deal would be signed in early 2020.\nThe pact lowers tariffs, opens up the service sector and sets common trade rules within the bloc. The agreement covers trade, services, investment, e-commerce, telecommunications and copyright.\nHowever, environmental protection and labor rights are not part of the deal.\nRead more: What is China's world order for the 21st century?\nThe China-backed agreement is seen as an alternative to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a now-defunct Washington trade initiative.\nIt includes the 10 member states of ASEAN; Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei — along with Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.\nChinese Premier Li Keqiang welcomed the \"landmark achievement\"\nA notable absentee was India, which withdrew from the RCEP negotiations last year citing concerns over opening up its agricultural and manufacturing sectors to more foreign competition.\nASEAN leaders have said they still intend to expand trade with India and that the door remains open for New Delhi to rejoin the bloc.\nJapanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Saturday reaffirmed his government's support for \"broadening a free and fair economic zone, including a possibility of India's future return to the deal, and hope to gain support from the other countries.\"\nRead more: APEC summit: Free trade in Asia in the age of protectionism\nThe trade deal allows China — by far the biggest economy and the most populous country in the region — to cast itself as the \"champion of globalization and multilateral cooperation,\" Gareth Leather, senior Asian economist for Capital Economics, said in a report.\nCountries around the world are facing an economic slowdown in the aftermath of the pandemic-induced lockdowns. Indonesia recently slid into its first recession in more than two decades, while the Philippines saw its economy contract by 11.5% in the latest quarter.\nThe RCEP deal does not include environmental protection and labor rights or commit countries to open services and other vulnerable areas of their economies.\nIt does, however, set rules for trade that will facilitate investment and other business within the region, said Jeffrey Wilson, research director at the Perth USAsia Center.\n\"RCEP, therefore, is a much-needed platform for the Indo-Pacific's post-COVID recovery,\" Wilson wrote in a report for the Asia Society.\nThe Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, celebrated the signing of the deal in a speech given at the summit, saying: \"The signing of the RCEP is not only a landmark achievement of East Asian regional cooperation but also a victory of multilateralism and free trade.\"\nRead more: The real winners of the US-China trade dispute\nVietnam, which had been chairing ASEAN at the time of the summit, handed over its responsibilities to Brunei during the closing ceremony.\nVietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his satisfaction with the deal, saying: \"I am very pleased that, after eight years of negotiations full of difficulties, today we end negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and officially sign it during the 37th ASEAN Summit.\"\nAustralia hopes the trade deal will improve its relations with China, its biggest trading partner.\nTies with Beijing became frayed earlier this year after Canberra called for an international inquiry into the source of the coronavirus, which first erupted in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.\nVietnam strengthened its role as a middle power in the region through its guiding of the deal\nThe row escalated to a trade dispute which hit a dozen Australian industries and threatened exports to China of agricultural products, timber, and resources worth billions of dollars.\n\"The ball is very much in China's court to come to the table for that dialogue,\" said Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham.\n\"It is crucial that partners like China, as they enter into new agreements like this, deliver not only on the detail of such agreements but act true to the spirit of them,\" Birmingham told The Age newspaper.\nadi,ab/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters)\nWith the 14th Asia-Pacific Conference of German business underway in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, DW's Manuela Kasper-Claridge spoke to Hubert Lienhard, chairman of the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business.\n  Southeast Asian leaders have gathered in Bangkok for a three-day summit expected to be dominated by trade. ASEAN members are trying to finalize a China-backed plan to create the world's biggest free trade area.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Ten ASEAN nations","five other Asia-Pacific countries"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP","RCEP","Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["lowers tariffs, opens up the service sector and sets common trade rules within the bloc"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Vietnam"]}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2020 UK Home Secretary Priti Patel and French Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin announce an agreement to curb illegal migrant crossings in the English Channel. As part of the measures, costing the UK an additional 31.4 million euro, French border patrol officers will double their patrols on French beaches beginning next week, while enhancing surveillance, including increasing the use of drones to detect migrant boats. (BBC) (La Voix du Nord)","document":"The number of officers patrolling French beaches will double from next week to help stop migrants crossing the Channel, the UK's home secretary has announced.\nIt is part of further measures Priti Patel agreed in a meeting with her French counterpart on Saturday.\nOfficers will be aided by \"enhanced\" surveillance, such as drones and radar, to find smugglers and migrants.\nThousands of migrants have reached the UK in small boats this year.\nThe Home Office said 59 people on four boats crossed the Channel on Friday.\nMs Patel said that due to increased French patrols and intelligence sharing \"we are already seeing fewer migrants leaving French beaches\".\n\"The action we have agreed jointly today goes further, doubling the number of police officers on the ground in France, increasing surveillance and introducing new cutting edge technology, representing a further step forward in our shared mission to make Channel crossings completely unviable,\" she said.\nIn announcing the French patrols, the Home Office did not say how many more officers would be deployed.\nMs Patel also said there would be \"a new asylum system\" that is \"firm and fair\" and promised there would be new legislation for that next year.\nBut Saturday's announcement was criticised by Bella Sankey, director of humanitarian charity Detention Action.\n\"It is an extraordinary mark of failure that the home secretary is announcing with such fanfare that she is rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic,\" she said.\n\"No amount of massaging the numbers masks her refusal to take the sensible step of creating a safe and legal route to the UK from northern France, thereby preventing crossings and child deaths.\n\"Instead she throws taxpayers' money away on more of the same measures that stand no chance of having a significant impact on this dangerous state of affairs.\" According to figures collated by the BBC about 8,000 migrants in small boats have been taken into the care of Border Force officials, having reached UK shores or been intercepted in the Channel.\nThat is despite Ms Patel's vow in 2019 to make such journeys an \"infrequent phenomenon\".\nAnalysis: Simon Jones, BBC News There have been a number of deals between Britain and France over the past couple of years to try to bring a halt to these crossings. On each occasion, the two countries pledged to work more closely than ever to tackle the issue. But the number of migrants reaching the UK has continued to rise. The home secretary has been facing calls, not least from her fellow Conservative MPs, to get a grip of the issue. Now she's had to put her hands in her pockets to provide more resources for the French. There will now be real pressure on them to deliver results.\nIn October a Kurdish-Iranian family of five died attempting to cross the Channel. The small boat they were heading to the UK in capsized in rough conditions just a few kilometres into its journey.\nThere have been nearly 300 border-related deaths in and around the Channel since 1999, according to a recent report by Mael Galisson, from Gisti, a legal service for asylum seekers in France.\nAt Saturday's meeting, Ms Patel and French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin also agreed on steps to better support migrants arriving in France to find appropriate accommodation \"in order to take them out of the hands of criminal gangs\".\nThey agreed on measures to increase border security at ports in northern and western France to target smugglers and avoid migrant crossings threatening freight traffic.\nCo-operation between French and UK law enforcement had already stopped about 1,100 migrants from making the dangerous crossing and led to 140 arrests since July, the Home Office said.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["UK's home secretary","home secretary","French counterpart"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["from next week"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["The number of officers patrolling French beaches will double from next week to help stop migrants crossing the Channel"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2020 North Macedonia and the United Kingdom sign a Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement to continue preferential trade terms after the end of the UK's Brexit transition period on December 31. The agreement also strengthens political, economic, security, and cultural ties between both nations. (Gov.uk)","document":"The Agreement strengthens the trading relationship between the UK and North Macedonia, worth £1.8 billion in 2019, by securing continued preferential access and paving the way for increased trade in future.\nThe UK has today (3 December) signed a Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement with North Macedonia, the UK’s largest trading partner in the Western Balkans.\nThe preferential terms secured by this Agreement will enable British business to continue to trade as they do today after the Transition Period and in turn will help protect North Macedonia’s economic stability and prosperity.\nThe Agreement also sets out the UK and North Macedonia’s ambitions for our future relationship including the strengthening of our political, economic, security and cultural ties.\nFCDO Minister for the European Neighborhood and the Americas Wendy Morton said:\nI welcome the signing of the UK-North Macedonia Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement which sets the foundations for an even more ambitious relationship between our countries. This includes future cooperation in tackling climate change, improving education, and standing up for human rights.\nThe Agreement will also strengthen our already substantial ties in trade and investment. North Macedonia is the UK’s largest trading partner in the Western Balkans and the UK is North Macedonia’s second largest import market. The signing of this Agreement gives exporters and consumers the certainty they need to continue trading freely and with confidence as the Transition Period ends.\nInternational Trade Minister Ranil Jayawardena said:\nFree and fair trade is vital as we work to recover from the economic impact of coronavirus, and so I am delighted that today we’ve secured our trading relationship with North Macedonia.\nToday’s agreement gives certainty for business in both countries and demonstrates our commitment to building on our strong trade ties with North Macedonia and the Western Balkans region.\nHer Majesty’s Ambassador to North Macedonia Rachel Galloway signed the Agreement with Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani in Skopje.\nHer Majesty’s Ambassador to North Macedonia, Rachel Galloway said:\nFollowing North Macedonia’s accession to NATO, this Agreement is another positive step in strengthening UK-North Macedonia relations. North Macedonia offers great opportunities for UK companies and investors across a variety of industries and the signing of the Agreement marks a new era of increased investment in both our economies. The UK remains committed to North Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic path and we will continue to stand together as NATO Allies.\nThe Agreement provides a framework for closer political dialogue and increased cooperation on important issues such as the environment, education, and human rights. By signing the Agreement, the UK has reaffirmed its commitment to a close relationship with North Macedonia and to playing a continued positive role in the region.\nWhen the Agreement enters into effect at the end of the Transition Period, British businesses and consumers will continue to benefit from existing trading terms with North Macedonia, including the tariff-free trade of industrial products.\nTrade between the UK and North Macedonia was worth £1.8 billion in 2019. Top UK exports to North Macedonia last year were non-ferrous metals (£1.1 billion), inorganic chemicals (£77 million) and textiles (£4 million). Meanwhile top imports to the UK from North Macedonia were metal ores & scrap (£49m), clothing (£16m) and furniture (£13 million).\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The UK","UK","UK-North Macedonia","North Macedonia"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["3 December"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["strengthens the trading relationship between the UK and North Macedonia"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2020 The United States and Nauru sign a trade deal which is expected to provide access to the full range of investment support offered by the United States to the Pacific Island nation. Nauru High Commissioner Michael Aroi thanked Joseph Cella, the U.S. Ambassador to several Pacific Island nations, for continuing American support to boost relations between both countries. (RNZ)","document":"A new agreement between Nauru and the United States is expected to provide access to the full range of investment support offered by the US.\nUS Ambassador to Fiji Joseph Cella and his Nauruan counterpart Michael Aroi. Photo: Supplied/US Embassy, Fiji\nThe investment incentive agreement was signed by US ambassador Joseph Cella and Nauru High Commissioner Michael Aroi in Suva on Thursday.\nThe support is being offered by the US International Development Finance Corporation formerly known as the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC).\nAroi thanked the US saying Washington's support has boosted the two countries' trade partnership.\nAroi said Nauru was also working on a project to install a submarine cable for broadband connection.\n\"That investment would make a huge difference to Nauru's trade capabilities.\n\"We see right opportunities in working with the US in pursuing other opportunities especially in infrqastructure development to address the impacts of climate change and in modernising our digital connectivity.\"\nAroi said Nauru had prioritised moving its \"infrastructure to higher ground to address the threats of climate change and sea-level rise\".\nHe said the project was immense and Nauru looked to its trading partners such as the US to assist.\nAccording to Cella, the trade between Nauru and the US grew to $US5 million last year from $US2.2m in 2015.\nCella said trade between both countries hit $US3.5m at the end of the third quarter this year.\nThe Nauru-US agreement would continue to build an economic bridge between both nations, he said.\n\"To facilitate access and trade between United States and Nauru and creates opportunities.\n\"So within Nauru, there is significant infrastructure development aid, also in climate change resilience, the ICT connectivity, renewable energy and healthcare.\"\n\nTuvalu has signed an historic agreement with the United States which provides access to a range of investment support.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Nauru","the United States","United States"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["The investment incentive agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["provide access to the full range of investment support offered by the US"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Suva"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2020 The United States says that Morocco will normalize diplomatic relations with Israel, becoming the fourth Arab country to do so in recent months, in an agreement mediated by the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump also says that he recognizes \"Moroccan sovereignty over the entire Western Sahara territory\". Morocco says that the United States \"will open a consulate in Western Sahara as part of Morocco’s deal with Israel\". (The Jerusalem Post) (Reuters)","document":"Israel and Morocco agreed on Thursday to normalize relations in a deal brokered with U.S. help, making Morocco the fourth Arab country to set aside hostilities with Israel in the past four months.\nIt joins the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan in beginning to forge deals with Israel, driven in part by U.S.-led efforts to present a united front against Iran and roll back Tehran’s regional influence.\nIn a departure from longstanding U.S. policy, President Donald Trump agreed as part of the deal to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara, a desert region where a decades-old territorial dispute has pitted Morocco against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, a breakaway movement that seeks to establish an independent state.\nPresident-elect Joe Biden, due to succeed Trump on Jan. 20, will face a decision whether to accept the U.S. deal on the Western Sahara, which no other Western nation has done. A Biden spokesman declined to comment.\nWhile Biden is expected to move U.S. foreign policy away from Trump’s “America First” posture, the Democrat has indicated he will continue the pursuit of what Trump calls “the Abraham Accords” between Israel and Arab and Muslim nations.\nTrump sealed the Israel-Morocco accord in a phone call with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Thursday, the White House said.\n“Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco have agreed to full diplomatic relations – a massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East!” Trump wrote on Twitter.\nMohammed told Trump that Morocco intends to facilitate direct flights for Israeli tourists to and from Morocco, according to a statement from Morocco’s royal court.\n“This will be a very warm peace. Peace has never - the light of peace on this Hanukkah day has never - shone brighter than today in the Middle East,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, referring to a Jewish eight-day holiday starting on Thursday night.\n\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Morocco","Israel"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Israel-Morocco accord"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["normalize relations in a deal brokered with U.S. help, making Morocco the fourth Arab country to set aside hostilities with Israel in the past four months"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2020 The European Council agrees on a compromise deal to unlock €1.8 trillion for the budget of the European Union and for the Next Generation EU recovery plan. (The New York Times)","document":"Leaders meeting Thursday worked out a compromise with Hungary and Poland, who had vetoed the bloc’s budget and stimulus plans over threats that they could lose access to funds.\n\nBRUSSELS — European Union leaders reached a landmark budget agreement Thursday after weeks of fraught negotiations, unblocking $2.2 trillion in funds crucial to some of the bloc’s weakest economies that have been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic.\nIn a meeting in Brussels, they broke through a veto by Poland and Hungary that had been holding up the hefty financial package, after the two nations tried to evade oversight that could strip them of E.U. funds if they continue to overhaul democratic institutions at home.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Poland","Hungary"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["unblocking $2.2 trillion in funds"]},{"role":"Location","values":["BRUSSELS","Brussels"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2020 Israeli Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn signs an extradition order to Australia for accused child sex abuser Malka Leifer, after she was convicted of faking mental illness to avoid extradition earlier this year. (The Guardian)","document":"Israel’s justice minister has signed an extradition order for Malka Leifer, giving government backing to a decade-long effort by accusers of the alleged child abuser to have her brought back to Melbourne.\n“I have now signed Malka Leifer’s extradition order to Australia,” Avi Nissenkorn wrote on Twitter. “After many years, after a shameful attempt to present herself as mentally ill, and in light of the supreme court ruling, it is our moral duty to allow for Leifer to stand trial.”\nThe announcement came just a day after Israel’s supreme court rejected an appeal by Leifer to block her extradition, effectively ending a legal saga that has tested relations between Israel and Australia.\nNissenkorn had previously said he would sign the order “without delay”. Israel has been under pressure to show it takes the case seriously after repeated court deferrals, including more than 70 hearings, and allegations of interference at the highest levels of government.\nThe order means Leifer could be back in Australia within the next two months. While she could contest the move in court, all her previous legal challenges have failed.\nOne of Leifer’s main lawyers said she would not seek to block the extradition order.\n“Ms Leifer will not be seeking judicial review of this administrative act,” said Nick Kaufman in a statement.\nHowever, he criticised the justice minister for his “hasty signature”.\n“The minister of justice was meant to exercise his discretion in a considered manner after hearing submissions from the defence and not impetuously in a flagrant attempt to appeal to popular sentiment,” Kaufman said.\nKaufman added that his client, if convicted in Australia, would seek to serve any prison term in Israel.\nLeifer, 52, is accused of sexually assaulting female students during her time as principal of the ultra-Orthodox Adass Israel school in Melbourne’s south-east. Her legal team has denied the charges.\nThe Israeli citizen has been charged with faking mental illness to avoid extradition. Israel’s supreme court earlier this year upheld a district court decision that she was fit to face trial.\nMeanwhile, the former health minister Ya’acov Litzman, who comes from the same sect of ultra-Orthodox Judaism, has faced accusations of hindering the case. Litzman has denied any wrongdoing.\nAfter the allegations were first levelled against Leifer in Australia, she travelled to Israel in 2008. Australian police lodged an extradition request in 2014.\nAustralia’s attorney general, Christian Porter, said on Thursday the allegations against Leifer were very serious.\n“Ms Leifer is wanted to stand trial in Victoria on 74 counts of child sexual abuse,” Porter said in a statement. “These are extremely serious allegations which should be heard within the Victorian judicial system. After many years, it now appears that is close to becoming a reality.”\nThe Ministers said that while there are still potential legal steps open to Ms Leifer’s legal team in Israel, they were heartened by reports that they would not be challenging the extradition order. However, it is important that be formally confirmed.\nPorter and the foreign minister, Marise Payne, said once all the processes in Israel were concluded the two countries would work together to organise Leifer’s surrender to Australian authorities for her return to Melbourne. “Surrender is required within 60 days of the conclusion of all formal Israeli processes,” the pair said in a joint statement.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Israel’s justice minister","justice minister"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["an extradition order for Malka Leifer","Malka Leifer’s extradition order","extradition order"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["iving government backing to a decade-long effort by accusers of the alleged child abuser to have her brought back to Melbourne"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2020 The United Kingdom's House of Commons approves the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the European Union by 521 votes to 73. (BBC)","document":"MPs have overwhelmingly approved the UK's post-Brexit trade deal with the EU in a parliamentary vote.\nA bill bringing the deal into UK law was backed by the Commons by 521 to 73 votes after Parliament was recalled.\nThe majority of Labour MPs voted for the agreement after leader Sir Keir Starmer said a \"thin deal was better than no deal\".\nThe UK will sever its ties with the EU at 23.00 GMT on Thursday, four and a half years after the Brexit referendum. The House of Lords also passed the bill, which will now receive Royal Assent.\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson thanked MPs and peers for passing the bill, adding: \"The destiny of this great country now resides firmly in our hands.\"\nThe agreement hammered out with Brussels over nine months sets out a new business and security relationship between the UK and its biggest trading partner.\nThe EU (Future Relationship) Bill is being rushed through Parliament in a single day and is set to become law late on Wednesday once it has received Royal Assent. After five hours of debate in the Commons, it passed its two legislative hurdles by huge margins, thanks to Mr Johnson's large majority and the support of the Labour Party. It is now being considered by the Lords. In an interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, the prime minister said the treaty would allow the UK to \"go our own way but also have free trade\" with the EU. He said: \"There will be changes. And we've been very clear with people that they have to get ready for 1 January, things will work differently. \"But from the point of view of UK exporters, for instance, they'll now have the advantage, that they'll only have one set of forms they have to fill out for export to around the whole world.\"\nOffering his backing, Sir Keir - who campaigned against Brexit - told MPs he wanted to \"avoid a no deal and put in place a floor from which we can build a strong future relationship\". But he accused the prime minister of not being honest with the public about the deal, which he said would lead to an \"avalanche of checks, bureaucracy and red tape for British businesses\".\nThere was also a \"gaping hole\" in the agreement when it came to the service sector, which accounts for about 80% of the UK's economic output, said Sir Keir. \"The lack of ambition here is striking,\" he told MPs, saying there was a lack of mutual recognition of professional standards with the EU, which would make life more difficult for people who wanted to work abroad.\nOne Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy voted against the deal while 36 others also defied their leader's orders by either not voting at all or actively abstaining. Three of these - Helen Hayes, Florence Eshalomi and Tonia Antoniazzi - resigned their junior frontbench positions as a result.\nAll other opposition parties, including the SNP, the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and all Northern Ireland parties that take seats at Westminster, also voted against the deal.\nLib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said the deal would \"undermine our children's future\", while the SNP's Ian Blackford said Scotland's fishing industry had been \"betrayed\" and the country's future \"must be European\". And Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said it would undermine hard-won environmental and consumer protections and leave the UK \"less equipped\" to respond to the climate emergency. Only two Tory MPs failed to support the deal - Brexiteers John Redwood and Owen Paterson abstaining.\nMembers of the European Research Group (ERG) who helped sink Theresa May's EU withdrawal deal in 2019, lined up to praise the deal. Sir Bill Cash said the PM had achieved the seemingly \"impossible\" while Sir Iain Duncan Smith said it represented a \"huge advance on where we might have been\".\nAnd Steve Brine, one of the 21 Tory MPs who lost the whip last year after defying the government over Brexit, said he would back a deal that left the UK \"culturally, emotionally, historically and strategically attached\" to Europe.\n\"We now have a new future to look forward to,\" he said. \"It won't be the same. We should never have pretended it will and that's OK. It is time to come together and to move on.\"\nIn his Commons speech, Mr Johnson said the bill heralded a \"new relationship between Britain and the EU as sovereign equals, joined by friendship, commerce, history, interests and values, while respecting one another's freedom of action and recognising that we have nothing to fear if we sometimes choose to do things differently\".\nMr Johnson's predecessor Theresa May told MPs she would vote for the deal \"in the national interest\" but was \"disappointed\" about aspects of it and warned against thinking the UK could \"excise the EU\" from its politics. \"Sovereignty does not mean isolationism, it does not mean we never accept somebody else's rules, it does not mean exceptionalism,\" she said. \"It is important as we go forward that we recognise we live in an interconnected world.\"\nMr Johnson has signed the international treaty ratifying the deal in Downing Street after it was flown across the Channel in an RAF plane.\nEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel signed the document earlier in Brussels.\nThe European Parliament has begun its scrutiny of the agreement but will not get a chance to ratify it before the UK leaves the EU single market and customs union at 2300 GMT on Thursday.\nThe deal has, however, been given the unanimous backing of ambassadors from the 27 nations and the member states gave their written approval on Tuesday.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["UK","EU"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the UK's post-Brexit trade deal with the EU"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["the treaty would allow the UK to \"go our own way but also have free trade\" with the EU"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson formally signs the agreement into law. (Sky News)","document":"The House of Commons backs the agreement, struck between Boris Johnson and the EU on Christmas Eve, by 521 votes to 73\n \nMPs have overwhelmingly approved the Brexit trade deal to pave the way for the UK-EU agreement to come into force at 11pm tomorrow.\nThe House of Commons backed the agreement, struck between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the EU on Christmas Eve, by 521 votes to 73 - a majority of 448.\nThe deal, which stretches to 1,246 pages and covers £660bn worth of trade, was later given an unopposed third reading in the House of Lords, ratifying the deal.\nCommons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle told MPs the act was then granted royal assent by the Queen.\nThe government is hoping the agreement will pass through all of its required parliamentary stages in a single day on Wednesday.\nAnd, therefore, it will be fully ratified ahead of the end of the Brexit transition period at 11pm on New Year's Eve.\nLittle more than an hour after the vote, Mr Johnson added his formal signature to the EU-UK trade deal in Downing Street.\n\"The treaty that I've just signed is not the end, it is a new beginning and I think the beginning of what will be a wonderful relationship between the UK and our friends and partners in the EU,\" he said.\nThe documents had been flown to London in an RAF plane after being signed by European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Wednesday morning.\nThe prime minister earlier told MPs the deal would allow the UK to take control of its \"national destiny\".\n\"The central purpose of this bill is to accomplish something that the British people always knew in their hearts could be done but which we were continually told was impossible,\" he said.\n\"We were told we could not have our cake and eat it... namely that we could trade and cooperate with our European neighbours on the closest terms of friendship and goodwill, whilst retaining sovereign control of our laws and our national destiny.\"\n\nMr Johnson hailed the deal as allowing \"a new relationship between Britain and the EU as sovereign equals\".\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer had ordered his party to vote in favour of the deal, arguing the alternative would be for the UK to leave the Brexit transition period without a EU trade agreement in place.\nIn a message to those MPs who planned to vote against the deal - including some within his own party - he said: \"When the default is no deal it's not a mark of how pro-European you are to reject implementing this treaty.\n\"It isn't in the national interest to duck a question or to hide in the knowledge that others will save you from the consequences of your own vote.\"\nSir Keir said the agreement would \"put in place a floor from which we can build a strong future relationship with the EU\".\nHowever, the Labour leader criticised the \"thin deal\" as having \"many flaws\" and said there was a \"gaping hole\" in the agreement's provisions for the services sector.\nOne Labour MP, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, voted against the deal while 36 other Labour MPs recorded no vote.\nThis suggested they had abstained and so also rebelled against party leader Sir Keir by failing to back the EU trade deal.\nAmong those was Helen Hayes, who resigned her shadow cabinet role after choosing not to support Labour's official position.\nTwo Conservative former cabinet ministers, Brexiteers Owen Paterson and John Redwood, also both abstained to rebel against the prime minister.\nDuring the more than four hours' debate on the deal, former prime minister Theresa May took Sir Keir to task for failing to back her efforts in negotiating with the EU last year, when he was shadow Brexit secretary.\nShe told the now Labour leader: \"He said he wanted a better deal - he had the opportunity in early 2019 when there was the opportunity of a better deal on the table and he voted against it.\"\nMrs May welcomed Mr Johnson's agreement, but suggested Brussels would be favoured under the terms of the deal.\n\"We have a deal in trade that benefits the EU, but not a deal in services that would have benefited the UK,\" she added.\nPlease use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player\nSenior Conservative eurosceptic Sir Bill Cash compared the prime minister to both Ancient Greek statesman Pericles and Alexander the Great, adding Mr Johnson had \"saved our democracy\".\nHis fellow Tory MP Mark Francois, who chairs the European Research Group of Conservative Brexiteers, claimed he and his other Leave-supporting \"Spartans\" could now \"lower our spears\" in the \"battle for Brexit\".\nSNP, Plaid Cymru and Liberal Democrat MPs voted against the agreement.\nAnd the DUP also voted against the deal after reiterating their anger at the post-Brexit arrangements for the Irish border - known as the Northern Ireland Protocol - that Mr Johnson signed up to with the EU last year.\n\"We are people who believe that the United Kingdom should leave, should leave as a whole, and that is not happening,\" said DUP MP Sammy Wilson.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Boris Johnson","the EU","EU"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["come into force at 11pm tomorrow"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the EU-UK trade deal","EU"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Christmas Eve"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Downing Street"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2020 Spain and the United Kingdom reach an agreement to keep Gibraltar in the European Union's Schengen Area as freedom of movement between the EU and UK is due to end. (The Guardian)","document":"A last-minute deal between the UK and Spain – agreed just hours before Gibraltar was poised to become the only frontier marked by a hard Brexit – will allow for free movement between the British overseas territory and much of the EU. “Today is a day for hope,” Spain’s foreign minister, Arancha González Laya, said on Thursday as she announced that an agreement in principle had been reached. “In the long history of our relations with the UK, related to Gibraltar, today we’re facing a turning point.”\nAs part of the deal, the British overseas territory located on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula would be able to join EU programmes and policies such as Schengen with Spain acting as a guarantor, González Laya told reporters.\n“Schengen will be applied to Gibraltar, with Spain assuming responsibility as a member state,” she added. “This will allow for the abolishment of controls between Spain and Gibraltar.”\nGibraltar’s airport and port will become the EU’s newest external border, with checks undertaken by the EU’s Frontex border agency. The arrangement will be in place for an initial four-year period.\nWhen pressed on whether this would entail the presence of Spanish security forces in Gibraltar – a point that had proved to be a major sticking point in the negotiations – González Laya said the technical details would be published in the new year.\nThe agreement will now be sent to Brussels, where the European commission will enter into negotiations with London to turn it into a treaty, a process González Laya estimated would take around six months. In the meantime, she said Spain would work to ensure that mobility at the border would be “as fluid as possible”.\nThe deal was hailed by the UK prime minister, Boris Johnson. “I wholeheartedly welcome today’s political agreement between the UK and Spain on Gibraltar’s future relationship with the EU,” he wrote on Twitter. “The UK has always been, and will remain, totally committed to the protection of the interests of Gibraltar and its British sovereignty.”\nSpain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said it marked the start of “a new era” that would allow for “the removal of barriers”.\nThe Brexit deal announced on Christmas Eve between the UK and EU did not cover Gibraltar. Instead the fate of the territory was the topic of months of parallel negotiations that focused on preserving free movement across the shared border with Spain while steering clear of the centuries-old sovereignty dispute between London and Madrid.\nWith just hours left before the UK was to leave the 27-member bloc, negotiations over the future of the territory had come down to the wire. “The final countdown” is how Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s chief minister, had started off the day on Twitter. Hours later, Picardo struck a cautious note. “I think it’s important to temper this moment with understanding that what we have is an in-principle agreement, not a treaty,” he told reporters. “When we go to the European Union, we need to ensure that the European commission shares our enthusiasm for this to happen.”\nHe warned that the treaty would entail tough negotiations, including jurisdiction issues and import duties. “There will be complexity to come,” he said. “We may end up with a deal on the movement of people but not goods.”\nPicardo had long advocated for Gibraltar to join the Schengen area of abolished border controls – a move that would establish closer ties between the British overseas territory and the EU just as Britain left the bloc.\nOn Thursday he defended the idea, even as he acknowledged that it would allow nationals from Spain and other countries that were part of the Schengen area to cross freely into Gibraltar while those arriving from the UK would be subject to passport controls.\n“This is the beginning of us building a stronger relationship with the European Union and with our neighbour Spain, in a way that doesn’t in any way cleave us away from the United Kingdom, which is our principal relationship,” said Picardo.\nIn the 2016 referendum, 96% of voters in Gibraltar supported remaining in the EU. Still, the territory had come incredibly close to crashing out without a deal, noted Picardo. “The alternative is that, in about eight hours from now, without these arrangements, Gibraltar would be the only part of the European continent that would be suffering a hard Brexit.”\nThe UK’s foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, hailed the UK’s “warm and strong relationship with Spain” in a statement, noting that the agreement would now seek to be formalised. “In the meantime, all sides are committed to mitigating the effects of the end of the transition period on Gibraltar, and in particular ensure border fluidity, which is clearly in the best interests of the people living on both sides.”\nDespite ceding Gibraltar to Britain in 1713, Spain has long sought to reclaim the tiny territory on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula.\nOn Thursday, Gibraltar and Spain stressed that the deal did not impinge upon their respective sovereignty claims. “There are no aspects of the framework that has been agreed that in any way transgress Gibraltar’s positions on sovereignty, jurisdiction or control,” said Picardo, echoing earlier remarks by González Laya. ","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["the UK","UK","Spain"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["four-year"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["allow for free movement between the British overseas territory and much of the EU"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2021 Sudan formally signs the Abraham Accords as part of an agreement to normalize relations with Israel. (Reuters)","document":" Sudan on Wednesday quietly signed on to the Abraham Accords, U.S.-brokered agreements which have ushered in public rapprochements between Israel and several Arab states.\nWhile Sudan and Israel announced they would normalize ties in October, Khartoum’s government had said a final decision would rest with a transitional parliament, which is yet to be formed.\nThe UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco have already signed the accords, hailing the prospect of more immediate economic and diplomatic ties with Israel as groundbreaking.\nU.S. officials say they hope they will encourage the Palestinian Authority to return to negotiations with Israel but Palestinians say there can be no resolution of the core Israeli-Palestinian conflict unless they are involved.\nSenior U.S. officials had told Reuters in October that a signing ceremony was expected to be held at the White House. Just over two months later, the accords were signed quietly in Khartoum on Wednesday by Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdelbari and visiting U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.\n“The declaration stipulates the necessity to consolidate the meanings of tolerance, dialogue and coexistence between different peoples and religions in the Middle East region and the world, in a way that serves the promotion of a culture of peace,” the Sudanese cabinet said.\nAs part of the initial agreement in October, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would remove Sudan from a U.S. government list of countries promoting terrorism, a process that was completed last month.\nMnuchin also signed a memorandum of understanding to provide Sudan with a previously announced bridge loan to help Sudan clear its arrears to the World Bank and access $1 billion in annual funding, Sudan’s finance ministry said.\n“Sudan’s signing of the Abraham Accords is an important step in advancing regional normalization agreements in the Middle East,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said in a tweet.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Israel","Sudan"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Abraham Accords","Abraham Accords"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["have ushered in public rapprochements between Israel and several Arab states"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Khartoum"]}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2010 A trade agreement between Australia and the European Union comes into effect stopping Australian wine being marketed using terms such as champagne and port. (ABC Online) (BBC) (People's Daily)","document":"A new labelling deal with Australia may make Europe's winemakers feel more than a little light-headed as imitations will no longer be sold with names like champagne and sherry.\nAustralian producers will not be able to use 11 prestigious European drink labels.\nAustralia also gets protection for 112 of its \"geographical indicators\" (GIs), including Barossa and Coonawarra.\nAustralia exported wine worth 643m euros (£530m) to the EU last year.\nEurope is the biggest market for Australian wine exporters.\nThe European Commission says EU wine exports to Australia totalled 68m euros (£56m) in 2009.\nThe new labelling rules, replacing an agreement signed in 1994, went into force on Wednesday but producers will have a year to phase out their use of protected brand names.\nAustralia has secured pan-EU recognition of 16 more Australian wine-making techniques, including the use of oak chips or resin to affect the flavour. The 1994 agreement recognised 28 Australian practices.\nThe Australian government says the new deal introduces simpler labelling and more flexible rules on blending and alcohol content for the country's vineyards.\n\"Australian wine producers will have to make fewer changes and concessions to sell their wine in the EC [European Community],\" an Australian government statement said.\nAustralian producers will also be allowed to continue using quality terms such as cream, ruby, tawny and vintage for wines exported to the EU.\nThe EU Agriculture Commissioner, Dacian Ciolos, called the agreement \"a win-win outcome\" for both sides.\nThe protected European names also include burgundy, port, amontillado, claret and Auslese.\nAustralian Tokay will be phased out as a brand within 10 years. Genuine Tokay is a sweet white wine from Hungary.\nAustralian producers have already moved away from calling sparkling wines champagne, without a consumer backlash, the AFP news agency reports.\nMany distinctively regional European foods also enjoy special status under EU law, including Parma ham and feta cheese.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Australia","EU"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["went into force on Wednesday"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["Australian producers will not be able to use 11 prestigious European drink labels"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2010 The Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), an important trade pact, comes into force between China and Taiwan. Hundreds of thousands of people protested against it in Taiwan but it was unanimously approved by the island's parliament. (BBC)","document":"A trade pact between China and Taiwan, widely seen as the most significant agreement since civil war divided them in 1949, has come into effect.\nThe Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement (ECFA) cuts tariffs on 539 Taiwanese exports to China and 267 Chinese products entering Taiwan. The majority of people in Taiwan expect the deal to bring economic benefits. But opponents fear it will make the island too dependent on China, which still considers it a renegade province.\nThe deal is seen as the culmination of efforts by Taiwan's President, Ma Ying-jeou, who has vowed to reduce tension.\nLast month, the island's parliament approved it without a single dissenting vote, despite protests from hundreds of thousands of people and an ugly scuffle between MPs from the ruling and opposition parties.\nIt is hoped that the ECFA, signed by Chinese and Taiwanese leaders in June, will boost bilateral trade that already totals $110bn (£73bn) a year.\nAlmost $14bn of Taiwanese goods exported to China will have their tariffs reduced or removed. Chinese exports worth just under $3bn will enjoy lower or zero tariffs. Beijing agreed to tariff cuts on half as many products to appease opponents to the agreement who said it might lead to Taiwan being flooded by cheap Chinese products, damaging local industries and leading to job losses.\nThe Taiwanese government has said it believes the ECFA will help create 260,000 jobs and boost economic growth by as much as 1.7%.\n\"This will not only have a wide-ranging influence on the future development of ties between China and Taiwan,\" Lo Chih-chiang, a spokesman for President Ma told Taiwan's Central News Agency. \"It will also help further consolidate peace and prosperity.\"\nChina's commerce ministry said it was pleased the ECFA had taken effect.\n\"We believe the implementation of the pact will further promote exchanges and co-operation in cross-strait trade and help the economies develop together,\" spokesman Yao Jian said in a statement.\nThe BBC's Cindy Sui in Taipei says the Chinese and Taiwanese governments are shortly expected to begin negotiations on further trade deals which could allow even greater access to each other's markets. Analysts believe this trend could help reduce tensions between the two sides, which have yet to sign a peace treaty.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["China","Taiwan"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["The Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement (ECFA)","ECFA"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["cuts tariffs on 539 Taiwanese exports to China and 267 Chinese products entering Taiwan"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"A report on the second Lisbon Treaty has been published suggesting the reasons that people voted for and against the treaty","document":"A report on the second Lisbon Treaty has been published suggesting the reasons that people voted for and against the treaty. Irish people voted by a margin of two to one in favour of ratifying the Lisbon Treaty in October last year.\nThe 58% voter turnout was the highest in a European referendum since the original vote on joining the then EEC in 1972.\nIreland had rejected the Treaty in the first referendum in 2008.\nMinister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said: 'This represented a significant reversal of the result of the first referendum in June 2008.\n'The findings suggest that the reasons underlying the different outcomes were complex and should not be oversimplified.\n'What is clear, however, is the belief of most Irish people that the European Union is good for Ireland and that Irish economic wellbeing is linked to our membership of the union.'","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Ireland","European Union"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Lisbon Treaty","Lisbon Treaty"]},{"role":"Date","values":["October"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"LISBON REFERENDUM:SOME 20 per cent of the people who voted to ratify the Lisbon Treaty last year did so","document":" LISBON REFERENDUM:SOME 20 per cent of the people who voted to ratify the Lisbon Treaty last year did so because they thought it would be good for the economy, taxes, jobs or funding from the EU, a new report has found.\nThe figure was 17 percentage points higher than in 2008, when only 3 per cent voted Yes because it would be good for the economy.\nAttitudes and Behaviour in the Second Referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon also found only 8 per cent of those surveyed said they voted Yes because the Government, political parties, business leaders or the media were in favour.\nThe report was released to coincide with the first anniversary of the Irish vote to accept the Lisbon Treaty, on October 2nd, 2009.\nIt was the second time Ireland voted on the treaty after rejecting it on the first occasion in May 2008.\nPrepared by the Geary Institute and the school of politics and international relations at UCD, the report was based on a survey commissioned by the Department of Foreign Affairs and carried out by Millward Brown Lansdowne in November 2009. The data was compared with a survey carried out after the first referendum.\nThe report found only 1 per cent of those who voted in favour of accepting the treaty were influenced by the additional guarantees on taxes, neutrality and the permanent commissioner obtained by the Government after the initial defeat.\nIt found 42 per cent of people who voted Yes believed the EU was good for Ireland and 40 per cent felt voting Yes was “the right thing to do”.\nThe report said the short answer to the question as to how the Yes side won the second referendum was that its 2008 vote remained remarkably solid and it managed to persuade one in four of those who had voted No to switch.\nDespite a high rate of persistent abstention, the Yes side also succeeded in mobilising in its favour the votes of one-sixth of those who had abstained in 2008.\nOne of the main attitudes that influenced voter choice in the second referendum was the belief that Irish membership of the EU was a good thing, the report found.\nThe “second ingredient was the economy and specifically the belief that the Yes vote would result in an improvement in Ireland’s economic prospects”.\nThe report also found it was helpful that domestic politics, “specifically the extensive unpopularity of the incumbent Government”, had only a limited effect on voter choice.\nKnowledge of the EU did not affect voter choice in the way it had done in the first referendum.\nThe referendum process was inherently challenging, the report concluded. The best preparation for the challenges was “enhanced deliberation and debate about European issues on a continuing basis and certainly before, not after, referendum battle is joined”.\nSpeaking yesterday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said it was clear most Irish people believed the EU was good for Ireland and our economic wellbeing was linked to it.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["the Second Referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon","the second time Ireland voted on the treaty","treaty"]},{"role":"Date","values":["October 2nd, 2009"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["20 per cent of the people who voted to ratify the Lisbon Treaty last year"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Britain has followed the United States in upgrading its travel advice for Europe and warning of a heightened risk of terrorist attacks","document":"Britain has followed the United States in upgrading its travel advice for Europe and warning of a heightened risk of terrorist attacks.\nThe foreign office said there was \"a high threat of terrorism\" in Germany and France, having previously identified a \"general threat\".\nThe new advice comes after British security and intelligence sources said last week that a plot to launch \"commando-style\" attacks on Britain, France, and Germany had been intercepted and foiled by drone attacks on militants based in Pakistan.\nThe foreign office is warning that \"attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers\".\nThe move follows the US, which today issued updated advice for Europe as a whole, warning terrorist targets could include \"public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure\".\nThe state department said: \"Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organisations continue to plan terrorist attacks. European governments have taken action to guard against a terrorist attack and some have spoken publicly about the heightened threat conditions.\"\nThe home secretary, Theresa May, described the US advice as \"consistent with our assessment\". \"As we have consistently made clear, we face a real and serious threat from terrorism,\" she said.\nBritain's terror threat rating remains at \"severe\", the second highest rating, where it has been since rising from \"substantial\" in January.\nOn Tuesday, the Eiffel Tower in Paris was evacuated after a bomb threat called in from a telephone booth. It was the second such alert at the tower in two weeks. A search by bomb experts found nothing unusual, and it was reopened within hours. French authorities have received indications from allied intelligence services about the possibility of attacks, but no specific plot, a high-ranking French security official said last week.\nOn Friday, Sweden said it had raised its threat alert to the highest level ever because of an increased threat of terror attacks.\nThe US has carried out at least 25 drone strikes so far this month in Pakistan's tribal areas, according to US media – the highest monthly total for six years.\nOne strike reportedly killed a British man who a Pakistani intelligence official said was part of an al-Qaida-linked plot to carry out \"commando-style\" attacks in the UK. He said the British man was conspiring with his brother and eight Germans. Western intelligence officials played down the suggestion.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Britain","Europe"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["upgrading its travel advice for Europe and warning of a heightened risk of terrorist attacks"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Europe, warning of a \"high threat\" of attacks in countries including France and Germany.","document":"The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Europe, warning of a \"high threat\" of attacks in countries including France and Germany.\nPreviously it had advised only of a \"general threat\" but an FCO spokeswoman said the safety of Britons abroad was of major concern.\nThe US has also advised vigilance in Europe because of the threat of an unspecific al-Qaeda attack.\nThe UK's threat level, as set by the Home Office, remains severe. The FCO spokeswoman said: \"Like other large European countries, [France and Germany] have a high threat of terrorism, which is reflected in our updated travel advice.\n\"We therefore attach great importance to providing information about personal safety and security overseas to enable people to make informed decisions about travel.\"\nOn its website, the FCO said: \"Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.\"\nThe new level is the highest the FCO records and is based on information from a variety of sources including the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, security and intelligence agencies, diplomatic and media reports, local knowledge and embassy reports.\nIn the UK the highest level that can be reached is critical - when an attack is expected imminently. The current threat level indicates an attack is \"highly likely\".\nSecurity sources have warned of an al-Qaeda plan to send teams of gunmen to crowded places to kill civilians.\nThey said cities in the UK, France and Germany were thought to be targets for the militants, in attacks analysts feared could be similar to the 2008 atrocities in Mumbai.\nResponding to the US warning, which referred to the whole of Europe, including the UK, Home Secretary Theresa May said: \"The first and most important duty of this government is the protection and security of the British people and visitors to the UK.\"\nIn a statement issued on her behalf, Ms May said: \"As we have consistently made clear, we face a real and serious threat from terrorism. Our threat level remains at \"severe\" - meaning that an attack is highly likely. \"We work closely with our international partners in countering terrorism and the US advice is consistent with our assessment.\n\"I would urge the public to report any suspicious activity to the police in support of the efforts of our security services to discover, track and disrupt terrorist activity.\" Foreign Secretary William Hague said the updated travel guidance from the US \"reinforces the need for vigilance\". \"We can't comment on the specifics but the need for vigilance is very strong,\" he said.\nThe US state department advised Americans to take care while in tourist areas.\nThe department did not specify a country, issuing the updated guidance for the whole of Europe.\nA White House spokesman said: \"From the day we became aware of this latest plot, the president made clear we need to do everything possible to disrupt this plot and protect the American people. Whether the State Department issues a travel alert is the decision of the State Department but this alert is responsive to the President's direction that we spare no effort.\"\nBin Laden 'linked to Europe plot'\nBritish Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) Home\nUS Department of State\nHome Office\nUN calls for end of arms sales to Myanmar","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Europe","The Foreign Office"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["updated its travel advice for Europe, warning of a \"high threat\" of attacks in countries including France and Germany"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2012 The NFL and the NFL Referees Association reach an agreement, ending the referee lockout that has been ongoing since June of this year. (CNN) (AP via Boston Globe)","document":"Boston Red Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays (Kids run the bases at Fenway), 09/07/2014, at Fenway Park ... Find Tickets\nBy Greg A. Bedard, Globe Staff\nThe national football nightmare is over. The real referees are back.\nThe National Football League and the union representing on-field officials agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement late Wednesday night that will end the lockout imposed by the league in time for the full slate of Week 4 games, according to two league sources involved in the talks.\nLeague spokesman Greg Aiello later confirmed the agreement on Twitter and a release from both sides said the deal was for eight years.\nThe two sides were putting the agreement on paper in order for the NFL Referees Association to ratify the document. That’s considered a formality, and a crew of officials was being put in place to work the Thursday night game between the Ravens and Browns in Baltimore.\nThe timing is important because a new deal means every team would have three games worked by replacement officials. Competitive balance would have been shifted this week since two teams, the Steelers and Colts, have bye weeks.\nThree days after chaos reigned during and immediately following the Patriots’ 31-30 last-second loss Sunday night to the Ravens, in which New England coach Bill Belichick grabbed an official looking for a rule clarification that resulted in a $50,000 fine, the three-month lockout has come to an end.\n‘‘I accept the discipline and I apologize for the incident,’’ Belichick said in a statement.\nWashington assistant Kyle Shanahan was fined $25,000 for what the league called ‘‘abuse of officials’’ in the Redskins’ loss to Cincinnati on Sunday. Denver coach John Fox and assistant Jack Del Rio were hit in the wallet Monday for incidents involving the replacements.\nThe tipping point was likely the nationally televised Monday night game when the Packers were robbed of a victory when replacement officials failed to call offensive pass interference, and then incorrectly ruled that the Seahawks had scored a touchdown on the final play.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["The National Football League","the union representing on-field officials"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["eight years"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["a new collective bargaining agreement"]},{"role":"Date","values":["late Wednesday night"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["end the lockout imposed by the league in time for the full slate of Week 4 games"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2020 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah sign a power–sharing deal to end a months long political turmoil that hampered the peace process. (Reuters)","document":" Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah signed a power-sharing deal to end a months-long political stalemate, Ghani’s spokesman said on Sunday, a step that could smooth efforts to end the country’s long-running war.\nAbdullah had disputed the results of an election in September and announced the formation of a parallel government earlier this year, undermining Ghani’s administration at a time when the United States was trying to advance a peace process with the Taliban to end the 19-year Afghan war.\n“Today is a historic day for our dear Afghanistan. Afghans have proven that they are committed to their national interests with common thinking,” Ghani said during the signing ceremony.\n“In the coming days, we hope that with unity and cooperation, we will be able to provide the ground for a ceasefire and lasting peace,” he added.\nDiscussions over the final sticking points including the allocation of some key posts had been underway throughout the day, three sources said.\nAbdullah had wanted to control a major portfolio such as finance or foreign affairs, and while Ghani has not agreed to this, he could offer control of the interior ministry, sources said shortly before the deal was signed.\nIt was not immediately clear which ministries each camp controlled after the agreement was struck.\nRelated Coverage\nWashington has been frustrated by the growing impasse between the two men, even after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travelled to Kabul in March to mediate. It had announced a plan to cut $1 billion in aid because the men could not agree.\nPompeo welcomed the agreement but chided Ghani and Abdullah for taking so long. He said the United States looked forward to prompt intra-Afghan talks and a political settlement.\n“Secretary Pompeo noted that he regretted the time lost during the political impasse,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.\nIt was not clear whether Sunday’s agreement would result in the aid commitment being reinstated. Afghanistan is facing growing fiscal pressures, with tax revenues falling and foreign aid pledges due this year expected to shrink.\n“Please reconsider your potential $1 billion aid cut. In fact, since we have the COVID-19 pandemic, add more to it. Thank you,” Shamroz Khan Masjidi, a spokesman for the ministry of finance said on Twitter, tagging the Secretary of State.\nThe State Department did not immediately comment on the aid cut.\nNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also welcomed the deal and called on the Taliban to reduce violence and for all sides to work towards peace.\nOfficials say a deal between Ghani and Abdullah is crucial to launching peace talks, as Abdullah’s camp represents much of the country’s north-west.\nBut the talks face a number of stark challenges, as violence in the country increases. An attack on a Kabul maternity ward this week prompted Ghani to switch the military to an “offensive” stance against insurgent groups.\nThe Taliban has denied involvement in the attack, but the government has remained sceptical and angry at ongoing Taliban attacks against the Afghan military, fraying the momentum for peace talks, which were due to start in March.\nU.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said on Friday that a new date for intra-Afghan peace talks was under discussion, and that he would soon travel to the region and try to encourage a reduction in violence.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Afghan President Ashraf Ghani","Abdullah Abdullah"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a power-sharing deal to end a months-long political stalemate"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2015 Delegates at the 2015 Climate Change conference in Paris reach a draft agreement. (BBC)","document":"Delegates at a UN climate conference in Paris have approved a draft text they hope will form the basis of an agreement to curb global carbon emissions.\nThe 48-page document will be discussed by ministers on Monday.\nThey will try to arrive at a comprehensive settlement by the end of next week. The French climate ambassador warned that major political differences still needed to be resolved. Delegates from 195 countries worked through the night at the conference centre in Le Bourget, conscious of a midday Saturday deadline imposed by the French presidency of this meeting. The weighty document will now go forward to ministers who will have to take the many political decisions still required, if the text is to be turned into a long-term agreement. \"Nothing has been decided and nothing will be left behind,\" said French climate ambassador Laurence Tubiana. \"This text marks the will of all to reach an agreement. We are not at the end of the route. Major political issues are yet to be resolved,\" she warned.\nMany delegates were relieved that they had at least reached this point, as it marks a critical point after four years of negotiations. The document lays out a range of options for ministers on what the long-term goal of the deal should be, as well as the scale and the methods of raising climate finance for poorer nations. Among the many tricky issues they will have to deal with is differentiation: many countries are reluctant to change the way that nations are divided into developed and developing, based on where they were in 1992, when the UN Convention was signed. Many richer countries want this to change, and want a greater number of emerging economies to take on emissions reduction targets and become climate finance donors.\nSouth Africa's climate ambassador struck a note of warning on this issue.\n\"The Paris outcome must be under the convention and in accordance with its principles and provisions and must not rewrite or re-interpret its decisions,\" said Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko, who speaks on behalf of more than 130 developing nations.\nNegotiators had hoped to be much further forward at the end of the week. They started out with a 50-page document and by Friday had reduced it to 36 pages of text.\n\"We now need to summon the political will needed to make the hard decisions required for an effective and durable agreement that protects the most vulnerable among us,\" said Thoriq Ibrahim of the Maldives and Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States.\nMany countries had reservations about the Friday document, so what has now been agreed contains these concerns added as an annex - pushing the document to 48 pages.\nThere are worries that far too much has been left to ministers to agree, and that in an effort to reach a deal, too many compromises will be made. \"We're hoping that in the rush to the end, ministers do not trade ambition for expediency, and remain true to the science,\" warned Tasneem Essop from WWF.\n\nCOP 21 - the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties - will see more than 190 nations gather in Paris to discuss a possible new global agreement on climate change, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the threat of dangerous warming due to human activities.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Delegates at a UN climate conference","Delegates","delegates"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["a range of options for ministers on what the long-term goal of the deal should be","as well as the scale and the methods of raising climate finance for poorer nations"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Paris","the conference centre in Le Bourget"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Libya’s rival factions on Friday agreed to Dec. 16 as a target date for signing a United Nations-backed national unity government agreement meant to end their conflict","document":" Libya’s rival factions on Friday agreed to Dec. 16 as a target date for signing a United Nations-backed national unity government agreement meant to end their conflict.\nThe U.N. has been negotiating for a year to get Libya’s two rival governments and armed factions to end their war that has plunged the North African state into chaos four years after rebellion ousted Muammar Gaddafi.\nSuccessfully signing an agreement would open the way for the international community to support Libya in the fight against Islamic State, which has gained ground in the chaos and controls the western city of Sirte.\nBut hardliners in both camps have been resisting a deal. Several past deadlines to sign have fallen through after opponents balked at details or demanded more concessions from their rivals.\n“There was a wide consensus that only through rapid signature of the Libyan political agreement the country can be brought back to unity,” U.N. Libya envoy Martin Kobler said in Tunisia after two days of talks.\n“Many problems remain, but this has to be solved by the new government in place. That’s what governments are there for,” said Kobler. He briefed the United Nations Security Council on the situation later on Friday.\nThe 15-member council said that a unity government must be formed swiftly to counter the threat of Islamic State militants.\nU.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, council president for December, said the body remained prepared to sanction those “who threaten Libya’s peace, stability and security.”\nFor more than a year, Tripoli has been controlled by an armed faction called Libya Dawn, a coalition of former rebel brigades from Misrata and other armed factions in the capital, after they battled to force out rivals.\nThey set up a self-styled government and reinstated the old parliament, known as the General National Congress. The internationally recognized government and the elected House of Representatives were forced to operate out of the east.\nBoth factions are backed by loose alliances of former rebel brigades, tribal fighters and former Gaddafi soldiers, including Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who has been appointed armed forces commander by the government in the east.\nHelping to bring those military factions on board, training up a national army and providing assistance in dealing with Islamic State will be where the international community will look to help Libya if a unity government is formed.\nLibya’s oil output is also now at less than half of the 1.6 million barrels per day that it produced before Gaddafi fell, leaving the central bank and state oil company struggling to manage an economy heavily dependent on crude.\n“The time has come to sign the agreement,” Libya’s U.N. Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi told the Security Council.\n\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Libya’s two rival governments and armed factions","armed factions"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":["United Nations-backed national unity government agreement","United Nations"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Dec. 16"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["end their conflict"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Members of Libya's two rival parliaments agreed to set a target date of Dec. 16 to sign a U.N.-sponsored agreement on forming a national unity government, the new U.N","document":"Members of Libya's two rival parliaments agreed to set a target date of Dec. 16 to sign a U.N.-sponsored agreement on forming a national unity government, the new U.N. envoy to the crisis-wracked country said Friday.\nMartin Kobler told the U.N. Security Council in a video briefing from the Tunisian capital that some 40 lawmakers agreed at a two-day meeting in Tunis that ended earlier Friday that the text will not be reopened.\n\"Libya is in a race against time,\" Kobler said. \"Its very social fabric, national unity and territorial integrity is directly endangered by the forces of extremism and terrorism.\"\nHe stressed that the Islamic State group is actively seeking to extend its influence beyond areas it now controls and a national unity government is critically important to help restore security and to mobilize international support to counter the extremists.\nLibya slid into chaos following the 2011 toppling and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The oil-rich country has been torn between an internationally recognized government based in eastern Tobruk and an Islamist-backed government in the capital, Tripoli.\nThe United Nations and many countries concerned about Libyan crisis have redoubled efforts to get the rival government to accept the power-sharing agreement since both parliament rejected the deal in October.\nLibya's U.N. Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi, representing the recognized government, told the council \"the time has come to sign the agreement. I hope it will take place by Dec. 16.\"\nIt wasn't clear, however, whether the agreement will be signed by the target date.\nKobler warned the council that the \"two political sides are beginning to show dangerous signs of internal fragmentation.\"\nBoth Kobler and the Security Council gave strong support to a high-level meeting on the Libyan crisis in Rome on Sunday co-chaired by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Italy's foreign minister.\nThe goal is to press Libya's feuding parties to form a unified government and address the growing Islamic State threat.\nDabbashi warned that if there is no power-sharing agreement, experts believe the Islamic State group could seize \"the golden crescent of oil\" next summer.\nThe Security Council welcomed the Dec. 16 target date and expressed \"grave concern\" at the expansion of Islamic State extremists and their threat to Libya and the region.\nCouncil members \"stressed that a unity government must be formed swiftly to counter this threat\" and they again threatened sanctions against those impeding the restoration of peace and stability.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Members of Libya's two rival parliaments","Libya","members"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Dec. 16"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["forming a national unity government"]},{"role":"Location","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2015 Sixteen people are killed and many more injured by a car bomb and a second, delayed explosion near a hospital in Syria's mainly Alawite, government-controlled neighborhood of al-Zahra, east of Homs' old city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports. The attack comes just five days after the government and rebels agreed on a local ceasefire in the western al-Waer suburb. (Reuters) (EuroNews)","document":" Twin explosions in a government-controlled neighborhood of Syria’s Homs city killed at least 16 people and wounded scores more on Saturday, a group monitoring the war and state media said, in an attack claimed by the hardline Islamic State group.\nThe blasts come days after the government extended its control of the western city with the implementation of a truce deal in Waer, the last insurgent-held area of Homs. Some fighters and civilians have left Waer, and aid has been allowed in.\nWaer is located on the western side of the city’s outskirts.\nA vehicle bomb detonated close to a hospital in the mainly Alawite neighborhood of al-Zahra in the east of Homs city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.\nIn a statement posted online, Islamic State described it as a suicide car bomb attack in the center of Zahra district.\nThe second large blast, originally suspected to have been a bomb, appeared to have come from an exploding gas canister and hit people who had come to tend to victims of the first explosion in the densely-populated neighborhood, state media said.\nState television had earlier described the attack as “two large terrorist explosions”. News agency SANA said the vehicle bomb had been packed with 150 kg of explosives. It published a photo of two men carrying a woman away from burning wreckage.\nFootage on state television showed a chaotic scene, with black smoke rising above twisted metal debris. People stumbled over the rubble as they tried to ferry people away from the site.\n","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["government","Islamic State"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["truce"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Waer"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2015 In Paris, delegates from 195 countries approve an agreement that seeks to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.(BBC) (Washington Post)","document":" Negotiators from 196 countries approved a landmark climate accord on Saturday that seeks to dramatically reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases blamed for a dangerous warming of the planet.\nThe agreement, adopted after 13 days of intense bargaining in a Paris suburb, puts the world’s nations on a course that could fundamentally change the way energy is produced and consumed, gradually reducing reliance on fossil fuels in favor of cleaner forms of energy.\nRead the text of the draft climate agreement here.\n“History will remember this day,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said after the pact was gaveled through to thunderous applause. “The Paris agreement on climate change is a monumental success for the planet and its people.”\nThe deal was struck in a rare show of near-universal accord, as poor and wealthy nations from across the political and geographic spectrum expressed support for measures that require all to take steps to battle climate change. The agreement binds together pledges by individual nations to cut or limit emissions from fossil-fuel burning, within a framework of rules that provide for monitoring and verification as well as financial and technical assistance for developing countries.\nThe overarching goal is to bring down pollution levels so that the rise in global temperatures is limited to no more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial averages. Delegates added language that expressed an ambition to restrict the temperature increase even further, to 1.5 degrees C,  if possible.\nFrench Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who presided over the talks, hailed the pact as a “historical turning point” that could spare the planet’s 7.3 billion people from the most disruptive effects of global warming in decades to come. Before the vote, he urged delegates not to shirk from taking steps that could avert an environmental disaster.\n“The citizens of the world – our own citizens – and our children would not understand it. Nor, I believe, would they forgive us,” Fabius said.\nCheers echoed up and down the tent city where thousands of journalists, activists and business leaders awaited news of the deal, which was sealed during the final 48 hours of nearly non-stop talks.\n196 countries just agreed to a historic climate deal. Here’s what happens next.\n“This is a tremendous victory for all of our citizens–not for any one country or bloc, but a victory for all of the planet, and for future generations,” Secretary of State John F. Kerry said after the accord was announced. “The world has come together behind an agreement that will empower us to chart a new path for our planet: a smart and responsible path, a sustainable path.”\nThe accord is the first to call on all nations—rich and poor—to take action to limit emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, with additional reviews required every five years to encourage even deeper pollution cuts. A major goal, officials said, is to spur governments and private industry to rapidly develop new technologies to help solve the climate challenge.\n“Markets now have the clear signal to unleash the full force of human ingenuity,” said Ban Ki-moon, who praised the pact as “ambitious, credible, flexible and durable.”\n“The work starts tomorrow,” he said.\nIce worlds face extinction in warming planet\nThe agreement is a major diplomatic achievement for the Obama administration, which has made climate change a signature issue in the face of determined opposition from congressional Republicans, many of whom dispute the scientific consensus that links man-made pollution to the Earth’s recent warming.\nPresident Obama, in an appearance at the White House, hailed the agreement as a “turning point for the world,” adding, “We came together around the strong agreement the world needed. Together we’ve shown what’s possible when the world stands as one.”\nObama helped set the stage for the agreement by forging a deal with China last year to work jointly to scale back emissions from their two countries, the world’s two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. U.S. officials also helped engineer the accord’s unusual “bottom-up” structure, which, by relying on voluntary pledges to cut emissions, spares the White House from having to seek formal approval from a hostile Congress.\nEnvironmental groups generally praised the accord, though some complained the delegates did not go far enough in helping the world’s poorest countries cope with effects of climate change that already are being felt.\n“This is a pivotal moment where nations stepped across political fault lines to collectively face down climate change,” said Lou Leonard, vice president of climate change for the World Wildlife Fund. “For decades, we have heard that large developing nations don’t care about climate change and aren’t acting fast enough. The climate talks in Paris showed us that this false narrative now belongs in the dustbin of history.”\nTiny islands become driving force at Paris climate talks\nBut others blasted the Obama administration for not seeking a more ambitious treaty.\n“The United States has hindered ambition,” said Erich Pica, president of the U.S. chapter of Friends of the Earth, an environmental group. “The result is an agreement that could see low-lying islands and coastlines swallowed up by the sea, and many African lands ravaged by drought.”\nThere also were signs of future trouble for the agreement from political opponents in Washington. Earlier in the week, Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), the chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, pronounced the Paris talks “full of hot air” and vowed to block the White House from using taxpayer funds to help carry out the accord.\nOn Saturday, Inhofe said, “The news remains the same. This agreement is no more binding than any other ‘agreement’ from any Conference of the Parties over the last 21 years. Senate leadership has already been outspoken in its positions that the United States is not legally bound to any agreement setting emissions targets or any financial commitment to it without approval by Congress.”\nBut Kerry told journalists that the agreement would survive Republican opposition and he called on Americans to elect as their next president a candidate who would support strong action on climate change.\n“I regret to say, Sen. Inhofe is just wrong: This has to happen,” Kerry told reporters. He added: “I just personally do not believe that any person who doesn’t understand this science and isn’t prepared to do for the next generations what we did here today, and follow through on it, cannot and will not be elected president of the United States. It’s that simple.”\nObama made a strong defense against critics who said that the use of renewable energy would be expensive and destroy jobs. “The skeptics said these actions would kill jobs,” he said. “Instead, we’ve seen the longest streak of job creation in our history,” with renewable projects creating “a steady stream of middle-class jobs.”\nAmong those witnessing the final approval was former Vice President Al Gore, who had pressed for two decades for a climate deal.\n“Years from now, our grandchildren will reflect on humanity’s moral courage to solve the climate crisis and they will look to December 12, 2015, as the day when the community of nations finally made the decision to act,” Gore said. “This universal and ambitious agreement sends a clear signal to governments, businesses, and investors everywhere: the transformation of our global economy from one fueled by dirty energy to one fueled by sustainable economic growth is now firmly and inevitably underway.”\nOfficials acknowledged that the compromise accord is insufficient, by itself, to prevent global temperatures from rising by more than 2 degrees C above pre-industrial averages, an increase that many scientists believe is the maximum amount of warming the planet can sustain without massive disruptions in natural ecosystems. But the treaty is structured to allow nations to adopt more ambitious cuts in emissions as new technology becomes available.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["Negotiators from 196 countries","196 countries"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["December 12, 2015"]},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["dramatically reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Paris suburb"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2015 As many as 53 members of the World Trade Organization sign an agreement in Nairobi, Kenya, to remove import tariffs on 201 information technology products that account for trade of $1.3 trillion annually. (Reuters) (The Financial Express)","document":"As many as 53 members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have agreed in Nairobi to a seven-year time frame to scrap all tariffs on 201 IT products that account for an annual trade of $1.3 trillion, in the biggest deal to remove barriers to such trade in close to two decades.\nThe expansion of the 1996 Information Technology Agreement is projected to raise global gross domestic product by $190 billion a year, as most of the industries that use such products as inputs will get a boost and prices of items ranging from video cameras to semi-conductors are expected to fall.\nAlthough a WTO statement said the negotiations were concluded by its members — both developed and developing countries — making up for roughly 90% of world trade in such products, it wasn’t immediately clear if India had also endorsed the deal. Even the list of participants in the ITA expansion, provided by the WTO, didn’t feature India, which had been opposing the talks to extend the ITA on fears that the deal would benefit only those countries (notably the US, China, Japan and South Korea) that have a robust manufacturing base in these products, and not a country like India. Government officials attending the Nairobi ministerial couldn’t be reached for a response. An email query to the commerce ministry in this regard remained unanswered.\nHowever, analysts have warned that even if India isn’t part of the deal yet, conclusion of the pact at the WTO would put immense pressure on the country to endorse it sooner or later. Moreover, it would have to boost local local manufacturing of electronics to such a level where domestic companies withstand the likely cheaper inflows from overseas.\nIndia’s electronics imports in the first half of the fiscal beat those of bullion to become the country’s second-largest product category of imports. Electronic product imports are expected to touch as high as $40 billion in 2015-16, rising sharply from roughly $28 billion just five years ago. However, even though India is a fast-growing consumer of electronics, its local production of such items was only $31 billion in the last fiscal, accounting for just 1.5% of global output. Its domestic market size in these items is estimated at $70 billion.\nThe WTO statement, however, said all 162 WTO members will benefit from the agreement as they will all enjoy duty-free market access to the markets of the members eliminating tariffs on these products, it added. The list of 201 products, which was originally agreed to by the ITA participants in July this year, include a new generation of semi-conductors, GPS navigation systems, tools for manufacturing printed circuits, telecommunications satellites touch screens and some state-of-the-art medical products.\n“Eliminating tariffs on trade of this magnitude will have a huge impact. It will support lower prices — including in many other sectors that use IT products as inputs — it will create jobs and it will help to boost GDP growth around the world,” said WTO director general Roberto Azevedo.\nSuch items account for roughly 10% of the total global trade and is larger than trade in automotive products or even the global trade in textiles, clothing, iron and steel combined.\nAs per the plan, around 65% of tariffs lines, accounting for 88% of imports, will be eliminated in 2016. By 2019, this will increase to 89% of the tariff lines (and 95% of imports) and 100% in over seven years, Azevedo said.\nSome of these products currently face much higher tariff than the global average tariff of 9%, he added. For example, in some markets, the import tariff for video cameras is as high as 35% and for magnetic cards, it is 30%.","event_type":"Sign Agreement","arguments":[{"role":"Contracting Parties","values":["53 members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)","WTO"]},{"role":"Agreement Validity Period","values":["seven-year","year","seven years"]},{"role":"Agreement Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Agreement Content","values":["scrap all tariffs on 201 IT products"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Nairobi"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2006 Securitas depot robbery: The United Kingdom's largest robbery when a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent, was robbed and the thieves made off with Bank of England banknotes worth £53 million. (BBC)","document":"At 1830 GMT on Tuesday 21 February Colin Dixon, the manager of the Securitas cash depot in Tonbridge, Kent, is abducted while driving on the A249 near Stockbury after being stopped by two gang members posing as police officers. At around the same time his wife and son are abducted from their home in Herne Bay by other gang members, also posing as police.\nAfter being held at a farm building somewhere in west Kent, all three are taken to the Tonbridge depot where the gang gain access and tie up the family plus 14 members of staff. They load large amounts of new and used banknotes into a 7.5 tonne white Renault lorry and drive away.\nAt 0315 staff manage to activate an alarm to alert the police.\nThe first major piece of evidence is made public on Thursday afternoon, as police release CCTV footage from the depot showing the lorry used by the robbers to transport the cash away.\nIt was earlier revealed by the Bank of England that the amount stolen is more than £25m, and a £2m reward has been offered by Securitas and insurers for information about the robbery. On Thursday evening, a 29-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman are arrested at separate addresses in Forest Hill, south London. The properties are searched and subjected to forensic tests.\nA 41-year-old woman is detained in Bromley, south-east London, and questioned by detectives. A further breakthrough on Thursday sees police recover three vehicles thought to have been involved in the robbery.\nA red van with Parcelforce markings - thought to be have been used to hold Mr Dixon and his wife and son - is found at the Hook and Hatchet pub in Hucking while the depot manager's silver Nissan Almera is found parked at the Cock Horse pub in Detling.\nA Volvo saloon believed to have been used by the robbers posing as police to stop Mr Dixon is found burning in Burberry lane in the village of Leeds, near Maidstone.\nOn Friday, detectives find a white Transit van linked to the robbery at the Ashford International Hotel, following a tip-off from a member of the public.\nPolice later say the van contained £1.3m in cash as well as guns, balaclavas and body armour.\nOn Friday evening, police recover 14 cages plus packaging material that were used to move the money from the cash depot on the night of the robbery.\nThe cash cages - some owned by the Bank of England and some by Securitas - had been dumped in a field in Detling, near Maidstone.\nAlso on Friday, all three people arrested in connection with the raid so far are released on police bail.\nPolice issue a computer image of a man who allegedly posed as a police officer in an unmarked car with flashing blue lights installed behind the front grill to trick Mr Dixon into getting out of his car on Tuesday. Two men, aged 55 and 33, are arrested in the Maidstone area on suspicion of conspiracy to commit robbery.\nAt the same time a statement is released from Mr Dixon, urging the public to help to catch the gang responsible for his family's \"horrific\" ordeal.\nA house near Tunbridge Wells is raided by armed police on Saturday night, one of a number of raids across Kent linked to the security depot robbery.\nA 49-year-old man is arrested in connection with the Transit van recovered on Friday and later released on bail, along with the two men arrested earlier on Saturday, meaning all those so far arrested have been bailed.\nWitnesses in Tankerton, near Whitstable on the Kent coast, report seeing armed officers shooting out the tyres of a BMW car on a seafront road.\nPolice later confirm two men were arrested.\nPolice reveal a total of five men have been arrested in the 24 hours to Monday evening, including those held after the BMW shooting on Sunday.\nTwo more were arrested in Greenwich, south-east London, on Monday morning, also in a \"pre-planned firearms operation\". All four are being held at police stations in Kent.\nA fifth person arrested in the same period is released on bail.\nPolice also mount a series of raids on properties in Kent and across south-east England.\nThe operation is believed to be connected to the heist, although Kent Police do not confirm it.\nThe vehicle - fitting the description of a truck caught on CCTV at the depot - is being examined by forensic experts. Three people are charged with offences in connection with the heist, including conspiracy to rob, handling stolen goods, and kidnap.\nDetectives charge two other people in subsequent days.\nA vehicle repair yard is searched at Welling in south-east London, a search which uncovers up to £7m.\nA 43-year-old man is arrested in the raid on ENR Cars at Graves industrial estate in Welling and is later released on police bail\nThe raid was a joint operation involving officers from Kent and the Metropolitan Police.\nThe owner of ENR Cars says he had sub-let half the yard to someone else and adds that he is \"totally dumbfounded\".\nA 28-year old man is arrested by police investigating the robbery. The arrest is made in the Bexley area of south east London.\nForensic officers are also dispatched to the area as the investigation continues.\nThe operation was carried out by the Metropolitan Police and Kent Police. The man is held at a police station in Kent, and released on bail the following day.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Two more","two","three people arrested","five men"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":["his wife and son","wife","son","Colin Dixon"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Metropolitan Police and Kent Police","Kent Police","Metropolitan Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a 7.5 tonne white Renault lorry","A red van with Parcelforce markings","silver Nissan Almera","A Volvo saloon","a white Transit van"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a 31-year-old woman","year-old man","A 49-year-old man","A 43-year-old man","a 29-year-old man","Two men, aged 55 and 33","two men","A 41-year-old woman","A 28-year old man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Securitas"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1830 GMT on Tuesday 21 February"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["1.3m","7m"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Tonbridge, Kent","Kent","Tonbridge"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["more than £25m"]}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2006 Securitas depot robbery: British police announce that the total amount of cash stolen in last Wednesday's Securitas depot robbery was GBP £53 million (USD $92.6 million, €77.8 million). Five more people have been arrested in the last 24 hours and 10 properties searched in the ongoing investigation. (BBC)","document":"Raiders involved in Britain's biggest cash robbery got away with £53,116,760 from the Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent Police have revealed.\nAssistant Chief Constable Adrian Leppard said a further five men had been arrested in addition to the six people released on bail last week.\nHe said four of them were still being questioned, with officers granted an extra 26 hours to hold two of them. A fifth man arrested on Sunday was released on bail.\nSearch warrants had also been executed at 10 locations.\nMr Leppard said four of the men were arrested within the past 24 hours as a result of pre-planned firearms investigations.\nTwo men were also arrested by police firearms teams in Greenwich, south-east London, on Monday. No-one was hurt in either incident.\nMr Leppard said the police hotline set up following the robbery had now received more than 1,300 calls from members of the public.\nHe added: \"We are gathering important evidence and following a number of significant lines of inquiry. \"I am pleased with the progress and remain confident that we will catch those responsible.\"\nMr Leppard also renewed an appeal for help in finding the white Renault Midlum lorry used in last Wednesday's raid.\nIt is thought it could also be linked with the dumping of cash cages found in fields on Detling Hill on Friday. Forensic experts are still examining vehicles recovered from various locations across the county, including the car belonging to the manager of the Securitas depot, Colin Dixon.\nHe, his wife and nine-year-old son were kidnapped by the gang and held at gunpoint in the hours before the raid.\nMr Leppard also reminded the public of the £2m reward offered for information leading to the recovery of the stolen money and the arrest and conviction of those involved in the robbery. What are these?","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["five men","six people"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":["Colin Dixon","his wife and nine-year-old son"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Kent Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Securitas"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Tonbridge"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["53,116,760"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2016 The Russian Central Bank says hackers, who were attempting to steal about 5 billion rubles, did take more than 2 billion ($31 million) this year from member bank accounts. (Reuters) (CNN)","document":"MOSCOW (Reuters) - (This December 2 story corrects to show the 2 billion rubles is combined amount stolen from accounts in central bank and commercial banks, not from central bank alone; clarifies that the figures are total stolen in cyberattacks for the year to date)\nHackers stole more than 2 billion rubles ($31 million) from correspondent accounts at the Russian central bank and from accounts in commercial banks, the bank said on Friday, the latest example of an escalation of cyber attacks on financial institutions around the globe.\nCentral bank official Artyom Sychyov discussed the losses at a briefing, saying that the hackers had attempted to steal about 5 billion rubles. He said the figures were the totals recorded stolen, or the target of attempted theft, in cyber attacks over the course of 2016.\nSychyov was commenting on a central bank report released earlier in the day, that told of hackers breaking into accounts there by faking a client’s credentials. The bank provided few other details in its lengthy report.\nFinancial regulators around the world have recently urged banks to beef up cyber security in the wake of a string of high-profile heists on banks around the world.\nFears about attacks on banks have mounted since February when unknown cyber criminals stole $81 million in funds that Bangladesh’s central bank had on deposit at the New York Fed. Law enforcement agencies around the globe are hunting for the criminals who stole the money using fraudulent wire-transfer requests sent over the SWIFT bank messaging network.\nSeparately, Russia said on Friday that it had uncovered a plot by foreign spy agencies to sow chaos in the country’s banking system via a coordinated wave of cyber attacks and fake social media reports about banks going bust.\n($1 = 63.8300 rubles)\n\n\n","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Hackers"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Russian central bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 2"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["more than 2 billion rubles ($31 million)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Computer security firm Symantec warns a second hacking group, going by the name Odinaff, is trying to rob banks using fraudulent SWIFT messages, the same approach that yielded U.S.$81 million in February's attack on Bangladesh's central bank. So far, the group has infected 10 to 20 organizations with this malware. (Reuters), (Investopedia)","document":" Cybersecurity giant Symantec Corp. (SYMC) announced Tuesday that a second hacking group has launched a mission to rob banks using fraudulent messages on the financial messaging platform SWIFT, reports Reuters. The group, dubbed “Odinaff,” has used the same approach that yielded $81 million from an attack earlier this year on the central bank of Bangladesh. (See also: Investors Rally to Cybersecurity.)\nThe Mountain View, Calif.-based company said the new hackers have infected 10 to 20 of its customers with malware that can be used to hide fraudulent transfer request on SWIFT, a financial messaging service used globally by moe than 11,000 financial institutions in more than 200 countries and territories.\nLast Month, SWIFT CEO Gottfried Leibbrandt disclosed information on three hacks and warned of an upcoming surge in cyberattacks on banks. SWIFT and Symantec have not given details to the public about targets beyond the Bangladesh Bank, but they point to the United States, Hong Kong, Australia, the United Kingdom and Ukraine as major hubs for Odinaff attacks.\nThe news indicates a surge in recent cybercrime, particularly in the financial sector, and a subsequent, revitalized need for next-gen cybersecurity. While Lazarus—the hacker group allegedly behind the Bangladesh heist and the 2014 hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment—has been linked to North Korea, Odinaff appears to be a financially motivated criminal group unaffiliated with a nation state.\n“The discovery of Odinaff indicates that banks are at a growing risk of attack. Over the past few years, cybercriminals have begun to display a deep understanding of the internal financial systems used by banks. They have learned that banks employ a diverse range of systems and have invested time in finding out how they work and how employees operate them. When coupled with the high level of technical expertise available to some groups, these groups now pose a significant threat to any organization they target,” Symantec stated in a company release on Tuesday. (See also: Cybercrime Pays for Tech Investors.)","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["SWIFT and Symantec","Symantec","SWIFT"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Odinaff"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["central bank of Bangladesh","Bangladesh"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["81 million"]}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2016 Computer security firm Symantec warns a second hacking group, going by the name Odinaff, is trying to rob banks using fraudulent SWIFT messages, the same approach that yielded U.S.$81 million in February's attack on Bangladesh's central bank. So far, the group has infected 10 to 20 organizations with this malware. (Reuters), (Investopedia)","document":"(Reuters) - Cyber-security firm Symantec Corp said on Tuesday that a second hacking group has sought to rob banks using fraudulent SWIFT messages, the same approach that yielded $81 million in the high-profile February attack on Bangladesh’s central bank.\nSymantec said that a group dubbed Odinaff has infected 10 to 20 organizations with malware that can be used to hide fraudulent transfer requests made over SWIFT, the messaging system that is a lynchpin of the global financial system.\nSymantec’s research provided new insight into ongoing hacking that has previously been disclosed by SWIFT. SWIFT Chief Executive Gottfried Leibbrandt last month told customers about three hacks and warned that cyber attacks on banks are poised to rise.\nSWIFT and Symantec have not identified specific victims beyond Bangladesh Bank. Symantec said that most Odinaff attacks occurred in the United States, Hong Kong, Australia, the United Kingdom and Ukraine.\nSymantec said it would share technical information about Odinaff with banks, governments and other security firms.\nThe company in May said it believed the Bangladesh heist was carried out by a group known as Lazarus, which was also responsible for attacks on SWIFT customers in Southeast Asia as well as the 2014 hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment.\nThe U.S. government has blamed North Korea for the Sony attack.\nSymantec researcher Eric Chien said his firm has not confirmed that North Korea was behind Lazarus, but that the high level of sophistication of its work suggests involvement by a nation state.\nOdinaff, on the other hand, appears to be a financially motivated criminal group, not a nation state, he added.\nSWIFT spokeswoman Natasha de Terán said that the messaging cooperative’s customer security intelligence team had sent a warning about Odinaff’s activities to its members in the early summer.\nThat warning included technical indicators to help thwart potential attacks and a description of the group’s habits, Terán said.\nSymantec said it believed that Odinaff is linked to Carbanak, a hacking group that has been targeting banks and merchant point-of-sale systems since at least 2014.\nThe two groups employ similar tactics in carrying out attacks and have used the same IP addresses to connect to their servers, according to Symantec.\n\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Symantec Corp"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Odinaff"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Bangladesh’s central bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["February"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["81 million"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2005 Banco Central robbery at Fortaleza: In Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, an estimated 156 million reais was discovered to be stolen over the weekend in one of the world's largest bank robberies. (Agencia Brasil), (BBC)","document":"The thieves dug a 200m (656ft) tunnel into the bank from a nearby house in the northern city of Fortaleza.\nNeighbours said between six and 10 men worked at the house, rented in the name of a company making artificial turf. The theft happened over the weekend, but was not discovered until Monday morning because the bank was closed.\nNeighbours reported seeing vanloads of material being removed each day.\nIt took three months to dig the tunnel\n\"It's something you see in the movies... They dug a tunnel that goes underneath two [city] blocks. They've been digging for three months,\" investigator Francisco Queiroga told the Reuters news agency.\nThe Banco Central said the robbers opened five containers with 50 real ($22) bills.\nThe value of the stolen bank notes has not been determined. However, police sources said the heist may have yielded as much as 150m reals, which would make it the biggest bank robbery in Brazil's history.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Francisco Queiroga"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["The thieves"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Banco Central"]},{"role":"Date","values":["over the weekend"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Fortaleza"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["150m reals"]}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2020 A group of gunmen attack a bank and block roads in Cametá, Brazil, taking several hostages and stealing money. The attackers kill a hostage with a gunshot to the head, while a security guard and a policeman are injured. Several shots and explosions were also reported. It appears that the target of the attack was a branch of Banco do Brasil, the same bank robbed in Criciúma the previous night. (BBC)","document":"A gang of armed men has stormed a city in northern Brazil, attacking a bank and taking hostages.\nThe overnight attack on Cametá appears to be almost identical to one in Criciúma, a city in the south, by gunmen in the early hours of Tuesday.\nThere is no suggestion that the two incidents are linked. Video footage from Cametá appeared to show a group of hostages being led through the streets.\nOne person died in the attack, according to the city's mayor. Waldo Valenti did not give any more details but a local lawmaker, Éder Mauro, said the victim was one of the hostages, who \"had been shot in the head\". Photos posted by Mr Mauro appear to show groups of gunmen on the street and hostages being taken. In videos uploaded to social media, shots and explosions can be heard.\nIt appears that the target of the attack was a branch of Banco do Brasil, the same bank robbed in Criciúma the previous night. Both raids happened after midnight and involved gunmen entering the city in a convoy of dozens of cars. In both instances, hostages were taken and used as human shields. Security forces have been sent to the scene. The governor of Cametá's Pará state, Helder Barbalho, said: \"We will do our best to ensure that peace is resumed as soon as possible and that the criminals are arrested.\"\nLocal media are reporting that the gunmen were in the city for about 90 minutes before making their getaway, first in a convoy of cars and then by boat on the Tocantins river. This attack started about midnight local time on Tuesday and lasted more than an hour. The target of the raid was a branch of Banco do Brasil in the city centre. Armed men blocked roads, took hostages, fired hundreds of shots and used explosives to carry out the robbery. Military police reported that a fire had been set in a tunnel on the main road leading to the city, presumably to prevent security forces from sending reinforcements. The police headquarters also came under attack.\nA security guard and a military police officer were injured. After the attack, footage showed a convoy of black cars leaving the town centre in an orderly fashion. It is not clear how much money the attackers took but some cash was scattered across a city street. Video posted on social media showed residents rushing to gather some of the bills.\nLocal media have described the raids as part of a phenomenon they call \"New Cangaço\", which references a term used to describe the banditry that plagued parts of Brazil in the 1920s and 1930s.\nSmall and medium-sized cities have been the preferred targets. In 2019, there were 21 bank robberies in the state of São Paulo alone, according to official figures. In the first half of 2020, there had already been 14.\nSecurity expert Guaracy Mingardi told BBC Brasil that these large-scale bank robberies started five years ago. The targets are banks and firms that store and transport valuables. Dozens of criminals take part in a single raid and many of them are heavily armed with machine guns and sometimes even explosives. While most of the raids have been carried out in Brazil, there has been at least one instance where a Brazilian gang carried out a spectacular robbery in neighbouring Paraguay.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["fired hundreds of shots and used explosives"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["dozens of cars","Dozens","a convoy of cars","boat","a convoy of black cars"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["A gang of armed men","Armed men"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Banco do Brasil","Banco","Brasil"]},{"role":"Date","values":["midnight local time on Tuesday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Cametá","Brazil"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2015 A bank in Minnesota (U.S.) is robbed by the same person a second time while an Iowa television station was doing a live update on the first robbery. The robber was arrested shortly afterwards. (Associated Press)","document":"ROCHESTER, Minn. — An Iowa television station was doing a live update on a Minnesota bank robbery when police say the suspect returned to rob it a second time.\nKIMT-TV of Mason City, Iowa, was outside Sterling State Bank in Rochester on Tuesday when a bank employee ran out and pointed out the robbery suspect.\nReporter Adam Sallet broke away from the report, saying: \"I have to go. I have to call 911.\"\nThe Post-Bulletin (http://bit.ly/1TOlERN ) reports that police spotted the suspect's vehicle on U.S. Highway 52. Minnesota State Patrol says the 36-year-old Rochester man was pulled over south of Minneapolis and arrested.\nPolice Capt. John Sherwin says the man is suspected of robbing the bank two days in a row. In both robberies, the suspect presented a note and escaped with money.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["police","Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["36-year-old Rochester man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Sterling State Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Minnesota","Rochester"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2020 A bank robbery occurs at a Fifth Third Bank in Warren County, Ohio. (Dayton Daily)","document":"Police on Tuesday were looking for a man accused of robbing the Fifth Third Bank in Lebanon.\nPolice were called to the bank at 122 N. Broadway at 10:57 a.m. for a robbery in progress, according to a police report.\nA masked man in a black hoodie showed a gun and was handed money before running east on Warren Street, according to the initial report.\nPolice deployed a drone and cordoned off a four-block area. Sheriff’s deputies and a K-9 from the Mason Police Department helped in the search.\nA blue car was seen dropping off the suspect, described by a witness as a Black man who went through alleys toward the bank.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["A blue car"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["A masked man in a black hoodie","a Black man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Fifth Third Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday","10:57 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Lebanon","122 N. Broadway"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"300 million yen robbery","document":"The 300 million yen robbery (三億円事件, San Oku En Jiken), also known as the 300 million yen affair or incident, was a robbery that occurred on December 10, 1968 in Tokyo, Japan. A man posing as a police officer on a motorcycle stopped bank employees transferring money and stole 294 million yen. [1] It was the single largest heist in Japanese history at the time. Half a century later, the case remains unsolved. [2][3][4][5]\n\nOn the morning of December 10, 1968, four Kokubunji branch employees of the Nihon Shintaku Ginko (Nippon Trust Bank) transported 294,307,500 yen (about US$817,520 at 1968 exchange rates) in the trunk of a company car. The metal boxes contained bonuses for the employees of Toshiba's Fuchu factory. They were stopped in the street next to Tokyo Fuchū Prison by a young uniformed officer on a police motorcycle. They were a mere 200 meters from their destination. [6][7] The police officer informed them that their branch manager's house had been blown up, and they had received a warning that dynamite had been planted in the transport car. The four employees exited the vehicle while the officer crawled under the car to locate the bomb. Moments later, the employees noticed smoke and flames under the car as the officer rolled out, shouting that it was about to explode. When the employees retreated to the prison walls, the police officer got into the car and drove away. Although commonly known as the 300 million yen robbery, the event would be considered as a theft instead of a robbery under Japanese criminal law. The bank employees believed the thief was a police officer, and accepted his story about the bomb because threatening letters had been sent to the bank manager beforehand. The smoke and flames turned out to be the result of a warning flare he had ignited while under the car. At some point, the thief abandoned the bank's car and transferred the metal boxes to another car, stolen beforehand. That car too was abandoned, and the boxes transferred once again to another previously stolen vehicle. There were 120 pieces of evidence left at the scene of the crime, including the \"police\" motorcycle, which had been painted white. However, the evidence was primarily common everyday items, scattered on purpose to confuse the police investigation. A 19-year-old man, the son of a police officer, was suspected just after the robbery. He died of potassium cyanide poisoning on December 15, 1968. He had no alibi. However, the money was not found at the time of his death. His death was deemed a suicide and he was considered not guilty, according to official record. A massive police investigation was launched, posting 780,000 montage pictures throughout Japan. The list of suspects included 110,000 names, and 170,000 policemen participated in the investigation — the largest investigation in Japanese history. [citation needed] This includes an examination of the fingerprints gathered from the scene and comparison of them to those on file. Six million fingerprints on file were compared individually, however no matches were found. [8]\n\nOn December 12, 1969, a 26-year-old man was suspected by the Mainichi Shimbun. He was arrested on an unrelated charge, but he had an alibi; the robbery occurred on the day he was taking a proctored examination. As the arrest was made based on false pretenses, the arresting police officer, Mitsuo Muto, was accused of abuse of power. A friend of the 19-year-old suspect was arrested on an unrelated charge on November 15, 1975, just before the statute of limitations. He had a large amount of money and was suspected of the robbery. He was 18 years old when the robbery occurred. The police asked him for an explanation for the large amount of money, but he did not say anything and they were not able to prove that his money had come from the robbery. After a seven-year investigation, police announced in December 1975 that the statute of limitations on the crime had passed. [9] As of 1988, the thief has also been relieved of any civil liabilities, allowing him to tell his story without fear of legal repercussions. The case was profiled in 2001 on the show Project X, a NHK-TV series focusing on the accomplishments of Japanese of the Greatest Generation. The episode profiled fingerprint specialist Uhei Tsukamoto's attempt to solve the case and another robbery. [8]\n\n","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["police motorcycle","another car"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["A man posing as a police officer","police officer"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Nippon Trust Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 10, 1968"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Tokyo, Japan","Tokyo","Japan"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["294,307,500 yen (about US$817,520 at 1968 exchange rates)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"1973 Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce bank robbery","document":"The 1973 Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce bank robbery was an event which occurred in Kenora, Ontario, Canada in the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce on May 10, 1973. A robber entered the bank with weapons, a homemade bomb, a shoulder bag and three duffel bags to hold money. When the robber got out of the bank with an officer, a police sniper shot him, setting off the explosives, killing the robber, and injuring an officer, Don Millard. [1]\n\nOn May 10, 1973 a man wearing a black balaclava mask entered the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in Kenora armed with a rifle, a pistol and a homemade bomb consisting of six sticks of dynamite. He had a dead man's switch held in his teeth to detonate it. He had a shoulder bag and three duffel bags that he demanded be filled with money. Police arrived to the scene and one police officer, posing as a truck driver, carried the bags outside, followed by the robber. Once outside, a police sniper shot the robber dead, triggering his bomb. The bomber was the only one to be killed, while constable Don Millard was injured and his pants ripped off by the explosion. [2][1]\n\nThe bomber's brown leather wallet was recovered from the scene, which contained a pair of handcuff keys, 176 dollars, and a receipt from the Kenricia Hotel. It was revealed that he had checked into the hotel under the name Paul Higgins, giving a fake address of 435 Glen Drive, Toronto. He had arrived at the hotel on April 23, spending two days, before apparently taking a bus to Winnipeg. He left a steamer trunk - which also bore the name \"P. Higgins\" - stored at the hotel. He checked back in on May 5. [3]\n\nAlthough he wore a mask during the robbery and his remains were destroyed in the explosion, a man who wrote a book based on the incident, Joe Ralko, recalled seeing the man in town during the days leading up to his death. The man is described as being in his 40s, with brown hair and a reddish-colored beard. [4][5] At first they had a suspect, but DNA samples from the suspect's brother did not match those taken from the crime scene. The now-dismissed former suspect was later found to be living in France. [4]\n\nA book, The Devil's Gap: The Untold Story of Canada's First Suicide Bomber, was released in 2017, by Joe Ralko, one of the witnesses. Joe Ralko was 19 at the time of the bombing. [6]\n\nThe unidentified man is buried in an unmarked grave in Kenora Cemetery. [2]\n\nRalko, Joe: The Devil's Gap: The Untold Story of Canada's First Suicide Bomber; 2017","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["rifle, a pistol and a homemade bomb consisting of six sticks of dynamite"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce bank","Canadian Imperial Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1973","May 10, 1973"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Kenora, Ontario, Canada","Kenora","Canada"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"1981 Brink's robbery","document":"The 1981 Brink's robbery was an armed robbery and three related murders committed on October 20, 1981, which were carried out by six Black Liberation Army members: Mutulu Shakur, Kuwasi Balagoon, Solomon Bouines (Samuel Brown), Mtayari Shabaka Sundiata, Edward Joseph, and Cecilio \"Chui\" Ferguson;[1] and four former members of the Weather Underground, now belonging to the May 19th Communist Organization, consisting of David Gilbert, Judith Alice Clark, Kathy Boudin, and Marilyn Buck. [2]\n\nThey stole $1.6 million in cash from a Brink's armored car at the Nanuet Mall, in Nanuet, New York, killing a Brink's guard, Peter Paige, seriously wounding Brink's guard Joseph Trombino, slightly wounding Brink's truck driver guard, James Kelly, subsequently killing two Nyack police officers, Edward O'Grady and Waverly Brown, and seriously wounding Police Detective Artie Keenan. [3] Trombino recovered from the wounds he received in this incident but was killed in 2001 in the September 11 attacks. [4]\n\nThe robbery began with Boudin dropping off her infant son, Chesa Boudin, at a babysitter's before taking the wheel of the getaway vehicle, a U-Haul truck. She waited in a nearby parking lot as her heavily armed accomplices drove a red van to the Nanuet Mall, where a Brink's truck was making a pick-up. At 3:55 pm, Brink's guards Peter Paige and Joseph Trombino emerged from the mall carrying bags of money. As they loaded the money into the truck, the robbers stormed out of their van and attacked. One fired two shotgun blasts into the truck's bulletproof windshield, while another opened fire with an M16 rifle. Paige was hit multiple times in the chest and killed instantly. Trombino was able to fire a single shot from his handgun, but was struck in the shoulder and arm by several rounds, nearly severing his arm from his body. The truck's driver, James Kelly, noticing the shooting behind him, fired several rounds at the robbers through a gun port on the door of his truck, but came under heavy gunfire, and took cover underneath the dashboard, but he was hit in the head by glass and bullet shrapnel. The assailants grabbed $1.6 million in cash, got back in their van, and fled the scene. Trombino survived his injuries, and continued to work for the Brink's company for the next 20 years; he was almost killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and was killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks while making a delivery in the World Trade Center North Tower. [5]\n\nAfter fleeing the scene, the robbers drove to the parking lot where a yellow Honda and the U-Haul truck, manned by members of the May 19 Communist Organization, were waiting. The robbers quickly threw the bags of money into the car and truck and sped away. In a house across the street Sandra Torgersen, an alert college student, spotted them as they switched vehicles and called the police. Meanwhile, police units from all over the county were converging on the mall where the shootout occurred and attempting to cut off all possible escape routes. Soon, police officers Edward O'Grady, Waverly Brown, Brian Lennon, and Artie Keenan spotted and pulled over the U-Haul truck, with Boudin in the front seat, along with the yellow Honda at an entrance ramp to the New York State Thruway off New York State Route 59. The police were not sure if they had the right truck, since it had been reported that the robbers were all black, while the occupants of this vehicle were white (a deliberate part of the original plan by the robbers, hoping to fool the police). Since the truck matched the description of the getaway vehicle they were looking for, the officers pulled it over and approached with guns drawn. The police officers who caught them testified that Boudin, feigning innocence, pleaded with them to put down their guns and convinced them to drop their guard; Boudin said she remained silent, that the officers relaxed spontaneously. After the police lowered their guns, six men armed with automatic weapons and wearing body armor emerged from the back of the truck and began firing upon the four police officers. Officer Brown managed to fire two or three rounds at the robbers before he was hit repeatedly by rifle rounds and collapsed on the ground. One robber then walked up to his prone body and fired several more shots into him with a 9mm handgun, ensuring his death. Keenan was shot in the leg, but managed to duck behind a tree and return fire. Officer O'Grady lived long enough to empty his revolver, but as he reloaded, he was shot several times with an M16. Ninety minutes later, he died on a hospital operating table. Meanwhile, Lennon, who was in his cruiser when the shootout began, tried to exit out the front passenger door, but O'Grady's body was wedged up against the door. He watched as the suspects jumped back into the U-Haul and sped directly towards him. Lennon fired his shotgun several times at the speeding truck as it collided with his police car, then fired two rounds from his pistol. The occupants of the U-Haul scattered, some climbing into the yellow Honda, others carjacking a nearby motorist while Boudin attempted to flee on foot. An off-duty corrections officer, Michael J. Koch, apprehended her shortly after the shootout. When she was arrested, Boudin gave her name as Barbara Edson. M19CO members Gilbert, Brown, and Clark crashed the Honda while making a sharp turn, injuring Brown's neck, and knocking Clark's handgun onto the floor of the car. South Nyack police chief Alan Colsey was the only officer initially at the scene of the crash, but managed to hold them at gunpoint until Orangetown Police Officer Michael Seidel and Rockland County District Attorney's Office Detective Jim Stewart arrived. After the trio were arrested, police found $800,000 from the robbery and Clark's 9mm handgun on the floor of the back seat of the car. Police traced the license plate on one of the getaway vehicles to an apartment in New Jersey. Inside, the police found weapons, bomb-making materials, and detailed blueprints of six Manhattan police precincts. Investigations later revealed the apartment was rented by Buck, who had been previously arrested for providing weapons to the Black Liberation Army. She had been sentenced to 10 years in prison, but in 1977, she was granted furlough and never returned. While at the apartment, police also found papers that listed an address in Mt. Vernon, New York, a small city in Westchester County about 20 miles from the mall where the robbery occurred. When police raided that apartment, they found bloody clothing, ammunition, more guns, and ski masks. Investigation later revealed that the bloody clothing belonged to Buck, who had accidentally shot herself in the leg when she tried to draw her weapon during the shootout with the police. All the plates on the vehicles seen near the Mt. Vernon address were entered into the NCIC system. Three days later, NYPD Detective Lt. Dan Kelly spotted a 1978 Chrysler with a license plate that had been seen at the Mt. Vernon Apartment and called for backup. The vehicle, occupied by Mtayari Sundiata and Sekou Odinga, fled from the police when officers tried to pull them over. After the vehicle crashed, the two occupants engaged the police in a gunfight that left Sundiata dead and Odinga captured.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["shotgun","M16 rifle"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["yellow Honda and the U-Haul truck","Haul truck","yellow Honda"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["1981","Mutulu Shakur","Kuwasi Balagoon","Solomon Bouines (Samuel Brown)","Mtayari Shabaka Sundiata","Edward Joseph","Cecilio \"Chui\" Ferguson","David Gilbert","Judith Alice Clark","Kathy Boudin","Marilyn Buck","1.6 million"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["October 20, 1981"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Nanuet Mall, in Nanuet, New York","Nanuet Mall","New York"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"2014 Stockton bank robbery","document":"On July 16, 2014, an armed bank robbery resulted in the four perpetrators taking three hostages and leading members of the Stockton Police Department (SPD) on an hour long high speed pursuit. Over the course of the car chase, one suspect fired over 100 rounds from an AK-47s at police disabling 14 police vehicles including a Lenco BearCat and more than 30 officers shot over 600 rounds into the getaway vehicle. Two perpetrators were killed, two hostages were injured, one hostage was killed by police ammunition, and numerous vehicles and other property were damaged or destroyed by the nearly 1,000 rounds of ammunition fired by the robbers and police. [1]\n\nShortly after 2 p.m., Misty Holt-Singh went to a branch of the Bank of the West to use the ATM, accompanied by her 12-year-old daughter, Mia. She went to the branch in the northern part of the city, located at 7810 Thornton Rd. While Mia waited in the car, a dark four door Buick, driven by Pablo Ruvalcaba dropped off Jaime Ramos, Gilbert Renteria, and Alex Martinez. [2] The suspects were believed to be a part of the Norteños street gang. [3] As Misty Holt-Singh turned to leave the ATM, one of the suspects grabbed her and dragged her into the bank. Driver Pablo Ruvalcaba then left the scene in the Buick while the three other individuals entered. This was already an unusual day for this branch of the bank as it was the branch's last day of business before closing for good. Branch manager Kelley Huber immediately recognized the trio from a robbery months earlier. One of the suspects, who had robbed the bank previously, looked at Huber and ordered that she open the vault. The suspect filled a backpack with cash from the vault. The branch located at 7810 Thornton Rd in Stockton would close. The location is now a Starbucks. Stockton Police Chief Eric Jones began immediate transparent dialogue with the officers involved and press covering the story, making it clear that it was in fact SPD bullets that took Holt-Singh's life. In the following days many officers had to fill in for the 33 who discharged their weapons and were put on administrative leave stretching the already thin police force even thinner. Representatives for all three hostage's filled intents to sue the City of Stockton for the actions of the police officers. [4]\n\nGilbert Renteria and Alex Martinez were found deceased at the scene. Investigators had been gathering information and intelligence on both Renteria and Martinez in the years prior to the robbery. The two were part of a known group who were selling methamphetamine in Stockton. A complaint filed in November 2008, names both Renteria and Martinez and other defendants for possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of marijuana for sale, marijuana cultivation and street terrorism. Stockton police say they are confident Martinez had robbed that same Bank of the West branch on Jan. 31, 2014. Investigators have reviewed surveillance footage from both incidents and spoken to witnesses who provided physical descriptions. In both robberies, someone dropped off the robbers. The men were armed, had similar disguises and left in employee vehicles, police said. [5]\n\nJaime Ramos was taken into custody at the scene and was charged with three counts of murder and 22 counts of attempted murder of police. He used hostage Misty Holt-Singh to shield himself from SPD. In 2016 he pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison. Pablo Ruvalcaba (21) was announced as a person of interest and turned himself in on September 16 but was released the same day. On December 22, he was arrested by federal agents without incident in Merced. He was charged with aiding and abetting and in 2016 received a sentence of 25 years to life. [6]","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["AK-47s"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Jaime Ramos"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Stockton Police","Stockton police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a dark four door Buick"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Pablo Ruvalcaba","Gilbert Renteria","Alex Martinez","Jaime Ramos"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a branch of the Bank of the West","branch","bank","Branch","Bank","West branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["July 16, 2014"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Chief Eric Jones"]},{"role":"Location","values":["7810 Thornton Rd in Stockton","Stockton","7810 Thornton Rd"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Agricultural Bank of China robbery","document":"The Agricultural Bank of China robbery was the embezzlement of nearly 51 million yuan (c. US$6.7 million) from the Handan branch of the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) in Hebei province between March 16 and April 14, 2007. Perpetrated by two vault managers employed at the branch, it is the largest bank robbery in China's history. [1]\n\nThe idea for the heist had begun when one of the managers, Ren Xiaofeng, stole 200,000 yuan (c. US$26,000) in October 2006 with the complicity of two security guards, Zhao Xuenan and Zhang Qiang. Ren then purchased tickets for the Chinese lottery, with the intention of winning a sufficiently large prize that he could return the missing funds before their absence was noted, and still have money left over for himself. [2] Despite the odds, Ren was successful, and he was able to return the 200,000 to the vault. [3]\n\nEmboldened by his initial success, Ren joined forces with another manager, Ma Xiangjing, to perpetrate the same crime on a far larger scale. During March and April 2007, the two stole 32.96 million yuan (c. US$4.3 million), and spent almost the entire amount—31.25 million—on lottery tickets. [4] This time good fortune was not on their side. In desperation, they stole six cash boxes containing a further 18 million yuan (c. US$2.3 million) on April 14, spending 14 million in a single day in an effort to recover their losses. Despite Handan reporting record lottery ticket sales, the two recouped only 98,000 yuan (c. US$12,700). [5]\n\nOn April 16, ABC branch managers discovered the missing money and notified the police. [1] With insufficient funds to cover the losses, Ren and Ma used their meager winnings to buy fake IDs and flee. [5] This prompted an extensive manhunt, with the Public Security Ministry placing the two men on their \"Most Wanted\" list. [1][5] Ma was arrested in Beijing on April 18, and Ren was found a day later in Lianyungang, a coastal town in Jiangsu Province. [4]\n\nRen and Ma were charged with embezzlement, while Zhao and Zhang, the security guards, were charged with misappropriating public funds. A fifth man, Song Changhai, was also prosecuted for sheltering a criminal, Ma, while he was on the run. [1] The three accomplices were all given sentences of up to five years in prison, while the two managers were sentenced to death. [3] A landlord, a cab driver, and a car saleswoman in Lianyungang shared a 200,000 yuan reward for assisting police to arrest Ren, while in Handan five employees of the bank were fired. [4] Only 5.5 million yuan was ever recovered by the police, with the remainder squandered by the perpetrators' gambling. [4]\n\nBoth Ren and Ma were executed in Hebei province on April 1, 2008. As criminals, their bodies were cremated and the ashes thrown into the Yellow Sea by the Chinese Police. [6]","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["three accomplices","two managers"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Public Security Ministry"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["two vault managers employed at the branch","branch","Ren Xiaofeng","Zhao Xuenan and Zhang Qiang","Ma Xiangjing"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Handan branch of the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC)","Agricultural Bank","China","ABC"]},{"role":"Date","values":["March 16 and April 14, 2007"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["5.5 million yuan"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Hebei province"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["51 million yuan (c. US$6.7 million)","US","32.96 million yuan (c. US$4.3 million)","18 million yuan (c. US$2.3 million)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Ashulia bank robbery","document":"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]\n\nOn 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]\n\nThe 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]\n\nThe 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]\n\nOn 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]\n\nOn 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]\n\nOn 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]","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["bombs"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["six of the robbers","robbers"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Bangladesh Police","Bangladesh police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["three bikes","three motorbikes"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["members of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh and Ansarullah Bangla Team","Ansarullah Bangla Team","Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Ashulia branch of Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited","Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited"]},{"role":"Date","values":["21 April 2015"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Kathgora Bazar in Ashulia Industrial Area"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["3.5 million taka"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Baker Street robbery","document":"\n\nThe Baker Street robbery was the burglary of safety deposit boxes at the Baker Street branch of Lloyds Bank in London, on the night of 11 September 1971. A gang tunnelled 40 feet (12 m) from a rented shop two doors away to come up through the floor of the vault. The value of the property stolen is unknown, but is likely to have been between £1.25 and £3 million;[a] only £231,000 was recovered by the police. [b]\n\nThe burglary was planned by Anthony Gavin, a career criminal, who was inspired by \"The Red-Headed League\", a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle in which Sherlock Holmes waits in a bank vault to arrest a gang who have tunnelled in through the floor. Gavin and his colleagues rented Le Sac, a leather goods shop two doors from the bank, and tunnelled during weekends. The interior of the vault was mapped out by one gang member using an umbrella and the span of his arms to measure the dimensions and location of the furniture. The gang initially tried to use a jack to force a hole in the vault floor and when this failed they used a thermal lance. When this also failed to work, they used gelignite to blast a way through. Once inside, they emptied 268 safe deposit boxes. The gang had posted a lookout on a nearby roof, who was in contact via walkie-talkie, and their broadcasts were accidentally overheard by Robert Rowlands, an amateur radio enthusiast. He called the police, who initially did not take him seriously, so he used a small cassette recorder to make a recording of the burglars' conversations. The second time he contacted the police they accepted what he was saying, and began hunting for the burglars while the break-in was in progress. They searched 750 banks in an 8-mile (13 km) radius, but failed to locate the gang. Police found the members of the gang soon after the break in; one of the burglars, Benjamin Wolfe, had signed the lease for Le Sac in his own name and informers provided information that led to Gavin. At the end of October 1971 police arrested Wolfe, Gavin, Reg Tucker and Thomas Stephens. They continued to search for other members of the gang, including one woman, for five years, but no further arrests were made. Gavin, Tucker and Stephens were sentenced to twelve years in prison; Wolfe received a sentence of eight years, less than the others as he was in his 60s. There have been several rumours connected with the burglary, including one that the government issued a D-Notice to censor the press; that one of the safety deposit boxes contained compromising photographs of Princess Margaret and the actor and criminal John Bindon; and that photographs of a Conservative cabinet minister abusing children were found. There is no evidence to support them and they have been widely dismissed. Some of the rumours inspired the story for the 2008 film The Bank Job. Many of the papers relating to the burglary remain under embargo at The National Archives until January 2071. In 1970 Anthony Gavin, a 38-year-old photographer from North London, began planning the burglary of the branch of Lloyds Bank at 187 Baker Street, in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster, London. [2] He decided to use a nearby premises and tunnel up into the floor of the bank; the plan was inspired by \"The Red-Headed League\", a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle. In the story, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson pre-empt the burglars and are in the vault when they break in. [3][c] A former army physical training instructor with connections to several career criminals, Gavin is described by the journalists Tom Pettifor and Nick Sommerlad as \"a forceful personality ... [who] had the propensity to be physically threatening\". [5] According to Paul Lashmar, the head of journalism at the University of Sussex, Gavin was a member of a gang headed by Brian Reader, who was also involved in the burglary,[6][7][8][d] although Reader firmly denies that he had any involvement in the events at Baker Street. [10]\n\nGavin asked Reg Tucker, a second-hand-car salesman, who had no criminal record, to reconnoitre the bank. Tucker opened an account with £500 in December 1970 and two months later he rented a safety deposit box in the branch; over the next few months he visited his box thirteen times. Bank practice of the time was for staff to leave customers in private while visiting the vault. As soon as Tucker was alone, he would measure the room using the span of his arms and an umbrella he brought with him; he was aided in getting exact measurements by the regularly sized floor tiles, each of which was nine inches (23 cm) square. He drew a map of the room, plotting where the cabinets were and the position of the furniture. [11][12] Thomas Stephens, another second-hand car salesman with no criminal record, was used to acquire the tools needed for the break-in, including a thermal lance and a 100-ton jack; one of Reader's friends, Bobby Mills, was employed to be the lookout man. Two others were brought in for the job, one of whom was an explosives expert. [13][14] Another of Gavin's friends, Mickey \"Skinny\" Gervaise, a burglar-alarm expert, was brought on board, as were two men who have never been identified: \"Little Legs\" and \"TH\". Lashmar reports that TH was a contact of Detective Inspector Alec Eist, whom he describes as \"by reputation the most corrupt Yard officer of the 1950s to mid-1970s\". [7] The journalist Duncan Campbell describes Eist as \"One of the most active bent officers from the 1950s to the 1970s\". [15][e]\n\nIn May 1971 the owners of the leather goods shop Le Sac at 189 Baker Street—two doors down from the bank—sold the lease of the property for £10,000 to Benjamin Wolfe, a 64-year-old seller of ornaments and knick-knacks, and a contact of several gang members. [17][f] The property had a basement that, the group calculated, was at the same level as the bank vault. [18]\n\nRoad works nearby meant the trembler alarms in the vault floor were turned off after several false alarms. A member of the local security company alerted the gang of the timing of the digging and when the alarms were off. [19] Work began on the tunnel on the Friday evening of the August bank holiday 1971[20] and continued until 10 September 1971. [21] To avoid being overheard, they dug only during the weekends. [22] Gavin led the digging of the tunnel from Le Sac to under the vault floor. He later said that he lost 2 stone (28 lb; 13 kg) in the process. The entry hole he, Tucker and a third gang member created in Le Sac was 15 inches (38 cm) wide[21] and through 6 inches (15 cm) of concrete. [23] Gavin dug until he reached the walls of the Chicken Inn's basement, then dug down and continued under the building, using their basement floor as the roof of the tunnel. [6] The tunnel was 40 feet (12 m) long when finished,[14] and at the end, under the vault, the gang created a cavity 7 by 4 by 5 feet (2.1 by 1.2 by 1.5 m). [17] The digging created 8 long tons (8.1 t) of waste, which was hauled back into Le Sac and dumped towards the rear of the premises. [24][14] The tunnel, which needed no supports, was later described in court as \"a magnificent piece of engineering\". [14]\n\nThe gang began their entry into the vault on Friday 10 September, after the bank closed for the weekend.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Wolfe, Gavin, Reg Tucker and Thomas Stephens","Gavin","Wolfe"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Wolfe, Gavin, Reg Tucker and Thomas Stephens","Gavin","Wolfe","Reg Tucker","Thomas Stephens"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Baker Street branch of Lloyds Bank","Lloyds Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday 10 September","10","the night of 11 September 1971","1971"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["231,000"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["London"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["between £1.25 and £3 million"]}]} {"event_trigger":"1998 Bank of America robbery","document":"\n\nThe 1998 Bank of America robbery was a robbery of $1.6 million in cash at the Bank of America in 1 World Trade Center, in New York City, on January 14, 1998. The robbery was plotted and executed by an actor and petty criminal named Ralph Guarino. Guarino received some intelligence from a WTC worker named Salvatore Calciano, who told him about the increased security that followed the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and would later give him his employee ID badge from a friend of Calciano. He also told Guarino when a Brink's armored truck would arrive to deliver money via elevator to the 11th floor of the North Tower (Tower One) of the WTC. The two of them planned the robbery and recruited three other criminals to complete the actual robbery: Richie Gillette, 39, from Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, as well as his friends Melvin Folk, 44, and Mike Reed, 34. On Wednesday, January 14, 1998, a Brink's van pulled up to the World Trade Center at around 8:30 a.m. and began unloading some bags of money. Only Gillette wore a ski mask to make it more difficult for others to identify him. They successfully subdued the WTC employees and guards to steal the bags. They took a total of $1.6 million (worth $2.5 million today). [1] The robbers exited the WTC at 8:45 a.m. In the aftermath of the robbery, Folk and Reed returned to their old neighborhoods and were quickly identified and captured. Gillette was questioned by security after boarding an Amtrak train but was not detained at the time. He was later found and arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico, two days later, at 8:30 pm. January 16. The FBI did not believe the three had acted alone and began to search for a mastermind. Guarino had various ideas of how to get rid of the money but ultimately was unable to follow through on any plans before FBI agents came to arrest him at his Staten Island home. Following his arrest, Guarino agreed to become an FBI informant on the DeCavalcante mafia family. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["three"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Ralph Guarino","Salvatore Calciano","Richie Gillette","Brooklyn","Melvin Folk"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Bank of America","Bank","America"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday, January 14, 1998","January 14","1998"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["1 World Trade Center, in New York City"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["1.6 million (worth $2.5 million today)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank of Australia robbery","document":"\n\nThe Bank of Australia robbery was the first bank robbery in Australia. [1] On 14 September 1828 a gang of five robbers - William Blackstone, George Farrell, James Dingle, John Wilford alias Creighton and Valentine Rourke - tunnelled through a sewage drain into the vault of the Bank of Australia in George Street, Sydney and stole some £14,000 in promissory notes and coins. [2] The crime was discovered the following day. Although suspicions immediately fell on Blackstone, Farrell and Dingle, they escaped an indictment until Blackstone turned informer two years later. By then Creighton was dead and Rourke had left the country. Only Dingle and Farrell faced the Supreme Court of New South Wales on 10 June 1831. Both were found guilty but escaped the gallows because of convict attaint: that is, legal concerns as to whether Blackstone's evidence was admissible because of a previous death sentence. [3]","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["William Blackstone, George Farrell, James Dingle, John Wilford alias Creighton and Valentine Rourke"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["The Bank of Australia","Australia"]},{"role":"Date","values":["14 September 1828"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["George Street, Sydney"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["14,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"2009 Bank of Ireland robbery","document":"\n\nThe 2009 Bank of Ireland robbery was a large robbery of cash from the College Green cash centre of the Bank of Ireland in Dublin, Ireland, on 27 February 2009. It was the largest bank robbery in the Republic of Ireland's history. Criminals engaged in the tiger kidnapping of a junior bank employee, 24-year-old Shane Travers, and forced him to remove €7.6 million (US$9 million)[1] in cash from the bank as his girlfriend and two others were held hostage. [2]\n\nIreland's Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Dermot Ahern, criticised the bank for its failure to follow what he termed \"established protocols\" during the robbery, as the Irish police force, the Garda Síochána, was not informed of the incident until the money had been removed from the bank. A manhunt was under way for the perpetrators, with seven people being arrested and €1.8 million of the stolen cash located, scattered across Dublin, on 28 February. [2]\n\nLate on the night of 26 February, Travers, whose father is a member of the Garda Síochána based at Clontarf, Dublin, was alone watching television at the home of his girlfriend near Kilteel, County Kildare. [2] The woman and her mother were out shopping together. [3] When they arrived home with the five-year-old nephew of Travers, six heavily built masked men, dressed in black and carrying handguns, jumped from the bushes. [2][3]\n\nThe family was held overnight by the armed gang, during which time their mobile phones were confiscated and Travers' girlfriend was hit across the back of her head with a vase by one of the men. [2][3] As dawn was arriving, the gang ordered all but Travers to enter their dark Volkswagen Golf family car. They were then bound together and driven to Ashbourne, County Meath. The bank employee was given a mobile phone, ordered to collect €20, €50, €100 and €200 bank notes from his workplace, and supplied with a photograph of the rest of the family at gunpoint to convince his colleagues that their lives were under threat. Travers drove to Dublin in his red Toyota Celica car, acquired the cash through the assistance of colleagues who viewed the photo, and carried the money out of the building in four laundry bags. [2][3][4] He took it to Clontarf Road railway station,[5] whereupon he surrendered the cash and his sports car to a waiting gang member. [2][4]\n\nTravers then entered a garda station, the first point at which gardaí were notified that the robbery had taken place. One hour after this, the other family members succeeded in freeing themselves and walked to a nearby garda station. Travers' girlfriend required immediate medical treatment for a head wound she had received during a struggle with her captors, and the family were reported to be \"traumatised\" by their ordeal. [2] Travers's car was later found burned out in an apartment block near Tolka House Pub in Glasnevin. [4]\n\nMinister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Dermot Ahern said \"proper procedures\" were not followed during the course of the robbery, saying that gardaí should have been contacted before the money had left the bank. [4][6] He also questioned how such a large sum of money could be taken as a result of one man being targeted. [4] He has remarked, \"Criminals are going for the line of least resistance, the human connection as it were. Given the fact there is so much detailed technology available to financial institutions, the line of least resistance is the human being. \"[7]\n\nThe bank's chief executive, Richie Boucher, appointed just two days earlier,[8] immediately wrote to all his staff to remind them that protocol should be followed in the event of future robberies, saying \"Our priority is always for the safety and well-being of all staff. I am sure this incident will raise concerns. Our best defence is to follow tried and tested procedures. I would ask everybody to remind themselves of these procedures, which are there to protect you, your families and the bank. \"[4]\n\nThe attack caused Charlie Flanagan, a Teachta Dála, to remark that \"tiger kidnappings are taking place in Ireland ... at a rate of almost one per week. \"[9]\n\n€1.8 million of the stolen cash was recovered and seven people were arrested by gardaí in a number of incidents on 28 February. A house in Phibsboro was sealed off and ten more houses were searched. A total of five cars and one van were seized by gardaí. [10] One of the men was arrested following a chase along the M50 near the Navan road,[11] with two bales of packed cash being discovered in his car. [10] Four other men were arrested in a car in Monk Place and in Great Western Square, Phibsboro, and two more were seized in a house on Great Western Villas, Phibsboro. Cash was also found in a car in Phibsboro. [10]\n\nThe six men and one woman are believed to be members of a well-known gang from Dublin's north inner city and have connections to a major Dublin gangland figure. [3][11] On 2 March, those arrested appeared before the High Court to challenge the lawfulness of their detention, viewing the warrants issued by the District Court the day before as invalid. [12] That day, two of those arrested were released. [13]\n\nAn unidentified bank employee was arrested on 28 January 2010 based on suspicion that the robbery had been an inside job. [14]\n\n","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["seven people being arrested","seven people","arrested"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["red Toyota Celica car"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the College Green cash centre of the Bank of Ireland","Bank","Ireland","bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["27 February 2009","2009"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["1.8 million","8 million"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Dublin, Ireland","Ireland","Dublin"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["7.6 million (US$9 million)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Brink's-Mat robbery","document":"\n\nThe Brink's-Mat robbery occurred at the Heathrow International Trading Estate, London, on 26 November 1983. £26 million (equivalent to £100 million in 2019) worth of gold bullion, diamonds, and cash was stolen from a warehouse. The bullion was the property of Johnson Matthey Bankers Ltd, which collapsed the following year after making large loans to frauds and insolvent firms. Two men were convicted, and the majority of the gold has never been recovered. Insurers Lloyd's of London paid out for the losses, and several deaths have been linked to the case. The Brink's-Mat robbery occurred at 06:40 am on Saturday 26 November 1983 when six robbers broke into the Brink's-Mat warehouse, Unit 7 of the Heathrow International Trading Estate near Heathrow Airport in West London. [1] It was described as \"the crime of the century\". [2]\n\nThe gang gained entry to the warehouse from security guard Anthony Black. Once inside, they poured petrol over staff and threatened them with a lit match if they did not reveal the combination numbers of the vault. [3] The robbers thought that they were going to steal £3.2 million in cash,[4] but they found three long tons (3,000 kilograms; 98,000 troy ounces) of gold bullion[5] and stole £26 million (equivalent to £100 million in 2019) worth of gold, diamonds, and cash. [6]\n\nTwo days after the robbery, a couple saw a white-hot crucible operating in a garden hut at a neighbour's property near Bath, Somerset. Suspecting it might be linked to the bullion robbery, they immediately informed the police. The police arrived and were shown the hut, but they said it was just beyond their jurisdiction and said they would pass the information on to the police responsible for that area. The couple were never asked to give a statement to police or give evidence in court. No explanation has been given for the police's failure to follow up immediately on the tip-off. Fourteen months later the premises were raided and the furnace was found. The occupier John Palmer, a local jeweller and bullion dealer, was arrested. In court, Palmer said he was unaware the gold was linked to the robbery and he was cleared of all charges. [7]\n\nOne of the robbers, Brian Robinson, was caught after security guard insider Black, his brother-in-law,[8] passed his name to investigating officers. He was arrested in December 1983. Scotland Yard quickly discovered the family connection and Black confessed to aiding and abetting the raiders, providing them with a key to the main door, and giving them details of security measures. Micky McAvoy had entrusted part of his share to associates Brian Perry and George Francis. Perry recruited Kenneth Noye, who was an expert in his field,[1] to dispose of the gold. Noye melted down the bullion and recast it for sale, mixing in copper coins to disguise the source. [1] However, the sudden movement of large amounts of money through a Bristol bank came to the notice of the Bank of England, which informed the police. Noye was placed under police surveillance. In January 1985 he killed a police officer, DC John Fordham, who he had discovered in his garden. [9] At the resulting trial, the jury found him not guilty. Tried at the Old Bailey in December 1984, McAvoy was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for armed robbery. [10] Black was sentenced to six years. [11]\n\nIn 1986, Noye was found guilty of conspiracy to handle the Brink's-Mat gold, fined £500,000, plus £200,000 costs, and sentenced to 14 years in prison. He served seven years before being released in 1994. [12] George Francis was later murdered and McAvoy was thought to be a suspect. [6]\n\nAttempts by McAvoy to strike a deal to give back his share of the money in exchange for a reduced sentence failed, as by then the money had vanished. [4][10] In January 1995, the High Court ordered McAvoy to make a payment of £27,488,299, making him responsible for the entire sum stolen. He was released from prison in 2000. [13]\n\nIn 1996 Noye murdered motorist Stephen Cameron during a road rage incident. Arrested in Spain and extradited, he was convicted of Cameron's murder in 2000, and received a life sentence. [14]\n\nMuch of the three tonnes of stolen gold has never been recovered and the other four robbers were never convicted. In 1996 about half of the gold, the portion which had been melted and recast, was thought to have found its way back into the legitimate gold market, including the reserves of the true owners, Johnson Matthey. [15] According to the BBC, some have claimed that anyone wearing gold jewellery bought in the UK after 1983 is probably wearing Brink's-Mat. [1]\n\nOn 21 December 1983, less than four weeks after the robbery, police in Austria arrested five men, four Italians and an Austrian, at a Vienna hotel. [16] Police also recovered ten bullion bars bearing the refiner's mark and serial numbers of bars stolen in the Brink's-Mat robbery. According to the police spokesman, the bars were gold-coated tungsten counterfeits, and therefore could not be Johnson Matthey's stolen gold bars. He said that the arrested men planned to fraudulently claim they were from the Heathrow robbery. No explanation was given as to how the counterfeiters obtained the unpublished bar serial numbers, nor the likely benefit of counterfeiting stolen property in this way. [16]\n\nA person named Gordon Parry laundered large amounts of cash from the robbery after the disposal of the gold according to the Panama Papers, which show an offshore financial intermediary firm in Jersey named Centre Services requested Mossack Fonseca set up a Panamanian company 12 months after the Heathrow raid, on behalf of an unnamed client. Under Parry's direction millions of pounds were put through the resulting Feberion, and other front companies, via banks in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Jersey and the Isle of Man. A man identified as depositing £500,000 in cash to the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank is thought to have been notorious armed robber David Moore. [17]\n\nTwo nominee directors from Sark were appointed to Feberion, and the company then issued two bearer shares.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Brian Perry and George Francis","George Francis","John Palmer","Brian Robinson","Micky McAvoy","Kenneth Noye"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Johnson Matthey Bankers Ltd"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday 26 November 1983"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Unit 7 of the Heathrow International Trading Estate near Heathrow Airport in West London"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["26 million (equivalent to £100 million in 2019)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Chelembra bank robbery","document":"\n\nThe Chelambra bank robbery in the Malappuram district of Kerala, India is considered to be one of the biggest and most sensational bank robberies in the crime history of Kerala. [1] In the early hours of 30 December 2007, the robbers made a hole in the floor of the Kerala Gramin Bank and got away with 80 kilograms of gold and 5,000,000 rupees, a total value of 80 million Indian Rupees. [2]\n\nThe bank was in the first floor of a building. The ground floor had a restaurant that was up for rent. The four-member gang rented the restaurant by giving an advance payment of about Rs. 50,000. They shut down the front door and placed a board saying that it was under renovation and would reopen on 8 January 2008. To make things more convincing, they even bought new furniture for the restaurant and much construction material for the site. Those who were watching the scene would have thought that repairs were going on. But they were cracking the first floor open, where the strong room was kept. They made a hole in the ceiling to the strong room where they took the money from iron safes that they cut open using a gas cutting machine. They took away gold and cash kept inside the safe. [3][4]\n\nThe Kerala Police quickly formed a number of special teams. A special team led by Malappuram Superintendent of Police P. Vijayan and Deputy Superintendent K K Ibrahim conducted the investigation under the supervision of K.S.Jangpangi the Additional Director General of Kerala Police. The team consisted of Circle Inspectors of Police Vikraman and M.P Mohanachandran, SI Anvar Hussain and other officers from the subordinate ranks . It was a challenging task for Kerala Police to begin investigation as there was no evidence and no leads available for them to proceed with. Like many other bank robberies, it was done at the wee hours of a Sunday, since it is a holiday and it had come to light only on the next day. However, police made a computer graphic sketch image of the main culprit as illustrated by eyewitnesses and neighbors. The criminals tried to create an impression of Naxalite involvement in the robbery by quoting a sentence Jai Mao (praising naxalism) at the scene of the crime to deviate enquiry. There were many attempts by the culprits to divert the whole attention of the investigation team to Hyderabad. According to police officials, the criminals had purposely left one kilogram of looted gold in a hotel room in Hyderabad and made telephone calls from many different cities of India to mislead the investigation. The police team also monitored all telephone calls in the closest mobile signal towers at the location of the crime during the midnight hours of the incident. It was a big task monitoring more than two million calls. The help of various mobile service providers and IT professionals was also enlisted for the probe. And finally, it was the identification of a secret phone number used by the main suspects to communicate between themselves, that became the turning point in the investigation. The police team finally zeroed in on a house in Kozhikode where the accused were hiding and arrested four people including Joseph alias Jaison alias Babu, the kingpin of the operation along with three others including a woman and recovered 80% of the stolen gold and money. It is the first recovery in the crime history of Kerala of so much stolen property. The police further said that the remaining items would be traced within days as the accused have already confessed their location. [5] The official arrest was formally announced on 28 February 2008 by K S Jangpangi, the additional director general of Kerala police. It is widely considered to be a credit to Kerala police that they solved the biggest robbery in the state within a short period and with the first recovery of so much stolen property. [6]\n\nThe leader confessed that the crime was inspired by the Bollywood movie Dhoom. In the movie also, the robbers made a hole in the ground floor of the bank and got away with the valuables during the new-year event. [7]","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["four people"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Kerala Police","Kerala Police","Kerala police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Joseph alias Jaison alias Babu, the kingpin of the operation along with three others including a woman"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["The Chelambra bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["30 December 2007"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["recovered 80% of the stolen gold and money"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the Malappuram district of Kerala, India","Kerala","India"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["80 kilograms of gold and 5,000,000 rupees","80 million Indian Rupees"]}]} {"event_trigger":"1988 Denver attack","document":" Phillip L. Hutchinson was an American bank robber, known for his 1988 rampage in Denver, Colorado, in which he robbed a bank, murdered a police officer and held a man hostage. He was chased by police and a news helicopter that filmed his getaway in one of the first ever recorded police chases. Hutchinson was eventually stopped when the pilot of the news helicopter landed it in front of his hijacked pickup truck. Hutchinson was then shot dead by police when they surrounded him. A film made in 1991 called The Chase was about his crime spree. Hutchinson was born in Arlington County, Virginia on March 19, 1963. He was described by authorities as a career criminal and was an escaped convict. Prior to the Denver bank robbery, he was serving a life sentence for an aggravated robbery in a Texas prison. According to the Texas Department of Corrections, he had escaped from prison on July 31, 1987, along with another inmate. Hutchinsons criminal record included kidnapping, two prison escapes and desertion from the Marine Corps. Authorities also believe he had possible involvement in four other bank robberies in the Denver area. On February 9, 1988, in Denver, Colorado, at around 11:20 a.m., Hutchinson entered the Rio Grande Operating Credit Union office armed with a handgun and robbed the teller at gunpoint. He then fled in a brown Chevrolet K5 Blazer at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. A KCNC-TV news helicopter that had been filming aerial shots for a local newscast was informed of the robbery and ensuing police chase. Hutchinson drove recklessly at high speeds and forced other vehicles off the road including police cruisers. Hutchinson fled northbound on Tennyson Street and headed directly towards an unmarked police cruiser. The two detectives inside the vehicle attempted to escape. Detective Robert \"Bob\" Wallis, who had been inside the vehicle, was struck by Hutchinson as he attempted to run across the street. Walliss body was sent flying and he was killed instantly. Hutchinson continued to flee and did not stop. He escaped from the police momentarily but then crashed his Blazer into a tree after losing control of the vehicle. He then fled on foot with the stolen money and handgun to a nearby parking lot. Hutchinson then spotted a young woman with a baby in a blue car. He attempted to hijack the vehicle and use them as hostages, but the woman drove off before he could break into her vehicle. As she fled, Hutchinson opened fire with his handgun on the vehicle. He hit the car but missed hitting anyone inside. Hutchinson then fled to a nearby house where he encountered 73-year-old John Laurienti. He held him hostage at gunpoint and forced Laurienti to drive him in Laurientis green pickup truck. Hutchinson threatened to kill Laurienti if he made any attempt to alert the police of his presence. By this point, only the news helicopter pilot, Mike Silva, and the cameraman, Jim Stair, knew of Hutchinsons present location. They were unable to get through to the police and inform them of where Hutchinson was located. As Laurienti drove past a police car, Hutchinson ducked down in the passenger seat and the pickup drove straight past the cruiser, with the police completely unaware he was in the vehicle. Realising the danger of Hutchinson escaping and potentially killing his hostage, Silva landed the helicopter on the road directly in front of the pickup and stopped it from going any further. Hutchinson ordered Laurienti to ram the helicopter, but after hesitating, Hutchinson fired through the front windshield at the helicopter. Police officers were then alerted to Hutchinsons whereabouts and surrounded him from all sides. One officer rammed the pickup to stop Hutchinson firing off any more rounds. The helicopter flew off and landed nearby. Stair then exited the helicopter and filmed the officers on foot as they surrounded Hutchinson. Hutchinson attempted to shoot at the police and kill Laurienti but before he could fire off any more rounds, the police opened fire and shot Hutchinson dead in the pickup truck. Laurienti was then pulled from the truck unharmed. Stair caught Hutchinsons death on camera. Silva was criticized by some for getting involved. However, police officers and the KCNC-TV director, along with many others, praised him as a hero who had saved the day. Hutchinson died at the age of 24 and was buried in Round Rock, Texas. Hutchinsons rampage and death have been widely reported in the media and have been featured in many documentaries on television. Most famously, footage of his death was featured in: Worlds Scariest Police Chases, Police Stop!, Rescue 911, and the 1993 shockumentary film, Traces of Death. A film made in 1991 called The Chase is a 93-minute film directed by Paul Wendkos about the robbery and events which led to Hutchinsons death. Hutchinson was played by film actor Casey Siemaszko. Also starring in the film was the late Ben Johnson as Laurienti, Robert Beltran as Silva and Barry Corbin as Wallis. The film also starred: Gerry Bamman, Megan Follows, Sheila Kelley, Ricki Lake, Anthony Tyler Quinn and Gailard Sartain.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["handgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["brown Chevrolet K5 Blazer"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Phillip L. Hutchinson","Hutchinson"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Rio Grande Operating Credit Union"]},{"role":"Date","values":["February 9, 1988"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Denver, Colorado","Denver","Colorado"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Dunbar Armored robbery","document":"The Dunbar Armored robbery is the largest cash robbery to have occurred in the United States. On September 12, 1997, six men robbed the Dunbar Armored facility on Mateo St. in Downtown Los Angeles, California of US$18.9 million[1] (equivalent to $30.5 million in 2020). The robbery was orchestrated by Allen Pace III, of Compton, with childhood friends Erik Damon Boyd, of Buena Park, Eugene Lamar Hill Jr., of Bellflower, Freddie Lynn McCrary Jr., of Arleta, Terry Wayne Brown Sr., of Los Angeles, and Thomas Lee Johnson, of Las Vegas, Nevada. [1]\n\nWhile the group left almost no evidence, Hill was implicated two years later when he accidentally gave a real estate broker a stack of cash bound with the original currency straps; the broker contacted the police. Hill confessed, implicating the five other robbers, and three other men who had assisted in laundering the money. [2] Pace was sentenced to 24 years in prison in 2001; Boyd was sentenced to 17 years, and the other four robbers received sentences ranging from 8 to 10 years. Two of the men who assisted in money laundering were sentenced to 2.5 years. The robbery was masterminded by Allen Pace III,[3] who worked for Dunbar as a regional safety inspector. While on the job, Pace had time to photograph and examine the company's Los Angeles armored car depot. He recruited five of his childhood friends, providing them with detailed floor plans & camera locations, ski masks, pistols, a shotgun, and radio headsets. [2] The day before the robbery, Pace was fired by Dunbar for tampering with company vehicles. On the night of Friday, September 12, 1997, the group of six assembled at a house party – to establish an alibi – before leaving, where Pace used his keys to gain admittance to the facility. Pace had timed the security cameras and determined how they could be avoided. Once inside, they waited within the staff cafeteria, ambushing the guards one by one as they took their lunch breaks at approximately 12:30 am. Pace knew that on Friday nights, the vault was left open, due to the large quantities of money being moved. Rushing the two vault guards, the robbers managed to subdue all employees with duct tape before they could signal any alarms and did not fire a shot. In 30 minutes, the robbers had loaded $18.9 million into a waiting U-Haul truck. Pace knew exactly which bags contained the highest denominations and non-sequential bills. He also knew where the recording devices for the security cameras were located and took them. The group then returned to the house party. The police immediately realized it was an inside job, and closely examined Pace – due to his recent firing – but could find nothing. Investigators at the depot only found a plastic taillight lens, matching a U-Haul truck. The gang worked hard to conceal their new wealth, waiting six months before attempting to launder the $18.9 million. They enlisted the help of David Matsumoto, a Los Angeles immigration attorney, paying him and his office manager Joaquin Bin $1 million each for their assistance. Matsumoto structured the transactions via buying property and cars, investing in companies, and writing checks and W-2 tax forms for the robbers to give the impression they were earning wages. [4] Pace also created his own front companies to launder more money and enlisted another man's help to buy property, so they would not be listed under Pace's name. Boyd, through his father's company, laundered $177,000. [1] Most or all of the robbers were laundering cash through real estate. [2]\n\nTwo years after the robbery, Hill erred when he gave a real estate broker friend a stack of cash bound together with the original branded currency straps; Hill's friend went to the police. Detectives noticed Hill had rented a U-Haul on the day of the robbery. Arrested, Hill soon confessed and named all co-conspirators. Allen Pace, initially claiming innocence, was arrested and sentenced to 24 years in prison on April 23, 2001, and was incarcerated at a Federal Correctional Institution in Safford until his release on October 1, 2020. Another collaborator, Boyd, was sentenced to 17 years, due to his use of a gun and a prior criminal record. [5] The four others, pleading guilty, received sentences between 8 and 10 years. Matsumoto was also implicated, resigning from the State Bar. He and Bin were indicted on 71 counts related to money laundering, and sentenced to 2.5 years. [4] Less than half (US$5 million) of the money was ever recovered, with some US$13.9 million still unaccounted for. In September 2020, Charm City Kings producer Caleeb Pinkett announced a film based on the robbery. [6]\n\nThe robbery was featured in Episode 37 of the I Can Steal That! podcast. The robbery was featured in season 5 of The FBI Files, as \"The Price of Greed\".","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["pistols, a shotgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["five other robbers, and three other men"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Allen Pace III","Erik Damon Boyd","Eugene Lamar Hill Jr","Freddie Lynn McCrary Jr","Terry Wayne Brown Sr","Thomas Lee Johnson"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Dunbar Armored facility"]},{"role":"Date","values":["September 12, 1997"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["Less than half (US$5 million)","US"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Mateo St. in Downtown Los Angeles, California"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["US$18.9 million[1] (equivalent to $30.5 million in 2020)","US"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Father's Day Bank Massacre","document":"The Father's Day Bank Massacre was a bank robbery and shooting that took place on Sunday, June 16, 1991 at the United Bank Tower (now the Wells Fargo Center) in Denver, Colorado, United States. The perpetrator killed four unarmed bank guards and held up six tellers in the bank's cash vault. An estimated $200,000 was stolen from the bank. Nearly three weeks later, on July 4, 1991, authorities arrested retired police officer James W. King for the crime. The subsequent trial was broadcast nationally on Court TV. After days of deliberation, the jury acquitted King. None of the stolen money was ever found. The crime remains unsolved and is considered a cold case. [1][2]\n\nThe United Bank Tower had previously allowed its guards to be armed, but had changed their policy less than a year before the robbery, requiring the guards to be unarmed. [3]\n\nAt approximately 4 a.m on Sunday, June 16, 1991 – Father's Day – an alarm went off in a basement storage room at the United Bank Tower. Records showed a guard in the control center turned off the alarm and took no further action. It is unknown if this incident had anything to do with the upcoming robbery. [4]\n\nAt 9:14 a.m., a man identifying himself as Robert Bardwell, a Vice President at the bank, asked for entry into the bank through a side freight elevator. He called the bank's guard room using a street-level security phone. Guard William McCullum Jr. responded by riding the elevator up from the guard room. When the elevator doors opened, the gunman forced McCullum to ride to the subbasement area of the bank. There, the gunman killed McCullum, hid his body in a storage room, and took his electric pass card. The killer made his way through the bank tunnels and up one floor to the bank's basement-level area, which housed the vault and guard station. [5][page needed]\n\nDuring the journey, the intruder set off an alarm at 9:20 a.m. when entering a stairwell. The intruder made his way into the vault area and first entered the guard room. There, the gunman forced two guards, Phillip Mankoff and Scott McCarthy, into a battery room, where both men were shot and killed. Investigators believed a third guard, Todd Wilson, returned to the area during or immediately after the shooting. Upon his return, Wilson was shot several feet away from the battery room where Mankoff and McCarthy lay. [5][page needed] Upon investigation, police determined the shooter fired eighteen shots during the killing spree, hitting his victims with all except one of them. [6] None of the four murdered bank guards were armed. [7]\n\nBefore leaving the guard room and entering the vault area, the intruder removed and tampered with evidence so as to eliminate any trace of his identity. The perpetrator seized ten videotapes, bank keys, a two-way radio, and pages of the guard logbook. [5][page needed][8]\n\nElectronic records indicated that the intruder opened the vault door at 9:48 a.m. At that time, six vault employees were on duty processing cash deliveries. The intruder demanded that the employees cover their eyes and lie on the floor. He ordered the senior vault manager, David Barranco, to fill a satchel with cash from the work stations. Before leaving the scene, the assailant forced the tellers to crawl into a small room near the vault—otherwise known as a mantrap. The robber made his escape at 9:56 a.m. according to electronic records, leaving the tellers locked in the mantrap. Using a broken spoon found on the mantrap's door sill, the tellers freed themselves approximately 20 minutes after the robbery. [5][page needed]\n\nPrior to leaving the scene, the robber collected all the spent shell casings that had been removed from his revolver after firing it. The only physical evidence he left behind was the eighteen bullets he fired. [4] The surviving bank employees said the man appeared to be in his late 50s or 60s, wearing a gray sport coat, a white shirt, a multi-colored necktie, blue or gray slacks, a brown fedora hat and mirrored sunglasses, and had a bandage on his left cheek. [9]\n\nThe ensuing police investigation involved more than forty FBI agents and two dozen detectives. Investigators were baffled as to why the robber never filled the entire satchel with cash, and only stole approximately $200,000 – a mere 10% of the more than $2 million available in the cash room and vault. They also did not understand why he murdered the four guards, but left the other bank employees unharmed, since the guards were unarmed and did not present any more of a threat than the other employees at the scene. [7] Police quickly determined the man could not have been bank Vice President Robert Bardwell, the name the robber used to gain entry at the freight elevator, as the real Bardwell was vacationing in the mountains with his family at the time. [10]\n\nFrom the beginning of the robbery investigation, authorities suspected that the killer was associated in some way with the bank. There was also some suspicion that the robber may have been a police officer due to having fired eighteen rounds, a standard load carried by officers on duty. Investigators questioned current and former bank employees until narrowing their search to James King, a retired Denver police officer and a former guard at the bank. After retiring from the Denver Police Department in 1986, King worked as a part-time guard at the bank between 1989 and 1990, leaving the job ten months before the robbery. King and his wife had declared bankruptcy a year after he retired from the force, and still had substantial debt in 1991, including $25,000 in credit card bills. [11] King was arrested on the evening of July 4, 1991. [2] A search of his house found no physical evidence connecting him to the robbery. The only suspicious things found were a detailed map of the bank building interior in a folder marked \"plans\", and five phony ID cards, containing King's picture with different aliases. [7] These phony ID cards would be suppressed by a judge and not included as evidence in his trial, on grounds that it was never established King had ever used them in any illegal activity, nor could they be connected in any way to the robbery and murders. [10]\n\nA jury of seven men, five women and two alternates was chosen on the morning of May 19, 1992.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the United Bank Tower","United Bank Tower"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday, June 16, 1991","Sunday","June 16","1991"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Denver, Colorado, United States","Denver"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["estimated $200,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"1986 FBI Miami shootout","document":"The 1986 FBI Miami shootout occurred on April 11, 1986, in a then-unincorporated region of Dade County, Florida (incorporated as Pinecrest in 1996) when a small group of field agents for the FBI attempted to apprehend William Russell Matix and Michael Lee Platt, who were suspected of committing a recent series of violent crimes in and around the Miami area. Although they had partially surrounded the suspects after maneuvering them off a local road, the agents involved quickly found themselves outmatched by the weapons which Matix and Platt had in their vehicle. During the gun battle which ensued, Platt in particular was able to repeatedly return fire despite sustaining multiple hits. In total, two Special Agents died from their wounds, while five other agents were injured by gunfire. The shootout ended when both Matix and Platt were killed. The incident is infamous as one of the most violent episodes in the history of the FBI and is often studied in law enforcement training. The scale of the shootout also led to the introduction of more effective handguns in the FBI and many police departments around the United States. Michael Lee Platt (February 3, 1954 – April 11, 1986) and William Russell Matix (June 25, 1951 – April 11, 1986) met while serving in the U.S. Army at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Matix first served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1969 to 1972, working as a cook (MOS 3371) in the officers' mess, serving overseas in Hawaii and Okinawa from April 1970 to March 1971 and April 1971 to March 1972 respectively. He was honorably discharged July 7, 1972, achieving the rank of Sergeant. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on August 10, 1973, serving with the military police under the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He served as a Military Police Officer and Squad Leader; Guard Supervisor for the Post Stockade and finally Patrol Supervisor before his honorable discharge August 9, 1976. [1]\n\nPlatt enlisted in the Army 27 June, 1972 as an infantryman. While in basic training, Platt applied for Army Airborne Ranger Training and subsequently entered Paratrooper Air Assault School at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. On completion of jump school, Platt was assigned to the Military Police Unit. It was in this unit that he met and served with Matix. This is also where he met his first wife, Regina Lylen. He was honorably discharged in 1979. [1]\n\nBoth men's former wives had died under violent circumstances. [2] Matix's wife, retired U.S. Army Specialist[3][better source needed] Patricia Buchanich, and a female co-worker, Joyce McFadden, were stabbed to death on December 30, 1983 at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, where both women worked. [4] Both were found murdered in the hospital laboratory. They had been bound and gagged with their throats slashed. [1] Matix reportedly told investigators he suspected Platt had carried on an affair with his wife. Matix was a suspect in the murders but was never charged. [5]\n\nAfter his wife's death, Matix moved to Florida at Platt's urging, and the two founded Yankee Clipper Tree Trimming Service, a landscaping and tree removal business. [6] In May 1985, Matix married Christy Lou Horne, who moved out of the house two months later when Matix became enraged after learning she was pregnant. She would give birth to their son after Matix's death. [7][8]\n\nOn December 21, 1984, Platt's wife, Regina E. Lylen-Platt, whom he had married nine years earlier in 1975, was found dead from a single shotgun blast to the mouth. Her death was ruled a suicide. [9] He married his second wife, Brenda Horne, in January 1985. [citation needed]\n\nBefore embarking on their crime spree, neither Platt nor Matix had a criminal record. [10] At the time of Platt's killing, his wife had no idea that her husband and his friend Matix were armed robbers. On October 5, 1985, Platt and Matix murdered 25-year-old Emilio Briel while he was target shooting at a rock pit. The pair stole Briel's car and used it to commit several robberies. [11] Briel's remains were found in March 1986 but not identified until May. [citation needed] On October 10, 1985, five days after killing Briel, Platt and Matix attempted to rob a Wells Fargo armored truck that was servicing a Winn-Dixie supermarket. After ordering him to \"Freeze\", one of the pair shot a guard in the leg with a shotgun while the other fired handgun and shoulder weapons from the getaway vehicle. Two other guards returned fire, but neither Platt nor Matix was wounded. No money was taken in the botched robbery, but the injured guard later died from his wound. A few weeks later, on November 8, 1985, the two robbed the Professional Savings Bank in Miami, taking $41,469 in three Wells Fargo Armored Car Company money bags that had been delivered that morning. [1]\n\nThey resumed their robberies on January 10, 1986 by attacking a Brinks Armored Car Company courier as he opened the back door of his truck at Barnett Bank in Miami. The attack was initiated by one of them shooting the guard in the back with a large gauge shotgun. Both approached the wounded guard and shot him twice more with a military type .223 caliber weapon described by witnesses as an AR-15 or M-16 style rapid firing rifle. Afterwards, they escaped with $54,000 in the Chevrolet they had stolen from Emilio Briel. A civilian followed them from the scene and witnessed them switch to a white Ford F-150 pickup truck but lost contact thereafter. [1]:30 The guard survived the shooting, but was left with over 100 shotgun pellets in his body. [12]\n\nOn March 12, they robbed and shot Jose Collazo as he was target shooting at a rock pit in the Florida Everglades, leaving him for dead and stealing his black Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Collazo survived the shooting and walked three miles to get help. [12]\n\nOne week later, on March 19, 1986 at 9:30 a.m., carrying a short barrel pump shotgun and a military type shoulder weapon, possibly a Ruger Mini-14, they robbed the Barnett Bank branch. This was the same bank where they had shot and robbed the Brinks Armored Car courier a few months earlier.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["AR-15 or M-16 style rapid firing rifle"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["William Russell Matix and Michael Lee Platt","Michael Lee Platt","William Russell Matix"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Brinks Armored Car Company"]},{"role":"Date","values":["April 11, 1986"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Dade County, Florida","Florida"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["54,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Great Brink's Robbery","document":"The Great Brink's Robbery was an armed robbery of the Brink's Building at the east corner of Prince St. and Commercial St. in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1950. Today the building is a parking garage located at 600 Commercial Street. [1][2]\n\nThe $2.775 million ($29.9 million today) theft consisted of $1,218,211.29 in cash and $1,557,183.83 in checks, money orders, and other securities. It was then the largest robbery in the history of the United States, and remained so until 1984. The robbery, skillfully executed with few clues left at the crime scene, was billed as \"the crime of the century\". It was the work of an eleven-member gang, ten of whom were later arrested. [3]\n\nJoseph \"Big Joe\" McGinnis was the originator of the heist, according to information later gleaned from Joseph \"Specs\" O'Keefe. He brought in Anthony Pino and Stanley \"Gus\" Gusciora. O'Keefe and Gusciora secretly entered the Brink's depot; they picked the outside lock with an ice pick and the inner door with a piece of plastic. They later temporarily removed the cylinders from the five locks, one at a time, so that a locksmith could make duplicate keys for them. Once this was done, Pino recruited seven other men, including Pino's brother-in-law Vincent Costa, Michael Vincent \"Vinnie\" Geagan, Thomas \"Sandy\" Francis Richardson, Adolf H. \"Jazz\" Maffie, Henry Baker, James \"Guillemets\" Faherty, and Joseph Banfield. The gang decided to wait for the optimal time for their heist. Pino studied schedules and was able to determine what the staff was doing based on when the lights in the building windows were on. O'Keefe and Gusciora stole the plans for the site alarms. The gang members entered the building on practice runs after the staff had left for the day. Costa monitored the depot from a room of a tenement building across Prince Street from the Brink's building. By the time they acted, the gang had planned and trained for two years. On January 17, 1950, after six aborted attempts, the robbers decided that the situation was favorable. They donned clothing similar to that of a Brink's uniform with navy pea coats and chauffeur's caps, along with rubber Halloween masks, gloves, and rubber-soled shoes. While Pino and driver Banfield remained in the getaway truck, seven other men entered the building at 6:55 PM. With their copied keys, they came to the second floor through the locked doors and surprised, bound, and gagged five Brink's employees who were storing and counting money. They failed to open the storage box containing the payroll of the General Electric Company's Lynn works (according to one account, this was due to precautions that included removing the exterior portion of the lock from the box before transport), but scooped up everything else. The robbers walked out at 7:30 p.m. They had taken money and four revolvers from the employees. The gang rapidly counted the loot and gave some of the members their cut. Then robbers scattered to establish their alibis. Brink's Incorporated offered a $100,000 reward for information. The only clues police could initially find were the rope that the robbers had used to tie the employees and a chauffeur's cap. Any information police could get from their informers initially proved useless. The truck that the robbers had used was found cut to pieces in Stoughton, Massachusetts, near O'Keefe's home. In June 1950, O’Keefe and Gusciora were arrested in Pennsylvania for a burglary. O’Keefe was sentenced to three years in Bradford County Jail and Gusciora to 5-to-20 years in the Western State Penitentiary at Pittsburgh. Police heard through their informers that O'Keefe and Gusciora demanded money from Pino and MacGinnis in Boston to fight their convictions. It was later claimed that most of O'Keefe's share went to his legal defense. FBI agents tried to talk to O'Keefe and Gusciora in prison but the two professed ignorance of the Brink's robbery. Other members of the group came under suspicion but there was not enough evidence for an indictment, so law enforcement kept pressure on the suspects. Adolph Maffie was convicted and sentenced to nine months for income tax evasion. After O'Keefe was released he was taken to stand trial for another burglary and parole violations and was released on a bail of $17,000. O'Keefe later claimed that he had never seen his portion of the loot after he had given it to Maffie for safekeeping. Apparently in need of money he kidnapped Vincent Costa and demanded his part of the loot for ransom. Pino paid a small ransom but then decided to try to kill O'Keefe. After a couple of attempts he hired underworld hitman Elmer \"Trigger\" Burke to kill O'Keefe. Burke traveled to Boston and shot O'Keefe, seriously wounding him but failed to kill him. The FBI approached O'Keefe in the hospital and on January 6, 1956, he decided to talk. On January 12, 1956, just five days before the statute of limitations was to run out, the FBI arrested Baker, Costa, Geagan, Maffie, McGinnis, and Pino. They apprehended Faherty and Richardson on May 16 in Dorchester. O'Keefe pleaded guilty January 18. Gusciora died on July 9. Banfield was already dead. A trial began on August 6, 1956.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["ten of whom"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Joseph \"Big Joe\" McGinnis","Joseph","McGinnis","Joseph Banfield","O'Keefe and Gusciora","Keefe","Gusciora","Adolf H. \"Jazz\" Maffie","Maffie","Vincent Costa","Michael Vincent \"Vinnie\" Geagan","Geagan","James \"Guillemets\" Faherty","Faherty","Thomas \"Sandy\" Francis Richardson","Henry Baker"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["The Great Brink"]},{"role":"Date","values":["January 17, 1950","January 17","1950"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the east corner of Prince St. and Commercial St. in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts","Commercial St","Prince St","Massachusetts","Boston"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["2.775 million ($29.9 million today)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Ham bank murder","document":"\n\nThe Ham bank murder occurred on 10 November 1976, at branch of Barclays Bank in the Ham section of London, resulting in the murder of a bank teller working at the branch. The victim was Angela Mary Woolliscroft, fatally wounded by a shotgun. In 1976, Angela Mary Woolliscroft (1956–1976), who was born in Surrey[1] and lived in Chessington,[2] was working as a teller at the Barclays Bank branch at Ham Parade, Upper Ham Road, Richmond when she was fatally wounded by a shotgun during a robbery; she died on the way to hospital. After a major police operation Michael Hart was arrested, put on trial, and in November 1977 sentenced to life imprisonment. Hart was released in 2002. [3][4]\n\nOn 10 November 1976 at 12:30pm Angela Woolliscroft was working as a cashier at the Barclays Bank at Ham, Richmond. A heavily disguised man threatened her with a sawn-off shotgun and told her to \"Give me some money\". She passed him some money under the screen. The man then fired the shotgun, destroying the safety glass screen and blowing her backwards. She died on the way to hospital. The gunman had made off with about £2,500 (£18,402.29 in 2020). [citation needed]\n\nThe gunman had left behind a woman's yellow raincoat that had been used to hide the shotgun. The coat had belonged to a Miss Marshall, and it was her car that had been used for the robbery. Her Austin A40 had been taken from the car park of Bentalls in Kingston and then returned. Also found was a large pale orange plastic bag that had contained fertiliser that had been taken from Parkleys estate opposite the bank. [citation needed]\n\nBarclays Bank offered a reward of £50,000 for information leading to the arrest of the gunman. [citation needed]\n\nThe hunt for the killer was led by Detective Chief Superintendent James Sewell of Scotland Yard. Hart was interviewed after a tip-off but had an alibi; he had signed on at the police station in Basingstoke where he was on bail for other crimes in the morning and again in the afternoon. However on 22 November he was stopped after a traffic accident and police found a Hendal .22 automatic. A search of his house found a box of Eley No 7 trap shooting cartridges. Both the pistol and ammunition had been stolen in Reading on 4 November; also stolen was a double-barrelled Reilly shotgun. At first the ammunition appeared to not match that used to kill Angela, which had been gameshot. However they found that the ammunition had been incorrectly labelled. Hart was arrested and charged with murder on 20 January 1977. Hart (aged 38) pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty of manslaughter. He maintained that he cocked the gun only to frighten, and that it went off by accident when he tapped the glass screen. He was found guilty of murder on 3 November 1977 and sentenced to life imprisonment, with a recommendation that he should serve at least twenty-five years. [5][6][7] He was released in 2002. Angela Woolliscroft was buried at Surbiton cemetery on 29 March 1977. [8] The funeral service was held at St Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church, Chessington, and was attended by members of the murder squad, the local MP, the deputy mayor of Kingston, members of staff from Barclays and pupils from Holy Cross convent, New Malden; the coffin was escorted by members of Barclays Bank international hockey team. [9]\n\nA memorial plaque was placed inside the bank building at Ham with the wording \"In fond memory of Angela Woolliscroft who died on 10th November 1976. A member of staff of this branch who will always be remembered by her colleagues.\" The bank closed in 2014 and the plaque was moved to the branch in George Street, Richmond. [10] There is also a memorial bench outside the former bank building in Ham (now a Sainsbury's store) and three more were placed round Ham Common. A crystal vase was filled with red roses on the anniversary of her death. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["shotgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Michael Hart"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["branch of Barclays Bank","Barclays Bank branch","Barclays Bank","branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["10 November 1976","10","1976"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Ham section of London"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["2,500 (£18,402.29 in 2020)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"1906 Helsinki bank robbery","document":"\n\n1906 Helsinki bank robbery was an armed robbery on 26 February 1906 in Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland. A branch of Russian State Bank was robbed by members of the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party to fund Bolshevik revolutionary activities in Russia. [1]\n\nThe robbery was organized by Russian revolutionary Nikolay Burenin and executed by a gang of 15 Latvian revolutionaries who killed a guard and escaped with 170,743 rubles (equivalent to around US$1.7 million in 2013). Burenin was a concert pianist who was playing in Tampere on the same evening. On their way to meet him, three gang members were captured in the village of Kerava after one Russian gendarme was shot dead. The gang leader Jānis Čoke and three other robbers were able to reach Tampere where they handed the money over to Burenin. [2] He later fled with it to the United States on Maxim Gorki's fund raising trip as his personal secretary. [3]\n\nJānis Čoke was captured three days later in Tampere. He managed to kill three people including one policeman before he was arrested. Čoke was sentenced to three life sentences plus 19 years. He died of pneumonia in June 1910. [4]","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Jānis Čoke","members of the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["branch of Russian State Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["26 February 1906"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland","Helsinki"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["170,743 rubles"]}]} {"event_trigger":"2009 Karachi bank robbery","document":"Robbers have stolen at least $3.7m from a bank in Karachi, in what is being called Pakistan's biggest bank heist. The robbery took place at the main branch of Allied Bank, one of Pakistan's largest banks, less than 100 metres from city police headquarters. Police say the gang was led by one of the bank's guards. The robbers broke into the main vault and stole foreign currency worth 311m rupees ($3.7m). Police have launched an investigation, but have so far made no arrests. 'Tied staff up'\nThe Allied bank branch is located on Karachi's II Chundrigar Road, which houses the Karachi Stock Exchange and head offices of trading and financial firms operating in Pakistan. Police believe the robbers' leader worked for a private security agency and was employed at the branch using a fake identity. Officials say he arrived early for his shift on Monday and was joined minutes later by his accomplices. \"The men tied up the few staff present at the time, and then used acetylene gas cutters to break into the main vault,\" police said. The gang then made off with dollars, euros and pounds stored inside the vault. There were about a dozen bank robberies in Karachi in 2009, although none approached this one for sophistication and planning. Most were hit-and-run raids on armoured cars or foreign currency exchange companies. The last bank robbery in Pakistan in which more than 100m rupees was stolen was in 2007 when two security guards stole 160m rupees at gunpoint from a foreign currency exchange company in Karachi. Several recent bank robberies in Pakistan's financial capital have been traced to the Taliban. Police will be looking for any connection between the robbers in this latest case and militants active in Pakistan and Afghanistan. \n\n","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["branch of Allied Bank","Allied bank branch","branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Karachi"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["311m rupees ($3.7m)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Knightsbridge Security Deposit robbery","document":"\n\nThe Knightsbridge Security Deposit robbery took place on 12 July 1987 in Cheval Place, Knightsbridge, England, part of the City of Westminster in London. This robbery, the Banco Central burglary at Fortaleza, and the $900 million stolen from the Central Bank of Iraq in 2003 are said to be the largest bank robberies in history. The robbery was led by Valerio Viccei (1955–2000), a lawyer's son who arrived in London in 1986 from his native Italy, where he was wanted for 50 armed robberies. Once in London, he quickly resumed his robbery career to fund his playboy lifestyle. On this occasion he secured inside help, obtaining the help of the managing director of the centre, Parvez Latif, a cocaine user, who was heavily in debt. [citation needed]\n\nOn the day of the robbery, two men entered the Knightsbridge Safe Deposit Centre and requested to rent a safe deposit box. After being shown into the vault, they drew handguns and subdued the manager and security guards. The thieves then hung a sign on the street-level door explaining that the Safe Deposit Centre was temporarily closed, whilst letting in further accomplices. They broke open many of the safe deposit boxes and left with a hoard estimated to be worth £60 million[1] (equivalent to roughly US$98 million at the 1987 exchange rate). One hour after the robbers departed, the shift changed and the new staff discovered the crime and alerted the police. Police forensic investigators recovered a bloody fingerprint that was traced to Valerio Viccei. After a period of surveillance, several of his accomplices were arrested during a series of coordinated raids on 12 August 1987 and later were convicted of the crime. Viccei, however, fled to Latin America for some time. Later, when he returned to England to retrieve and ship his Ferrari Testarossa to Latin America, police arrested him by blocking the road and smashing the front windscreen of his car and dragging him out. [citation needed]\n\nViccei was sentenced to 22 years, serving his sentence in Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight. While serving his sentence there, he forged a friendship with Dick Leach, a Flying Squad officer who led his arrest. They regularly wrote letters to each other, referring to themselves as Fred (Leach) and Garfield or The Wolf (Viccei). [citation needed]\n\nIn 1992, he was deported to Italy to serve the rest of his sentence. He was incarcerated in an open jail in Pescara, where he was allowed to live a lifestyle he was already accustomed to, as well as running a translation company. [2]\n\nOn 19 April 2000, during day release from prison, a gunfight broke out between Viccei, an accomplice, and the police, resulting in the Viccei's death. [2] Two autobiographies of Viccei's life have been published, titled Too Fast to Live (1992) and Live by the Gun, Die by the Gun (published posthumously in 2004). [citation needed]","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Police forensic investigators"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Valerio Viccei","Parvez Latif"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Knightsbridge Safe Deposit Centre"]},{"role":"Date","values":["12 July 1987"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Cheval Place, Knightsbridge, England","Knightsbridge","England"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["estimated to be worth £60 million[1] (equivalent to roughly US$98 million at the 1987 exchange rate)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Linwood bank robbery","document":"\n\nThe Linwood bank robbery was a bank robbery that occurred in Linwood, near Glasgow, in 1969. Three police officers were shot in the aftermath (two were fatally wounded) and two officers were later awarded George Medals. The lead robber, Howard Wilson, served 32 years in prison for the robbery, the murder of two officers and the attempted murder of a third; he was paroled in 2002. On Tuesday 30 December 1969, a gang of three robbers attacked a Clydesdale Bank branch in Bridge Street, Linwood. The leader of the gang was Howard Wilson, a former police officer who had resigned, disillusioned at his lack of promotion and now in debt. The others were John Sim, a policeman-turned-salesman, and Ian Donaldson, a car mechanic. Shortly after they robbed the bank, a City of Glasgow Police officer, Inspector Andrew Hyslop, spotted them unloading the loot (which amounted to around £14,000) from a car into a flat in Allison Street, Glasgow. Hyslop just happened to be passing and was not yet aware of the robbery but thought the trio were acting suspiciously. When he investigated with some of his colleagues, Wilson pulled out a handgun and shot three officers, all in the head: Hyslop, Acting Detective Constable Angus MacKenzie, and Police Constable Edward Barnett. Another constable, John Sellars, took refuge in the flat's bathroom and radioed for backup. As MacKenzie lay wounded on the floor, Wilson held the gun to his forehead and shot again; he was about to shoot Hyslop again when he was tackled and disarmed by Police Constable John Campbell. MacKenzie died at the scene and Barnett in hospital a few days later, while Hyslop's injuries confined him to a wheelchair for life. [1]\n\nWilson eventually pleaded guilty to two charges of murder – the first time anyone had pleaded guilty to a double murder charge in Scotland – and one count of attempted murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years. Sim and Donaldson were jailed for 12 years each for their roles in the robbery; Sim had witnessed the shootings but taken no part and Donaldson had fled the scene. Campbell and Hyslop were both later awarded the George Medal for their bravery, while Barnett and MacKenzie were posthumously awarded the Queen's Police Medal. Hyslop was forced to retire from the police force due to his injuries; he died on Islay in November 2000, aged 74. [2] A family friend told how for every night until his death the former inspector had been haunted by the shootings of his colleagues. [3]\n\nIt is widely believed that the same gang had violently robbed the British Linen Bank in nearby Williamwood for £20,000 a few months earlier, along with a fourth man, getaway driver Archibald McGeachie. The subsequent whereabouts of McGeachie remain unknown and there is a rumour that he is buried in the pillars of the Kingston Bridge in Glasgow, perhaps killed by Wilson when he refused to take part in the Linwood robbery. [4]\n\nWilson, whose crime occurred two weeks after the death penalty was abolished, was released on parole in September 2002, aged 64, after serving nearly 33 years in prison. [5] While incarcerated, he wrote a crime novel entitled Angels of Death which won a Koestler award.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["handgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Howard Wilson","The others were John Sim, a policeman-turned-salesman, and Ian Donaldson, a car mechanic"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["The Linwood bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1969"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Linwood, near Glasgow","Linwood"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["amounted to around £14,000)"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Mikkeli hostage crisis","document":"The Mikkeli hostage crisis, or Jakomäki bank robbery took place on 8–9 August 1986, which ended in Mikkeli, South Savo, Finland, outside of the Mikkeli County Government House on Maaherrankatu. The crisis began when the perpetrator, Jorma Kalevi Takala (born July 11, 1950) took three hostages in Helsinki in a bank robbery, with whom he traveled by car to Mikkeli. The event ended when Takala blew up his car, killing himself and hostage Jukka Häkkinen (born May 13, 1961). In the aftermath of the incident, the Finnish police were subjected to harsh criticism. The events began on 8 August 1986, when Jorma Takala, armed with a sawed-off shotgun and an explosive charge, entered the Kansallis-Osake-Pankki bank in Jakomäki, Helsinki. Takala took twelve people inside the bank as his hostages. After receiving 2.5 million Finnish marks and a getaway car in exchange for most of the hostages, he left the bank with three remaining hostages, two female and one male. Takala forced the male hostage to drive the car, following Highway 4 and later Highway 5. The party arrived in Mikkeli on 9 August, where they parked in front of the Mikkeli County Government House. Finnish police surrounded the vehicle and tried to negotiate with Takala. When he threatened to blow up the car if he was not allowed to continue his journey, the police advised the hostages to leave the vehicle. Both female hostages complied, after which the police started to shoot at the car. In response, Takala detonated the charge and destroyed the vehicle, killing both himself and the male hostage. Nine police officers were injured in the explosion. [1][2]\n\nThe police received much criticism for its handling of the crisis. Nobody knew who gave the order to shoot at the car and initially none of the police commanders took the responsibility for the operation. [2] After an investigation by the NBI, Chancellor of Justice Jorma S. Aalto decided not to prosecute the police officers for the events. [1] In 1993, the Supreme Court of Finland convicted the police commissioner who led the operation of death and negligence and fined him 6,000 mk. [3]","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["sawed-off shotgun and an explosive charge"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["hostage Jukka Häkkinen"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Jorma Kalevi Takala"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Kansallis-Osake-Pankki bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["8–9 August 1986"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Mikkeli, South Savo, Finland, outside of the Mikkeli County Government House on Maaherrankatu","Mikkeli","Mikkeli County Government House","Finland"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["2.5 million Finnish marks"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Norco shootout","document":"The Norco shootout was an armed confrontation between five heavily armed bank robbers and deputies of the Riverside County and San Bernardino County sheriffs' departments in Norco, California, on May 9, 1980. Two of the five perpetrators and one sheriff's deputy were killed, eight other law enforcement officers, one citizen and two other perpetrators were wounded, and massive amounts of gunfire damaged at least 30 police cars, a police helicopter, and numerous nearby homes and businesses. At approximately 3:40 p.m., five men armed with shotguns, a G3 rifle, HK93s, handguns, AR-15s, a katana and an improvised explosive device robbed the Norco branch of Security Pacific Bank. Deputies of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department responding to the bank robbery call confronted the perpetrators outside the bank and a shootout ensued, killing one perpetrator. The perpetrators then stole a vehicle in the bank parking lot and fled the scene, leading police on a 25-mile (40 km) car chase into neighboring San Bernardino County. Riverside County deputies were joined in the pursuit by officers of other area law enforcement agencies, including the California Highway Patrol and San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The perpetrators then ambushed the pursuing deputies and engaged them in another shootout in unincorporated San Bernardino County near Lytle Creek before escaping into a wooded area in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains. Two days later, three of the four surviving perpetrators were arrested in the area of the ambush; the fourth killed himself before he could be captured by police. The three who were arrested were convicted of 46 felonies and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. At 3:40 p.m. on May 9, 1980, four robbers stormed into the bank and forced the tellers to hand over $20,000 in cash, while the fifth robber kept watch outside. Unknown to the robbers, an employee at a different bank across the street spotted them entering the bank and called the police. Riverside County Sheriff Deputy Glyn Bolasky was the first officer to arrive at the scene. As he pulled up, one of the robbers left outside with their getaway van radioed his partners inside the bank and said \"We've been spotted! Let's go! Let's go!\" The robbers exited the bank and began to fire on Bolasky's police cruiser, blowing out the windshield and forcing Bolasky to throw the vehicle into reverse, crashing into another car in the street. Taking cover behind his vehicle, Bolasky returned fire at the gunmen. The gunmen got into the van and once all five men were inside, they attempted to flee the scene, continuing to shoot at Bolasky. As the van sped away, a pellet from Bolasky's shotgun struck the driver, Belisario Delgado, just behind his right ear, killing him and sending the van crashing into a telephone pole guy-wire. The four remaining robbers then exited the vehicle and fired over 200 rounds at Bolasky, putting 47 bullet holes in his cruiser. Bolasky was hit five times; in the face, upper left shoulder, both forearms and the left elbow. [2]\n\nBy this time, Deputies Charles Hille and Andy Delgado (no relation to brothers Belisario and Manuel) had arrived at the scene. While Delgado engaged the robbers with gunfire, Hille managed to evacuate Bolasky in his cruiser and transport him to a nearby hospital. The robbers continued to fire at other officers arriving at the scene, and attempted to escape again by commandeering a truck (the truck was owned by Michael C. Linville) stopped at the intersection in front of the bank. As the four led a police pursuit, they shot at the pursuing officers and threw homemade bombs out of the back of the truck. Overall, they damaged 33 police vehicles, including a police helicopter piloted by Lt. John Gibson accompanied by Observer Sgt. Harold Hittle, which was forced to land. The suspects pulled far ahead of the pursuing police officers and stopped to ambush them as they caught up. Deputy James Evans, one of the first units to come under attack during the ambush, was shot in the head and killed. The police, armed with only .38-Special revolvers and 12-gauge shotguns, were outgunned. They were soon joined by San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputy D. J. McCarty, who brought an M16 to the shootout in a patrol car driven by Deputy James McPheron. [3] Shortly after he engaged the robbers with his rifle, they stopped shooting and fled the scene, running into the wooded area of Lytle Creek, San Bernardino. \"There would have been a lot more dead cops on the road if not for that weapon,\" said Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy Rolf Parkes. \"After their capture, the suspects stated their intent was to fight to the death. \"[4]\n\nThe next day, three of the gunmen were arrested. The fourth, Manuel Delgado, was killed in a shootout with a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department SWAT team in the foothills. Suspect Chris Harven was hit once in the back by Deputy Evans, while suspect George Smith was hit twice in the left leg and groin by Deputy Bolasky. In all, eight officers had been wounded (Riverside County Sheriff Deputy Glyn Bolasky was hit five times; in the face, upper left shoulder, both forearms and the left elbow. Riverside County Sheriff Deputy Darrell Reed was hit once in the back of his left knee. Riverside County Sheriff Deputy Rolf Parkes was hit three times in the head, face and arm. Riverside County Sheriff Deputy Herman Brown was hit in the left lower leg by multiple bullet fragments. Riverside County Sheriff Deputy Ken McDaniels was hit once in the right shoulder. Riverside County Sheriff Deputy Tony Reynard was hit once in the left elbow. California Highway Patrol officer Bill Crowe was hit once in the right arm. San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputy D. J. McCarty was hit once in the right arm) and San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy Jim Evans was shot and killed. The three arrested suspects, George Wayne Smith and brothers Christopher and Russell Harven, were convicted of 46 felonies and sentenced to life in prison without parole. One civilian, 12-year-old Robert Oglesby who was taking a bicycle ride with his friends, was hit by a single bullet in the finger. Deputy Bolasky recovered from his wounds sustained in the shootout and was awarded several decorations for his actions. He later became an officer in the U. S. Air Force,[2] rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and working as an electronic warfare officer. [5]\n\nIn response to the fact that the suspects' weapons were superior to that of the police responding to the incident, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department equipped their deputies with Ruger Mini-14s chambered in .223 Remington as well as the M16 and AR-15.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["AR-15s","AR-15","shotguns","a G3 rifle","HK93s","handguns","a katana","an improvised explosive device robbed"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["three of the four surviving perpetrators were arrested in the area of the ambush","three arrested"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Norco branch of Security Pacific Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["May 9, 1980"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Norco, California","Norco","California"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["over $20,000 in cash"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Norrmalmstorg robbery","document":"The Norrmalmstorg robbery was a bank robbery and hostage crisis best known as the origin of the term Stockholm syndrome. It occurred at the Norrmalmstorg Square in Stockholm, Sweden, in August 1973 and was the first criminal event in Sweden to be covered by live television. [1] Jan-Erik Olsson was a convicted criminal who had disappeared while on furlough from prison and then held up a bank and took four hostages. During the ensuing negotiations, Swedish Minister of Justice Lennart Geijer allowed Olsson's former cellmate and friend Clark Olofsson to be brought from prison to the bank. Although Olofsson was a long-time career criminal, it is doubtful he was in league with Olsson. [2] Famously, the hostages then bonded with their captors and acted to protect them despite their repeated threats to kill them all. Police finally mounted a tear gas attack five days into the crisis, and the robbers surrendered. Olsson was sentenced to 10 years for the robbery, and Olofsson was ultimately acquitted. The paradoxical actions of the hostages led to a great deal of academic and public interest in the case, including a 2003 Swedish television film, a 2018 Canadian film and a Swedish Netflix television series premiering in 2021. [3]\n\nJan-Erik Olsson was on leave from prison on August 23, 1973 when he went into Kreditbanken on Norrmalmstorg, Stockholm and attempted to rob it. [4][5] Swedish police were notified shortly after and arrived on the scene. One officer, Ingemar Warpefeldt, suffered injuries to his hand after Olsson opened fire,[6] while another was ordered to sit in a chair and sing a song. [6] Olsson then took four people hostage and demanded his friend Clark Olofsson be brought there, along with three million Swedish kronor, two guns, bulletproof vests, helmets and a car. [4][5]\n\nOlsson was a repeat offender who had committed several armed robberies and acts of violence, the first when he had been 16. [1]\n\nThe government gave permission for Olofsson to be brought as a communication link with the police negotiators. The hostage Kristin Enmark said that she felt safe with Olsson and Olofsson but feared that the police might escalate the situation by using violent methods. [7] Olsson and Olofsson barricaded the inner main vault in which they kept the hostages. Negotiators agreed that they could have a car to escape but would not allow them to take hostages with them if they tried to leave. [8]\n\nOlsson called Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, said that he would kill the hostages and backed up his threat by grabbing one of them in a stranglehold. She was heard screaming as he hung up. [6] The next day, the hostage Kristin Enmark called Palme, said that she was very displeased with his attitude and asked him to let the robbers and the hostages leave. [6]\n\nOlofsson walked around the vault and sang Roberta Flack's \"Killing Me Softly\". [6] On August 26, the police drilled a hole into the main vault from the apartment above and took a widely circulated photograph of the hostages with Olofsson. Also, Olofsson fired his weapon into the hole on two occasions and wounded a police officer in the hand and the face. [1]\n\nOlsson had fired his weapon and threatened to kill the hostages if any gas attack was attempted. [9] Nevertheless, on August 28 police used tear gas, and Olsson and Olofsson surrendered after an hour. None of the hostages sustained permanent injuries. [1]\n\nBoth Olsson and Olofsson were charged, convicted, and sentenced to extended prison terms for the robbery. However, Olofsson claimed that he had not helped Olsson but had only tried to save the hostages by keeping the situation calm. The court of appeal quashed Olofsson's convictions. He later met the hostage Kristin Enmark several times, and their families became friends. He later committed further crimes. [1]\n\nOlsson was sentenced to 10 years in prison. [10] He received many admiring letters from women who found him attractive. (He later got engaged to a woman who was not, despite what some state,[11] one of the former hostages.) After his release, he is alleged to have committed further crimes. After having been on the run from Swedish authorities for ten years for alleged financial crimes, he turned himself in to police in 2006, only to be told that the charges were no longer being actively pursued. [12]\n\nThe hostages sympathised[citation needed] with their captors, which has led to academic interest in the matter. The Swedish term Norrmalmstorgssyndromet (Norrmalmstorg syndrome), later known as Stockholm syndrome), was coined by the criminologist Nils Bejerot. [13] The hostages, although they were threatened by Olsson, never became violent toward the police or toward each other. [1]\n\nIn 1996, Jan-Erik Olsson moved to northeastern Thailand with his wife and son,[6][14] and moved back to Sweden in 2013. Olsson's autobiography Stockholms-syndromet was published in Sweden in 2009. [1]\n\nThe 2003 television film Norrmalmstorg [sv], directed by Håkan Lindhé, is loosely based on the events. [15] A fictionalized version of the robbery is told in Stockholm, a 2018 Canadian film directed by Robert Budreau. [16]\n\nThe podcast Criminal spoke with Olofsson about the Norrmalmstorg robbery in the episode \"Hostage\". [17]\n\nNetflix is producing a 6 episodes series named Clark directed by Jonas Akerlund and starring Bill Skarsgård as Clark Olofsson, set to premiere in 2021. [18]\n\n","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Jan-Erik Olsson"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["August 1973"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Norrmalmstorg Square in Stockholm, Sweden","Stockholm","Sweden"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Northern Bank robbery","document":"\n\n\n\nIn the Northern Bank robbery cash was stolen from the headquarters of Northern Bank on Donegall Square West in Belfast, Northern Ireland. On 20 December 2004, having taken members of the families of two bank officials hostage to ensure their co-operation, an armed gang seized a total of £26.5 million mostly in unused pound sterling banknotes. This was one of the largest bank robberies in the history of the United Kingdom. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the Independent Monitoring Commission, the British government and the Taoiseach (prime minister of the Republic of Ireland) all claimed the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) was responsible. This was denied by the IRA and by Sinn Féin. In 2005, the police forces in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland made arrests and carried out house searches. A sum of £2.3 million was impounded at the house of a financial adviser, Ted Cunningham, in County Cork and Phil Flynn was forced to resign as chairman of the Bank of Scotland (Ireland), because he was a director of one of Cunningham's companies. Cunningham was convicted in 2009 of money laundering, had his conviction quashed in 2012 and was convicted at retrial in 2014. Chris Ward, one of the bank officials threatened by the gang, was himself arrested in November 2005 and charged with robbery. The prosecution then offered no evidence at trial and he was released. The robbery adversely affected the Northern Ireland peace process. It caused hardening of the relationship between the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and the Sinn Féin representatives Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. Although Cunningham and several others were eventually convicted of crimes uncovered during the investigation, nobody has ever been held directly responsible for the robbery. The police investigation is still open and the case remains unsolved. Northern Bank (now Danske Bank) was the largest retail bank in Northern Ireland, with 95 branches. It was then owned by National Australia Bank and its headquarters were at Donegall Square West in Belfast. It was one of four banks in Northern Ireland permitted to print its own bank notes, in denominations of £5, £10, £20, £50 and £100. [1]\n\nOn the night of Sunday 19 December 2004, groups of armed men arrived at the homes of two employees of Northern Bank, one in Downpatrick, County Down, the other in Poleglass, west Belfast. [2] Chris Ward was taken from his house in County Down and driven to Poleglass, where Kevin McMullan (his supervisor at the bank) had been tied up by men masquerading as officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Gunmen remained at Ward's home threatening his family. McMullan's wife was taken from her home and held at an unknown location. The masked men instructed the officials to report for work as normal at the bank's headquarters, and left on Monday morning. [2]\n\nThe criminals kept in touch with McMullan and Ward using mobile telephones. On Monday, 20 December 2004, Ward was first told to take a bag containing £1 million to a bus stop in nearby Queen Street, where he gave it to one of the robbers. This was regarded as being a test run for the main theft in the evening. [3] McMullan and Ward remained at work after the close of business and loaded crates of banknotes onto trolleys which were taken to a white van outside. [2][3] The two employees were compelled to open up the bank vaults by the threat that their loved ones would be killed if they did not comply. The vans made two runs to take away the loot. [1] Around 11 o'clock in the evening, Mrs McMullan was driven to Drumkeeragh Forest near Ballynahinch and abandoned. She found her way to a house to raise the alarm, where she was treated for hypothermia. [2]\n\nThe criminals took a total of £26.5 million: £10 million in uncirculated Northern Bank pound sterling banknotes; £5.5 million in used Northern Bank sterling notes; £4.5 million in used notes supplied by other banks; and smaller cash amounts in other currencies including euros and US dollars. [4] The police quickly set up an investigation with 50 detectives. Assistant Chief Constable Sam Kincaid commented \"this was not a lucky crime, this was a well-organised crime. \"[5]\n\nAlthough the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) initially refused to be drawn as to who might be involved, a number of commentators, including journalist Kevin Myers writing in the Daily Telegraph, quickly blamed the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). [6] One senior police officer quoted in The Guardian newspaper said: \"This operation required great expertise and coordination, probably more than the loyalist gangs possess\". [1]\n\nOn 23 December 2004, The Irish Times ran a front-page story on the Provisional IRA's denial of involvement in the robbery, and on the same day refused to print a column by Kevin Myers which said that the Provisional IRA was responsible. [7] Myers was reported to be shocked by the spiking of his column. [8] Some two weeks later, the paper printed a report that there might, after all, be a \"nationalist\" connection. [7]\n\nOn 7 January 2005, the Chief Constable of the PSNI Hugh Orde issued an interim report in which he blamed the Provisional IRA for the robbery. [9] The British government concurred with Orde's assessment, as did the Independent Monitoring Commission (the body appointed by the Irish and British governments to oversee the Northern Ireland ceasefires). [10][11] Sinn Féin, however, denied the Chief Constable's claim, saying the IRA had not conducted the raid and that Sinn Féin officials had not known of or sanctioned the robbery. Martin McGuinness (a leading Sinn Féin negotiator) said that Orde's accusation represented \"nothing more than politically-biased allegations. This is more to do with halting the process of change which Sinn Féin has been driving forward than with anything that happened at the Northern Bank\". [9][12] On the other hand, Bertie Ahern the Irish Taoiseach said that \"an operation of this magnitude had obviously been planned at a stage when I was in negotiations with those that would know the leadership of the Provisional movement. \"[9] The Independent Monitoring Commission recommended that Sinn Féin was fined for authorising the heist and remarked in the report that \"the leadership and rank and file of Sinn Féin need to make the choice between continued association with and support for PIRA criminality and the path of an exclusively democratic political party\". [13]\n\nThe Provisional IRA issued a two-line statement on 18 January 2005, which denied any involvement in the robbery: \"The IRA has been accused of involvement in the recent Northern Bank robbery. We were not involved\". [14] Despite this denial from the Provisional IRA, it was widely believed in Northern Ireland, especially in unionist circles, that it was responsible. [15][16] Commentators in the UK newspapers speculated that the heist had been intended either to secure a pension fund for IRA active service members or to support Sinn Féin's electoral campaign. [17][18] In February 2005, the Irish Minister for Justice Michael McDowell accused Gerry Adams (Sinn Féin MP for Belfast West), Martin McGuinness and Martin Ferris (Sinn Féin MP for Kerry North), of not only being IRA members but leading it from their positions on the IRA Army Council.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Northern Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["20 December 2004"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Donegall Square West in Belfast, Northern Ireland","Northern Ireland","Donegall Square West","Belfast"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["26.5 million"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Omori Bank robbery","document":"\nThe Omori Bank robbery (大森銀行ギャング事件) was a bank robbery committed by members of the Japanese Communist Party in Shōwa-era Imperial Japan. The bank robbery was dubbed the Omori Gang affair. [1]\n\nOn 6 October 1932, three party members stole 32,000 yen from the Kawasaki Daiichi Bank in a desperate attempt to obtain funds for party operations. The plan was unknown to all but one member of the central committee. The robbery badly discredited the party in the eyes of the public. The government took full advantage of the incident and subsequent trial to portray the party as a nest of gangsters, leading to the destruction of the Party. [2]\n\nYusho Otsuka, who was the brother-in-law of Hajime Kawakami, hatched a plan to procure desperately needed funds for the party. He and an accomplice had held up the main branch of the Kawasaki Bank in Omori. He had used Kawakami's younger daughter, Yoshiko, to \"drive alongside him in the getaway car to lend an air of respectability to their group escape.\" Yoshiko and Otsuka were able to outwit the police. [1] Biographer Yasutaka Saegusa believes that the writer Osamu Dazai was indirectly involved in the Omori Gang bank robbery. [3]\n\nThe robbery put a high price on Otsuka's head. Otsuka decided to discontinue his visits to Kawakami. [1] In October 1932 police arrested party members involved in the armed robbery. [4]\n\n","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["members of the Japanese Communist Party"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Kawasaki Daiichi Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["On 6 October 1932","6 October 1932"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Shōwa-era Imperial Japan"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["32,000 yen"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Peoples National Bank robbery","document":"\n\n\t\t\t\nST. LOUIS – Police are asking for help identifying and locating a truck related to a robbery at Peoples National Bank on Hampton Avenue. The robbery happened on Monday, December 28 at 12:15 p.m. Police said a woman entered the bank “and produced a note announcing a robbery.” The woman then took cash and left. Police said a security guard realized a robbery had occurred and followed the woman “behind the bank where [she] entered a white pickup truck occupied by a [man].” The suspects then drove the truck “towards the security guard to which the security guard fired shots at the suspect vehicle.” The vehicle was able to flee the scene. There were no injuries. The vehicle is described as a white pickup truck with a 4×4 on the rear quarter panel. Police said it is possibly a Chevrolet or a GMC. There is ballistic damage on the truck. Police said at the time of the robbery the woman was wearing a black ball cap, neon mask, camo jacket, camo pants and neon gloves. Anyone with information is asked to contact the 2nd District Detective at 314-444-0100 or contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477). Submit \n\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a white pickup truck"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a woman"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Peoples National Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday, December 28 at 12:15 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Hampton Avenue"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Piggy Bank Bandit","document":"The Piggy Bank Bandit is a serial bank robber, who is responsible for at least 6 bank robberies in the Phoenix, Arizona area. [1][2][3] The FBI believes the Piggy Bank Bandit is responsible for four bank robberies in December 2020 and two robberies in February 2021. The Piggy Bank Bandit was dubbed by the FBI as one of the robberies ended in the robber taking rolls of coins as the loot. [4]\n\nIn total, 6 banks have been robbed across 4 jurisdictions. [5]\n\nThe FBI believe the first bank robbery the “Piggy Bank Bandit” did was on a US Bank in Tempe, Arizona on December 1, 2020. The robber got away with a bag full of rolled coins, which is why the FBI nicknamed them the “Piggy Bank Bandit”. [6][7] That robbery was followed by a robbery on December 17, 2020 at a Desert Financial Credit Union in Mesa, Arizona. The third robbery was on December 18, 2020 at a Arizona Federal Credit Union in Phoenix, Arizona. The fourth robbery was on February 22, 2021 at a US Bank in Gilbert, Arizona. The fifth and sixth robbery took place on February 26, 2021. Both robberies took place at US Banks in Phoenix, Arizona. [8] [9]\n\nDuring each of the robberies, the “Piggy Bank Bandit” gave a note to the teller and demanded money. [10]\n\nOnce the “Piggy Bank Bandit” had crossed jurisdictions between the different bank robberies, the FBI was called in to investigate the bank robberies. During one of the robberies, a security camera caught a glimpse of a tattoo on the “Piggy Bank Bandit’s” neck. [11] [12] Using that information, the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force sent statements to the public, asking for any information that would lead to the arrest of the robber. The FBI has not caught the robber yet. [13][14]\n\n","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["The Piggy Bank Bandit","Piggy Bank Bandit"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["US Bank","a Desert Financial Credit Union","a Arizona Federal Credit Union"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 2020","2020","February 2021","2021"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Phoenix, Arizona","Arizona","Phoenix"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Santa Claus Bank Robbery","document":"The Santa Claus Bank Robbery occurred on December 23, 1927, in the Central Texas town of Cisco. Marshall Ratliff, dressed as Santa Claus, along with Henry Helms and Robert Hill, all ex-cons, and Louis Davis, a relative of Helms, held up the First National Bank in Cisco. The robbery is one of Texas' most infamous crimes, having invoked the largest manhunt ever seen in the state. [1] Eyewitness Boyce House wrote that this was \"the most spectacular crime in the history of the Southwest ... surpassing any in which Billy the Kid or the James boys had ever figured. \"[2][3]\n\nMarshall Ratliff was an ex-con who had lived in Cisco before being tracked down and imprisoned for a bank robbery in Valera, Texas, by Cisco Chief of Police, G.E. \"Bit\" Bedford. [4] Though Ratliff was given a long prison sentence, he had been paroled just before the infamous bank robbery. He initially planned to rob the Cisco bank with his brother, Lee, but Lee had been arrested again. Ratliff pulled in Helms and Hill, whom he knew from Huntsville, and a fourth man who was good with safes. As they planned the crime in Wichita Falls, the safe-cracker came down with the flu, and the trio pulled in Davis, a relative of Helms and a family man in need, promising a large return for his participation. During this period in Texas, three or four banks were being robbed every day, and in response, the Texas Bankers Association had offered a $5,000 reward to anyone shooting a bank robber during the crime. [3][5] In addition, Ratliff knew that he would be immediately recognized if he returned to Cisco. This made the heist a particularly dangerous undertaking for the four men, so Ratliff decided to conceal his identity by disguising himself as Santa Claus. Such a disguise would also allay any suspicions by people in the bank. Stealing a car in Wichita Falls, they headed for Cisco and arrived on the morning of December 23. As the group neared the bank, Ratliff donned a Santa Claus suit he had borrowed from Mrs. Midge Tellet, who ran the boarding house where they had been staying in Wichita Falls. They let Ratliff out several blocks from the bank. Ratliff, dressed as Santa, was smiling as he came along Avenue D (the main street), stopping to chat with eager children, answering their questions and patting them on the head. The main street of Cisco was crowded with people going about their daily activities. The town had the normal decorations for the season. Everyone was in the Christmas spirit, so no one thought it odd when Santa came walking down the street around noon, one day before Christmas Eve. Still followed by children attracted to \"Santa,\" Ratliff joined the other three in an alley and led the way to the bank. Some of the happy children who had followed Santa continued into the bank after him. Once inside, Ratliff received a pleasant greeting of \"Hello, Santa,\" from the cashier. He did not respond, but walked to a desk in the middle of the lobby, where bank customers wrote out their deposit slips. A few customers were already at the teller's window making their deposits. The cashier again called out, \"Hello, Santa.\" Again, no response. Right about at this point, Ratliff's accomplice, Robert Hill, entered the bank, pointed a pistol at the cashier, and snarled, \"Hands up!\" The second bandit, Henry Helms, also entered brandishing a gun, followed by the third armed man, Davis. Ratliff pushed through a swinging door, past the cashier's desk, went into the cashier's cage, opened a drawer under the counter, and removed a pistol from that location, stuffing it under his red Santa suit. Now, four men were armed, including \"Santa Claus\". \"Santa\" ordered the assistant cashier to open the safe, and began stuffing money and bonds into a sack he had hidden beneath his costume. While the others covered the customers and employees, Ratliff grabbed money from the tellers and forced one to open the vault. [6]\n\nUnseen by the four robbers, bank patron Mrs. B. P. Blassengame and her six-year-old daughter, Frances, entered the bank in hopes of seeing Santa, not knowing a robbery was in progress. Immediately realizing the danger, Mrs. Blassengame charged her way with her daughter through the bookkeeping office of the bank, announcing \"They are robbing the bank,\" as she reached for the door to the alley. She quickly unlocked the door, thrusting her daughter out into the alley while yelling at her to run and, despite warnings from the robbers that they would shoot, escaping herself. She screamed for help as she ran the one block to city hall and the police department, alerting Chief of Police Bedford and most of the Cisco citizenry about the robbery. According to eyewitness Boyce House, \"Police Chief G.E. \"Bit\" Bedford [was] a giant of a man and a veteran peace officer.\" Seizing a riot gun, he started for the scene and instructed officers R.T. Redies and George Carmichael to cover the back door of the bank. The chief posted himself at the alley, which ran alongside the bank and opened at the bank's front on Avenue D, while Officer Carmichael took a position near another alley which ran behind the bank and intersected the first. Meanwhile, inside the bank, one of the men, with an automatic weapon in each hand, growled at the bookkeeper, \"Don't look at me!\" By this time, \"Santa Claus\" had filled his sack and exited the vault. Who fired the first shot is uncertain. Some sources state Ratliff, dressed as Santa, fired first, the bullet striking the bank's plate-glass window, possibly to signal unseen accomplices that the robbery had been accomplished. Other sources say that Hill, seeing someone outside, fired a shot through the window, and a shot was returned, prompting Hill to fire several more shots into the ceiling to show that they were armed. Immediately, Bedford and Carmichael directed cross-fire at the side door and the two-gunned robber fired back, first at Carmichael and then at Bedford. A fusillade of gunfire began, as many civilians who owned guns were now outside the bank, and many more had rushed to hardware stores for pistols and rifles. The assistant postmaster and the postmaster were two of the civilians who took up arms against the robbers.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Marshall Ratliff, dressed as Santa Claus, along with Henry Helms and Robert Hill, all ex-cons, and Louis Davis, a relative of Helms","Santa Claus","Marshall Ratliff","Helms","relative","along","Robert Hill","Henry Helms"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the First National Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 23, 1927"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the Central Texas town of Cisco","Cisco"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Securitas depot robbery","document":"\n\nThe Securitas depot robbery was a large heist in Tonbridge, Kent, England. It began with a kidnapping on the evening of 21 February 2006 18:30 GMT and ended in the early hours of 22 February, when the criminals left the depot with over £53 million cash. It was the UK's largest cash robbery and the gang left behind another £154 million only because they did not have the room to take it. After abducting the manager of the depot and his family, the gang forced entry to the depot. Armed with weapons including AK-47 assault rifles and a Škorpion submachine gun, the gang tied up fourteen members of staff and left with £53,116,760 in used and unused Bank of England sterling banknotes. Most of the getaway vehicles were found in the following week, one containing £1.3 million in stolen notes. Another £7 million was recovered in Welling and, by June 2006, over 30 people had been arrested in relation to the crime. At trial in London, five people were convicted and received long sentences, including Emir Hysenaj, the inside man. Lee Murray, the alleged mastermind of the heist, was arrested in Morocco having incriminated himself in a recording on his mobile phone, which he had abandoned at the site of a car crash. He successfully fought extradition to the UK and eventually was imprisoned in Morocco. As of 2016, £32 million had not been recovered. On Tuesday 21 February 2006, the manager of the Securitas depot, Colin Dixon, was driving his silver Nissan Almera on the A249. At about 18:30, he was pulled over just outside Stockbury, a village northeast of Maidstone in Kent, by what he thought was an unmarked police car, due to the flashing blue lights behind the front grill. [2][3] A man approached him in high-visibility clothing and Dixon got into the other car, whereupon he was handcuffed. He was driven west on the M20 motorway to the West Malling bypass, where he was tied up and transferred into a white van which took him to a farm in Staplehurst. [2]\n\nAt the same time, Dixon's wife and eight-year-old son were being taken hostage at their home in Herne Bay, after they answered the door to men dressed in police uniforms. The men claimed Dixon had been involved in a car accident before abducting the two and holding them at the Staplehurst farm with the manager. Dixon was told at gunpoint that failure to co-operate would put him and his family in danger. [4]\n\nAt around 01:00 on Wednesday 22 February 2006, Dixon, his wife, and his son were taken in a white van to the Securitas depot in Tonbridge. Upon being let in by Dixon, a member of the gang forced staff at gunpoint to open the gates to admit the van and other vehicles. The gang members' faces were hidden by balaclavas and they were armed with handguns, shotguns, AK-47 assault rifles and a Škorpion submachine gun. The family and 14 members of staff were tied up and locked in cash cages. [4][2]\n\nThe gang filled a 7.5 tonne white Renault lorry with £53,116,760 in used and unused Bank of England sterling banknotes. Another £154 million would not fit in the lorry and was left behind when the gang departed at around 02:15. [4][1] At 03:15 staff triggered an alarm which called the police. The hostages were all unharmed but shaken. [4][5] The Bank of England was reimbursed £25 million by Securitas the same day, and assured the public that Securitas would make up any additional losses. [6]\n\nThe following day (Thursday 23 February 2006) Securitas and their insurers offered a reward of £2 million for any information about the heist, which Crimestoppers stated was the largest reward ever offered in the UK. [7] Kent Police said the heist had been meticulously planned by organised crime and that at least £20 million had been stolen, possibly as much as £50 million. [7] By the evening of 23 February 2006, two arrests had been made in Forest Hill, south London. A man aged 29 and a woman aged 31 were detained at separate houses on suspicion of conspiracy to commit robbery. [3][8] A third person, a 41-year-old woman, was arrested at a branch of the Portman Building Society in Bromley on suspicion of handling stolen goods. [8]\n\nAlso on the Thursday, police discovered a number of the vehicles involved in the robbery including a former Parcelforce van thought to have been used in the abduction of Colin Dixon and his family, which was found abandoned at the Hook and Hatchet pub in the village of Hucking, near Maidstone. [4] Dixon's Nissan Almera was found in the car park of the Cock Horse pub in Detling. [4] A Volvo S60 and a red Vauxhall Vectra, the cars believed to have been mocked up as police cars, were found near Leeds Castle. [2] The next day, Friday 24 February, metal cages thought to have been used to transport the money were recovered in a field near Detling. [3] Police recovered a white Ford Transit van from the car park of the Ashford International Hotel, after a tip-off from a member of the public. The van and its contents were removed for forensic examination, and on 26 February 2006, it was announced that the van contained £1.3 million, along with guns, balaclavas and body armour. [9][3]\n\nOn the evening of Saturday 25 February 2006, forensic teams and armed police officers raided the houses of Lea Rusha and Jetmir Bucpapa in Southborough near Tunbridge Wells while neither were at home. In Rusha's house police discovered shotgun shells and hand-drawn plans of the depot. [10] On the afternoon of the next day, Kent Police challenged Rusha and Bucpapa on the street in Tankerton, near Whitstable. They fled in a blue BMW 3 Series coupe. The car was halted; some witnesses say police marksmen shot out a tyre while others say a \"stinger\" device was used. The driver and another man were arrested. [11][3][2] On 27 February 2006, two individuals were detained by police in the Greenwich area of London by armed officers. The following day, the white 7.5 ton Renault Midlum lorry believed to have been used to transport the stolen money was recovered by police. [3][12] The same day, Kent police raided Elderden Farm in the Staplehurst area, conducting extensive forensic searches of the surrounding land and buildings and seizing vehicles. [3][12]\n\nOn Thursday 2 March, police raided a car yard in Welling and discovered £7 million in cash. [13] On the same day, three people appeared at Maidstone Magistrates' Court. John Fowler (a car dealer and the owner of Elderden Farm) was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, handling stolen goods, and three charges of kidnapping; Stuart Royle was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery; and Kim Shackleton was charged with handling stolen goods.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["AK-47 assault rifles and a Škorpion submachine gun","AK-47 assault rifles","Škorpion submachine gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["two","over 30 people"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":["Dixon's wife and eight-year-old son were being taken hostage","Dixon","wife","year"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["silver Nissan Almera"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Lee Murray, the alleged mastermind of the heist","heist"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["21 February 2006 18:30 GMT and ended in the early hours of 22 February","22 February 2006","2006"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["1.3 million","7 million"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Tonbridge, Kent, England","England","Kent","Tonbridge"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["over £53 million cash"]}]} {"event_trigger":"1984 Sydney bank robbery","document":"\n\nThe 1984 Sydney bank robbery and hostage crisis was an incident that took place between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on 31 January 1984 in George Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, when a 35-year-old male went on a bank robbery spree, taking 11 people hostage, before holding police at bay for several hours before finally being shot dead. The event was described as \"Australia's most dramatic hostage chase\"[1] with \"scenes likened to a Hollywood action film. \"[2]\n\nTurkish born 35-year-old Hakki Bahadir Atahan was unemployed at the time of his armed robbery spree and had carried out around 16 or 17 bank robberies between March 1983 and January 1984. [1][3] Atahan lived an expensive lifestyle renting a luxurious penthouse apartment in Manly, owned several expensive cars and robbed up to three banks a day, amassing over A$150,000 in a year. [2]\n\nOn the morning of 31 January 1984, Atahan had successfully robbed two or three banks before entering the Commonwealth Bank in George Street, Sydney. [3][1] Due to the earlier robberies, police were on high alert and quickly responded to the Commonwealth Bank robbery with dozens of heavily armed tactical police from both the Tactical Response Group (TRG) and the Special Weapons & Operations Section (SWOS), forming a perimeter. During negotiations, Atahan fired at least two shots from a pistol and released all the bank's customers. Some time later, Atahan released four female bank staff whilst keeping five male staff as hostages. [3]\n\nSome two-and-a-half hours later, Atahan ended negotiations and emerged from the bank encircled by the five hostages, each of whom were forced to place a hand atop of the robber's head. This tactic caused confusion and prevented police marksmen from obtaining a clear view and thus depriving them of the opportunity to shoot him. Atahan forced the five hostages into a nearby Datsun sedan which had its keys left in it. He then forced a hostage to drive off through police roadblocks, which began a pursuit that lasted several hours and involved 39 police cars, a police helicopter, and four Water Police launches. [1] After two hours of driving around, Atahan released a hostage and collected his 23-year-old girlfriend Sharon Oliver. Upon reaching the Spit Bridge, police raised the bridge, preventing Atahan from travelling any further. Detectives from the Special Weapons & Operations Section (SWOS) approached the vehicle, ordering Atahan to surrender. Atahan fired his .32 ACP pistol at point-blank range at Detective Senior Constable Steve Canelis, striking him just above his nose. [3] Detective Senior Constable Donald Packer fired one shot at Atahan through a side window while Detective Sergent John Nagle shot a round through the back window. Atahan was hit in the head and chest and died. [4][2][5] Detective Senior Constable Canelis survived his gunshot wound and returned to work four months later and retired a number of years after with the bullet still lodged in his shoulder. [6]\n\nThe incident, including news footage from the time, features in the 2009 Australian TV series Gangs of Oz, Episode 4 – Armed and Dangerous. [7]","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a nearby Datsun sedan"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Turkish born 35-year-old Hakki Bahadir Atahan"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Commonwealth Bank","Sydney bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["31 January 1984"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["George Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia","Sydney","Australia","George Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"1907 Tiflis bank robbery","document":"\n\nThe 1907 Tiflis Bank Robbery, also known as the Erivansky Square expropriation,[1] was an armed robbery on 26 June 1907[a] in the city of Tiflis in the Tiflis Governorate in the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire (now Georgia's capital, Tbilisi). A bank cash shipment was stolen by Bolsheviks to fund their revolutionary activities. The robbers attacked a bank stagecoach, and the surrounding police and soldiers, using bombs and guns while the stagecoach was transporting money through Erivansky Square (now Freedom Square) between the post office and the Tiflis branch of the State Bank of the Russian Empire. The attack killed forty people and injured fifty others, according to official archive documents. The robbers escaped with 241,000 rubles. [2]\n\nThe robbery was organized by a number of top-level Bolsheviks, including Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Maxim Litvinov, Leonid Krasin, and Alexander Bogdanov, and executed by a party of revolutionaries led by Stalin's early associate Simon Ter-Petrosian, also known as \"Kamo\" and \"The Caucasian Robin-Hood\". Because such activities were explicitly prohibited by the 5th Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), the robbery and the killings caused outrage within the party against the Bolsheviks (a faction within the RSDLP). As a result, Lenin and Stalin tried to distance themselves from the robbery. The events surrounding the incident and similar robberies split the Bolshevik leadership, with Lenin against Bogdanov and Krasin. Despite the success of the robbery and the large sum involved, the Bolsheviks could not use most of the large banknotes obtained from the robbery because their serial numbers were known to the police. Lenin conceived of a plan to have various individuals cash the large bank notes at once at various locations throughout Europe in January 1908, but this strategy failed, resulting in a number of arrests, worldwide publicity, and negative reaction from social democrats elsewhere in Europe. Kamo was caught in Germany shortly after the robbery but successfully avoided a criminal trial by feigning insanity for more than three years. He managed to escape from his psychiatric ward but was captured two years later while planning another robbery. Kamo was then sentenced to death for his crimes including the 1907 robbery, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment; he was released after the 1917 Revolution. None of the other major participants or organizers of the robbery were ever brought to trial. After his death, a monument to Kamo was erected near Erivansky Square in Pushkin Gardens and Kamo was buried beneath it. The monument was later removed and Kamo's remains were moved elsewhere. The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), the predecessor of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, was formed in 1898. The goal of the RSDLP was to carry out a Marxist proletarian revolution against the Russian Empire. As part of their revolutionary activity, the RSDLP and other revolutionary groups (such as anarchists and Socialist Revolutionaries) practised a range of militant operations, including \"expropriations\", a euphemism for armed robberies of government or private funds to support revolutionary activities. [3][4]\n\nFrom 1903 onwards, the RSDLP were divided between two major groups: the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks. [5] After the suppression of the 1905 Revolution, the RSDLP held its 5th Congress in May–June 1907 in London with the hopes of resolving differences between the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks. [6][7] One issue that still separated the two groups was the divergence of their views on militant activities, and in particular, \"expropriations\". [7] The most militant Bolsheviks, led at the 5th Congress by Vladimir Lenin, supported continuation of the use of robberies, while Mensheviks advocated a more peaceful and gradual approach to revolution, and opposed militant operations. At the 5th Congress, a resolution was passed condemning participation in or assistance to all militant activity, including \"expropriations\" as \"disorganizing and demoralizing\", and called for all party militias to be disbanded. [6][7] This resolution passed with 65 per cent supporting and 6 per cent opposing (others abstained or did not vote) with all Mensheviks and some Bolsheviks supporting the resolution. [6]\n\nDespite the unified party's prohibition on separate committees, during the 5th Congress the Bolsheviks elected their own governing body, called the Bolshevik Centre, and kept it secret from the rest of the RSDLP. [5][6] The Bolshevik Centre was headed by a \"Finance Group\" consisting of Lenin, Leonid Krasin and Alexander Bogdanov. Among other party activities, the Bolshevik leadership had already planned a number of \"expropriations\" in different parts of Russia by the time of the 5th Congress and was awaiting a major robbery in Tiflis, which occurred only weeks after the 5th Congress ended. [6][8][9]\n\nBefore the 5th Congress met, high-ranking Bolsheviks held a meeting in Berlin in April 1907 to discuss staging a robbery to obtain funds to purchase arms. Attendees included Lenin, Stalin, Krasin, Bogdanov and Litvinov. The group decided that Stalin, then known by his earlier nom de guerre Koba,[b] and the Armenian Ter-Petrosian, known as Kamo, should organize a bank robbery in the city of Tiflis. [10]\n\nThe 29-year-old Stalin was living in Tiflis with his wife Ekaterina and newborn son Yakov. [11] Stalin was experienced at organizing robberies, and these exploits had helped him gain a reputation as the centre's principal financier. [1][5] Kamo, four years younger than Stalin, had a reputation for ruthlessness; later in his life he cut a man's heart from his chest. [12] At the time of the conspiracy, Kamo ran a criminal organization called \"the Outfit\". [13] Stalin said that Kamo was \"a master of disguise\",[12] and Lenin called Kamo his \"Caucasian bandit\". [12] Stalin and Kamo had grown up together, and Stalin had converted Kamo to Marxism. [12]\n\nAfter the April meeting, Stalin and Litvinov travelled to Tiflis to inform Kamo of the plans and to organize the raid. [10][14] According to Roman Brackman's The Secret File of Joseph Stalin: A Hidden Life, while Stalin was working with the Bolsheviks to organize criminal activities, he was also acting as an informant for the Okhrana, the Russian secret police. Brackman alleges that once the group returned to Tiflis, Stalin informed his Okhrana contact, Officer Mukhtarov, about the bank robbery plans and promised to provide the Okhrana with more information at a later time. [10]\n\nIn Tiflis, Stalin began planning for the robbery. [10] He established contact with two individuals with inside information about the State Bank's operations: a bank clerk named Gigo Kasradze and an old school friend of Stalin's named Voznesensky who worked at the Tiflis banking mail office. [15][16] Voznesensky later stated that he had helped out in the theft out of admiration for Stalin's romantic poetry. [15][16] Voznesensky worked in the Tiflis banking mail office, giving him access to a secret schedule that showed the times that cash would be transferred by stagecoach to the Tiflis branch of the State Bank. [14] Voznesensky notified Stalin that the bank would be receiving a large shipment of money by horse-drawn carriage on 26 June 1907. [15][16]\n\nKrasin helped manufacture bombs to use in the attack on the stagecoach. [1] Kamo's gang smuggled bombs into Tiflis by hiding them inside a sofa. [17] Only weeks before the robbery, Kamo accidentally detonated one of Krasin's bombs while trying to set the fuse. [18] The blast severely injured him in the eye, leaving a permanent scar.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["bombs and guns","bombs"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Bolsheviks"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["26 June 1907","1907"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["city of Tiflis in the Tiflis Governorate in the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire","Tiflis","Russian Empire","city"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["241,000 rubles"]}]} {"event_trigger":"botched armed bank robbery in January 1996","document":"Lauretha A. Vaird (August 4, 1952 – January 2, 1996) was an American Philadelphia police officer who was shot dead by the rapper Christopher Roney aka \"Cool C\" during a botched armed bank robbery in January 1996. Roney attempted to rob the bank with another rapper, Warren McGlone aka \"Steady B\", and another man, Mark Canty. During the robbery, Vaird was mortally wounded by a gunshot wound in the abdomen and died soon after. Vaird was Philadelphia's first female police officer to be shot and killed in the line of duty. [2]\n\nVaird was a single mother of two boys. Before she became a police officer, she worked as a teacher's aide at Pickett Middle School in Germantown. She joined the Philadelphia police force in 1986 at the age of 34. [3] Before her death, she was a 9-year veteran with the 25th District. On January 2, 1996, at around 8:20 a.m., \"Cool C\" and \"Steady B\", and their accomplice, Canty, attempted to rob a PNC Bank branch in Feltonville, Philadelphia, at 4710 Rising Sun Avenue. [4] The men had stolen a green minivan for the job which was driven by McGlone who acted as the getaway driver. Roney and Canty went into the branch before it was due to open. Canty carried a 9 millimeter semi-automatic handgun and Roney was armed with a .38 caliber revolver. The bank had no security guards, which influenced the men to rob that particular branch. They held three bank employees at gunpoint and demanded access to the bank vault. Within moments of entering the bank, the silent alarm was tripped. Officer Vaird, who was in the area at the time and riding alone in a patrol car, responded to the alarm. [5]\n\nCanty forced two of the bank employees to take him to the vault while Roney stood guard by the bank entrance covering the third employee. As Vaird entered the door to the bank with her weapon drawn, she was shot in the abdomen by Roney. Vaird was wearing a bulletproof vest, but it was without its bullet-resistant panels. After he shot her, Roney left the bank through the front door. Canty fled through a side entrance and left his gun at the scene. Roney then exchanged fire with another police officer, Donald Patterson, who arrived shortly after Vaird. Roney was able to escape and dropped his gun on the sidewalk outside the entrance to the bank. He got into the minivan with McGlone and the two men then fled. None of the three suspects stole anything from the bank. [6] Vaird was taken to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, where she died and was pronounced dead at 9:56 am, having been killed by the single shot to the abdomen. [7]\n\nThe two pistols used by the assailants were found separately outside different entrances to the bank. The stolen minivan that Roney and McGlone had escaped in was found abandoned about a mile from the bank. The police also found various items of clothing used as disguises by Canty and Roney. This evidence led to their warrants and arrests. The guns were traced back to both Canty and McGlone. [6] The .38 caliber revolver used by Roney belonged to Anthony Brown, a relative of Canty. It had been stolen from Brown and was last seen in Canty's possession before the bank robbery. The 9mm semi-automatic pistol was traced back to Richelle Parker, a friend of McGlone, who had bought the gun for him. [5]\n\nMcGlone was arrested outside his home two days later on January 4, 1996. He was charged with murder in the death of officer Vaird. After questioning McGlone, police issued a warrant for the arrests of Canty and Roney. Canty was arrested during a traffic stop in Maryland at a later date. [1] Roney surrendered to the police on January 6, 1996. [6]\n\nVaird died at the age of 43 and is buried at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On October 30, 1996, McGlone and Canty were both sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. [4] McGlone is an inmate at the State Correctional Institution – Houtzdale and his inmate ID number is DD6864. [8] Canty is an inmate at the State Correctional Institution – Mahanoy and his inmate ID number is DD6842. [8] Roney was identified as the actual killer of Vaird, as he had been the one to fire the gun that killed her. On October 30, 1996, Roney was found guilty of first-degree murder, three counts of robbery, conspiracy, aggravated assault, burglary and possession of an instrument of crime. [5] On November 1, 1996, he received the death penalty for murdering Vaird. [9] He is currently on death row awaiting execution and is an inmate at the State Correctional Institution – Greene. [10] His inmate ID number is DF1973. [8]\n\nOn January 10, 2006, Roney's death warrant was signed by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and his execution date was set for March 9, 2006, (Rendell was Philadelphia's Mayor at the time of the robbery/murder). [9] He was granted a stay of execution from Pennsylvania Judge Gary Glazer on February 1, 2006, until all post-conviction litigation was resolved.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["9 millimeter semi-automatic handgun and Roney was armed with a .38 caliber revolver","Roney","38 caliber revolver"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a green minivan"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Roney","Warren McGlone aka \"Steady B\"","Steady","Mark Canty"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["PNC Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["January 2, 1996, at around 8:20 a.m","January 2","1996","8"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Feltonville, Philadelphia, at 4710 Rising Sun Avenue","Philadelphia"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Death of Brian Wells","document":"Brian Douglas Wells (November 15, 1956 – August 28, 2003) was an American pizza delivery man who was murdered during a complex plot involving a bank robbery, scavenger hunt, and homemade explosive device near his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. Following an attempt to rob a PNC Bank, and while surrounded by police, Wells was murdered when an explosive collar locked to his neck detonated. It is known as the \"collar bomb\" or \"pizza bomber\" case. The incident was shown live on television. Wells' involvement in the plot is a matter of controversy. Investigators concluded and a federal prosecutor's indictment alleged Wells was a knowing participant in the bank robbery but was told the bomb was fake and did not know his co-conspirators intended for him to die. Wells' family said he was not a willing participant in the incident. The multiple aspects of the crime meant the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) led an investigative task force in conjunction with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP). It is the only crime of its kind; CNN described it as \"one of the most complicated and bizarre crimes in the annals of the FBI\". [1] The incident has gained extensive coverage in mass media, including the 2018 Netflix series Evil Genius. A federal grand jury indicted Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong and Kenneth Barnes on charges of bank robbery, conspiracy, and weapons charges. Fellow co-conspirator William \"Bill\" Rothstein had died and his roommate Floyd Stockton was given immunity from prosecution so he could testify against Diehl-Armstrong. In 2008, U.S. District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin sentenced Barnes to 45 years in federal prison. Two years later, Diehl-Armstrong was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Brian Wells was born in Warren, Pennsylvania to Rose and Harold Wells, the latter of whom was a Korean War veteran. In 1973, when Wells was a 16-year-old sophomore, he dropped out of Erie's East High School and went to work as a mechanic. [2]\n\nAt Kenneth Barnes' home, he, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, and William Rothstein discussed ways they could make money. Diehl-Armstrong suggested Barnes kill her father, Harold Diehl, so she would receive an inheritance. Barnes told her he was willing to do this for US$200,000 (equivalent to $281,368 in 2020). [3] The collar bomb-bank robbery plot was hatched to obtain enough money to pay Barnes to kill Diehl-Armstrong's father. [a] In return for a reduced sentence, Barnes later told investigators Diehl-Armstrong was the mastermind of the crime and that she wanted the money to pay Barnes to kill her father, whom she believed was wasting her inheritance. [5]\n\nDiehl-Armstrong, Barnes, and Rothstein seem to have had issues with compulsive hoarding. [6][7]\n\nMarjorie Eleanor \"Marge\" Diehl-Armstrong (February 26, 1949 – April 4, 2017) had a history of suffering from multiple mental illnesses including bipolar disorder,[6][7] since her early teens, and seems to have been a serial killer. [8] Before her mental health deteriorated in her twenties, Diehl-Armstrong was an \"exemplary student\" in high school and earned a master's degree from Gannon College. [6][9] In 1984, she shot her boyfriend Robert Thomas six times as he lay on the couch but was acquitted on claims of self-defense. [6][10] Her husband and several other partners also died under suspicious circumstances. [11] Diehl-Armstrong died from breast cancer in prison on April 4, 2017, at the age of 68. [12][6]\n\nKenneth Barnes (1954 – June 20, 2019) was a retired television repairman, crack dealer, and Diehl-Armstrong's \"fishing buddy\". He suffered from diabetes and died in prison on June 20, 2019, at the age of 64–65. [13]\n\nWilliam Ansel \"Bill\" Rothstein (January 17, 1944 – July 30, 2004) dated Diehl-Armstrong in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was implicated in a 1977 murder after he gave a handgun to a friend who used it to murder a romantic rival; he later attempted to destroy the weapon but was granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony. [14] Rothstein was a handyman and part-time shop teacher, and was part of a group called the \"fractured intellectuals\"; intelligent people who were not well-adjusted. [15] Rothstein was admitted to the Millcreek Community Hospital on July 23, 2004, having previously been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma showing diffuse, large-cell type myeloproliferative lymphoma, and died on July 30 that year at the age of 60. [16][5]\n\nFloyd Arthur \"Jay\" Stockton Jr. (born 1947) is a convicted rapist of a disabled teenager. Stockton lived as a fugitive at Rothstein's house. He was granted immunity for his testimony against Diehl-Armstrong, but was never called to testify in court due to illness. [1]\n\nImmediately after his death, investigators searched Wells' house and found a list of people he knew, including two prostitutes unknown to other members of his family. One of the prostitutes he frequented, Jessica Hoopsick, knew Kenneth Barnes, who dealt crack and whose house was used by sex workers. [17][18]\n\nAccording to law enforcement reports, Wells participated in the planning of the bank robbery the day before and was aware of the complex plot, although he believed the bomb would be fake and would serve as an alibi if he was caught. [19][20] According to an FBI affidavit, two witnesses confirmed that Wells talked about the robbery about a month before it occurred. [1] Wells was seen leaving Rothstein's house the day before the incident, and investigators believe he participated in a rehearsal. It was believed Wells was killed to reduce the number of witnesses. [18]\n\nFamily and friends of Wells dispute his involvement in the bank robbery and his own death; according to them, Wells was accosted at gunpoint and forced to wear the bomb. [2][21]\n\nThe bomb used in the killing consisted of a hinged collar that worked like a large handcuff to go around the neck, four keyholes that went under the chin, and a rectangular section that contained two pipe bombs and two kitchen timers. One electronic timer hung down over the chest. The device had several decoys, such as unconnected wires, a toy cell phone, and stickers bearing deceptive warnings. [5]\n\nWells worked as a pizza delivery driver at the Mama Mia's Pizzeria in Erie for ten years before his death. [22][23] Just after 1:30 p.m. on August 28, 2003, the pizzeria received a call from a payphone at a nearby gas station. The owner could not understand the customer and passed the phone to Wells, who received a call to deliver two pizzas to 8631 Peach Street, an address a few miles from the pizzeria. The address was the location of the transmitting tower of WSEE-TV at the end of a dirt road.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["explosive collar"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Bureau of Alcohol","Bureau","Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI","FBI","Tobacco","Firearms and Explosives (ATF","Pennsylvania State Police (PSP)"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong and Kenneth Barnes","Armstrong","Kenneth Barnes","Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong","William \"Bill\" Rothstein","William Rothstein","Rothstein","William","Bill","Brian Douglas Wells"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a PNC Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["near his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania","Pennsylvania","Erie"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Larry Whitfield and Quanterrious McCoy attempted to rob the Fort Financial Credit Union in Gastonia, North Carolina","document":"On September 26, 2008, Larry Whitfield and Quanterrious McCoy attempted to rob the Fort Financial Credit Union in Gastonia, North Carolina. After their robbery attempt was foiled by the bank's security system, the two fled. McCoy was later found hiding under a van, while Whitfield entered the Parnell residence and attempted to contact a getaway vehicle. Mary Parnell was subsequently pronounced dead of a heart attack. Whitfield was arrested nearby and signed a confession admitting to breaking into several homes as well as the attempted bank robbery. A grand jury indicted McCoy and Whitfield on several counts relating to the failed robbery, but only Whitfield was indicted for forcing someone to accompany him and killing that person while trying to avoid being apprehended for the commission of a crime. Whitfield moved to dismiss this charge and argued that it was unconstitutionally vague and that the prosecution was required to prove that he intentionally caused Parnell's death. The district court denied the motion. Prior to the jury's deliberations, the district court instructed the jury that, in order to find Whitfield guilty of the additional charge, it only needed to find that his actions were the proximate cause of Parnell's death, and it did not include a minimum limit on the degree of accompaniment necessary. Whitfield objected to the instruction and the court overruled the objection. Whitfield was found guilty, but on the additional charge he was found guilty of forcing Parnell to accompany him, not of killing her. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit vacated Whitfield's conviction and remanded the case for rehearing on the issue of whether or not the district court constructively amended the indictment in its jury instructions. On remand, the district court again found Whitfield guilty and the Court of Appeals affirmed. Does the forced accompaniment offense require proof of more than minimum movement on the part of the victim? Forced accompaniment during the commission of a crime occurs when a person requires another to “go with” him, even when that movement occurs over a short distance such as within the same building. No. Justice Antonin Scalia delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court. The Court held that forced accompaniment occurs when a person requires another to \"go with\" him, even when that movement occurs over a short distance such as within the same building. While the word \"accompany\" indicates movement over distance, that distance needs only be from one place to another, and therefore can be relatively short. The Court held that a plain reading of the word \"accompany\" does not connote movement over a substantial distance, and the statute should not be read in such a manner.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Larry Whitfield and Quanterrious McCoy"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Fort Financial Credit Union"]},{"role":"Date","values":["On September 26, 2008"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Gastonia, North Carolina"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"On Sunday, August 19, 1962, a group of six men, with help of a bank’s safe-keeper, robbed a local branch of the National Bank of Poland, located in the town of Wołów in Lower Silesian Voivodeship (southwestern Poland).","document":"On Sunday, August 19, 1962, a group of six men, with help of a bank’s safe-keeper, robbed a local branch of the National Bank of Poland, located in the town of Wołów in Lower Silesian Voivodeship (southwestern Poland). Altogether, 12,531,000 złotys were stolen,[1] which in late 2000s (decade) prices, would make some 18 million złotys. It was the biggest bank robbery in the history of the People's Republic of Poland,[1] to the point that the Polish government for a while considered withdrawing all 50-złoty and 100-złoty bills from the market, which would help find the robbers. [2]\n\nThe robbery was described with details in a local newspaper Głos Pracy, which dedicated large part of its October 19, 1962, issue to the \"job\". According to the article, which was written two months after the robbery, on Sunday, August 19, 1962, a group of robbers approached a guard, who was entering the bank to work the night shift. The guard was bound, and left in the cellar, while the robbers entered the main hall, quickly finding the safe. The robbers got into the safe through a hole cut in the wall by a jack-screw. [3] They stole 12,531,000, all in 500-, and 100-złoty notes. The loot was staggering for these times, as back then, the biggest lottery jackpots were up to 1 million złotys. [2]\n\nAccording to Colonel Stanisław Gorniecki of the local police department, the guard spent the whole night in the cellar, and was found on the next day at 4:30 a.m., by a cleaning lady, who upon entering the building noticed that the main door had not been locked. The woman then heard moaning coming from the cellar, and she went down to spot the guard. Soon afterwards the police were informed, and all local roads were closed, and the officers checked all trunks. Criminals and thieves known to the police were investigated, and on the same day (Monday, August 20), a group of police experts came by plane from Warsaw. The investigation was dubbed W-62. [2]\n\nThe experts found out that the robbers had used a Warszawa car, also, due to several traces left on the ground, they managed to tell the type of tires. Also, the vehicle hit a pile of broken bricks, so search immediately started. Furthermore, on the ripped safe there were traces of paint of the tools used. It looked like all tools were painted in the same color, so the detectives tried to locate a shop or a workshop to which the tools belonged. As the robbery was very quick, it was suggested that one of the criminals was a person associated with the bank, who knew the details of the inside. Therefore, all employees were investigated. Finally, it was established that all stolen banknotes belonged to the AP and AR series (for 500 złoty notes), and DI, DK and DR series (100 złoty notes). All bank tellers and cashiers in the country were informed about it. [citation needed]\n\nHundreds of tip-offs came to the police from uninvolved individuals around the country, and the first significant information came from Pruszcz Gdański, where a woman came to a bank to deposit 18,000 złotys. Among the money, there were a lot of bills from the marked series, and the teller immediately informed the police. A short investigation concluded that the woman was related to a person from Wołów, who was a customer of the bank, and turned out to be one of the robbers. [citation needed]\n\nThe second tip came from Ostrów Wielkopolski, where a bank teller noticed that a 500-złoty note was very damaged and probably fake. The manager of the bank checked it - the note was real, but it was purposely tattered to look old and worn. Altogether, there were nine such notes in the Ostrów Wielkopolski bank. All were taken to the laboratory, which confirmed that the money was new, and probably washed in a laundry machine. [citation needed]\n\nOne day later, on October 1, 1962, a woman entered a textile store in the Kluczbork. She picked an expensive carpet, and handed the seller a 500-złoty bill. The female employee immediately realized that it was the wanted note, but at the same time the customer sensed she was in trouble. She wanted the money back, but also suggested a bribe. The seller would not hear of it, locked the store and called the police. [3] The customer was the wife of a man from Wołów, who turned out to be one of the brains of the gang. A search of their house resulted in finding a great deal of stolen money that belonged to the marked series. It was a breakthrough moment of the investigation, and in the next three days, all the robbers were caught. [citation needed]\n\nThe police were shocked to learn that none of the robbers were seasoned criminals, but a group of otherwise law-abiding citizens of the town. [3] Their brains was an electrician Stanisław J., who had worked for the bank, and who had ordered his comrades to stay quiet for a while, and avoid any big purchases, not to bring heat on the gang. All were sentenced to 25 years, but left prison after 17 years, in 1979. [2] The police recovered almost all the money stolen in the heist. [citation needed]\n\nIn 1975, film director Mieczysław Waskowski made a movie Hazardzisci (The Gamblers), which is dedicated to the 1962 robbery. [4]\n\nAlso, in 2008, Polish Radio Wrocław created a radio show, telling the story of the robbery,[5] and Polish TV Wroclaw, together with Gazeta Wyborcza filmed a documentary titled Napad na bank. [6]","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["a group of police experts came by plane from Warsaw. The investigation was dubbed W-62","investigation","group"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["Warszawa car"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a group of six men, with help of a bank’s safe-keeper","group"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a local branch of the National Bank of Poland","Poland"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Sunday, August 19, 1962","1962"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["town of Wołów in Lower Silesian Voivodeship (southwestern Poland)","Wołów","town"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["12,531,000 złotys were stolen,[1] which in late 2000s (decade) prices, would make some 18 million złotys"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Kraft State Bank robbery","document":"The Kraft State Bank robbery occurred on October 20, 1931 in Menomonie, Wisconsin when Charles Preston Harmon, Frank Webber, Francis Keating and Tommy Holden stole US$90,000 ($1,421,094.08 in 2016[1]) dollars from the Kraft State Bank. [2]\n\nAt 9:15 am, the three men drove up to the Kraft State Bank in a 1928 Phaeton model L Lincoln, and Charles Preston Harmon, Francis Keating and Tommy Holden walked into the bank. They forced all the people at the bank to lay down on the floor while the money was taken being taken from the vault. In the process, the bank's proprietor, William F. Kraft, and Charles Preston Harmon were wounded. [3]\n\nTheir robbery was ended when guard Vernon Townsend tripped the alarm. The robbers fled with $90,000 and two hostages, James Kraft and Mrs. A.W. Schafer. However, Mrs. Schafer was left behind when she tripped and fell. [4]\n\nThey sped off, coming under fire by restaurateur Winfield Kern, Vernon Townsend, and Farmers Store clerk Ed Grutt (also spelled Grudt), with Frank Webber returning fire. In the firefight, Frank Webber was killed. As the robbers fled down U.S. Route 12, pursued by armed vigilantes and the sheriff, Ike Harmon, they paused on Suckow Road to throw Webber's dead body onto the road and kill James Kraft. Shortly afterwards, they threw Charles Preston Harmon onto the road, where he died soon after. The two men disappeared soon after. [3] \nIn the ensuing hunt, District Attorney A. W. Galvin accused Richard Newman and Leonard Hankins of being the robbers, but they were found innocent. [5] Richard Newman, when asked \"Have you been through Menomonie, Wisconsin? \"replied, \"I have been through Menomonie, yes, sir.\" Then the prosecutor asked \"Isn't it a fact that on Oct. 18, 1931, you and Hankins entered the Kraft State Bank at Menomonie, Wisconsin with guns in your hands?\" Newburn attempted to answer, \"Mr. Compton, I…\" Compton yelled, \"Answer that 'yes' or 'no'!\" To which Newburn replied, \"It is not a fact, no sir, I never robbed a bank in my life in no town or no place.\" At which point they were found innocent. [4]\n\nThe hunt finally ended eight months later, when the last two robbers, Francis Keating and Tommy Holden were apprehended on a Kansas City, Missouri golf course and sent to Leavenworth Prison. [2]","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["William F. Kraft, and Charles Preston","Kraft","Charles Preston"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Lincoln, and Charles Preston Harmon, Francis Keating and Tommy Holden","Charles Preston Harmon","Francis Keating","Tommy Holden","the three men"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["The Kraft State Bank","Kraft State Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["October 20, 1931","1931","At 9:15 am"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Menomonie, Wisconsin","Menomonie","Wisconsin"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["90,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Police: Bank robbery suspect caught while waiting for a ride","document":"GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Green Bay police say they captured the suspect in a downtown bank robbery while he was waiting for a ride to the bus station. Police say he had more than $20,467 in U.S. currency on him. Police responded to a 911 call reporting a robbery at Chase Bank, 200 S. Adams St., at 10:51 A.M. The bank is across the street from the Green Bay Police Department. Officers were told a person presented a note and took an undetermined amount of U.S. money. Police called in a K-9 unit for tracking and quickly distributed bank surveillance photos. They secured the area and alerted local businesses, including a nearby hotel. At 11:43 A.M., police got a tip that the suspect was in the lobby, waiting for a ride. He was arrested without incident and is being held in the Brown County Jail. Police haven’t identified the suspect, but Chief Andrew Smith says he wasn’t from Green Bay. “Apparently this out-of-town suspect wasn’t aware of the GBPD’s reputation for catching crooks. Also, I don’t think he realized both the bank he robbed and his getaway hideout were all within a block of Green Bay Police Headquarters.”","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Green Bay police","Green Bay Police","Chase Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["10:51 A.M"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["more than $20,467 in U.S. currency"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["200 S. Adams St"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI and Loxley Police arrest bank robbery suspect in Silverhill","document":"Loxley police and the FBI arrest a bank robbery suspect Thursday morning June 13th. David Gregory Long has been charged with robbery 1st for the bank robbery that occurred at the United Bank on Highway 59 on Wednesday, April 17th. MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) -- Mobile Police arrested a UPS driver charged with causing a crash that killed a one-year-old boy and his mother. Tillman's Corner, Ala. (WALA)-- A big scare at the Alabama Pecan Festival in Tillman's Corner, leaving a lot of people shaken up. A child rushed to the hospital after falling off a carnival ride. MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – Mobile County prosecutors on Thursday upgraded charges against a woman accused of shooting four people at a bowling alley this week, while the county’s top prosecutor blasted a jailhouse “revolving door.” MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – A jury deliberated for about an hour Wednesday before finding an accused murderer not guilty. MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) -- Mobile Police said there was not a shooting at the Greater Gulf State Fair on Saturday night. LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -- At a Spring Valley intersection on Wednesday night, candles and balloons were on display to honor 23-year-old Tina Tintor. MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) -- The Mobile Police Department is investigating three shootings that happened in broad daylight on the same day. MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) -- A late night, high speed chase down Interstate 65 on Wednesday around 11 p.m. was caught on camera and police say two kids were in the backseat the whole time. MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) -- Mobile Police arrested Christin Edwards Wednesday afternoon. She's charged with four felony counts of second-degree assault. SARALAND, Ala. (WALA) -- Saraland Police said a stop on Interstate 65 led to them discovering eight pounds of marijuana hidden in the car. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["David Gregory Long"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Loxley police and the FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday morning June 13th"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Armed man gets away with cash in Sterling bank robbery","document":" A group of Loudoun residents seeking the ouster of five scho… At Tuesday night's Purcellville Town Council meeting, Erin R… An armed man robbed a Sterling bank Saturday morning, getting away with an undisclosed amount of money, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. The robbery occurred at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday at a Bank of America branch in the 45400 block of Dulles Crossing Plaza when the suspect approached a teller and demanded cash while displaying a gun. The suspect fled the area in a dark-colored SUV. No one inside the bank was injured, according to the LCSO. The suspect is described as a Black male wearing a blue jacket, blue jeans, and a black mask that was partially covering his face, the sheriff’s office said. Anyone with any information about the possible identity of the suspect is asked to contact Detective S. McCormack at 703-777-1021. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are asked to call Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919 or submit a tip through the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office app. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office","Office","Detective S. McCormack"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a dark-colored SUV"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Sterling bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["about 10:30 a.m. Saturday","Saturday","Saturday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Bank of America branch in the 45400 block of Dulles Crossing Plaza"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police: Fleeing bank robber fires at officers, collides with truck","document":"Updated: March 10, 2021 11:19 pm Corley Peel, Reporter/Weekend Anchor JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A young girl and her grandfather were hospitalized Wednesday afternoon after colliding with a car driven by a suspected bank robber, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Cheyenne Meyer, public information officer with the Sheriff’s Office, said that around 4:30 p.m. officers were called to 103rd Street near the intersection of McManus Drive in reference to a bank robbery. She said an armed man entered the bank, brandished a firearm and demanded money from employees, who complied with the man’s demands. “As the suspect was exiting the bank, patrol officers were arriving on scene, and the suspect entered a vehicle that the patrol officers immediately recognized as a car that had previously been reported stolen earlier in the day,” Meyer said. She said officers began pursuing the vehicle, which was going in and out of oncoming traffic. She said the driver discharged a firearm at an officer on 103rd Street. Meyer said the driver struck a pickup truck. Anthony Boyle witnessed the crash. “Just out of nowhere a white car... it hits a blue truck almost head on,” Boyle said. Officers blocked the man’s vehicle, and he was apprehended. The grandfather and granddaughter, who were in the pickup, were taken to a hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. Their ages were not disclosed, but Meyer said the granddaughter was a minor. Meyer said an officer and the suspect also had non-life-threatening injuries. No injuries were reported at the bank.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["firearm"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a car"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Cheyenne Meyer, public information officer"]},{"role":"Location","values":["103rd Street near the intersection of McManus Drive"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Serial robbery suspect wanted for Murray bank robbery","document":"The 2021 KUTV Holiday Pops Concert returns to an in-person performance on Saturday, Dec. 4. Get details and info on tickets. Sinclair Cares: Support All Veterans Children 5-11 can begin receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at no cost. Health departments around Utah are now offering the shots. by Amber Rhoades, KUTV Unified Police and the FBI are asking for help in identifying a serial bank robbery suspect. He is believed to have perpetrated a robbery at a Chase Bank location in Murray on Saturday afternoon. According to Murray City Police, the suspect walked into the Chase Bank located at 6255 S. State Street at approximately 2 p.m. and then left with an unknown amount of cash. No damage to the building was reported. The suspect is described as a white man of average build and is approximately five-foot, seven-inches. He was last seen wearing a University of Utah baseball hat, a red t-shirt, a black Timberland jacket, jeans, and Vans shoes. He has been seen driving a 2000 gold two-door Cadillac Eldorado. Unified Police and the FBI are asking for help in identifying a serial bank robbery suspect. (Photo: UPD) Authorities believe that the suspect may be armed and dangerous, and warns not to directly approach him. If you have any information on the suspect, call the Salt Lake Valley Emergency Communications Center at 801-840-4000 and ask for Detective Heatherlyn Lohrke.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["KUTV Unified Police and the FBI","FBI","Murray City Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["walked","a 2000 gold two-door Cadillac Eldorado"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Chase Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday afternoon","at approximately 2 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Murray"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"A man sentenced to five years' jail for robbing a bank","document":"SINGAPORE - David James Roach, the Canadian sentenced to five years' jail and six strokes of the cane for robbing a bank of more than $30,000 in 2016, has been spared the cane. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Sunday (July 25) that Roach, who committed the Standard Chartered Bank robbery on July 7, 2016, had his sentence of caning remitted on Saturday. This is because the Singapore Government, in order to secure his extradition, had assured Britain that any corporal sentence on Roach, who had fled Singapore, would not be carried out. MHA said President Halimah Yacob, on the advice of the Cabinet, has exercised her powers under Article 22P(1) of Singapore's Constitution to remit the sentence of six strokes of the cane imposed on Roach. \"The Singapore Government has thus fulfilled the assurance given to the United Kingdom government. No alternative punishment will be imposed on Roach in lieu of the remitted sentence of caning.\" David James Roach, now 31, had fled Singapore soon after the robbery, where he made off with $30,000. He was sentenced on July 7. MHA said Roach fled Singapore to Thailand on the day of the robbery. On Jan 11, 2018, Roach was deported from Thailand and arrived in London on the same day. The authorities here sought assistance from the British authorities to arrest Roach, with a view to extraditing him to Singapore. As part of the extradition proceedings, the Singapore Government undertook to the British government that no form of corporal punishment would be carried out on Roach should he be found guilty here of the offences for which his extradition was sought. \"This is because the UK's extradition laws prohibited the extradition of Roach without such an assurance,\" MHA explained. Roach was extradited from Britain and arrived in Singapore on March 17 to face charges of robbery and money laundering, having exhausted all legal channels for appeal in Britain against his extradition. On July 7, he pleaded guilty at the State Courts to one count of robbery and one count of money laundering. For robbery, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and receive at least six strokes of the cane. MHA noted that it was necessary for the Government to provide this assurance to Britain, or the latter would not have permitted the extradition. \"Extraditing Roach to Singapore to face justice for his crimes was our top priority,\" it said. \"The Singapore Government will do whatever is necessary and permissible within our legal framework to seek justice against those who commit crimes in Singapore, regardless of nationality and where they may have fled to.\"","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["David James Roach, the Canadian","David James Roach"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Standard Chartered Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2016","July 7, 2016"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["more than $30,000"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Standard Chartered Bank branch robbed","document":"SINGAPORE - A Canadian man who escaped with more than $30,000 after robbing a Standard Chartered Bank branch in Holland Avenue on July 7, 2016, was sentenced to five years' jail and six strokes of the cane on Wednesday (July 7). However, he may not be caned as the Singapore Government had assured Britain that any corporal sentence would not be carried out in order to secure his extradition, and said last night it was working through the necessary procedures to fulfil this assurance. David James Roach, now 31, who fled Singapore soon after the robbery, had earlier pleaded guilty to one count each of robbery and moving his criminal gains out of Singapore. During submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Marcus Foo called on Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan to sentence Roach to six years' jail and nine strokes of the cane. Roach's lawyer Anand Nalachandran asked for a lighter sentence, stressing that his client was not armed with a gun during the robbery. Judge Tan, who said Roach had committed \"daylight robbery\" in a \"brazen\" manner, sentenced Roach to five years' jail and six strokes of the cane. The court heard that Roach arrived in Singapore on a social visit pass on June 29, 2016 and he went on to stay at different hostels in the Chinatown area. He then planned the heist and carried it out on July 7 that year. Roach had approached the bank cashier during the robbery with his right hand in a bag that he placed on the counter. His action, coupled with a handwritten note with the words, \"This is a robbery, I have a gun in my bag\", caused the cashier, who was pregnant, to fear for her life and she complied with his instructions on the note. According to previous reports, Roach took a flight out of Changi Airport a few hours after the robbery. He was tracked via security footage and DNA from the room where he was staying. A bank ticket stub revealed his identity. Roach's conviction brings to a close a long saga during which he ended up behind bars in Thailand and was later detained in Britain, where he fought a legal battle in a bid to escape extradition to Singapore. In a previous joint statement, the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) and Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that Roach was arrested in Thailand later in July, 2016. He was then sentenced to 14 months' jail in Thailand for violating money laundering and other Thai Customs laws. After he was deported from Thailand on Jan 11, 2018, Roach was detained in London, at Singapore's request, while en route to Canada. The Thai government had earlier rejected Singapore's request to extradite Roach as the two countries did not have an extradition treaty in place. Roach was extradited to Singapore from Britain in March last year and charged in court with robbery and money laundering. He was finally charged in Singapore on March 17 last year. The Straits Times had earlier reported that Roach will not be caned. The AGC and Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a joint statement on Wednesday evening that as part of the extradition proceedings, the Singapore Government undertook to the United Kingdom (UK) government that any sentence of corporal punishment imposed by a Singapore court on Roach for the offences for which he was extradited would not be carried out. This is because the UK’s extradition laws would prohibit the extradition of Roach to Singapore in the absence of such an assurance. The two Singapore agencies added: \"This assurance given to the UK is in recognition of the differing views that countries have on corporal punishment and does not affect Singapore’s long-held view that such punishment does not constitute torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, or contravene international law. \"The assurance was given solely to secure Roach’s extradition to Singapore to face justice for his crimes. The Singapore Government will do whatever is necessary and permissible within our legal framework to seek justice against those who commit crimes in Singapore.\" The AGC and the MHA also said that the Singapore Government is working through the necessary procedures to fulfil the assurance given to the UK government. Roach has made no restitution. For robbery, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and receive at least six strokes of the cane.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the cashier, who was pregnant"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Singapore Government","Singapore Government"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["took a flight"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Standard Chartered Bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["July 7, 2016"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Holland Avenue"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["more than $30,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"A robbery story about Standard Chartered Bank","document":"SINGAPORE - The suspect in the 2016 Standard Chartered Bank robbery, who was extradited to Singapore, was charged with robbery and money laundering on Tuesday (March 17). Canadian David James Roach, 30, had allegedly robbed the bank's Holland Village branch of $30,000 on July 7, 2016, by walking into the bank and slipping the teller a note with his demands, claiming that he had a weapon. Roach then fled to Thailand, where he was arrested on July 9, and later sentenced to 14 months' jail for violating money laundering and other Thai Customs laws. He was deported from Thailand in January 2018, but was detained in London, at Singapore's request, while en route to Canada. The Thai government had rejected Singapore's request to extradite Roach, as the two countries have no extradition treaty in place. The successful extradition from Britain marks the end of a lengthy process to have Roach return to Singapore's shores. Singapore had to reassure the British government that he would not be caned if he were to be convicted of robbery, which is an offence that comes with mandatory caning here. British laws prohibit the authorities from extraditing Roach without such an undertaking. The country had abolished caning for criminals in 1948. Roach appealed multiple times to the British High Court to reverse the decision to extradite him to Singapore, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) in a joint statement. The High Court heard and dismissed his appeal, and Roach was handed over to the Singapore Police Force's custody on March 16. He arrived in Singapore on Tuesday, and appeared in court via video link the same day. He faces one count of robbery, and one count of removing the benefits of his criminal conduct. In the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, all necessary precautionary measures in handling the extradition were taken, said police. The British prison service had certified him fit for travel before he was handed over to police officers from Singapore. SPF said its officers sent to the United Kingdom were required to monitor their health status, as well as Roach’s health while on the flight back to Singapore. Roach, who did not present any Covid-19 symptoms, will be placed under 14-day segregation for observation while under legal custody, said the police. The officers who returned will also stay at home and monitor their health status as a precautionary measure, the police added. In a joint statement early on Tuesday, the SPF and AGC said: “The Singapore authorities will do whatever is necessary and permissible within our legal framework to pursue and bring to justice those who commit crimes in Singapore, regardless of nationality and where they might have fled to. “We will also not hesitate to take firm action against these individuals, and will seek an appropriate sentence if they are convicted.”","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Singapore Police Force (SPF)","Singapore Police Force","SPF"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["walking"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Canadian David James Roach"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Standard Chartered Bank","Holland Village branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["2016","July 7, 2016"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["30,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Mahadi Muhamad Mukhtar robbed a moneylending company with a revolver","document":"SINGAPORE - An Aetos officer was charged on Wednesday (April 14) under the Arms Offences Act for allegedly robbing a moneylending company of more than $24,000 in cash while armed with a revolver, the first time in 15 years a gun was used in an armed robbery. Mahadi Muhamad Mukhtar, 38, had approached staff at OT Credit, located at Block 135 Jurong Gateway Road, at about 3.30pm on April 12. The police said in a statement on Wednesday morning that preliminary investigations revealed that staff at the unit were shown a handwritten note that said: \"This is a robbery, don't shout. I got a gun in my pocket. Put all the money in the bag.\" The staff purportedly handed him the cash before he fled. Mahadi was allegedly carrying a firearm during the robbery but did not reveal it to the staff. He is believed to have acted alone, said the police, adding that the last armed robbery involving a firearm happened in 2006 at a 4-D outlet at Sun Plaza shopping centre. This is the second time that OT Credit has been targeted by armed robbers. Last November, four men allegedly robbed the moneylending company of $48,000 in cash while armed with a karambit knife. Kotta Kumar Jeswanth, now 19, was sentenced in February to undergo reformative training for a minimum of one year. This means that he will be detained in a centre and made to follow a strict regimen that includes foot drills and counselling. The cases involving three other men are still pending. In the latest case, police said officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Police Intelligence Department and Clementi Police Division, with the help of Aetos staff, were able to identify the suspect as an on-duty Aetos auxiliary police officer. Mahadi was arrested within five hours of the robbery. Police, without identifying Mahadi by name, said the suspect had reported to work at the Aetos headquarters in Corporation Drive prior to the commencement of his deployment on Monday and drawn his firearm. But he then changed out of his uniform and left the headquarters with his firearm without authorisation. After allegedly committing the offence, Mahadi returned to the headquarters, put on his uniform and rode in the company's van to his deployment location. Police said investigations also showed that he purportedly deposited part of the stolen cash in the bank account of his female friend. Nur Shana Mohd Taib, 34, was charged on Wednesday afternoon with one count of receiving stolen property. Nur Shana, who is alleged to have received $10,000 shortly after the robbery, was also arrested. Mahadi allegedly also transferred the stolen cash to a few bank accounts to repay his debt to unlicensed moneylenders. The police have since arrested eight other individuals, aged between 16 and 48, in relation to the robbery. About $17,500 of the cash has been recovered, with efforts to recover the rest under way, said police. Mahadi was charged in court on Wednesday morning with the offences, including being in unlawful possession of arms or ammunition in the commission of a scheduled offence. He has been remanded and is expected to be back in court for a further mention of his case on April 21. If convicted, he will face life imprisonment and no fewer than six strokes of the cane. Nur Shana has also been remanded to assist in investigations before returning to court on April 21. If convicted, she could be jailed for up to five years, or fined, or both. Aetos, in a media statement, did not identify Mahadi by name but said he was an auxiliary police officer who performed general security. It added that the company is extending its fullest cooperation to the authorities in their investigation. \"Aetos has zero tolerance for any form of criminal conduct by any of its employees, especially the unlawful use of firearms. We impose stringent regulations, safeguards and a strict code of conduct on all auxiliary police officers to ensure that they are fit for duty and to carry firearms,\" the company said. CID director How Kwang Hwee said the armed robbery suspect had abused the firearm entrusted to him to carry out his duties. \"Police officers worked swiftly to secure his arrest, aided by images from police cameras and shop CCTVs. We managed to do so without harm being caused to the public, given the risk that the robber was allegedly carrying a firearm. \"The police will spare no effort to ensure that such criminals who endanger the public's safety are dealt with firmly and severely in accordance with the law,\" added Senior Assistant Commissioner How.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a revolver"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Arms Offences Ac"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Mahadi Muhamad Mukhtar"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["about 3.30pm on April 12"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["OT Credit, located at Block 135 Jurong Gateway Road","OT Credit"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["more than $24,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Regina police investigating after downtown bank robbery","document":" Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Copy Url Police are investigating after a mid-morning bank robbery in downtown Regina on Friday. According to the Regina Police Service, officers were sent to a bank in the 1900 block of Hamilton Street around 11:10 a.m. after a report of a robbery. In a press release, police said a man entered the bank armed with what appeared to be a gun. He demanded money and left with cash. RPS said no one was injured. Anyone with information is asked to call Regina police at 306-777-6500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Regina Police Service"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["downtown Regina"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI searching for suspect in Bonham bank robbery","document":"The FBI is searching for a suspect in a Bonham bank robbery that happened Friday morning. \"That's scary for this community because you know, it's such a small community you don't know,\" said Frances Austin, who planned to go to the ATM at CapTex Bank off Highway 78 around 8 Friday morning. \"But decided not to, so I think the good Lord was saying hey, don't go there right now,\" she said. She ended up going later, but by then, it was blocked off by police. \"Cause I had my turn signal on to turn in here and then it was all blocked off so I just kept on going,\" Austin said. Around 7:40 a.m. Friday, Bonham police say a man followed a teller inside the back of the bank when she was going into work. Police said he told her to unlock the safe, then told her and two other tellers to give him their cellphones and go into the bathroom, which he locked by taping a chair to the door handle. They told officers they never saw a weapon. Federal, state and local investigators were on scene for hours after it happened. For customers like Gary McCain, it was a setback on the deadline day to pay property taxes. He wanted to make sure he had enough money. \"I was going to transfer some from my savings account. Couldn't do it. There were police cars everywhere,\" McCain said. So he came back in the afternoon, but the bank was closed for the day. McCain said he'll just do the transfer online. \"Geez, here I am. I hope I have enough money to cover the taxes,\" McCain said. Police said the man got away with cash, though they haven't said how much. He is believed to be driving a light-colored sedan. Officers say the suspect is a white male who was wearing camouflage and gloves. Police said the tellers were trapped in the bathroom until another employee came, and they screamed for her to leave saying they'd been robbed. Officers eventually got them out. The FBI Sherman office is leading the investigation. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the suspect's arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call the Bonham Police Department at 903-583-2141. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Bonham police","Federal, state and local investigators"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Bonham bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday morning","around 8 Friday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["CapTex Bank off Highway 78"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Cecil Stevens robbed the same bank for the third time","document":"A Birmingham bank robber is back behind bars after he was caught trying to rob the same bank for the third time. Cecil Stevens had already served two jail terms for a bank robbery when he threatened a cashier at the NatWest bank in St Phillips Place. During the robbery on October 11 last year, he grabbed notes from the cash drawer. And just 24 hours later – the brazen 56-year-old robbed the same bank again, this time grabbing cash along with a red dye pack. CCTV showed Stevens making off with the dye leaking from his trouser pocket. The cash and dye pack were then found in a bin nearby. Later that day, the hapless thief tried his luck at Nationwide in High Street. With a towel wrapped around his head, he went behind the counter, threatened a cashier and grabbed notes from an auto-teller machine. The cashier immediately activated the security smoke device and the bank filled with smoke as Stevens fled the scene. But he tried his luck again at NatWest on November 7, but was spotted by the manager who recognised him. A security guard asked him to remove his headwear, but he walked off instead. The manager followed him, who then alerted police and two Colmore Business Improvement District (BID) security officers who kept watch on Stevens until police arrived. Stevens, of Lombard Street, in Digbeth, had already served two prison sentences – one for robbing a building society in Walsall at gunpoint in 1998 and another robbery at a post office in East Yorkshire in 2008. He pleaded guilty to one robbery, two thefts and one attempted theft – and was jailed for 11 years at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday(19). Detective Constable Nick Betts said: \"I have to praise the actions of the bank manager and security team in the city centre. They reacted immediately and were instrumental in putting a prolific offender behind bars for a very long time.\"","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a cashier"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["police and two Colmore Business Improvement District (BID) security officers"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Cecil Stevens"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Birmingham bank","the NatWest bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["St Phillips Place"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Brazilian bank robbers invade another city, sowing chaos and death","document":"For the second night in a row, heavily armed bank robbers invaded a midsize city in Brazil, taking residents hostage as they looted a bank. The violence in the Amazonian city of Cameta came just one day after criminals struck another midsize city in a similar bank robbery on the opposite side of the country. The public security secretariat of Para state said in a statement that more than 20 criminals with assault rifles targeted a branch of the state-run Bank of Brazil in Cameta, a city of 140,000 people. Video on social media showed a line of about a dozen hostages being led away from a square and shots ringing out in the night Tuesday. “They drove around shooting at the police and at the houses. It was a horrible scene to see,” Junior Gaia, who lives nearby, said in an interview with television network Globo News. “We were all laid out on the floor, afraid they would invade the homes.” Local media reported that a military police station was attacked, preventing officers from responding. Neither the bank nor officials immediately said how much money might have been stolen. World & Nation A teen’s killing stirs Black Lives Matter protests in Brazil More than 600 people were killed by police in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state in the first months of this year, and most were black or biracial. June 18, 2020 The coordinated attack came a day after a similar overnight robbery of a Bank of Brazil branch in Brazil’s southern region. In the city of Criciuma, dozens of gunmen armed with assault rifles seized the city and took hostages as they used explosives to rob a bank. As in Cameta, the Criciuma robbers took measures to impede the police response and fired shots into the air, apparently to scare people into staying indoors. The robberies took place at the start of December, when bank coffers are filled in anticipation of employees withdrawing their year-end bonuses, said Cassio Thyone, a council member of the nonprofit Brazilian Forum on Public Safety. Many Brazilians get an extra month’s pay in December, known as the 13th salary. “It doesn’t happen without planning,” Thyone said of the robberies. “It’s another demonstration that everything is planned. They think of the location, and the timing.” World & Nation ‘Trump of the tropics’ Bolsonaro suffers heavy losses in Brazil mayoral races Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who consistently downplays the COVID-19 pandemic, suffered heavy losses in mayoral elections across the country. Nov. 30, 2020 The Bank of Brazil said in a statement that it is collaborating with police investigators and has yet to begin evaluating the structural damage to its branch in Cameta. Images published by online media outlet G1 showed the facade blown open and shards of glass littering the ground. In Cameta, tactical forces as well as police from other areas were dispatched to reinforce the police. Authorities located the criminals’ abandoned truck and found explosive devices within it, according to the security secretariat. Two people were shot, including one hostage, a young man, who was killed. The other has been hospitalized with a leg wound. Cameta Mayor Waldoli Valente offered his condolences for the victim on Facebook. “Our city was always peaceful and I ask that everyone stay at home,” he posted about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. The two overnight robberies resembled another in July in the city of Botucatu in Sao Paulo state. There, about 30 armed men blew up a bank branch, took residents hostage and exchanged gunfire with police before making their getaway. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["branch of the state-run Bank of Brazil","Brazil","Brazil branch","branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["The public security secretariat of Para state"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Cameta","midsize city in Brazil","Brazil"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robbery, shooting leave family with questions","document":"OLD FORGE, Pa. (AP) — The smiling face of a man who hated being photographed stares up from dozens of pictures glued to three sheets of poster board splayed across Charlene Modlesky’s dining room table in Edwardsville. A wobbly-kneed child attempts to roller skate. A couple poses in garish Christmas sweaters. A man at water’s edge teaches a young boy to fish. On Friday, friends and family of John Souder, killed Dec. 7 in Old Forge after robbing a bank in Luzerne County, prepared to remember the man they loved as they grapple with the question of why he would do something they said is so out of character. “That’s what makes it extremely difficult. Extremely,” Modlesky, Souder’s sister, said. “We’re mad, we’re angry, we have all the emotions and we don’t know why. We may never know why, but we know the person that John was and it just doesn’t add up.” Souder, 40, of Old Forge, robbed the M&T Bank in the Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming shortly before 1:30 p.m., then led police on a chase that snaked through Pittston and north to Old Forge. Souder stopped his fiancée’s PT Cruiser in the parking lot of the Old Forge Animal Hospital, and, according to a witness in the animal hospital, fired six to eight times before a volley of bullets from law enforcement killed him. Lackawanna County District Attorney Shane Scanlon, who is investigating if the use of force by police is justified, said he does not yet have forensics to confirm if Souder fired his weapon. An autopsy confirmed Souder died of two gunshot wounds to his head. Coroner Tim Rowland ruled his death a homicide. A still undisclosed number of unidentified state troopers and municipal police officers are on administrative leave while the investigation proceeds. That Souder, who has no offenses to his name more serious than a traffic citation, would rob a bank came as a deep shock to his family and overshadowed the gentle and joking family man that they knew. His death has cast a shadow over his life. “I have so many unanswered questions that I’ll never get the answer to. Never,” his fiancée, Beth Hunsicker, said. “I want to know why he did it, what was running through his mind, what made him do it.” Hunsicker met Souder as she shopped for groceries in Kingston Twp. eight years ago. Souder, who drove a truck at the time, saw Hunsicker and started staring. “Weirdo,” Hunsicker thought. “He asked me for my number, I was like no and he goes ‘Can I give you mine?'” Hunsicker, 40, said. “I was like, ‘sure’…and I called him, then it was … if he could have married me the day he met me, he probably would have.” Souder, who loved children and wanted to be a father, got along with Hunsicker’s children and became family, Hunsicker said. The couple said they loved each other every time he left the house, no matter what. “I wish people could have known the John that we knew,” Hunsicker said. Summer evenings were spent around the fire pit at Modlesky’s home in Edwardsville, telling jokes and sharing stories. They won’t be the same without Souder, she said. Souder loved dogs. His own dog, a Great Dane mix named Sarge, now sits at the foot of Souder’s chair, cries and looks for him, said Modlesky, 37. Souder told people Hunsicker was his wife. Hunsicker responded that there was no ring on her finger. Then they got engaged. They were to be married New Year’s Eve and planned to get a marriage license Dec. 7. Souder worked for a paving company and often worked 14 hours a day, Hunsicker said. Souder and Hunsicker were by no means rich, but they got by. He worried about money sometimes but not to a point where he would do something so “extreme,” Souder’s mother, Joan McDonald, said. His family said that they were aware of no struggles Souder may have had that would have led him to commit a bank robbery. “I don’t think he thought it through because he left a lot of people devastated,” McDonald, 58, said. McDonald said she knows what her son did was wrong and feels bad for the police officers involved. “I’m just hoping that when their investigation’s over, they. … I don’t know what I hope,” McDonald said. “I just wish it didn’t happen.” ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the M&T Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["before 1:30 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Lackawanna County District Attorney Shane Scanlon"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Suspect at large after Belvidere bank robbery","document":"BELVIDERE, Ill. (WIFR) - Belvidere police are searching for a bank robbery suspect after Midland States Bank was robbed Monday morning. According to Belvidere police, around 10 a.m. officers were sent to Midland States Bank at 600 S. State St. for a bank robbery in progress. Once the suspect was given an undisclosed amount of currency he fled south from the bank on foot. Police say the suspect fled the scene on foot, jumping a fence on 2nd Street heading south. The suspect, described as a dark-skinned man, 6 feet tall, thin build, in his 20′s, wearing a dark colored stocking cap and mask, white with grey stripe zip up, hooded, Nike sweatshirt, entered the bank and demanded money from the teller. No injuries have been reported, police say the suspect was not believed to have been armed. The Illinois State Police used their K-9 team to track the suspects direction of travel but was ultimately unsuccessful in locating the suspect. Belvidere police detective’s and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, are conducting a joint investigation. Anyone with information pertaining to this or any other investigation is encouraged to contact the Belvidere Police Department at 815-544-2135. Anonymous reports can be made by contacting, 24 hours a day, Boone County Crimestoppers at 815-544-7867(815-547-STOP) and BOONECOUNTYCRIMESTOPPERS.COM. Persons with information leading to an arrest can be awarded a cash reward of up to $1000.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Belvidere police","Belvidere Police","Belvidere police detective’s and the Federal Bureau of Investigation","investigation","The Illinois State Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["on foot"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Midland States Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Suspect in Chesterfield bank robbery arrested","document":"CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WWBT) - A suspect in a Chesterfield bank robbery has been arrested by police. Robert L. Burton, 54, of Chesterfield was arrested after robbing the Atlantic Union Bank at 11101 Hull Street Road on Jan. 16. At 9:35 a.m., Burton entered the business, approached a teller, displayed what appeared to be a handgun and demanded money. Upon receiving the cash, the suspect fled the scene in a vehicle. An officer was able to locate the vehicle nearby. Burton was arrested and has been charged with robbery and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in relation to the robbery of the Wells Fargo bank branch at 10831 Midlothian Turnpike.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a handgun","a firearm"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Burton"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Robert L. Burton, 54","Burton"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Atlantic Union Bank","the Wells Fargo bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Jan. 16. At 9:35 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["11101 Hull Street Road","0831 Midlothian Turnpike"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Inside the Northern Bank robbery: ‘I was waiting for the bullet in the back of the head’","document":" We will send you a quick reminder in the future, in case you change your mind. £26.5 million was stolen in the 2004 raid For those underwhelmed by the Line of Duty finale, Heist: The Northern Bank Robbery (BBC One, 9pm) is a Belfast-set mystery with a far more morally ambivalent denouement. It’s brimming with unlikely twists and features a cast of dozens. The only problem is here the villains are all too real. Several moments chill the blood. These include recordings of a sobbing Karyn McMullan, the wife of a Northern Bank assistant manager, who was kidnapped and left to fear for her life during the £26.5 million raid in December 2004. Viewers may also experience a shudder at footage of IRA planner and enforcer, Bobby Storey, widely believed to have masterminded the break-in, bellowing “we ain’t gone away you know”. Reporters Darragh MacIntyre and Sam McBride, political editor of the Belfast News Letter, set out in easily-digestible detail the case for Provisional IRA involvement in the heist. They also convey the sheer horror McMullan went through during the 24 hours she was held hostage (her mouth was sealed; she feared she would be sexually assaulted and then shot in the woods). However, MacIntyre and McBride get lost in the weeds slightly chronicling the aftermath of the hold-up. With authorities in the North cleverly withdrawing all Northern Bank notes from circulation, the haul was rendered more or less worthless. A bin full of half-burned notes was later discovered in Cork and the Garda swoop. This, alas, is where the sheer accumulation of information becomes overwhelming, so that it’s hard to keep track of who was arrested and on what charges. What really stands out is the sheer bungling. Outfoxed by the PSNI, the IRA couldn’t dispose of the the bulk of the cash, while the outcry over the robbery almost derailed the peace process. Gerry Adams is shown sifting in his seat as, of all people, American politician John McCain, upbraids the IRA for its criminality. “Adams and McGuinness did ultimately want the IRA to go away,” says former IRA prisoner Anthony McIntyre. “But at the time of their choosing. They [saw] [the IRA] as a valuable bargaining tool.” “The brains behind these activities was Bobby Storey,” adds author Brian Feeney. “That is generally acknowledged by security forces, army intelligence, the lot.” As if reading viewers’ minds, MacIntyre and McBride next cut to footage of senior Republicans attending a commemoration to mark Storey’s death in Belfast last year. They are flanked by activists wearing matching uniforms of black trousers and white shirts. MacIntyre and McBride have assembled a impressive line-up of interviewees including former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern,and ex-PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde. Their film paints a dispiriting portrait of the criminality that inevitably flows from terrorism. That is supported by Ahern’s conclusion that the cash was to pay off IRA men. “The views of those who might have known, that I ever asked, told me that it was as simple or complicated as this, that it was the pension fund … for guys who were pulling away from IRA activities.” But the words that cut to the quick are those of the kidnapped Karyn McMullan, as MacIntyre quotes a statement she later gave in court. “For hours I thought they were going to kill me,” she said. “I was waiting for the bullet in the back of the head. I asked him to get my body back to my family.”","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["Karyn McMullan, the wife of a Northern Bank assistant manager","Karyn McMullan"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["The Northern Bank","Northern Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the 2004","9pm"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["26.5 million"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Robber of Berkeley bank has been arrested","document":"Police said David Godwin had a knife and a “large wad of cash in his hands” when he was arrested. A 36-year-old parolee with a history of robbery is facing new felony charges after taking cash from a Berkeley bank over the weekend while armed with a knife, authorities report. On Saturday just before 10:30 a.m., a Bank of America employee called the Berkeley Police Department to report a robbery underway at the bank, at 2151 Shattuck Ave., between Addison and Center streets. The employee said the robber had a knife and threatened to use it, BPD said. Two Berkeley bicycle officers who were already on patrol in the area arrived within minutes “and spotted the suspect quickly walking away from the bank,” according to BPD. When they chased the man, BPD said, he ran into another bank nearby. Officers caught up with him and took him into custody. They identified the man as David Godwin, a 36-year-old parolee with no permanent address. SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY BRIEFING Don’t miss a story. Get Berkeleyside headlines delivered to your inbox. Police said Godwin “was still holding the large wad of cash in his hands” from the bank robbery when officers arrested him. During a search of Godwin, officers also found a large knife in his backpack, according to BPD. Police arrested Godwin on suspicion of robbery, resisting arrest and parole violation, BPD said. According to court records online, the Alameda County district attorney’s office charged Godwin on Tuesday with felony robbery, and alleged it was a serious or violent crime, which could garner a stiffer penalty in the case of conviction. Godwin already has robbery convictions from 2011 and 2016, according to court records online. He was sent to prison for two years after the 2016 conviction, in which Godwin had entered a no-contest plea, according to court records. The 2011 charge was for the robbery of a transit passenger, according to records online. The DA’s office also charged Godwin on Tuesday in two other cases, alleging that he exhibited a deadly weapon in November 2020 and revoking his parole. As of Wednesday, Godwin remained in custody at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and was being held without bail. He is scheduled for arraignment Thursday at the East County Hall of Justice in Dublin. Berkeleyside relies on reader support so we can remain free to access for everyone in our community. Donate to help us continue to provide you with reliable, independent reporting.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a knife"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["David Godwin"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["walking"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Berkeley bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["On Saturday just before 10:30 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["large wad of cash"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["2151 Shattuck Ave., between Addison and Center streets"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Berkeley police arrested the perpetrator of several bank robberies","document":"Berkeley police arrested 59-year-old Bryan Keith Richardson in Oakland on Thursday, said BPD spokesman Officer Byron White. Richardson “is also suspected of robbing several other banks throughout the Bay Area,” White said. He could not say more, he added, because those cases are being handled by other law enforcement agencies. But Pinole PD wrote on Facebook that Richardson was responsible for a robbery at Mechanics Bank there. SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY BRIEFING Don’t miss a story. Get Berkeleyside headlines delivered to your inbox. “The subject approached a teller, presented a note and demanded money,” Pinole PD wrote. “The teller complied with the suspect’s demand and handed over cash.” White said Richardson hit three banks in Berkeley in recent weeks: Jan. 14 at Mechanics Bank at 2301 Shattuck Ave. (at Bancroft Way); Jan. 22 at Mechanics Bank at 1801 Solano Ave. (at Colusa Avenue); and Jan. 27 at Wells Fargo at 1800 Solano Ave (also near Colusa). White said the Alameda County district attorney’s office charged Richardson on Monday “with multiple counts of robbery as well as several criminal enhancements.” Berkeleyside has requested further information and documents from the district attorney’s office. According to federal court papers, Richardson also pleaded guilty in 2009 to eight counts of bank robbery. He was sentenced to 120 months in prison as a result. According to jail records online, Richardson is being held on $100,000 bail. His next court appearance was not listed as of publication time. Berkeleyside relies on reader support so we can remain free to access for everyone in our community. Donate to help us continue to provide you with reliable, independent reporting.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["59-year-old Bryan Keith Richardson"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Berkeley police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["BPD spokesman Officer Byron White"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Oakland"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Mechanics Bank has been robbed","document":"Original story: Police are investigating a bank robbery that happened Monday morning at Mechanics Bank in downtown Berkeley, authorities report. A man in his 50s went into Mechanics Bank at 2301 Shattuck Ave. (at Bancroft Way) at 9:15 a.m. and demanded money, said Lt. Dan Montgomery of the Berkeley Police Department. The man left with the cash and was last seen fleeing the area on foot, Montgomery said. Get Berkeleyside headlines delivered to your inbox. Bank robberies are rare in Berkeley. In 2018, the most recent full-year data immediately available, Berkeley had three bank robberies. In 2020, there hasn’t been a bank robbery in the city since January, when there were three. BPD ultimately arrested an Oakland man in connection with those incidents, and said they were part of a larger series around the Bay Area. (The Oakland man was charged with robbery and remains in custody, according to court records online.) Berkeleyside will update this story if additional information becomes available. BPD asks anyone with tips about this incident to alert the department’s Robbery Detail at 510-981-5742. Berkeleyside relies on reader support so we can remain free to access for everyone in our community. Donate to help us continue to provide you with reliable, independent reporting.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Berkeley Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["on foot"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["an Oakland man","Oakland man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Mechanics Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday morning","9:15 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Lt. Dan Montgomery"]},{"role":"Location","values":["downtown Berkeley","2301 Shattuck Ave. (at Bancroft Way)"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"A robbery report about Wells Fargo bank","document":"Just after 4:20 p.m. Monday, officers responded to Wells Fargo bank at 1800 Solano Ave. (at Modoc Street) for a robbery report, said Officer Byron White, BPD spokesman, in response to a Berkeleyside inquiry. The man entered the bank alone and demanded money, White said. He was described as a black man, 40-50 years old, 5’8″-5’9″ tall, wearing a gray shirt and blue sweatpants. White said no one was injured and no weapons were seen during the incident. SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY BRIEFING Don’t miss a story. Get Berkeleyside headlines delivered to your inbox. On Wednesday last week, police responded to one bank robbery at the Solano Avenue Mechanics Bank, which is in the same block as Wells Fargo, followed several hours later by a robbery at the downtown Berkeley Wells Fargo at 2144 Shattuck Ave. (at Center Street). White said police do not know whether the incidents are connected. Berkeley has consistently averaged about a robbery a day in recent years. In 2018, the most recent data available, Berkeley had three reported bank robberies during the entire year. That year, about 67% of the robberies were pedestrian robberies, while 30% were commercial. There were also six carjackings and five home-invasion robberies. Of all the robberies, about 63% involved no weapon while about 19% involved a firearm. So far this year, there have been at least 18 robberies in Berkeley through Jan. 23, according to CrimeMapping.com, a repository for basic police data. The BPD robbery detail can be reached at 510-981-5742. Berkeleyside relies on reader support so we can remain free to access for everyone in our community. Donate to help us continue to provide you with reliable, independent reporting.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["no weapons"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Wells Fargo bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["after 4:20 p.m. Monday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Officer Byron White"]},{"role":"Location","values":["1800 Solano Ave. (at Modoc Street)"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Fairfield Bank Robber Pretended To Have Gun: Police","document":"FAIRFIELD, CT — A man accused of robbing a Fairfield bank Wednesday was not armed, but did pretend to have a gun and threatened employees of the business, according to police. William Johnson was arrested and charged with first-degree robbery and second-degree larceny not long after the robbery, police said. The crime occurred just before noon at Key Bank, 1761 Post Road, where Johnson insinuated he had a gun and pointed what witnesses believed to be a firearm at tellers, demanding money, according to police, who said Johnson then fled, leaving the area in a gray taxi. Warning: Graphic image depicting violence below. Authorities worked with local taxi companies to track a vehicle matching the description to East Main Street in Bridgeport, where Johnson was taken into custody, according to police. In Johnson's backpack, law enforcement found the cash stolen from Key Bank, police said. \"This is a traumatic event for those inside the bank,\" Capt. Antonio Granata said in an email. \"Luckily no one was hurt and the suspect was quickly taken into custody.\" Johnson, 42, of Clinton Avenue in Bridgeport, is being held on $100,000 bail, according to police. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["gray taxi"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["William Johnson"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Key Bank","Fairfield bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["1761 Post Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Guelph police release images relating to armed bank robbery investigation","document":"Guelph police are asking the public to help identify the person in this image. (Source: Guelph Police Service) (Jan. 10, 2020) Police respond to an armed bank robbery in Guelph (Terry Kelly / CTV News Kitchener) KITCHENER -- Guelph police have released images relating to an armed bank robbery and are asking the public if they can identify the person in the picture. The incident happened around 5:20 p.m. Friday at a bank on Stone Road West near Scottsdale Drive. Officials say a male went into the bank with a gun and demanded money. He fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. No one was injured in the incident. The male suspect is described as white with an average build. He was wearing a black hoodie, black pants, black boots and was carrying a tan backpack. On Saturday morning, police made a specific call to anyone who may have dash camera footage of the Stone Road and Scottsdale Drive area from Friday around 5 p.m. On Sunday evening, they asked the public to help identify the person in an image they released. Anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers. Police respond to an armed bank robbery in Guelph (Terry Kelly / CTV News Kitchener) Guelph police are asking the public to help identify the person in this image. (Source: Guelph Police Service) (Jan. 10, 2020) Police respond to an armed bank robbery in Guelph (Terry Kelly / CTV News Kitchener) Guelph police are asking the public to help identify the person in this image. (Source: Guelph Police Service) (Jan. 10, 2020)","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Guelph police","Guelph Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["around 5:20 p.m. Friday","Friday around 5"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["undisclosed amount of cash"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Guelph","Stone Road West near Scottsdale Drive"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robber Les Green's final mystery in death","document":"Even in death notorious bank robber Leslie Maurice Green left police with a job to do. But this time, they were investigating an allegation that Green was the victim of an assault. 82-year-old Green died in Middlemore Hospital on October 25, 2019, primarily from metastatic lung cancer. Career criminal Green, once described as New Zealand's most wanted man, and a “villain’s villain”, was an audacious bank robber. His most serious crimes included making off with $105,000 (worth more than $1m today) by blowing a jeweller’s vault in the 1970s, and between 1991 and 1992 he robbed seven banks between Wellington and Auckland, while carrying two pistols. READ MORE: * Cold Case murder mystery: What happened to Marion Granville? * Cold case: Police focus on identifying men seen with Marion Granville * Bank robber linked to cold case Green was given a 20-year sentence for his robberies, but was living out in the community in recent years. He died shortly after being discovered by fellow career criminal Arthur Taylor at Green's Papatoetoe flat, after a report that Green hadn’t been seen in weeks. Taylor discovered Green in a bad state and emergency services were called. According to a coroner’s report, Green was cachectic (physically wasted), dehydrated, malnourished, and hypothermic when discovered; his death was directly caused by oesophageal cancer, and contributed to by pneumonia, and cardiovascular disease. Green had considerable health issues including diabetes, asthma, osteoarthritis, hernia and dementia. According to the report, a friend noticed Green was becoming increasingly confused in the weeks before his death. John Murphy said Green had forgotten his age, claiming to be 92. Green told ambulance staff en route to hospital that he had been assaulted two weeks beforehand, and knocked out. As a result of that report Counties Manukau police investigated the circumstances of Green's death. They interviewed a case worker from the complex where Green lived, who said she had seen Green just over a week before his death, and he never mentioned an assault, and appeared “alright and not disoriented”. Based on a scene examination, post-mortem findings, and witness accounts, police deemed there had been no assault, and that he was probably confused from being so unwell. Police ruled the death not suspicious and Coroner Katharine Greig decided not to hold an inquest. Police said it had contacted a relative of Green’s. More recently Green has been linked to the disappearance and presumed murder of Wellington woman Marion Granville, who vanished in 1980 from Naenae. Her former partner, convicted killer Michael Sneller, in December issued an unusual public plea for information in relation to Granville’s disappearance. Police reportedly had their sights on Green in relation to Granville’s vanishing, as Green reportedly intensely disliked her. During a coronial inquiry police admitted Green was a suspect, but had never been interviewed. Advertisement The coroner ruled Granville had likely died from misadventure, shortly after she was last seen. Green gave a rare, final interview to the Sunday Star-Times in 2015, lamenting new-age criminals were “ratbags and lowlifes”. “We weren't snatching old ladies’ handbags or anything like that.” Why? Because with the pandemic situation constantly changing, it’s easy for misinformation and rumours to take hold. You can rely on Stuff’s journalists to question the decision-makers, interview experts, and use eyewitness reporting to answer your key questions with facts and context. Stuff’s ethical reporting is built on accuracy, fairness and balance. With millions of New Zealanders turning to us every day, it’s our mission to make Aotearoa a better place. But the way journalism is funded is changing and we need your help to sustain local newsrooms.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Leslie Maurice Green"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["between 1991 and 1992"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["105,000 (worth more than $1m"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Wellington and Auckland","Wellington"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Maxton man arrested in Southern Pines bank robbery","document":"SOUTHERN PINES — A Maxton man has been arrested in connection with an armed robbery at a bank here, according to the Southern Pines Police Department. Herbert Lynn Lowery, 41, was arrested and charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon after the First National Bank near downtown Southern Pines was reported robbed Monday morning. Lowery was captured with assistance from the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, according to the police department. A man entered the bank with a handgun shortly after 11:20 a.m. and demanded money from employees, according to the police department. After receiving an unspecified amount of cash, the man fled in a stolen 2000 Buick LeSabre. The police department did not say if the stolen money or vehicle were recovered when Lowery was arrested. Lowery was placed in the Moore County Detention Center under a $500,000 secured bond. He is due in Moore County District Court on Oct. 1. Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call 910-692-7031 or the police department’s Crime Tip hotline at 910-693-4110. Information can be provided anonymously. When it comes to the climate emergency, hope is not enough Fairmont leaders hear RHCC to build health-care facility in town Please choose a reason below: November 09, 2021 LUMBERTON — Public Schools of Robeson County school board members approved Tuesday sign-on bonuses for kindergarten through grade six teachers in “hard to staff” areas and raised the hourly pay of Child Nutrition substitutes to $13 per hour. Board members approved a $3,000 sign-on bonus for certified teachers in kindergarten through grade six programs including math, science, English language arts, Exceptional Children and English language learners. The programs are considered “hard to staff areas,” said Erica Setzer, PSRC’s chief Finance officer. The bonus will be paid out over a three-year period at $1,000 per year, she said. “It is the responsibility of the employee to repay if they do not stay for the entire three years,” Setzer said. “I think that’s a good idea in terms of recruitment and retention,” said Terry Locklear, a school board member. Through the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s decision to allocate more funding from federal Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Funds to North Carolina school districts, PSRC has received $148,366 to use for retention or recruitment of Child Nutrition staff, Setzer said. Board members also approved raising the wages of Child Nutrition substitutes from $7.25 per hour to $13 effective immediately. The raise does not apply to classroom substitutes who are paid $80 per day or $103, which is dependent upon their certifications, Setzer said. The school district can sustain the raises even if ESSER funding runs out. Also approved were COVID-19 stipends for employees up to $500. Every employee who qualified for June stipends will also qualify for the next round. Bus drivers that are not dual employees can get a $200 bonus in December and a $200 bonus in June, she said. Full-time employees can get $500 in December and $500 in June. The stipends are funded through ESSER Funds. Setzer said she would contact employees via email on Wednesday concerning wage changes and bonuses. The state is recommending employees be paid $13 an hour, Setzer said. But, the state has not yet passed a budget. School board member Dwayne Smith asked about the possibility of approving pay raises for bus drivers that reach $13 per hour at the December board meeting, but Setzer said it is difficult to budget for the raises without a state budget. Educators told The Robesonian in September that bus drivers are paid $12.75 an hour. Redistricting School board member Vonta Leach cast the lone vote in opposition to the redistricting map approved by the school board Tuesday. Some district lines had to be redrawn because of population shifts reflected in census results. The ideal population in each district is about 14,566, according to Janet Robertson, Rural Transportation Organization planner for Lumber River Council of Governments. Two districts were more than 9% above and two more were more than 10% above the ideal district population, she said. Two more districts reflected almost 6% of the population and the others were below 5%. “We had to move the lines to get everybody closer,” she said. Districts 1 and 2 reflected the most population loss, Robertson said. Other matters In other matters, board members also approved continuing with the school district’s mask policy, which requires students and staff to wear masks indoors and on buses. Masks are optional outdoors. Also approved were Policy Section 7000 revisions and adding the literacy platform Newsela as a sole source vendor. After emerging from closed session, school board members approved appointing Steven Sinclair as the new principal of St. Pauls Middle School and Katrina Locklear as the new principal at Fairmont Middle School. Sinclair will replace Karen Brooks-Floyd and Locklear will replace Tracey Ferguson. Board members agreed that a public hearing must be set in the future to address a request presented by board member Dwayne Smith and PSRC Athletic Director Jerome Hunt to name Lumberton High School’s soccer field after Kenny Simmons, who has served as the soccer coach for more than 25 years. “The reason that Lumberton has a soccer field is because of Kenny Simmons,” Hunt said. Board attorney Grady Hunt said the school board’s policy calls for a public hearing before the decision can be made. No date was set at the meeting for the hearing. Before closed session, board members shared in a moment of silence for the passing of former educator Sarah McLaurin and Fairmont High School student Makenzie Norton. Also at the meeting, Board member Brenda Fairley-Ferebee and the Rev. Larry Williams were recognized and presented plaques for support and donations of supplies like Clorox 360 disinfectant to the school district. Charlene Locklear, PSRC’s Child Nutrition director, was also presented with a plaque for her “unwavering support and dedication to PSRC Child Nutrition.” Locklear was formerly recognized with the UNC Health Southeastern Community Education & Emergency Support Award for her work to feed children in the district and community. Board members also presented Stephanie McGirt with a plaque. McGirt teaches science at Pembroke Middle School, and was recognized Tuesday for the honor of being named the District 4 Outstanding Middle School Science Teacher by the N.C. Science Teacher Association. November 09, 2021 LUMBERTON — The Lumberton Police Department is asking for help from the public in identifying the person or persons responsible for two homes that were struck by gunfire on Monday. Lumberton police responded about 7:20 p.m. Monday to a report of a house being shot into on Page Street, according to the police department. Responding officers learned that two people were inside the residence at the time of the shooting, but were not injured. Police responded to a report of a home on Roslyn Drive being shot into about 10:40 p.m. Monday, according to the police department. Three people were inside the residence at the time of the shooting, but none were injured. “While it is not known if these shootings are related, investigators were able to obtain an image of the vehicle used in the Roslyn Drive shooting,” according to the department. Anyone who recognizes the vehicle or has information about the shootings is asked call the Lumberton Police Department at 910-671-3845. Callers can remain anonymous. November 09, 2021 Ret. U.S. Navy veteran Wayman Sagendorph celebrates his 86th birthday on Veteran’s Day. Sagendorph was formerly stationed USS Soley, USS Tarawa, USS Manley, USS Mission Bay, and USS Raleigh. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1953-1972 and also fought in the Vietnam War. Sagendorph also formerly worked as a newspaper carrier for The Robesonian. The Robesonian salutes Sagendorph for his service to our country and wishes him a very happy birthday! Courtesy photo | Cheryl Sagendorph November 09, 2021 LUMBERTON — The number of new COVID-19 cases in Robeson County is the lowest it has been since early July, according to the Robeson County Health Department. The department reported 102 new virus cases from Nov. 2 through Monday, down from the 143 reported from Oct. 26 through Nov. 1. This is the least new cases in a seven-day period since the 100 cases reported from June 26 through July 2. One new virus-related death was reported in Robeson County since Nov. 2, bringing the pandemic total to 432. The county’s testing positivity rate is 5.2% over the last 14 days; this is down from the 5.7% rate over the last 14 days reported on Nov. 2, and close to the stated goal of 5%. There have been 55,756 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered in Robeson County, or 43% of the population; 49,871 individuals are considered fully vaccinated, or 38%. The percent of each ethnicity which is vaccinated remains relatively unchanged from recent weeks, county Health Department Director Bill Smith said; 42% of African Americans, 39% of white individuals, 34% of Hispanics and 29% of American Indians in Robeson County have received at least one dose. First and second doses and booster shots are available throughout the county, Smith said, and children age 5 to 11 are now able to get the Pfizer vaccine. The Health Department will continue evening hours of operation for COVID-19 vaccines and will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 13. They will also be open on Saturday, Dec. 4, to coincide with when the second dose will be due for people who were vaccinated on Nov. 6 or Nov. 13, Smith said. In addition to the providers that have been traditionally available, a Pfizer Family Vaccination Site has been established at the Lumbee Boys and Girls Club in Pembroke, Smith said. The University of North Carolina at Pembroke reported 13 active cases among its student body on campus, with none among faculty and staff or subcontractors, as of late Monday. There have been eight new student cases, with none among faculty and staff or subcontractors, since Nov. 1. There have been 116 cases among the student body, 37 among faculty and staff and 18 among subcontractors since the start of the fall semester. Statewide, 12,243 new cases were reported by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services from Nov. 3 through Tuesday, down from the 13,183 cases reported from Oct. 27 through Nov. 2. There have been 1,495,921 total cases in North Carolina over the duration of the pandemic. There were 206 virus-related deaths reported in the state from Nov. 3 through Tuesday, down from 242 from Oct. 27 through Nov. 2. This brings the state’s pandemic total to 18,336 virus-related deaths. There are 1,097 virus-related hospitalizations in the state as of Tuesday, down from 1,150 on Nov. 2. There have been 5,805,434 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered in North Carolina, or 60% of the population, according to NCDHHS as of Tuesday; 5,423,130 individuals are considered fully vaccinated, or 56%. November 09, 2021 LUMBERTON — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently awarded the Housing Authority of the City of Lumberton $239,500 to make “needed” safety improvements to its housing facilities. The authority was one of 55 public housing authorities throughout the country to receive additional capital improvement funds through the Capital Fund Emergency Safety and Security Program. The funding will be used for community lighting, fencing installation, video surveillance systems, and high-definition cameras in five of the existing 10 communities, according to Adrian Lowery, executive director of the Lumberton Housing Authority. “The vast majority of our residents are normal, law-abiding citizens, and they deserve the right to live peacefully,” Lowery said. “The HACL is grateful to be awarded HUD’s Emergency Safety and Security grant to help reduce the threats to the health and safety of not only our residents but all of Lumberton.” In addition to focusing on the rebuild of 172 housing units damaged by hurricanes Matthew and Florence, the HACL has maintained focus on improving the overall infrastructure of the units, with some communities over 50 years old. In August 2021, the HACL completed a $454,000 capital funds project that added more than 220 high-definition cameras throughout the Meadows, Davis Heights, Rozier Homes, Turner Terrace, Weaver Court, and Tudor Court Housing Developments, according to a release from the public housing authority. Additionally, with the help of the City of Lumberton, the HACL is currently adding additional LED lights in some areas, and has been working to replace aged lights with LED in each of its communities over the past few months. “The video cameras have already aided in making our communities safer. It is hard for someone to deny they did something wrong when it is right there on the camera in high-definition,” Lowery said. “The injection of funds to focus on safety and security will help us complete the LED light upgrades at Turner Terrace, Tudor Court, and Weaver Court, and the installation of video surveillance systems at Eastwood Terrace and Lumbee Homes.” Lowery said the grant is a “big win” for the authority and staff, which was spearheaded by Steven Harrell, the Operations Manager for the HACL. “The Lumberton Housing Authority is continuing to amplify its mission to be concentrated and focused on improving the quality of life for the residents and empowering them to take control of their lives to become self-sufficient and productive members of the community in which they live,” said Pam Hunt, chairperson of the HACL Board of Commissioners. “The future is bright for our agency. The addition of Adrian Lowery as our executive director and the team he has assembled continue to benefit our agency and the City of Lumberton.” November 09, 2021 PEMBROKE — A recently awarded $62,000 grant will assist in preserving and enhancing the environment for the Town of Pembroke. Attorney General Josh Stein recently announced $426,612 in grants through the Environmental Enhancement Grant program, which is part of nearly $3 million in grants distributed to 27 recipients across North Carolina. The Town of Pembroke has received $62,000 to create a stormwater utility program with community input meetings, a management plan, an operations and maintenance plan, and stormwater ordinances. “This grant will help the town of Pembroke plan and develop a stormwater utility program,” Stein said. “This program will help maintain water quality and reduce flooding and runoff concerns in the area.” “The Town of Pembroke is extremely grateful to receive stormwater management funding assistance from Attorney General Stein,” said Pembroke Town Manager Tyler Thomas. “The funds awarded will ultimately prevent or greatly reduce the impact of future storm events on critical state supported assets and properties vital to the economic health and well-being of citizens in the Town of Pembroke.” Fully implemented, grant aid will protect a significant portion of property within the Pembroke valued at more than $60 million and protect 250 acres of state property and infrastructure valued at over $637 million, according to Thomas. The Environmental Enhancement Grant program began after an agreement between the Attorney General’s Office and Smithfield Foods in 2000. Under that agreement, Smithfield provides $2 million to the state every year to be distributed among environmental projects across North Carolina. Including the 2021 grants, the Attorney General Office’s has awarded nearly $37 million to more than 190 projects in the state. November 09, 2021 Sheila Dunlap, a case manager for Southeastern Community Action Partnership, left, and Sonia Locklear, an intern with The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, worked Tuesday at SCAP’s distribution event held at Robeson Community College which gave food boxes, cleaning supplies and other items to hundreds of people. The distribution, which was scheduled to occur from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., ended early because of traffic backups that extended to Interstate 95 traffic. ___ Jonas Richardson, right, a volunteer at Southeastern Community Action Partnership’s Big Pop Up distribution event, worked with other volunteers to load vehicles Tuesday with food boxes, cleaning supplies and other items. The event, which was held at Robeson Community College ended earlier than planned because of traffic backups that extended to Interstate 95. ___ Photos captured by Jessica Horne, staff writer at The Robesonian November 09, 2021 RALEIGH — Three blood drives have been scheduled for later this month in Robeson County as the American Red Cross works to address an ongoing emergency blood shortage. Two blood drives have been scheduled for Nov. 22. One is to take place 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Godwin Heights Baptist Church, located at 704 Godwin Ave. in Lumberton. The other is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1 University Drive on the campus of The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The third blood drive is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 30 at Masonic Lodge #501, located at 301 Peachtree St. in Red Springs. The drives have been scheduled as the holidays approach and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns about a potential spike in flu cases this year, according to the Red Cross. It’s important that people who are eligible, healthy and feeling well to make an appointment to donate blood or platelets. According to the CDC, flu cases reached an all-time low this past year because of masking, physical distancing and shutdowns across the country, and many Americans may have reduced immunity this year. When seasonal illness increases, the number of healthy blood donors tends to decrease.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["handgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI","Office","the Southern Pines Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Herbert Lynn Lowery, 41"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the First National Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["after 11:20 a.m","11","Monday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["unspecified amount of cash"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["downtown Southern Pines"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"EPS release photos, surveillance video of south Edmonton bank robber","document":" Police are asking for public help identifying a man who robbed a south Edmonton bank. On Aug. 3 around 4 p.m., police say a man entered a bank at 23 Avenue and 108 Street and presented a bank teller with a threatening note. The man left the bank with cash and ran eastbound on 23 Avenue, said EPS. He is described as white, 17 to 20 years old, with green eyes and dark curly hair. He was wearing a black hoodie with white and brown draw strings and a dark brown patch on the left breast, track pants with large grey rear pockets, a hat and a black mask. The robber was wearing a black hoodie with white and brown draw strings and a dark brown patch on the left breast, a hat and a black mask. (Source: EPS) It was reported to police that the suspect was attempting to speak in a deeper voice than his natural voice.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["south Edmonton bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Aug. 3 around 4 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["23 Avenue and 108 Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police search for Santa Rosa bank robber","document":"Kyle Rittenhouse broke down in tears on the witness stand at his murder trial Wednesday as he described how he was being pursued by the first man he shot and killed during a night of turbulent protests in Wisconsin. Governments are considering calling for a global end to coal use, according to a draft released Wednesday of the final document expected at the U.N. climate talks. The park was closed after lightning on Sept. 9 ignited two fires that merged. More clinics are scheduled for this week in Santa Rosa, Occidental, Healdsburg, Petaluma and Windsor. The settlement is like nowhere else in California. A draft of the final document expected at the U.N. climate talks was released Wednesday. NASA is pushing back its deadline for returning American astronauts to the moon’s surface by as much as one year. The first man killed by Kyle Rittenhouse on the streets of Kenosha was shot at a range of just a few feet and had soot injuries that could indicate he had his hand over the barrel of Rittenhouse’s rifle, a pathologist testified Tuesday. The owner of a Benicia solar energy company was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Tuesday for a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of $1 billion. Santa Rosa police are looking for a man who robbed a bank Monday afternoon at Montgomery Village in east Santa Rosa. The man entered the Chase Bank at 2300 Sonoma Ave. around 12:43 p.m., police said in a press release Monday. He reportedly gave the teller a note stating that he was armed and demanding money. The teller gave an undisclosed amount of cash to the man, who left the building and drove away in a vehicle, police said. No description of the vehicle was available. No bank employees or customers were injured. Detectives asked anyone with information about the robbery to call the Santa Rosa Police Violent Crimes Team at 707-543-3590. A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered by the Sonoma County Alliance Community Engagement and Safety Rewards Fund for information leading to the arrest of the suspect or suspects involved in the robbery. Police described the suspect as a husky white or light-skinned Hispanic man in his mid 20s to early 30s, 5’11” to 6’ tall. He was wearing a dark-colored baseball hat, a jacket marked “security,” dark-colored pants, black-and-white shoes, a blue surgical mask and blue gloves. You can reach Staff Writer Kaylee Tornay at 707-521-5250 or kaylee.tornay@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ka_tornay. Education, The Press Democrat Learning is a transformative experience. Beyond that, it’s a right, under the law, for every child in this country. But we also look to local schools to do much more than teach children; they are tasked with feeding them, socializing them and offering skills in leadership and civics. My job is to help you make sense of K-12 education in Sonoma County and beyond. Please don't publish my name I am over 16 years old I accept the Terms of Service The collision happened Nov. 3 near Old Gravenstein Highway. There’s no crosswalk in the area, officials said. Las Vegas real estate agent and developer Eddie Haddad, representing Nevada-based Resources Group, placed the highest bid, offering $15,050,000 for the nearly nearly 72-acre government property in northeast Santa Rosa. Despite two storms since the water year began Oct. 1, Sonoma County reservoirs remain low and water managers continue calling for 20% conservation. Clothing companies owned by the rapper formerly known as Kanye West have agreed to pay $950,000 to Sonoma County’s District Attorney’s Office and three others. Somerville told the Mercury News that “all indications” were that he will not be given the opportunity to return as an anchor after being suspended for a disagreement on coverage of the Gabby Petito case. Peace & Plenty Farm in Kelseyville is North America’s largest producer of saffron. Black community members expressed disappointment over the loss of two Black county department heads, which they said had the potential to impact hiring efforts around the county. The owner of a Benicia solar energy company was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Tuesday for a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of $1 billion. The collision happened Nov. 3 near Old Gravenstein Highway. There’s no crosswalk in the area, officials said. Las Vegas real estate agent and developer Eddie Haddad, representing Nevada-based Resources Group, placed the highest bid, offering $15,050,000 for the nearly nearly 72-acre government property in northeast Santa Rosa. Despite two storms since the water year began Oct. 1, Sonoma County reservoirs remain low and water managers continue calling for 20% conservation. Clothing companies owned by the rapper formerly known as Kanye West have agreed to pay $950,000 to Sonoma County’s District Attorney’s Office and three others. Somerville told the Mercury News that “all indications” were that he will not be given the opportunity to return as an anchor after being suspended for a disagreement on coverage of the Gabby Petito case. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Santa Rosa police","Santa Rosa Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Chase Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday","12:43 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Montgomery Village in east Santa Rosa","east Santa Rosa","2300 Sonoma Ave"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["an undisclosed amount of cash"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Arrest made following Stockman Bank robbery on Grand Ave.","document":" UPDATE: AUG. 3 AT 6:16 P.M. An arrest has been made in connection to the robbery that occurred at the Grand Avenue Stockman Bank on Thursday, July 29. Members of BPD's Street Crimes Unit arrested 44-year-old John Smith Jr., from Roundup, without incident in Billings on Tuesday. Smith was arrested for Robbery, Felony Criminal Possession of Dangerous Drugs and a Probation Violation Warrant, according to a release from BPD.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Members of BPD's Street Crimes Unit","BPD"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["44-year-old John Smith Jr"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Grand Avenue Stockman Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday, July 29"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Sarasota deputies investigate a bank robbery at Wells Fargo","document":"SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a bank robbery that took place shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday morning at the Wells Fargo at 3625 Bee Ridge Road over in Sarasota. A white male believed to be in his mid 50′s walked into the bank and demanded money before fleeing. The suspect has salt and pepper hair, is approximately 5′9 and weighs around 160 pounds. He was last seen wearing an open plaid button-down shirt with a black undershirt, khaki pants, and black sneakers. If you have any information on this man, call the Criminal Investigations Section at 941-861-4900 or leave an anonymous tip with Sarasota Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-8477.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["A white male"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["9 a.m. Saturday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Wells Fargo at 3625 Bee Ridge Road over in Sarasota","Sarasota"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Man charged with robbing Wells Fargo bank in Allentown","document":" Allentown police have arrested a man they say robbed the Wells Fargo bank on North Seventh Street on Monday afternoon. Jamal Brazell, 42, of the 500 block of North Jordan Street in the city, was arraigned on charges of robbery, robbery from a financial institution and disorderly conduct. He was sent to Lehigh County Jail under $20,000 bail. According to court records: Brazell entered the Wells Fargo Bank at North 7th and Tilghman streets just after 1:30 p.m. Monday and immediately announced, “This is a robbery.” Brazell placed a blue and white backpack on the bank counter while he continued to announce his intent to rob the bank. “You don’t want to get physical with me,” he told the employees. He then demanded the number for the Secret Service because he said he needed to call them to alert them to the robbery. Afterward, he took his bag off the counter, before any cash was placed inside, and left the bank. Police found him near North Sixth and Allen streets and placed him under arrest. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Allentown police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Jamal Brazell, 42"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Wells Fargo bank","Wells Fargo Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday afternoon","after 1:30 p.m. Monday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the Wells Fargo Bank at North 7th and Tilghman streets just","Wells Fargo bank","North Seventh Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Suspected Bank Robber Caught by SJPD's New Chopper","document":"San Jose police made good use their brand-new helicopter Wednesday when they tracked down and arrested a suspected bank robber, according to the department. San Jose police made good use of their brand-new helicopter Wednesday when they tracked down and arrested a suspected bank robber, according to the department. Brian Edward Austin, 46, of Oceanside, was taken into custody at Mineta San Jose International Airport after a robbery at the City National Bank branch at 1 Almaden Blvd. in downtown San Jose, police said. Officers responded to the bank about 12:45 p.m. on reports of a man handing a note to a teller saying he had a gun and demanding money, police said. No weapon was seen, and the suspect fled with money. SJPD's new helicopter, Air3, was giving a presentation at the San Jose Police Academy in South San Jose when the robbery occurred, police said. The flight crew heard the police radio broadcast of the bank robbery and subsequent information that the suspect was in the area of the airport. The helicopter responded to the area and located the suspect’s vehicle by camera, witnessing Austin park in Terminal B, exit the vehicle, and change clothes, police said. Austin then was seen walking from the parked vehicle and boarding a shuttle bus, and an officer arrested him as he got off the shuttle at Terminal A. The stolen money was recovered, and Austin was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on robbery charges, police said. San Jose detectives are investigating Austin’s possible involvement with bank robberies in other jurisdictions, police said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Jason Park of the San Jose Police Department’s Robbery Unit at (408) 277-4166. Persons wishing to remain anonymous may call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line, (408) 947-STOP (7867).","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["San Jose police","San Jose Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Brian Edward Austin"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["City National Bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["1 Almaden Blvd. in downtown San Jose"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Suspected serial bank robber arrested by FBI, Salt Lake City police","document":"SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused of at least four bank robberies — including the same bank three times — has been arrested by the FBI and Salt Lake City Police Department investigators, officials said. Edward Begley, 64, of Salt Lake City, was taken into custody Tuesday. Begley was seen leaving U.S. Bank in a black Nissan sedan after a robbery that occurred on Tuesday, FBI officials said in a news release. According to an affidavit, Salt Lake City police then saw a vehicle matching that description and took Begley into custody after a traffic stop. The complaint says that after Begley was interviewed, he confessed to Tuesday's robbery and admitted to robbing at least two other banks. According to the affidavit, on Oct. 13 Begley allegedly robbed a Wells Fargo Bank located at 2001 S. Main Street in Salt Lake City. The documents state that he approached the teller and handed a note that stated, \"I have a gun. Don't tell anyone. I need cash out. Stay Calm.\" The suspect was wearing dark Carhartt jacket, blue jeans, purple bandana face mask, and dark gloves and shoes. Nearly 29 minutes after the first robbery, around one mile away, a second robbery occurred at U.S. Bank at 1575 S. Main Street in Salt Lake City. Begley allegedly entered the building and told the teller, \"Stay calm, I have a gun.\" He was wearing the same clothing as before. Police said that the same bank was robbed again on Nov. 30 using the same purple bandana face mask as the previous two robberies. According to the affidavit, after the teller gave Begley money he left the bank in a black Nissan sedan. The robbery occurring Tuesday occurred for the third time at U.S. Bank at 1575 S. Main Street in Salt Lake City. The affidavit states that he handed a teller a note that said, \"Stay Clam! I have a gun. No alarm/no dye pack. Put all teller cash in bag. Think of your family. Wait 30 min before saying anything.\" The suspect then left in the same black Nissan sedan from Nov. 30. It was the car description that led Begley to be pulled over by a Salt Lake officer. The affidavit states that Begley identified himself as the individual in photographs shown by investigators. He also told investigators in an interview that the clothing used in the robberies along with small amounts of leftover money and notes from the robbery were in his home. Begley is scheduled to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City on Friday.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the FBI and Salt Lake City Police Department investigators","FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a black Nissan sedan","black Nissan sedan"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Edward Begley"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["U.S. Bank","bank","Bank","a Wells Fargo Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday","Oct. 13"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["FBI officials"]},{"role":"Location","values":["2001 S. Main Street in Salt Lake City","SALT LAKE CITY","Salt Lake City","Main Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robber makes off with cash in Birmingham","document":"This Veterans Day, please find it in your heart to help a group of Americans who didn't need to be asked to help you and your way of life. by Jack Helean BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBMA) — Police on Tuesday were investigating a bank robbery in Birmingham. According to a statement, it happened at the PNC Bank at 9648 Parkway East just before 4:30 p.m. Police said the the robber approached the counter and presented a note to the teller. He then fled the building with an undisclosed amount of money. Police said he fled the scene traveling northbound on Roebuck Drive in a black Nissan Altima with no tag. He was described as wearing a black hat, grey sweatshirt, white t-shirt, blue jeans and a black mask. Police also released surveillance photos.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a black Nissan Altima"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the PNC Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday","before 4:30 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Birmingham","BIRMINGHAM","9648 Parkway East"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Shot fired when lone robber hits Subang Jaya bank","document":"SUBANG JAYA: An armed man robbed a bank of RM20,000 at Jalan SS 15/4G, here, today. The suspect single-handedly pulled off the heist at about 4.23pm, just in time before the outlet was closed for the day. He also fired a warning shot to the ceiling before rushing towards the counter. Subang Jaya police chief Assistant Commissioner Risikin Satiman said police received a distress call at about 4.30pm and rushed to the scene. \"Preliminary investigation showed that the suspect entered the bank while holding an automatic pistol in his hand. \"While inside the bank, the suspect pushed the security guard and fired a shot towards the ceiling before he rushed towards the counter for the loot,\" he said. Risikin said the man demanded the bank employee to hand over the money before fleeing the scene. \"It was raining heavily at the time of the incident. He took off with RM20,000.\" He added that a forensic team was dispatched to the scene. \"Upon combing the scene for evidence, police found a bullet casing which belonged to an automatic pistol inside the premise. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident,\" he said. Risikin said police believed the man had acted alone. \"We were in the midst of gathering CCTV recordings from the premises nearby.\" he said. He added that the case was being investigated under Section 3 of the Firearms (Heavier Penalties) Act 1971 (Firing of firearms while committing robbery) and Section 392/397 of the Penal Code (Robbery with weapons) Act. Those with information about the incident could assist in the investigation by calling DSP Yeoh Chun Shyan at 03-7862 7222 or the nearest police station.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["automatic pistol"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["about 4.30pm"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["RM20,000"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Subang Jaya police chief Assistant Commissioner Risikin Satiman"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Crockett bank robbery suspect posted $350K, was released from jail","document":"CROCKETT, TX (KTRE) - A Crockett man who is suspected of robbing the town's Citizens National Bank at gunpoint early Tuesday morning was released from the Houston County Jail Thursday after he posted a bail amount of $350,000. Leon Tran, a 20-year-old former employee of the bank, was arrested at a home in College Station on Tuesday, and he was booked into the Houston County Jail on a first-degree aggravated robbery charge. \"Tran was a resident of Crockett and graduated from Crockett High School in 2014, Crockett Police Chief David Cross said in a press release. \"Tran previously worked at Citizens National bank as a teller.\" Cross said the robbery occurred as a woman was going in the back door of Citizens National Bank at about 7:20 a.m. Tuesday. The suspect, who was wearing all black and a mask, caught up to her and went inside with her. Tran gave the woman instructions and got an undisclosed amount of money before he ran through a field behind the bank, Cross said. \"Of course, the bank employees were terrified, and they did the right thing by cooperating,\" said Cross. \"You can replace money, but you can't replace a life.\" A perimeter was created shortly after law enforcement arrived. \"And, we were able to call in TDC tracking dog and, we were able to track to a location, that led to some additional information,\" Cross said. Crockett police with the help of Brazos County Sheriff Department, DPS Special Response Team, Texas Rangers, College Station PD and Bryan PD arrested Tran at a home around 5:25 p.m. on Nelson Road in College Station. \"Tran was interviewed in College Station by Crockett Police Lt. Clayton Smith and Tran confessed to robbing the Citizen National Bank early this morning,\" Cross said. \"Evidence is currently being collected that ties Tran to the robbery in Crockett and in College Station by our officers with the assistance from all of the agencies mentioned above.\"","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the bank employees"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["DPS Special Response Team, Texas Rangers, College Station PD and Bryan PD"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Leon Tran, a 20-year-old former employee of the bank","Bank","bank"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Citizens National Bank","town's Citizens National Bank","Citizens National bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["early Tuesday morning","7:20 a.m. Tuesday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Crockett Police Chief David Cross"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Security guard shot and killed in ambush during attempted bank robbery","document":"A security guard was shot and killed when he was ambushed as he stood guard outside of a bank during an attempted bank robbery. The incident occurred at approximately 1 p.m. at the First Midwest Bank on Ridge Road in Gary, Indiana, when two suspects were seen on bank surveillance cameras carrying guns before ambushing 55-year-old retired Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Castellana as he was on patrol outside the establishment, according to ABC’s Chicago station WLS-TV. Witnesses who were nearby told WLS that they heard at least two gunshots during the attack. “I didn’t see him fall down but when we looked over there with the police you could see man laying on the front of the door,” James Ripkowski, who works across the street from the bank, told WLS in an interview after the incident. “I actually heard the shots but we actually thought it was like regular fireworks,” Randy Martin, another witness to the shooting, told WLS. “\"For them to have the guts and the audacity to do something like that, that is beyond me.” Castellana of Tinley Park, Illinois, who served as a Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy for 35 years before retiring in 2019 and taking a job as a security guard at the bank, died of injuries suffered at the scene of the crime. Heavily armed federal, state and local authorities responded to the shooting and immediately began a manhunt for the two suspects involved in the shooting, according to WLS. One suspect was caught a short time later hiding behind some trees in a wooded area close to the bank. Authorities focused on the same area in an attempt to find the second suspect but have so far been unable to locate him. Many who work in the area said they saw Castellana patrolling the parking lot on a daily basis and described him as an incredibly kind and approachable person. “He was human just like us, you know,” said fellow security guard, Melissa Mali. “We talked about family things. We talked about everything outside of just ‘hey, I work at a bank.’ That was my buddy. I didn’t look at him as a security guard at a bank. That was my friend.” The Cook County Sheriff’s Office released a statement sending condolences to the family of the 55-year-old police force veteran. \"We are saddened to hear about the tragic passing of our former Deputy Sheriff, Richard Castellana. Deputy Castellana served Cook County for 35years until his retirement in 2019. He will be greatly missed by his colleagues and friends. We send our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” the statement read. The first suspect has not yet been publicly identified by authorities and charges have yet to be filed. The Lake County Sheriff's Department said their investigation is ongoing. Said witness Mike Richardson to WLS: \"Every day we see the security guards walking around over there. It's just surreal when you see something like that, you just don't believe it.\"","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["guns"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["First Midwest Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["approximately 1 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Ridge Road in Gary, Indiana"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police: Man passed note at Hartsville bank drive-through demanding money","document":"HARTSVILLE, S.C. (WMBF) – A man remains in jail Friday morning after allegedly passing a note to the tellers at a Hartsville bank and demanding money, authorities said. Online records from the W. Glenn Campbell Detention Center state Angel Luis Masdev was booked Feb. 25 and charged with entering a bank with the intent to steal, attempted bank robbery and wearing masks and the like. Bond has been denied. According to arrest warrants from the Hartsville Police Department, Masdev passed a note to employees of South State Bank through the drive-through pneumatic tube on Thursday. “The note read in part to put money from all the drawers or he would kill,” the warrants state. Investigators said Masdev was wearing a mask at the time of the incident. When police arrived, they found a blue minivan in the drive-through’s middle lane, a report states. With weapons drawn, they approached the vehicle and saw a driver and someone in the back seat, according to authorities. The passenger began to flail his arms and was instructed to put his hands in the arm, according to an incident report. Police reportedly got him out of the vehicle and placed into handcuffs.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the W. Glenn Campbell Detention Center state"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["the vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Angel Luis Masdev"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Hartsville bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Feb. 25"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"People wearing disguises rob several banks in Belmont and Gastonia","document":"BELMONT, N.C. (WBTV) - Police in Belmont and Gastonia are investigating whether two bank robberies and one attempted bank robbery are connected. The incidents took place on Tuesday between 10am and 3pm in Belmont and Gastonia. Belmont police say a black male went into the New Horizon Bank on Wilkinson Boulevard, wearing a long burgundy in color wig, and dark clothing around 10:20 a.m. The unknown man presented a note, demanded money and said he had a gun. Police say the gun was not shown. When the teller told him that she could not get him the money he wanted, he took the note and left the bank without any money. Shortly after, around 12:17 p.m., police say a white male went into the Sun Trust Bank on North Main Street, wearing a disguise which included a fake mustache, dark brown wig and derby hat. He was also wearing a white button up shirt, dark colored blazer, khaki pants and was carrying a dark colored folder. This man gave a note to the teller and said he had a bomb in his pocket. He then fled the scene after getting money from the teller. Then, around 3:11 p.m, Gastonia Police got a 911 call about a bank robbery at the Wells Fargo on Cox Road. Police say a black male in his mid-20s or early 30s, wearing a black curly wig, a black jacket and a Panthers football scarf was behind it. They say a note was passed demanding money, the teller complied, and the suspect fled the scene in a silver SUV. According to the police report, he got away with $1,900 in cash and a $80 bank bag. Belmont Police confirms to WBTV they are working with Gastonia Police to determine if any of these cases are connected. Anyone with additional information about these cases is case is encouraged to contact detectives with the Belmont Police Department at 704-829-4082.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Police in Belmont and Gastonia","Belmont","Gastonia","Belmont police","Gastonia Police","Police","Belmont Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a silver SUV"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["New Horizon Bank","the Sun Trust Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday between 10am and 3pm","around 10:20 a.m","around 12:17 p.m","around 3:11 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Belmont and Gastonia","Belmont","Gastonia","North Main Street","Wells Fargo on Cox Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["1,900"]}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI searching for Maumee bank robber","document":"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.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["two tellers"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The FBI and the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office","the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau","the Federal Bureau of Investigation"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["on foot"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Superior Credit Union"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday morning. Around 9:10 a,m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["S. Holland Sylvania Road in Maumee"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI Announces $10,000 Reward for Armed and Dangerous Bank Robber","document":" The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person responsible for at least four South Florida bank robberies. Investigators have identified this bank robber as the “Tie Dyed Bandit” because it is believed that he set off a bank dye pack in his getaway vehicle following at least one of the robberies. It is believed that the “Tie Dyed Bandit” was involved in the following South Florida bank robberies: The bank robber should be considered armed and dangerous. An FBI Special Agent will be available for sound between 1:30 p.m. until 3 p.m. today at the FBI's Miami field office at 2030 SW 145 Avenue in Miramar, Florida. A second email containing a video clip of the getaway car following the discharge of the dye pack will follow. Law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation include the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, FBI, and the FBI’s South Florida Violent Crime Task Force. The investigation continues. If anyone has information as to the identity of this bank robber, they are urged to call the FBI at (754) 703-2000.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The FBI","FBI","An FBI Special Agent"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["four South Florida bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Man Tries To Rob TD Bank In Sayville: Suffolk Police","document":"SAYVILLE, NY — A man tried to rob TD Bank on North Main Street in Sayville Friday morning, Suffolk County police said. Police said that at about 11 a.m., the man passed a teller a note demanding cash, but ran away empty-handed. They were notified of the attempted robbery by a 911 caller, according to a spokesperson. The man was described as black, about 5 feet 10 inches tall with a thin build, according to police. No further information was released about the investigation, which is being continued by Major Case Unit detectives. A bank representative could not be reached for comment. Detectives are asking anyone with information about the robbery to call the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6553, or anonymously to Crime Stoppers, a confidential police hotline, at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential, according to the police. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Suffolk County police","Major Case Unit detectives"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["TD Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday morning","11 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["a 911 caller"]},{"role":"Location","values":["North Main Street in Sayville"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Update: Robber steals NT$400,000 from Taipei bank customer, flees on MRT","document":" Scene of the crime. (Taipei Police Department photo) Scene of the crime. (Taipei Police Department photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A customer at a bank in the heart of Taipei was robbed of more than NT$400,000 (US$14,000) in cash in broad daylight on Tuesday (Oct. 20). At 2 p.m. on Tuesday, a CTBC Bank customer at the Dongmen branch on Xinyi Road, Section 2 withdrew NT$424,000 from the bank. However, the customer was assailed by a robber who made off with the cash and escaped via Dongmen MRT station, reported Liberty Times. The 69-year-old customer, who is surnamed Yan (顏), had reportedly withdrawn the money to exchange it with the suspect for Chinese yuan. Meanwhile, the Taipei City Police Department has already dispatched officers to the scene to collect evidence and track the movements of the thief. Witnesses said that when they saw the customer leave the bank only to be robbed by a man about 175 cm in height wearing a white coat. The victim tried to chase him down while yelling \"robbery!\" but the assailant was too fast and was last seen entering the Dongmen MRT station. Update: 10/21 1:00 p.m. Taipei police managed to track down and arrest the suspect on Tuesday evening in New Taipei City's Banqiao District, nine hours after the incident.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Taipei City Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["Dongmen MRT station"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["CTBC Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["broad daylight on Tuesday (Oct. 20)","2 p.m. on Tuesday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Xinyi Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["more than NT$400,000 (US$14,000) in cash","NT$424,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robber who shot himself during metro Atlanta standoff linked to 2 more heists","document":"A Newnan man who robbed an Alabama bank Wednesday morning before shooting and killing himself hours later during a police standoff in metro Atlanta is now linked to two 2018 robberies, police said. Oxford, Ala., police responded to a Regions Bank along Quintard Drive about 9 a.m. after receiving a call about a robbery, police said. Officers got a description of the suspect and his vehicle, identifying him as Mark Garniss within 30 minutes, police said. After the robbery, Garniss returned to his Newnan apartment, where his pickup truck was discovered at the Stillwood Farms complex just before 1 p.m., Newnan spokeswoman Ashley Copeland said. After seeing police outside the building, Garniss went back inside his apartment, police said. An hourslong standoff ensued, with the robbery suspect refusing to surrender, Copeland said. It finally came to an end just before 4 p.m. when officers heard a muffled gunshot from inside the apartment, Copeland said. Police entered the home to find the man dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. On Thursday, two Georgia police departments said Garniss was responsible for two unsolved bank robberies last year. LaGrange police said Garniss robbed the Charter Bank along South Davis Road on Aug. 21, and West Point police believe he’s responsible for a Dec. 21 robbery with a similar M.O. In both cases, a man wearing a surgical mask entered the bank and handed a note to the teller demanding cash, authorities said. “It was a typed note presented to the teller,” LaGrange Detective Ley Wynne said, adding that in Wednesday’s Alabama robbery, Garniss also wore a surgical mask and covered his fingertips with bandages to avoid being identified. Garniss also reportedly wore the same pair of white tennis shoes that he wore in his two previous heists, detectives said.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["his vehicle","pickup truck"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Mark Garniss"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Alabama bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Newnan spokeswoman Ashley Copeland"]},{"role":"Location","values":["metro Atlanta"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Suspect wearing 'wig and fake beard' wanted for bank robbery in Baltimore, Ohio","document":"BALTIMORE, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) — Police in Baltimore, Ohio are searching for a suspect wearing a wig and fake beard during a bank robbery on June 26. Around 10:30 a.m., Baltimore Police and Fairfield County Sherrif's deputies responded to a robbery at the People's Bank on North Main Street in Baltimore. The suspect fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money before law enforcement arrived. The suspect is described as a white man, standing between 5'8\" and 6', with a medium build. He reportedly wore a wig, what appears to be a fake beard, dark glasses, and a \"COVID-19 type\" mask. He was also wearing a dark blue zip-up jacket and blue jeans.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Baltimore Police and Fairfield County Sherrif's deputies"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a white man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the People's Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["June 26. Around 10:30 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["undisclosed amount of money"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["North Main Street in Baltimore","Baltimore"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police launch manhunt after Coventry bank robbery","document":"Detectives have appealed for the public’s help to find a bank robber who targeted a Coventry Barclays branch this afternoon. The lone robber struck at the Barclays branch in Ball Hill shortly after 3pm on Friday (December 11). The masked man approached a cashier and demanded money. No weapons were seen during the incident at the Walsgrave Road bank and no one was hurt, according to police. The robber escaped with a quantity of cash. Detectives are examining CCTV footage and have urged any witnesses, or anyone with information, to come forward. A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “A man entered Barclays Bank, Walsgrave Road, just after 3pm today (11 Dec) and approached a cashier to demand money. The man was wearing a mask and gloves. “It’s understood he left with a quantity of cash. No weapons were seen and no one was hurt.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a cashier"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Coventry Barclays branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["after 3pm on Friday (December 11)"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["A West Midlands Police spokesman"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Barclays Bank, Walsgrave Road","Walsgrave Road","Ball Hill"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Man arrested minutes after trying to rob bank, Redding Police say","document":"REDDING, Calif. — A man was arrested just minutes after he tried to rob a bank in Redding, police say. The suspect, 35-year-old Brandon Evans, was booked into the Shasta County Jail for robbery and resisting arrest. The attempted robbery happened Monday morning at the Banner Bank on Cypress Avenue. Evans, who walked into the bank wearing a mask and a hoodie, passed a note to a teller demanding money, according to the Redding Police Department. The teller wasn't on board and refused to hand over any cash, police say. Evans, who ran off empty-handed, didn't make it far before officers caught up with him on Cypress Avenue near Pine Street. The suspect, who at first refused to give himself up, eventually complied with officers and was taken into custody. Evans did not appear to be armed when he tried to rob the bank, a police sergeant told KRCR. Anyone with information on the case is urged to call the Redding Police Department at (530) 225-4200.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Redding Police Department","Redding Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["The suspect, 35-year-old Brandon Evans"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Banner Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Redding","Cypress Avenue"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Officials Need Your Help Identifying Two Individuals Who Are Suspected of Attempting to Rob the Sooper Credit Union","document":" Email Email The FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force and the Arvada Police Department need your help identifying two individuals who are suspected of attempting to rob the Sooper Credit Union located at 5151 West 60th Avenue in Arvada, Colorado, at approximately 5:55 p.m. on Friday, May 7, 2021. Suspect One is described as a Caucasian female, between 30 and 40 years old and 5’6” to 5’8” with a heavy build. She wore a black and red dress and a black and red wig. Suspect Two is described as a Caucasian individual and approximately 5’10” with a medium build. The suspect wore a black and white dress and a white wig. The suspects were seen driving away in a light green sedan. Please be on the lookout for anyone matching the description of the suspects. Be aware of anyone similar who might have recently changed their spending habits or discussed coming into money suddenly. Bank robbery is punishable up to a 20-year prison sentence for each offense and increases if a dangerous weapon is used in the commission of the crime. The FBI continues to provide financial institutions with the best practices for security to make them less vulnerable to robberies. If anyone has any information on the bank robbery above or any bank robbery, please call the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force at 303-629-7171; or, you may remain anonymous by calling CRIMESTOPPERS at 720-913-STOP (7867).","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force and the Arvada Police Departmen","FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a light green sedan"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a Caucasian female, between 30 and 40 years old and 5’6” to 5’8” with a heavy build","a Caucasian individual and approximately 5’10” with a medium build"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Sooper Credit Union"]},{"role":"Date","values":["approximately 5:55 p.m. on Friday, May 7, 2021"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["5151 West 60th Avenue in Arvada, Colorado","Arvada"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Boom or bust: Saigon bank robber threatens staff with ‘bomb’","document":"The woman, who was masked and unidentified, but seemed to be over 30 years of age, entered the bank at around 11 a.m. from Truong Vinh Ky Street. She brought a hand bag into the branch, located on the ground floor of a three-storey building, according to a security guard. When staff tried to stop her from entering since the bank had already closed, she asked to be let in to \"take stuffs.\" She then headed straight to an employee's table, put a bag on it, which contained multiple mini gas tanks, gasoline, flickering lights and other gadgets, claiming it was a bomb. The woman then poured gasoline on the table and requested the employee to put VND2 billion into the bag. After getting the money, the robber blocked access into the bank by sealing the doors with wire, jumped into a taxi and escaped. \"The whole ordeal took place in around five minutes,\" said a witness. As of 2:30 p.m., the street section near the bank has been barricaded. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene in response to the suspected bomb threat. An investigation is ongoing. UPDATED: The woman has been identified as 24-year-old Phung Thi Thang from the northern Bac Giang Province. She was caught inside a mall three hours after escaping from the bank. Investigations revealed that Thang often joined game shows on television and other ventures as an attempt to get into showbiz. But it did not pay off and she lost a lot of money. Due to her precarious financial situation, she decided to rob a bank. Robber bank in Vietnam so easy man ! ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["multiple mini gas tanks, gasoline, flickering lights and other gadgets","bomb"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a taxi"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["The woman, who was masked and unidentified, but seemed to be over 30 years of age"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["at around 11 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["VND2 billion"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Truong Vinh Ky Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robbery foiled when teller can’t read stickup note","document":" Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. A British man allegedly botched a bank robbery because of a handwritten stickup note that was so sloppy the teller couldn’t read it. That would-be robbery was part of a short-lived spree in East Sussex by 67-year-old Alan Slattery that included a second failed stickup and one successful theft of $3,300, Sussex Police said in a news release Wednesday. Slattery was sentenced to four years behind bars and two years under supervision in Lewes Crown Court on July 16, police said.Alan Slattery, and the alleged note. (Sussex Police) The retiree tried to rob the Nationwide Building Society on the morning of March 18 by slipping a note to the teller – but he hightailed it out of there with no cash when the teller couldn’t make out the writing, the release said. Only after he was gone did staff make out that the note said \"your screen won’t stop what I’ve got just hand over the 10s and 20s think about the customer’s (sic).\" The goofy crime was reminiscent of a scene from the 1969 comedy film \"Take the Money and Run,\" which shows a bank robbery that goes wrong when the would-be robber argues with tellers, a vice president and others about whether his stickup note says \"gun\" or \"gub.\" But Slattery kept at it after his first stickup went south, and on March 26 he slipped a note to a teller at Nationwide Building Society who was able to read it – and turned over about $3,300 cash, police stated. Surveillance footage showed Slattery boarding a bus afterward, and he was identified through the bus company by the photo on his pass, according to police. NEW YORK ACCUSED BANK ROBBER HITS TWO MORE FOLLOWING NO-BAIL RELEASE Slattery struck out one last time before police charged him, though – this time at a NatWest bank on April 1, the release said. He once again used a note, but this time the teller pushed back and scared off Slattery who left the bank without taking anything, according to police. Police arrested Slattery walking near his home later for robbery and attempted robbery, police stated. In his house, they found \"sticky labels\" that matched one of his stickup notes, the statement said. \"These incidents caused fear and distress to both the employees working in the banks and to the wider public,\" Detective Constable Jay Fair said in a statement. \"I’d like to thank all the victims and witnesses who supported our investigation, and I’m pleased to see the severity of the offenses reflected in the sentence handed out by the court.\" Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a bus"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["67-year-old Alan Slattery"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Nationwide Building Society","Nationwide Building Society"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the morning of March 18"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["3,300","about $3,300 cash"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Sussex Police"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robbery suspects in Colorado Springs now face charges including kidnapping","document":"COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Three bank robbery suspects were arrested and face charges related to a series of robberies and one attempted robbery in Colorado Springs, according to police. Police say the robberies and one attempted robbery ranging from late February to mid-June showed a pattern where at least two suspects entered a local bank and demanded money from tellers. In multiple instances, the suspects stated they had weapons. However, no weapons were ever seen. The robberies were reported at the following locations:• 02/24/2021 Wells Fargo, 8620 North Union Boulevard• 04/27/2021 Wells Fargo, 560 West Garden of the Gods Road• 05/26/2021 ANB Bank, 4799 North Academy Boulevard• 06/08/2021 ANB Bank, 4799 North Academy Boulevard• 06/15/2021 UMB Bank, 290 East Cheyenne Mountain Boulevard• 06/18/2021 Wells Fargo, 8620 North Union Boulevard Following an investigation, CSPD detectives identified the suspects as 33-year-old Lawrence Wooten, 30-year-old Chad Williams, and 35-year-old Paris Toler- Anderson. Police arrest Wooten on July 12. He faces two counts of second-degree kidnapping, three counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of robbery, and one count of attempted robbery. Williams was arrest on June 30. He is charged with one count of aggravated robbery. According to police, Toler-Anderson was served an arrest warrant while he was already incustody at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center for his alleged role in the June 17 homicide of Gwendolyn Watson. Toler-Anderson is charged with one count of second-degree kidnapping and one count of aggravated robbery. Lauren is an anchor and MMJ for KRDO and 13 Investigates. Learn more about Lauren here. Please choose a reason below: Some of Blm finest .and yet they wont protest this just when they are unconvinced. Wonder if Blm does matter I’m sure somehow it’s not their fault. It’s trumps or the cops or white people that made them do it. Can’t blame the guys for wanting a better life. Now they get 1 cot and 3 hots.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["no weapons"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Wooten","Three bank robbery suspects"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["late February to mid-June","02/24/2021","04/27/2021","05/26/2021","06/08/2021","06/15/2021","06/18/2021"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Colorado Springs","COLORADO SPRINGS","Wells Fargo, 560 West Garden of the Gods Road","Wells Fargo","Wells Fargo, 8620 North Union Boulevard","8620 North Union Boulevard","ANB Bank, 4799 North Academy Boulevard","ANB Bank","4799 North Academy Boulevard","UMB Bank, 290 East Cheyenne Mountain Boulevard"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Suspect sought in Rohnert Park bank robbery","document":"The robbery happened at about 8:30 a.m. at the Westamerica Bank at the corner of Guerneville and Fulton roads. The mandate announced Tuesday requires in-home and senior care workers to get vaccination against influenza by Nov. 30. Kyle Rittenhouse broke down in tears on the witness stand at his murder trial Wednesday as he described how he was being pursued by the first man he shot and killed during a night of turbulent protests in Wisconsin. Governments are considering calling for a global end to coal use, according to a draft released Wednesday of the final document expected at the U.N. climate talks. The park was closed after lightning on Sept. 9 ignited two fires that merged. More clinics are scheduled for this week in Santa Rosa, Occidental, Healdsburg, Petaluma and Windsor. The settlement is like nowhere else in California. A draft of the final document expected at the U.N. climate talks was released Wednesday. NASA is pushing back its deadline for returning American astronauts to the moon’s surface by as much as one year. The first man killed by Kyle Rittenhouse on the streets of Kenosha was shot at a range of just a few feet and had soot injuries that could indicate he had his hand over the barrel of Rittenhouse’s rifle, a pathologist testified Tuesday. Police are searching for a man suspected of robbing a Rohnert Park bank Monday and fleeing with an unknown amount of cash, according to the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety. At 12:50 p.m., a man with his hand in his pocket, giving the impression he had a weapon, walked into the Westamerica Bank on Rohnert Park Expressway and told a teller “he was robbing the bank,” police said in a statement. The teller handed over money and the man fled the bank with it. The man was last seen fleeing on foot north through the bank parking lot towards City Center Drive and Padre Town Center. He was wearing a black knitted cap, a camouflage jacket with a bright orange liner, a blue mask covering the lower portion of his face and sunglasses, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Justin Wax at 707-584-2600. You can reach Staff Writer Mya Constantino at mya.constantino@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5220. On Twitter @searchingformya. The collision happened Nov. 3 near Old Gravenstein Highway. There’s no crosswalk in the area, officials said. Las Vegas real estate agent and developer Eddie Haddad, representing Nevada-based Resources Group, placed the highest bid, offering $15,050,000 for the nearly nearly 72-acre government property in northeast Santa Rosa. Despite two storms since the water year began Oct. 1, Sonoma County reservoirs remain low and water managers continue calling for 20% conservation. Peace & Plenty Farm in Kelseyville is North America’s largest producer of saffron. Somerville told the Mercury News that “all indications” were that he will not be given the opportunity to return as an anchor after being suspended for a disagreement on coverage of the Gabby Petito case. Companies owned by the rapper have agreed to pay $950,000 to Sonoma County’s District Attorney’s Office and three others. Black community members expressed disappointment over the loss of two Black county department heads, which they said had the potential to impact hiring efforts around the county. More clinics are scheduled for this week in Santa Rosa, Occidental, Healdsburg, Petaluma and Windsor. WIN Expo will be held on Thursday, December 2, 2021, from 9:00am — 4:00pm at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa... The collision happened Nov. 3 near Old Gravenstein Highway. There’s no crosswalk in the area, officials said. Las Vegas real estate agent and developer Eddie Haddad, representing Nevada-based Resources Group, placed the highest bid, offering $15,050,000 for the nearly nearly 72-acre government property in northeast Santa Rosa. Despite two storms since the water year began Oct. 1, Sonoma County reservoirs remain low and water managers continue calling for 20% conservation. Peace & Plenty Farm in Kelseyville is North America’s largest producer of saffron. Somerville told the Mercury News that “all indications” were that he will not be given the opportunity to return as an anchor after being suspended for a disagreement on coverage of the Gabby Petito case. UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: The robbery happened at about 8:30 a.m. at the Westamerica Bank at the corner of Guerneville and Fulton roads. The mandate announced Tuesday requires in-home and senior care workers to get vaccination against influenza by Nov. 30. Kyle Rittenhouse broke down in tears on the witness stand at his murder trial Wednesday as he described how he was being pursued by the first man he shot and killed during a night of turbulent protests in Wisconsin. Governments are considering calling for a global end to coal use, according to a draft released Wednesday of the final document expected at the U.N. climate talks.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Westamerica Bank","Westamerica Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["about 8:30 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the corner of Guerneville and Fulton roads","Guerneville","Fulton roads","Rohnert Park Expressway"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Deputies investigating bank robbery in Bakersfield","document":"BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern County Sheriff's Office is investigating a bank robbery at the United Security Bank on Coffee Rd and Downing Ave. KCSO says staff at the bank reported the incident just before 4 pm. They describe the suspect as a man, who mentioned he had a gun but did not show the weapon. He left the scene before deputies arrived and has not been found. There were no injuries to the staff according to KCSO. The investigation is ongoing. No word on if this man is the same suspect from another bank robbery in Kern just a few days ago.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Kern County Sheriff's Office"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the United Security Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["before 4 pm"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Coffee Rd and Downing Ave"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI Media Alert: FBI, Socorro Police Department Look for Bank Robber Also Suspected in Moriarty, Tijeras Robberies","document":" An unidentified man suspected of recent bank robberies in Moriarty and Tijeras is now suspected of robbing a bank in Socorro on Thursday, July 22, 2021. The robbery happened at Wells Fargo, 501 North California Street, in Socorro at approximately 4:45 p.m. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his mid-40s, approximately 5'5” tall, with a medium build. He wore a dark ball cap with a light-colored brim, a dark mask, a navy blue long-sleeve shirt, and black pants. He also may have a tattoo under his right eye. The suspect entered the bank and presented a demand note to a teller. The teller handed over an undisclosed amount of money to the suspect, who left the bank and walked northbound. The FBI is investigating this robbery with the Socorro Police Department. This individual is suspected of also robbing Wells Fargo in Moriarty on July 15, and U.S. Bank in Moriarty and Wells Fargo in Tijeras on July 19. Anyone with information about these robberies is asked to contact the FBI at (505) 889-1300. Tips can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov. Information about other bank robbers wanted by the FBI can be found at bankrobbers.fbi. 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.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The FBI","FBI","fbi","the Socorro Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["An unidentified man","Hispanic male in his mid-40s, approximately 5'5” tall, with a medium build"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Wells Fargo","U.S. Bank","bank","Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday, July 22, 2021","approximately 4:45 p.m","July 15","July 19"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["undisclosed amount of money"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Moriarty","Moriarty and Wells Fargo in Tijeras","Tijeras","Wells Fargo","Wells Fargo, 501 North California Street, in Socorro","Socorro","Moriarty and Tijeras"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Woman Cooped Up In Meghalaya Bank For 3 Days In Failed Robbery Bid: Police","document":"A 40- year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly attempting to rob a bank in the Meghalaya state capital after being cooped up in the building for three days, a senior police officer said. The woman had deposited cash in the bank on Friday before working hours ended at 2 pm, but did not step out and remained inside intending to commit robbery, East Khasi Hills district Additional Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem. The district administration had announced that Saturday would be a non-working day while Sunday is a holiday. The woman was found inside the Bishnupur branch of the Meghalaya Rural Bank in Shillong when the manager stepped inside the bank on Monday. The woman had not alerted anyone that she was confined inside the bank, the police officer said. Mr Syiem told PTI, the woman has been arrested based on an FIR filed by the bank manager. Some CCTV cameras and a CCTV monitor were found to be broken, according to bank officials. Marks were found inside the building suggesting an attempt to break into the strongroom, the officials said. The police found light food items such as puffed rice and oral rehydration solutions (ORS) from her possession. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["40- year-old woman"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["branch of the Meghalaya Rural Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday before working hours ended at 2 pm"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["East Khasi Hills district Additional Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Meghalaya state capital","Shillong"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Calgary bank robber dies in Manitoba prison","document":"An inmate serving time in Manitoba for a series of 2017 bank robberies in Calgary has died. Corrections Canada said Clinton McGeough, an inmate at Stony Mountain Institution, died in custody on Friday. McGeough had been serving a sentence of six years and seven months on three counts of robbery with threats of violence since April 2017. He was arrested in February 2017 following afternoon robberies at three different banks during the prior month. Each of the robberies followed a similar pattern, police said, where McGeough would enter a bank, approach the teller and present a robbery note demanding money and threatening the teller. Each time the robber indicated he was armed and was given an undisclosed amount of money before leaving the bank. No one was injured in the robberies. The cause of McGeough’s death was not disclosed. “As in all cases involving the death of an inmate, Correctional Service Canada will review the circumstances,” the department said in a release. Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Calgary Herald Headline News will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["McGeough"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["2017","February 2017","during the prior month"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["an undisclosed amount of money","money"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Calgary"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Albany police release photos of suspect in July 2 Key Bank robbery","document":" Updated: July 15, 2021 08:56 PM Created: July 15, 2021 01:30 PM Albany police are asking for your help as they investigate a bank robbery from earlier this month. Police put out pictures Thursday of a suspect in the New Scotland Avenue Key Bank robbery from July 2 around 2 p.m. Bank employees told police the robbers implied he had a gun. If you have information, you are asked to call Albany police at (518) 462-8039, or submit an anonymous tip to Capital Region Crime Stoppers. Albany police are looking for this man in connection with a robbery at Key Bank on July 2. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Albany police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Key Bank","the New Scotland Avenue Key Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["earlier this month","from July 2 around 2 p.m","July 2"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Osun State Bank robbery update: Ikire, Apomu bank robbers kill pipo, attack police station","document":"Police for Osun state say gunmen kill two if dia officers and two special constables during Wednesday Osun Bank robbery. Di officers lost dia lives during di attack on two banks and police station on Wednesday. Bullets also hit about three civilians during di attack wey start around 6:10pm in di evening, according to police. Superintendent of Police Yemisi Opalola Olawoyin say di attackers dey about 35. And dem carry about five vehicles attack di Ikire Divisional police headquarters and dia armoured tank wit plenti explosives. She say di robbers wan subdue di police first before dem go attack di access bank and di first bank wey dey do area. According to di PPRO, di robbers no succeed in robbing any of the banks sake of how dia officers attack with strong fire power. She say plenti security formations follow attack di robbers including di Prompt Response Unit PRU, CP Surveillance Team, IRT operatives, STS, 39 PMF, JTF and local security outfits. Wia dis foto come from, Fisayo Soyombo According to local report dem attack First Bank in Ikire and Access Bank inside Apomu. Robbers storm two towns inside Osun State wia dem hit two commercial banks. Di robbers also attack a police station, inside di southwest state on Wednesday, 2 June, 2021. Police don confirm di bank robbery dem and di attack on dia station by di robbers. Tori be say di suspected robbers land a about 5.30- 6pm and begin shoot anyhow wey come cause great panic. Di towns dem attack na Apomu, di headquarters of Isokan Local Goment Area and Ikire, headquarters of Irewole Local Goment Area. . According to local report dem attack First Bank in Ikire and Access Bank inside Apomu. Another report say di robbers first attack di Apomu bank before moving to Ikire, according to PM News wey quote wetin residents tok. Di robbers enter Apomu and Ikire through Ikoyi town, and divide demselves into different groups before dem attack di police station. And then hit di affected banks, one of which dey for Oke-Ola area. Wia dis foto come from, File foto Osun State don record similar bank robbery in di past wit dare-devil robbers. Di second bank dey near Akire Palace while di affected police station na di Ayedaade Police Station. Di armed robbers however japa through Orileowu road afta some local hunters and policemen confront dem. Di amount of loot wey di robbers tiff carri go dey yet unknown but dem kill at least four pipo inside di two attacks. Osun State Police Command tok tok pesin, SP Yemisi Opalola, confirm di robberies. \"Di robbers attack two banks and dem kill some pipo. Dem attack a police station during di operation\", she tok. Osun State don record similar bank robbery in di past wit dare-devil robbers. Dis particular incident don add to di rising insecurity across Nigeria. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["plenti explosives"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Police for Osun state","Osun State","Police","police","Osun State Police","Superintendent of Police Yemisi Opalola Olawoyin"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["five vehicles"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["gunmen"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["First Bank","Osun Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday","around 6:10pm"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police 'amazed' by customers who thwarted armed bank robbery in Abbotsford","document":"Police say a suspect is in custody after customers in a bank in Abbotsford, B.C., refused to obey orders from a shotgun-brandishing robber and tackled the person instead. A statement from Abbotsford police says a person entered a Scotiabank branch in the city just before noon Wednesday and ordered customers to the floor. The would-be robber then threw bags onto a counter and demanded money, but was confronted first by one customer, and then three more. The four customers tackled the robber, took away the gun and held the suspect until officers arrived minutes later. No one was hurt. Sgt. Judy Bird says a 46-year-old is facing robbery and firearms-related charges. Bird says police are thankful for the community support and \"amazed'' at the willingness of the four customers to protect others in the bank. \"As grateful as we are for this outcome, we remind the public to be aware of how volatile and dangerous these situations can be, especially with armed suspects,'' Bird said in a statement Thursday. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["shotgun","gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a counter"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Scotiabank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["before noon Wednesday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Abbotsford police"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Abbotsford, B.C","Abbotsford"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"South Lake Tahoe Police searching for bank robber","document":"SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (KOLO) - South Lake Tahoe Police hope someone can help identify a bank robber. The man told a teller at the Wells Fargo Bank at the “Y” on Emerald Bay Road that he had a gun. Police say, after the robbery, the man rode away on a BMX style bike. He is described as 5′11″ with short brown hair and was last seen wearing a dark-colored zip-up hooded sweatshirt, a two-toned trucker hat and a dark green gaiter mask. If you have information, call the South Lake Tahoe Police Department at (530) 542-6100 and reference case 2103-0047.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["South Lake Tahoe Police","South Lake Tahoe Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a BMX style bike"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Wells Fargo Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Emerald Bay Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI Nashville investigating bank robbery in Spring Hill, reward offered","document":"SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WZTV) — Officials with FBI Nashville are investigating a bank robbery that happened in Spring Hill on Friday afternoon. According to the Spring Hill Police Department, the suspect walked into First Citizens National Bank on Wall Street around 12:05 p.m. and demanded money from the teller at gunpoint. Police said the suspect left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash. Witnesses told police the bank robbery suspect is described as a male approximately 5'8\" and 140 pounds. (Photo: Spring Hill Police Department) No one was injured during the heist. Witnesses told police the suspect is described as a male approximately 5'8\" and 140 pounds. He was carrying a bright pink bag. He also had a wrist tattoo. There is no reported vehicle description. The bank is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Investigators with FBI Nashville will be taking over the case. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Officials with FBI Nashville","FBI Nashville","the Spring Hill Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a male approximately 5'8\" and 140 pounds","male approximately 5'8","140 pounds"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["First Citizens National Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday afternoon","around 12:05 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["an undisclosed amount of cash"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Spring Hill","SPRING HILL","Wall Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI, Lucas County Sheriff's Office searching for Maumee bank robber","document":"MAUMEE, Ohio — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Lucas County Sheriff's Office are asking for the public for help in identifying a man who robbed a Maumee bank over the weekend. According to the FBI, a man walked into the Superior Credit Union at 2422 South Holland Sylvania Road in Maumee just after 9:00 on Saturday morning. The suspect handed two tellers a demand note. The tellers complied with the demand, and handed over an undisclosed amount of money. The suspect fled to a nearby neighborhood on foot.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Lucas County Sheriff's Office","FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["on foot"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Maumee bank","the Superior Credit Union"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the weekend","after 9:00 on Saturday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["2422 South Holland Sylvania Road in Maumee","Maumee"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["undisclosed amount of money"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Man faces multiple charges in relation to afternoon bank robberies","document":"CALGARY -- A man faces multiple charges in relation to a pair of bank robberies that took place in Calgary on Monday. The first one took place at the TD Bank at 3630 Brentwood Road N.W. Monday at 12:30 p.m., when a man entered the bank wearing sunglasses and a bandana. Once inside, he approached a teller and asked for money, then presented a note demanding money and claiming to be armed. The man left with an undisclosed amount of cash. On Monday afternoon, police believe the same man entered the Bank of Montreal at 6550 Macleod Trail S.W. and demanded money from a teller, while claiming to be armed. A second bank employee overheard the exchange and tried to diffuse it. The suspect then jumped over the bank counter, started yelling for money and assaulted two bank employees. Calgary police officers arrived on scene and were able to arrest the man and take him into custody. Brien David Brooks, 32, faces one count of robbery and one count of disguise while committing an indictable offense in relation to the TD robbery. He also faces three counts of robbery, one count of assault, and one count of possession of weapons dangerous to the public peace in relation to the Bank of Montreal robbery.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Calgary police officers"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Bank of Montreal","bank","Bank","Montreal","the TD Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday at 12:30 p.m","Monday","Monday afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["an undisclosed amount of cash"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Calgary","3630 Brentwood Road N.W","6550 Macleod Trail S.W"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Man arrested at teller window during attempted bank robbery, Ocala police say","document":"OCALA, Fla. – A man is behind bars after he was arrested inside a bank during an attempted robbery, according to Ocala police. Joshua Snavely, 36, was arrested Saturday at a Bank of America branch at 2326 E. Silver Springs Blvd, according to the police report. [TRENDING: What’s next for housing market? | Some Fla. deputies told not to enforce ‘anti-riot’ law | Look up! First supermoon of 2021] Officers said Snavely approached the window and read the teller a prepared note, saying that he was robbing the bank and that she was to give him money. The teller looked to a coworker who then activated the alarm, according to the report. Police said both tellers then went to the back of the bank and called police, offering a description from the surveillance video. When officers arrived at the bank, they said they found Snavely still standing in the same spot in front of the teller window. Police said they found a notepad on Snavely with the robbery note he read to the tellers.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Joshua Snavely, 36"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Bank of America branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Ocala police"]},{"role":"Location","values":["2326 E. Silver Springs Blvd"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Hostages freed, suspect arrested after St. Cloud bank robbery standoff","document":"Gallery: Officers stand near an entrance to the Wells Fargo branch Thursday May 6, 2021, in south St. Cloud, Minn. following a reported hostage situation. Police in Minnesota were on the scene Thursday of a reported bank robbery with hostages. ST. CLOUD – A nearly nine-hour standoff ended late Thursday at a St. Cloud bank after a fifth and final bank employee taken hostage during an early afternoon robbery was freed. Just after that man walked out the bank's front door, law enforcement moved in and arrested the suspect, according to a St. Cloud police spokesman. No one was hurt, she said. Three hours earlier, the first four hostages, three women and one man, ran out the front door of the Wells Fargo Bank at 200 S. 33rd Av. one by one. Negotiations with the male suspect began shortly after the robbery was reported at 1:45 p.m. According to police scanner audio and a cell-phone video apparently posted by the suspect on one hostage's Facebook page, the suspect had a bank employee post a sticky note on a drive-through window with a phone number to call for negotiations. Several hours into the standoff, the first hostage freed, a woman wearing a face mask, ran out toward armed officers with her hands up, holding a cellphone in one hand. She was quickly escorted to safety. Just after she fled the bank, video showed the apparent suspect briefly opening the door from the inside and tossing what appeared to be paper bills into the air. A few minutes later, a second woman emerged and was led to safety. Then, just before 8 p.m., a male bank employee emerged unharmed. And few minutes later, a fourth person, a woman, walked out. The fifth and final hostage was freed about 10:15 p.m., following which officers moved in and arrested the suspect. He remains jailed pending charges. The Star Tribune generally does not identify suspects before they are charged. Earlier, Wells Fargo spokeswoman Staci Schiller said in a prepared statement, \"We recognize this is a traumatic moment for the community and our colleagues.\" All afternoon and evening, two armored vehicles stood by the bank's front door. As the night wore on, local officers and FBI agents on the scene appeared to ease their stance a bit, having pizza delivered for the suspect and officers. Police moved onlookers away, but hundreds watched the drama unfold from across the street until it was resolved late Thursday, cheering as each hostage walked free. St. Cloud resident Abdi Kadir said he was in the bank drive-through just before 2 p.m. when the teller hurriedly told him to leave. As he drove off, he saw people running out the bank's front door, he said. Abdi Ugas, also of St. Cloud, said he was in the bank ffrom about 11 a.m. to noon. \"I'm so lucky\" to have just missed the robbery, he said. \"We pray for the safety of the staff,\" said Farrah Aden, who was watching the scene with Kadir and Ugas. Jenny Berg covers St. Cloud for the Star Tribune. Sign up to receive the new St. Cloud Today newsletter. Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a fifth and final bank employee"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Police in Minnesota","police","Police","Minnesota"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Wells Fargo branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday May 6, 2021"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["a St. Cloud police spokesman","St"]},{"role":"Location","values":["south St. Cloud, Minn","CLOUD","Cloud"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Masked man robbed bank in Baker Wednesday morning","document":"BAKER - Police say a man claiming to have a gun robbed a bank in East Baton Rouge Parish Wednesday. The Baker Police Department confirmed to WBRZ it was investigating a robbery at a Chase Bank on Main Street. Police said the robber walked into the bank around 9 a.m. wearing a head covering and mask. The man reportedly slid a bank teller a note demanding money and warning that he was armed with a gun. The robber fled the bank before authorities arrived. It's unclear how much money the man took. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a bank teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Baker Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Chase Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday","around 9 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["East Baton Rouge Parish","Main Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"2 police officers hurt, 2 people in custody after armed bank robbery","document":"Two Toronto police officers were injured at the scene of an attempted bank robbery Friday evening, police say. Insp. Andy Singh told CBC News that at around 7:15 p.m., emergency officials got a call about a bank robbery in the area of Lakeshore Boulevard West and Allen Avenue. It was reported that the bank was being held up by two men with knives. \"Once the officers got in, an altercation ensued, and as a result, that's where the arrest was made and the injuries were sustained,\" Singh said. One officer was stabbed, while the other was cut, he said. Both officers are now in stable condition at a trauma centre, he said. No one else inside the bank was hurt. Singh said the two accused are responsible for \"multiple robberies in the Etobicoke area.\" Two knives were recovered at the scene, he said. Police say there are no outstanding suspects or any threat to public safety. \"Once again we are reminded of the danger our members face day to day,\" Toronto Police Association president Jon Reid said on Twitter Friday night. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6 Toll-free (Canada only): 1-866-306-4636 TTY/Teletype writer: 1-866-220-6045 ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["knives"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday evening"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Insp. Andy Singh","Toronto Police Association president Jon Reid"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Lakeshore Boulevard West and Allen Avenue"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"KSP investigating armed bank robbery in Webster Co.","document":"WEBSTER CO., Ky. (WFIE) - Kentucky State Police are investigating an armed bank robbery in Webster County. KSP Post 2 say they were contacted by the Providence Police Department to investigate an armed robbery that took place at Planters Bank in Providence at 2:30 p.m. KSP says a preliminary investigation reveals that a white man approximately 6′3 entered the bank wearing a hoodie and mask, demanding money while stating he had a gun. We are told the man left the bank with an undetermined amount of money on foot. Officials say he was last seen near Westerfield Drive in Providence. Anyone that has any information on this case is asked to contact Kentucky State Police at 270-676-3313.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Kentucky State Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a white man approximately 6′3"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Planters Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["at 2:30 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Providence","Webster County"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Accused Ottawa bank robber followed COVID-19 protocols: police","document":"OTTAWA -- Ottawa police say a man accused of robbing a bank on Rideau Street last week followed physical distancing protocols before allegedly slipping the teller a note. Police said they were called at around 11:30 a.m. Friday on reports a man had passed a note to a teller demanding cash. He left with an undisclosed amount before police arrived. Police said the suspect waited in line outside the bank, per COVID-19 protocols, before making the alleged demand once inside. Seven tips to manage anxiety, stress and isolation during the COVID-19 lockdown Can your employer force you to get a COVID-19 vaccine? Ottawa's top doctor suggests threshold for stricter COVID-19 regulations is too high Need a COVID-19 test before travelling? You can get one in Orleans for $185 A suspect was arrested a short time later without incident. Police said Davis Morris, 58, of Ottawa, is facing one count of robbery and appeared in court for a show cause hearing on Sunday.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Ottawa police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["last week","around 11:30 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["an undisclosed amount"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Rideau Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police Nab Would-Be Bank Robber in San Jose, Bomb Squad Responds","document":"Police arrested a would-be bank robber in West San Jose on Saturday morning and called the bomb squad to the scene to check on a suspicious device the robber left behind, according to the police department. At about 9:35 a.m., officers responded to the Chase Bank branch in the 1700 block of Saratoga Avenue, near Westgate and El Paseo de Saratoga shopping centers, on reports of a robbery in progress, police said. Witnesses reported on social media the robber was armed, but police did not immediately confirm it was an armed robbery attempt. A suspect was taken into custody at the scene, and no injuries were reported, police said. SJPD's bomb squad responded to the scene to investigate a suspicious device the suspect left in the bank, police said. The bank was evacuated safely, and the device was later rendered safe. The bank is in one of the busiest areas of the city, with the two large shopping centers and several popular restaurants at the intersection of three main corridors: Saratoga Avenue, Lawrence Expressway and Prospect Road/Campbell Avenue. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Chase Bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday morning","about 9:35 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the 1700 block of Saratoga Avenue, near Westgate and El Paseo de Saratoga shopping centers","Saratoga Avenue","West San Jose"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI searching for Bank of the West robbery suspect","document":"DENVER — Authorities are asking for help identifying a suspect accused of using a weapon while robbing a bank in Denver on Monday. It happened at a Bank of the West located at 2050 S. Downing St. in the early afternoon on Monday, according to the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force and the Denver Police Department. Authorities said he displayed a weapon and described the suspect as a Caucasian male, approximately 6 feet tall with a medium to heavy build. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with a large pug on the front with the words “PUG LIFE,” a black knitted hat and blue jeans, police said. Anyone who recognized this suspect or has information about this or any other bank robbery is asked to call the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force at 303-629-7171. Anyone with information can also call Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 or visit metrodenvercrimestoppers.com. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000. Metro Denver Crime Stoppers works by assigning a code to people who anonymously submit a tip. Information is shared with law enforcement, and Crime Stoppers are notified at the conclusion of the investigation. From there, an awards committee reviews the information provided and, if the information leads to an arrest, the tipster will be notified. Rewards can be collected using the code numbers received when the tip was originally submitted. > More information about Metro Denver Crime Stoppers can be found here. > Additional Crime Stoppers bulletins can be found here. More bank robberies have been reported in Colorado this year than in the same time period last year, according to the FBI. As of Feb. 12, the FBI said 25 bank robberies had occurred in the Denver metro area. Ten of those were reported within a five-day period.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force","the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force and the Denver Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a Caucasian male, approximately 6 feet tall with a medium to heavy build"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Bank of the West"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday","early afternoon on Monday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Denver","2050 S. Downing St"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Two Toronto police officers in hospital, two suspects arrested after bank robbery in Mimico","document":" Two Toronto police officers are in hospital after they were injured while responding to a bank robbery in Mimico Friday evening. Police were called to a TD Bank in the area of Lake Shore Boulevard West and Allen Avenue just after 7:15 p.m. Speaking to reporters at the scene, Insp. Andy Singh said the bank was held up by two suspects armed with knives. Two plainclothes officers who were investigating a separate incident nearby arrived at the bank and confronted the suspects inside, Singh said. He noted that an altercation then ensued between the officers and the suspects. Police are investigating a bank robbery in Mimico that left two police officer injured. Singh said one of the suspects led police to a brief foot pursuit but was shortly apprehended. The other suspect was arrested inside the bank. During the incident, one of the officers was stabbed while the other sustained cuts. Singh said both were transported to hospital and are now in stable condition. No other injuries were reported. Two knives were recovered at the scene. Singh noted that the suspects are believed to be responsible for other robberies in the area. He said Toronto police interim Chief James Ramer has attended the hospital and spoke to the officers. \"Whatever the supports we have, we're providing to everyone, not only the officers that are injured but officers that are here that obviously were part of the investigation,\" Singh said. \"It truly showcases how dangerous and how quick these situations and how they can quickly escalate.\" Police said there is no threat to public safety, and there are no outstanding suspects. \"We're continuing with the investigation, interviewing witnesses, and canvassing for video,\" Singh said. \"If there's anybody that has any information in the public that was here that saw any of the ongoings, we asked them to come forward and contact Toronto police.\"","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["knives"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a TD Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday evening","after 7:15 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Two Toronto police officers","Insp. Andy Singh"]},{"role":"Location","values":["in Mimico","Mimico","Lake Shore Boulevard West and Allen Avenue"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Pueblo police searching for bank robbery suspect and primary driver of getaway car","document":"PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Pueblo police are searching for a man involved in a bank robbery and the primary driver of the vehicle the suspect used to leave the scene. On Tuesday at 11:56 a.m. officers were dispatched to a bank robbery at Sunflower Bank in Pueblo. Police describe the suspect as a man, between 5'7\" and 5'9\", light complexion, and facial hair. He was wearing glasses, a black puffy jacket, black gloves, a white ball cap, a multi-colored gator, and black shoes. The suspect left the scene in a 2006 Suzuki Forenza. That suspect was later located by Pueblo police. Detectives say additional video footage shows the suspect after he changed clothing. He was last seen wearing a black baseball hat with a white logo, glasses, a blue long sleeve shirt, long black shorts, black shoes, with a backpack with black straps. Detectives now say they want to speak to the primary driver of the vehicle, identified as MacKenzie Weber, 22. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Pueblo police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["the vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a man, between 5'7\" and 5'9\"","MacKenzie Weber, 22"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Sunflower Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday at 11:56 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Pueblo"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Ennis Police Have Bank Robbery Suspect In Custody","document":"On April 29, 2021 at approximately 1:25 pm the Ennis Police Department responded to a robbery at Ennis State Bank 815 W. Ennis Ave. in Ennis, Ellis County, Texas. Officers from the patrol division and CID responded to the location. Special Agents from the Dallas field office of the FBI also responded. The suspect reportedly handed the bank teller a note that read, “THIS IS A ROBBERY. 30K. DON’T BE A HERO.” He told the teller to place cash into a folder, then fled the scene. The investigation revealed that the suspect entered and left bank property on foot towards a grocery store. Video from area businesses and responding patrol vehicles was instrumental in helping to identify the suspect and his vehicle, a silver Dodge Challenger. Information developed by Ennis Police Department officers and investigators lead to the identification of the suspect through license tag identification by Texas Department of Public Safety. In the early morning hours of May 6, 2021 the suspect identified as Michael W. Wilson 34 of Dallas, Texas was taken into custody by special agents of the FBI and officers from the Dallas Police Department. Wilson is a suspect in a number of other bank robberies in the north Texas area. The incidents were repeatedly caught on surveillance camera. During a robbery at a bank in Dallas on Feb. 9, Mr. Wilson allegedly flashed a demand note that read, “This is a robbery. I have a gun.” After grabbing several thousand dollars from the frightened teller, he fled with the money and demand note — but left a deposit slip on the counter. Investigators lifted a latent fingerprint off of the slip. They ran the print through a police department database, but failed to turn up a match. Wilson is slated to make his initial appearance in federal court today. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Violent Crimes Taskforce conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Dallas Police Department, the Ennis Police Department, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Briggs is prosecuting the case.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Ennis Police Department","FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["patrol vehicles","a silver Dodge Challenger"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Ennis State Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["815 W. Ennis Ave. in Ennis, Ellis County, Texas","Ennis","Texas"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["several thousand dollars"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Several armed robberies in DC appear to have been committed by teenagers, police say","document":"WASHINGTON — The Metropolitan Police Department is busy investigating several armed robberies and one attempted robbery believed to be committed by teenagers, in just a few hours on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. Police said Wednesday afternoon that they arrested four suspects in the string of robberies, but it is unknown if the suspects are all teens at this time. Chief Robert Contee said the carjacking track force tracked them down this morning. “They were asleep inside of the vehicle,\" Chief Contee said. \"There’s property inside of the vehicle. There appears to be at least one firearm inside the vehicle that we can see.” He said they believe the suspects could be linked to up to 12 robberies. There have been at least six armed robberies and one attempted armed robbery by a group of juveniles, police said. MPD's 4th District Watch Commander told WUSA9 that the group appeared to be targeting people on the street for cash and belongings. MPD Watch Commanders told WUSA9 that four of the armed robberies happened in D.C.'s 4th District. No injuries were reported in those incidents. But, in one of the robberies reported in the 1st District, two women were hurt on the 900 block of East Capitol Street, Northeast around 11:14 p.m. on Tuesday. The 1st District Watch Commander said one woman was hit with a handgun, and the other was hit with a rifle. The police report said phones, wallets, IDs, and a purse were taken. Neighbors who live near the 900 block of East Capitol Street NE were shocked to hear about the robbery. “You don't want that type of thing happening anywhere, but particularly close to where you live,\" Damian Conway said. \"So very concerning to hear that.” Kristin Owen said she often walks her dog alone at the time the two women were attacked. “I usually feel really safe walking around. And there's often a lot of Capitol Police out because we're just a couple blocks up from the Capitol,\" Owen said. \"So, I'm really surprised to hear the robbery.” From now on, she said she'll probably walk her dog earlier in the night or with her roommate. She even bought pepper spray Wednesday morning. Other neighbors said they plan to purchase security cameras now through the city's rebate program. MPD tweeted out information for a few other robberies that occurred overnight. One happened at 2:30 a.m. in the 1300 block of Parkwood Place, NW. Another robbery that happened just before 1 a.m. in the 800 block of Delafield Place, Northeast, involved five suspects all wearing masks and armed with rifles and handguns, according to police. Another robbery investigation is happening in the 2500 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, but the victim in this case was not able to provide much detail about the suspects so it's not clear if this case is connected to the others, according the MPD 6th District Watch Commander. The suspects in many of these robberies are said to be armed. Police believe two of the suspects are armed with handguns, and the other two are armed with long rifles. Police have posted lookouts for multiple possible getaway vehicles used in the crimes. One is a black compact SUV, like a Hyundai or Honda CRV. The other is a black sedan. A Watch Commander with MPD's 6th District said it's possible the suspects are switching vehicles and targeting areas that are not well lit. It's too early to say for sure whether the robberies were all committed by the same group of teens, but detectives are looking into the possibility of them being connected, police said. The total number of robberies District-wide year to year is staying steady, but more criminals are using guns, according to DC Metropolitan Police data that WUSA9 examined. This year from Jan. 1, to July 14, there were 897 robberies throughout the city. Last year for that same stretch of time, there were 890 robberies according to the crime stats. When it comes to robberies using a gun, MPD reports 102 more this year compared to last citywide. In MPD's 4th District alone, which includes upper Northwest and most of Northeast D.C., there were four armed robberies Tuesday. So far in 2021, that area has seen 66 armed robberies, which is more than twice what it was in 2020. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a handgun","a rifle"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["four suspects"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Metropolitan Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a black compact SUV, like a Hyundai or Honda CRV. The other is a black sedan"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["just a few hours on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Chief Robert Contee"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Wilmington police search for bank robbery suspect","document":"WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - A man is accused of robbing a Wilmington bank just as it opened for business Wednesday morning. According to the Wilmington Police Department, the suspect entered the First Citizen Bank, located at 315 Market Street, just before 9:30 a.m. and approached a teller, passing a note that demanded money. The teller handed over the cash and the suspect then left the bank. No weapon was show. The suspect is described as early- to mid-20′s, approximately five-foot-six to five-foot eight, with a slender build. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing faded black jeans, a white and black stripe shirt, with a red and white bandanna wrapped around his right wrist, and a black cap. The man had on a white mask, and he was wearing eyeglasses with dark, heavy frames. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the WPD at (910)-343-3609 or use the Wilmington, NC PD app for anonymous methods.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Wilmington Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["The suspect is described as early- to mid-20′s, approximately five-foot-six to five-foot eight, with a slender build"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Wilmington bank","the First Citizen Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday morning","before 9:30 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["315 Market Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"3 teens arrested in violent, armed Markham bank robbery","document":"York police have arrested three teens in connection with an armed bank robbery in Markham on Wednesday night where one employee was seriously hurt and three others were injured. The robbery happened at an RBC branch in the area of 16th Avenue and Markham Road, according to York Regional Police Staff Sgt. Marc Hilliker. Officers were called to the branch at about 8 p.m. Police said in a news release that three teens arrived at the bank in a vehicle, and then walked in armed with knives and guns. \"The suspects ordered everyone onto the ground and demanded cash from the safe,\" the news release reads. \"Two employees of the bank were stabbed and two people had been kicked in the face.\" Of the two who were stabbed, one suffered injuries that Hilliker described as serious. Paramedics took all four employees to hospital. All of their injuries are considered non-life-threatening. Hillkier said the trio \"ran away from the bank and went north through a wooded area\" before ending up in a residential neighbourhood. Police dogs, escorted by York police's tactical unit, found them in a townhouse under construction. \"Within 45 minutes our officers had coordinated the capture of all these armed individuals,\" Hillkier told CBC News. Two guns were also recovered, police say. According to the news release, the car the teens were using was stolen on Feb. 10 in a violent carjacking in Toronto. A 16-year-old of no fixed address, a 15-year-old of no fixed address, and a 13-year-old from Mississauga were all arrested. They are now facing charges including robbery with a firearm, aggravated assault, and possession of property obtained by crime. Police say they have found evidence that connects the trio to other robberies in the Greater Toronto Area. Their investigation is ongoing. Witnesses are asked to call York Regional Police or to contact Crime Stoppers. With files from The Canadian Press Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6 Toll-free (Canada only): 1-866-306-4636 TTY/Teletype writer: 1-866-220-6045 ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["with knives and guns"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["three teens"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["an RBC branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday night"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["York Regional Police Staff Sgt. Marc Hilliker"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Markham","the area of 16th Avenue and Markham Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robbery was ‘crime of despair’ after years in prison, attorney says","document":"A 48-year-old man was sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison for robbing a Grand Rapids bank. (MLive File Photo) GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A man who has spent much of his adult life locked up was sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison for robbing a Fifth Third Bank in Grand Rapids. Kimatha Roderico Smith, 48, of Grand Rapids, was on supervised release in an earlier holdup when he robbed the bank at 700 Bridge St. NW, on Nov. 2. He was desperate for cash. After finishing a lengthy prison sentence, he wasn’t equipped for a return to society, his attorney said. “Mr. Smith recognizes that this is not his first bank robbery,” James Stevenson Fisher, an assistant federal public defender, wrote in court documents. “However, the fact and circumstances of his offense conduct demonstrate that this was a crime of despair committed by a person who has become utterly institutionalized after decades in prison.” Smith was convicted in a 2000 bank robbery and sentenced to six years, eight months in prison. Eight years later, he was sentenced to 12 years, 7 months in a second bank robbery. U.S. District Judge Janet Neff in Grand Rapids on Friday, April 16, sentenced Smith to 12 years, 7 months in the 2020 robbery. Once his sentence ends, he has to serve three years on supervised release. Neff set restitution at $791. Smith told his probation officer he was “drunk and high” in the latest holdup, a federal prosecutor said. Smith grew up in a rough, poor neighborhood, his attorney said. “Mr. Smith never really had a chance to excel in life. He grew up in a community in Southeast Grand Rapids where poverty and violence were all he knew and witnessed almost daily,” Stevenson wrote. “While in school, he was a victim of what is now labeled as the school-to-prison pipeline, often disciplined harshly, suspended, or expelled because of behavioral problems.” He said his client “did not envision a world where he could overcome his surroundings. He was taught from a young age, especially by his school, that reaching out for intervention and help by acting out only got him kicked out of school, thus driving him deeper into a cycle of bad behavior and punishment.” After spending nearly 20 years in jail or prison, Smith hasn’t learned how to be a productive member of society. When he last left prison, he was overwhelmed. During the pandemic, he couldn’t find a job or housing. He was facing eviction from a hotel when a “friend” offered money to stay another week, his attorney said. The “friend,” however, threatened Smith if he didn’t repay immediately, the attorney said. “He felt he had no choice but to come up with the money quickly; his life literally depended on it,” Stevenson said. He said Smith confessed the crime to his probation officer but didn’t think of sharing his struggles before the robbery. “The entire episode demonstrates Mr. Smith’s institutionalization,” Stevenson said. Read more: Man pleads guilty in 3rd bank robbery Alleged drink tampering at Kalamazoo bar prompts thousands to sign online petition Golf course, dentist, Kroger, Blue Cross Blue Shield fined for COVID-19 violations Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Kimatha Roderico Smith"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Fifth Third Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Nov. 2"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Grand Rapids","GRAND RAPIDS","700 Bridge St. NW"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"2 Kent County banks robbed within 20 minutes","document":"WYOMING, Mich. — Two banks in Kent County were robbed within 20 minutes of each other Thursday afternoon, according to Fox 17 reporters at the scene. One happened at the Fifth/Third Bank on Chicago Drive in Grandville at 11:13 a.m. and the other at Macatawa Bank on Clyde Park in Wyoming at 11:33 a.m. Recent Stories from fox17online.com Police are looking for a suspect they described as a dark-skinned Black man wearing a skirt, a raincoat and carrying a purse. Witnesses told police he appeared to be in his 20s or 30s, 5'5\" to 5'9\" with a thin build. Law enforcement was at the scene at both banks. A perimeter was established in the area of 32nd/34th and Woodward, near Peppercorn Apartments, though it was later taken down once law enforcement was confident the suspect was not within it.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a dark-skinned Black man wearing a skirt, a raincoat and carrying a purse"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday afternoon","11:13 a.m","11:33 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the Fifth/Third Bank on Chicago Drive in Grandville","Macatawa Bank on Clyde Park in Wyoming","area of 32nd/34th and Woodward, near Peppercorn Apartments"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Coral Gables attorney faces charges for several bank robberies in Miami-Dade","document":"Updated: October 21, 2020 6:16 pm Andrea Torres, Digital Journalist Liane Morejon, Reporter CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A 41-year-old Coral Gables attorney is facing federal charges for a series of bank robberies and attempted bank robberies in Coral Gables and Aventura. FBI agents identified the suspect on Wednesday as Aaron Honaker. Coral Gables police officers arrested him during an attempted bank robbery on Tuesday night, FBI agents said, adding that the ongoing investigation also involves the Aventura Police Department. According to Wake Forest University Law School’s registrar office, Honaker received his Juris Doctor degree there on Dec. 10, 2005. State records show he was admitted to the Florida Bar on Jan. 31, 2008, and is a member in good standing. At the beginning of his career, Honaker was recruited by a top international law firm in Brickell and he worked there for about three years. Colleagues at boutique firms in Coral Gables described him as a “highly intelligent” and “brilliant” attorney who is “disciplined” and “sharp.” “I have no explanation as to how he got to this point,” a former colleague said. In several professional online profiles, Honaker described himself as a litigator in “all matters related to corporate and commercial relationships.\" His experience includes implementing a plan of reorganization through a $1.6 billion equity infusion transaction with Merrill Lynch, now Bank of America. The Florida Bar and a Linkedin profile list Honaker as a Duke Law School graduate, but a spokesman for the university said on Wednesday afternoon that there is no registrar record of him ever being a student there. On Dec. 10, 2019, officers arrested Honaker for battery after a domestic violence call. He completed pre-trial release conditions and the court issued a discharge certificate on Jan. 8, 2020. About eight months later, FBI agents accused Honaker of targeting four banks in Coral Gables and one in Aventura during a two-week crime spree. According to Coral Gables Police Chief Edward Hudak, Sgt. Ted Nguyen spotted Honaker on Tuesday outside of a bank in downtown Coral Gables and arrested him before he could “strike again.” Officer Robert Alonso attributed the arrest to Detective Nguyen’s years of experience. The banks in Coral Gables are the Citibank branch at 396 Alhambra Circle targeted on Sept. 30; a Wells Fargo Bank branch at 2555 Ponce De Leon Blvd. targeted on Oct. 5; the Chase Bank branch at 355 Alhambra Circle targeted on Oct. 10; and the HSBC Bank branch at 2222 Ponce De Leon Blvd. targeted on Oct. 15. The bank in Aventura is the Chase Bank branch at 20880 Biscayne Blvd., which Honaker is accused of targeting on Oct. 3.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["FBI agents","the Aventura Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Aaron Honaker"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Chase Bank branch","Chase Bank branch","the Citibank branch","a Wells Fargo Bank branch","the HSBC Bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday night"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Wake Forest University Law School’s registrar office"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Coral Gables and Aventura","CORAL GABLES","Coral Gables","Aventura"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Marshfield, Mo. couple heading to prison for Arkansas bank robbery","document":"PINE BLLUFF, Ark. (Edited news release from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas/KY3) - A man and woman from Marshfield, Mo. are sentenced to federal prison for a bank robbery in Lead Hill, Ark. A news release from the United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, states David Ray Powers, 29, was sentenced on September 30 to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count each of Bank Robbery and Being a felon in Possession of a Firearm. Lori Jo Stilley, 42, was sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Bank Robbery. Stilley plead guilty in May. Powers plead guilty in June. According to court records, on January 30, 2020, Powers and Stilley traveled from Missouri to Boone County, Arkansas, for the purpose of robbing a bank. Stilley assisted in the plan to rob a bank by searching on her cellular phone for locations of banks to rob. Powers and Stilley viewed banks in order to determine if they could readily escape after a robbery. On January 30, 2020, they entered the Arvest Bank in Lead Hill, Arkansas, and stood in line waiting for a teller. Once called upon, Powers placed a hand written note on the teller’s desk that stated that this was a bank robbery and demanded money. The teller complied with the demands, and retrieved money from a drawer totaling $1,387.00. The Teller placed the money into a tan canvass bank bag and gave the money to Powers, who took the bank bag, the hand written note, and left the bank through the front door. After receiving a vehicle description, an Arkansas State Police Trooper located a vehicle that matched the description and initiated a traffic stop. After an interview, both Powers and Stilley were arrested. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and searched it. Inside the vehicle was a purse containing $1,387.00 in U.S. currency. A loaded handgun was also located under the vehicle’s front seat. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the Arkansas State Police and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Claude Hawkins prosecuted the case for the United States.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Boone County Sheriff’s Office"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Powers and Stilley","Powers","Stilley"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Arvest Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["January 30, 2020"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["1,387.00"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Lead Hill, Arkansas","Arkansas","Lead Hill"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Texas man drives dealership loaner to rob bank to buy BMW: feds","document":"Everything is bigger in Texas, including the boldness of one thief’s brazen scheme to get himself a BMW. Eric Dion Warren, 50, drove a car dealership loaner to a bank, robbed the bank and then drove back to the dealership to use the stolen money to buy a Beemer, federal prosecutors said in a press release. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the audacious crime Tuesday, officials said. Warren pulled the stunt in 2019, driving the dealership car to a bank outside Lubbock. There he put an empty fast food restaurant bag and a note on the counter, the feds said. The note read: “This is a f—— robbery. Play with me and die. I want $10,000 in 50 and 100 dollar bills now you got 1 minute or I will kill you.” Warren then pulled out what looked like a handgun and said, “I ain’t playing around, I only want 100s and 50s,” according to the release. The teller filled the fast food bag with cash — including a bundle of 20s with recorded serial numbers, prosecutors told the court. Warren then drove the $5,086 haul back to the car dealership, where he had been in the process of buying a black BMW. “Mr. Warren began waving the cash that he had illegally obtained from the bank robbery at employees in the car dealership,” prosecutors said. The fraudulent financing quickly went south for Warren, when authorities called the car dealership 15 minutes later and informed workers about the getaway car with dealer plates, prosecutors said. Police arrived at the dealership and found Warren in possession of the traceable cash and a pellet gun painted to look like a real weapon. Warren plead guilty to federal bank robbery in August, according to prosecutors. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a pellet gun painted to look like a real weapon"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["dealership car"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Eric Dion Warren, 50"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["10,000 in 50 and 100 dollar bills"]}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI Seeks Second Suspect in Killing of Security Guard During Gary Bank Robbery","document":"The FBI was searching for a second person believed to have been involved in the fatal shooting of a security guard during a robbery at a Gary, Indiana, bank Friday, authorities said. NBC 5’s Natalie Martinez reports. The FBI was searching for a second person believed to have been involved in the fatal shooting of a security guard during a robbery at a Gary, Indiana, bank Friday, authorities said. The shooting was reported before 2 p.m. at the First Midwest Bank, 1975 W. Ridge Rd. Two men armed with a handgun and rifle \"apparently ambushed the security officer\" and killed him outside the bank, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Department. It's believed the suspects then entered the bank and demanded money, according to sheriff's deputies. \"I heard some gunshots,\" said Eric Brantley, the owner of a nearby resale shop. \"Then... I heard some sirens in there working and saw the tape. Everything was taped off.\" One suspect was apprehended in the hours following the fatal shooting, authorities confirmed. Sheriff's deputies released surveillance photos of the suspects late Friday afternoon. The Lake County Coroner's Office identified the security guard as Richard Castellana, 55, of Tinley Park. Mike Richardson, who works at a nearby car dealership, said he regularly saw Castellana walking in the parking lot.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a handgun and rifle"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The FBI","FBI","the Lake County Sheriff's Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Gary, Indiana, bank","Gary","Indiana","the First Midwest Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["1975 W. Ridge Rd"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Ex-Ireland rugby player charged with stealing almost €600,000 from BOI","document":" Brendan Mullin, of Albert Lodge, Stillorgan Road, Donnybrook, Dublin 4, leaving Dublin District Court on Tuesday. Photograph: Collins Courts Former Irish rugby international Brendan Mullin is to face trial accused of deception, false accounting and theft of close to €600,000 from Bank of Ireland where he held a senior executive position. Mullin (57) appeared at Dublin District Court on Tuesday following an investigation by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) into bank fraud allegations going back a decade. The former rugby star won 55 Irish caps between 1984 and 1995 before he went into financial services and became managing director at Bank of Ireland Private Banking Ltd. He was arrested at 9.08am on Tuesday when he met gardaí in Dublin city-centre. He was brought to the Bridewell Garda station where he was charged with 15 offences which allegedly took place between 2011 and 2013. He is accused of stealing €500,000 on December 16th 2011, at Bank of Ireland Private Bank at Burlington Plaza, Burlington Road, Dublin 4. Mr Mullin, of Albert Lodge, Stillorgan Road, Donnybrook, Dublin 4, is charged with eight further thefts of amounts totalling €73,000 from the bank. Five counts of false accounting were also put to him. He was also charged with deception by inducing a named man and woman to sign a payment instruction with the intention of making gain for himself or another on July 27th, 2011. Dressed in a grey suit and light blue shirt, he sat silently during his hearing before Judge Michael Walsh. GNECB Detective Sean O’Riordan told the court Mr Mullin made no comment when charged. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has directed trial on indictment meaning his case will go before a judge and jury in the circuit court. The DPP has also stated that he can be sent forward for sentencing on a signed plea, should that arise, but defence solicitor Robert Purcell told Judge Walsh a book of evidence will be required. Bail terms had been agreed, Judge Walsh noted, and it was set in Mr Mullin’s own bond of €10,000. He was ordered to surrender his passport but this was not made a precondition of release; Judge Walsh warned him that it must be handed over to gardai within 48 hours of taking up bail. Mr Mullin needed to travel for work purposes and that could be done once the GNECB detective is notified in advance, the judge said. He must appear again at the District Court on November 11th next to be served with the book of evidence by the prosecution. A trial order can then be granted. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB)","GNECB"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Brendan Mullin"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Bank of Ireland"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["close to €600,000"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Teen suspects in violent Woodstock, Ont. bank robbery arrested just hours after heist","document":"TORONTO -- Five suspects, four teens and one 21-year-old, in a violent robbery at a bank in Woodstock, Ont. were arrested in Mississauga on Tuesday afternoon, just hours after the heist occurred. Police say that four of the suspects arrived at a bank in Woodstock just prior to 2 p.m. in a vehicle that had been stolen in Brampton earlier in the day. It is alleged that the suspects bound employees and customers inside the bank with zip ties and that one of them struck a customer with an alleged firearm, causing minor injuries. The suspects then stole an unspecified quantity of cash and fled the scene. About two hours later at around 4 p.m., Peel police in Mississauga located the stolen vehicle used in the robbery in Mississauga and arrested five suspects, including the driver of a second vehicle involved in the robbery. An imitation firearm was also recovered during the arrests. Anthony Mitchell, 19, Elijah Cromwell, 19, Daphne Tran, 21 as well as a 16-year-old male and a 14-year-old male are all facing charges in connection with the robbery. The 14-year-old and 16-year-old cannot be named under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. None of the charges have been tested in court. Peel police are continuing to investigate and are asking anyone with information to contact the Central Robbery Bureau at (905) 453-2121 ext. 3402.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Ont","arrested five suspects"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Central Robbery Bureau"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Anthony Mitchell, 19, Elijah Cromwell, 19, Daphne Tran, 21 as well as a 16-year-old male and a 14-year-old male"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday","prior to 2 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["an unspecified quantity of cash"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Woodstock","Mississauga"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI, KPD searching for Knoxville bank robbery suspect","document":"KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Knoxville Police Department are searching for a suspect responsible for a bank robbery. According to a release from the FBI, a suspect entered the FSNB bank located inside Walmart at 3051 Kinzel Way in Knoxville around 2:49 p.m. Friday, April 9. The suspect approached the bank tellers and handed them a note demanding money. The tellers complied with the demands and then the suspect left the bank driving a dark green Honda Accord. The suspect is described as a Black man with a medium to large build. He is believed to be in his 40s or 50s and was between five-foot-10 and six-foot-two. “He was wearing a long-sleeve camouflage shirt, a gray ballcap with a “W” on the front, sunglasses, dark-colored pants, white/gray gardening gloves, black boots, and a royal blue face covering. He was also in possession of a yellow bag, which he kept underneath his arm during the robbery,” the release states. If you know this person, or have any information on his whereabouts, you are asked to call the FBI’s Knoxville, Tennessee Field Office at 865-544-0751 or submit a tip online at https://tips.fbi.gov.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Knoxville Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a dark green Honda Accord"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a Black man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the FSNB bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["around 2:49 p.m. Friday, April 9"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["inside Walmart at 3051 Kinzel Way in Knoxville","Knoxville"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Three boys accused of violent bank robbery that left four in hospital","document":"MARKHAM -- Three teenagers have been arrested after an alleged \"violent bank robbery\" that left four people injured. York Regional Police say the three boys, ages 13, 15 and 16, were armed with knives and guns during the incident on Wednesday night in Markham. According to police, the boys ordered everyone onto the ground and demanded cash from the safe. Police say two employees were stabbed and two other people were kicked in the face. All four victims were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Officers used the K9 unit to track the suspects to a house that was under construction later that night and placed them under arrest. Police say they found two guns and a vehicle that had been reported stolen during an alleged violent carjacking in Toronto last week.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["knives and guns"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Three teenagers"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["York Regional Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday night"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Markham"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Man faces charges after bank robbery, crash on US-23 in Ann Arbor during police chase","document":"Updated: March 29, 2021 12:32 pm Meredith Bruckner, Community News Producer, All About Ann Arbor ANN ARBOR – Ken Kenyatta Wilson was charged on Friday with a slew of felonies by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office. Wilson fled police officers on Tuesday afternoon after robbing the Chase Bank at 4101 E. Ellsworth Road in Pittsfield Township, leading to a chase when the suspect crashed his vehicle in the area of US-23 and Washtenaw Ave. The area was temporarily closed to traffic so that Michigan State Police could conduct an accident investigation. Wilson was transported to St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor hospital with serious injuries, but was reported to be in stable condition. Officers recovered stolen money, several firearms and ammunition from inside his vehicle and the scene of the crash. No one else was injured during the bank robbery or in the collision. Investigations at both the bank and the crash site were conducted by detectives, Pittsfield officers and evidence technicians. The 48-year-old Ypsilanti resident is being held without bond in the Washtenaw County Jail while he awaits court proceedings. Wilson was arraigned on the following charges: Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pittsfield Township Police Department at the following numbers:","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Ken Kenyatta Wilson"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Chase Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["4101 E. Ellsworth Road in Pittsfield Township","Pittsfield Township"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Update: Man charged after robbing College Station bank","document":"COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - A Hempstead man has been charged with aggravated robbery and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle after robbing a bank at 2305 Texas Ave, Friday afternoon. Ondre Green, Jr, 19, was arrested after College Station Police said he displayed a gun during a bank robbery at Texas Avenue and Manuel Drive around 12:30 p.m. Officials say Green was then found with a handgun and money from the bank, and subsequently admitted to the robbery. CSPD says no one was injured during the robbery and they are not looking for any other suspects. Bank robber captured — Bank robbery reported at Texas Avenue and Manuel Drive at ~12:30 p.m. The actor displayed a firearm during the robbery & fled on foot down Manuel. The actor was located with a handgun and property (incl. money) from the bank, and admitted to the robbery. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun","a handgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Ondre Green"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a motor vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["A Hempstead man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday afternoon","12:30 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Texas Avenue and Manuel Drive","Texas Avenue","Manuel Drive","2305 Texas Ave"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"26-year-old who shot teller during Harlingen bank robbery charged","document":"Police say 26-year-old Mohamed Pathe Bah robbed a Texas Regional Bank located on the 2000 block of South Business 77 at 9:45 a.m. A caller told officials Pathe Bah, who wore a mask at the time, shot a teller and demanded money from another. He then fled the scene on a bicycle. Authorities were able to locate and apprehend him a short time later. The teller who was shot was transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to police. The teller has since been released from the hospital.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a bicycle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["26-year-old Mohamed Pathe Bah"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Texas Regional Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["9:45 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the 2000 block of South Business 77"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Rutherford Bank Robbed Of $2,300","document":"The black robber – wearing a face mask, dark jacket and a hoodie -- entered the Kearny Bank (formerly Kearny Federal Savings Bank) branch at Park and West Newall avenues at 4:15 p.m., Police Chief John Russo said. He handed the teller a note with specific instructions, demanded the note back, then fled east on foot on West Newell Avenue with $2,300 in cash in a plastic bag, the chief said. No weapon was shown, he said. Rutherford detectives and the FBI were working the case. The Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification collected evidence. Anyone who witnessed the holdup, saw the robber or has information that could help authorities is asked to contact Rutherford police: (201) 939-6000.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Rutherford detectives and the FBI","The Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["on foot"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Kearny Bank (formerly Kearny Federal Savings Bank) branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["4:15 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Police Chief John Russo"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Park and West Newall avenues"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["2,300"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Notorious bank robbery suspect coordinated our operations from prison — Gang members","document":"Four years after a notorious bank robbery kingpin, Clement Abanara, alias Millions, was arrested by operatives of the Force Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT, charged to court and remanded in Ikoyi Correctional Center for coordinating bank robberies in Lagos State, his gang members have disclosed how he had continued to coordinate more armed robberies across the country while still serving his term in prison. Seven members of his gang identified as Sunday Solemu, Alfred Robinson, Abuchi Alfred, Emeka Ilo, Ekene Igbanifore and two dismissed soldiers, Ayeni Samuel and Emeka Ariston, were arrested by operatives of the IRT, as they were planning to rob a commercial bank in Asaba area of Delta State while a GPMG, six AK-47, 51 magazines, 1,620 rounds of live ammunition, two vehicles, breaking instruments and charms, were recovered from them during the raid. Police source disclosed to Vanguard that the IRT operatives, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, swooped on the suspects after they launched a manhunt for members of the gang who carried out the Ebonyi State bullion van attack and they discovered that the robbery operation was coordinated by Millions, a notorious armed robber serving time in prison. A source disclosed that IRT operatives arrested a cousin to Millions, Alfred Robinson, based in Asaba Delta state who revealed how Millions had been coordinating their operations from his detention in Ikoyi Correctional Centre, Lagos. He disclosed that Millions, who took part in the 2015 bank robberies in Lekki, Ikorodu, Festac and Agbara (all in Lagos), where millions of naira were carted away, brought in the soldiers who assisted them in organizing their operations. It was also gathered that the two vehicles used in the Ebonyi State bullion van robbery attack, a Toyota Lexus and a Four Runner, SUV, were robbed from their owners, who were kidnapped in Owerri, Imo State and a ransom of N5million was paid for their release. vehicles were taken to Onitsha Anambra State, where their trackers were removed before the suspects proceeded to Ebonyi state for their operation. Alfred Robinson disclosed during his arrest that Ebonyi bullion van robbery would have been successful if the van had appeared at the location and time they were expecting it adding that the four policemen escorting the van were killed because they took members of the gang unaware. He said that after the operation failed, they proceed to Akwa, Anambra state and robbed a recharge card dealer of the sum of N7.5million, cash and other valuables. He, however, led the IRT operatives in arresting six members of his gang including the dismissed soldiers and the recovery of the gang’s arms and ammunition. During his interview, Robinson, who is a father of four disclosed that he also took part in the 2015 Lekki bank robbery in Lagos State. He said his cousin, Millions invited him for the operation, after which he got N5million as his share. In his confession, Alfred Robinson, 45, said; “I am from Gelegele Local Government Area of Edo State and I am married with four children. I was a wood logger before I went into oil bunkering. “It was my cousin, Millions who introduced me to the oil bunkering business. Millions also got me involved in armed robbery. I made the N5million invested in oil bunkering from the 2015 Lekki bank robbery. “That was the business I was doing before my friend, Sunday Soyemi, brought this Ebonyi state bullion van robbery. I called my cousin in prison who gave me all the expertise I needed for the operation. “He was the person who linked me to the soldiers I used for the operation, he also advised that we should not use our vehicles for the operation, but we should use robbed cars. “We followed his instructions. Soyemi brought the guns and dynamite we used for the operation but the operation failed because we weren’t prepared at the time the bullion van came to our spot. We exchanged fire with the police escort and the van escaped,” he stated. On his part, Sunday Soyemi, 46, a native of Bayelsa state said the bullion van robbery failed because the police escort following it noticed their presence and opened fire on them. “We weren’t prepared when the bullion van and the escort approached our location. They opened fire on us and we weren’t prepared. We shot back but the van escaped. “We killed four of the policemen and left Ebonyi state immediately. We proceeded to Akwa, Anambra State and robbed a man of the sum of N7.5million, then we were in Asaba, strategizing on bank to rob when the police swooped on us.” The dismissed soldiers, Ayeni Samuel and Emeka Ariston said they got involved in robbery because they were looking for money to fix their lives and support their families. They said they knew Millions through their friend serving at the Ikoyi Prison and Millions promised to assist them if they worked for him. Ayeni said; “I joined the Nigeria army in 2003 and I was dismissed because I took part in illegal duty. After my dismissal in 2014, I have no job, then I was linked to Millions who is in prison. “He was the person that linked me to his cousin, Alfred, that they needed my coursemate and me to give them military cover. “We went for the operation with our uniforms but we were unlucky the bullion van escaped from the scene. I also took part in the Akwa Ibom robbery the next day where I got N150,000 as my share but I was arrested while we were making plans to rob another bullion van in Asaba,” he stated.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a GPMG, six AK-47, 51 magazines, 1,620 rounds of live ammunition"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Seven members of his gang identified as Sunday Solemu, Alfred Robinson, Abuchi Alfred, Emeka Ilo, Ekene Igbanifore and two dismissed soldiers, Ayeni Samuel and Emeka Ariston","Alfred Robinson","Ayeni Samuel","Emeka Ariston","Clement Abanara, alias Millions"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the IRT","IRT"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["two vehicles"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a commercial bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Asaba area of Delta State","Delta state"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Lubbock Police investigating bank robbery near 82nd and Slide, one man arrested","document":"(LUBBOCK, TX) – The Lubbock Police Department made an arrest following a bank robbery that occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. today at Bank of America, located at 5144 82nd Street. LPD officers responded to the bank for a robbery that just occurred. Through the initial investigation, they determined the suspect approached a teller and passed them a note demanding money and threatened the teller if they did not comply. The teller gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of money and the suspect left the bank and fled by vehicle. The suspect, 59-year-old David Edward Chambliss, was a customer of the bank and recognized by an employee. Officers located a license plate number for a vehicle associated with Chambliss, and found that the license plate had recently been scanned at an area hotel. Officers located Chambliss at Extended Stay America, located at 4802 S. Loop 289, and placed him under arrest for the bank robbery. *************** LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - The Lubbock Police Department Robbery Squad is responding to a bank robbery that happened around 1:30 p.m. at the Bank of America located at 5144 82nd Street. According to police, the suspect passed a note demanding money from a teller at the bank and left. No other information has been released at this time. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Lubbock Police Department","Lubbock Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["by vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["59-year-old David Edward Chambliss"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Bank of America","America","Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["shortly after 1:30 p.m. today"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["5144 82nd Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Man and woman sought after 2 armed bank robberies committed hours apart in Burnaby","document":"The Vancity Credit Union branch at Market Crossing in Burnaby, B.C., is seen in an undated Google Maps image. VANCOUVER -- Police are searching for suspects following two armed bank robberies in Burnaby, B.C., that were committed within a few hours of each other on Thursday. The first robbery was reported shortly after 10 a.m. at the Vancity Credit Union branch at Market Crossing, where a man allegedly demanded cash while carrying what appeared to be a handgun. The second happened around 3:20 p.m. at the Westminster Savings Credit Union on Kingsway Avenue, where a woman with a gun \"threatened bank staff,\" Burnaby RCMP said in a news release. In both robberies, authorities said the suspects fled the scene before officers arrived. Police did not reveal how much money was taken, if any. Burnaby RCMP's Strike Force Team has taken over the investigation into the robberies, and will be \"thoroughly examining surveillance video, interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence\" to identify the suspects, the detachment said. The first suspect was described as white, approximately 6' tall and 35-45 years old. Police said he was wearing a black toque, black facemask, black jacket and blue jeans. The woman was described as white, about 5'3\" tall and 30-40 years old. She was wearing a dark toque, dark facemask and black jacket, police said. Authorities asked anyone with information on either robbery to call the Burnaby RCMP non-emergency line at 604-646-9999. Tipsters who want to remain anonymous can instead call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a handgun","a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Burnaby RCMP's Strike Force Team","Burnaby RCMP"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Vancity Credit Union branch","Vancity Credit Union branch","The Vancity Credit Union branch","Westminster Savings Credit Union"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday","10 a.m","around 3:20 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Burnaby RCMP"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Market Crossing","Burnaby, B.C","Burnaby","Kingsway Avenue"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Baton Rouge police arrest alleged bank robber tied to multiple heists","document":"DENHAM SPRINGS - A suspected bank robber was caught in East Baton Rouge within hours of a robbery in another parish. Police said the Pelican State Credit Union in Denham Springs was targeted Monday morning. Staff set off a silent panic alarm, which called police to the scene. Investigators said a man, identified as Shawn Debourbon, entered the building with a gun and demanded the bank tellers give him money. He fled the business before officers arrived but was captured by BRPD a short while later. BRPD believes Debourbon also carried out a robbery at a bank on S Sherwood Forest Boulevard earlier this month. Debourbon was booked in East Baton Rouge Parish and will be turned over to authorities in Livingston Parish to face additional charges there. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["bank tellers"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a man, identified as Shawn Debourbon"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Pelican State Credit Union"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Denham Springs","DENHAM SPRINGS"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Man escapes empty-handed after trying to rob bank in Fresno, police say","document":"FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A man accused of trying to rob a bank in Fresno walked away empty-handed on Monday afternoon. The Fresno Police Department says the attempted robbery took place when a man in his 30s walked into Citi Bank on Blackstone and Ashlan Avenues. Fresno Police say the man went up to a bank teller and handed her a note demanding money. The bank teller told police the man had showed her what she thought was the butt of a gun in his waistband. During the encounter, the woman got scared and backed away from the man. Police say the man quickly ran out of the bank before he could steal any cash.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a bank teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Fresno Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Citi Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Fresno Police"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Fresno","Blackstone and Ashlan Avenues"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Two Toronto police officers injured, two suspects in custody after bank robbery in Mimico","document":"TORONTO -- Two Toronto police officers are in hospital after they were injured while responding to a bank robbery in Mimico Friday evening. Police were called to a TD Bank in the area of Lake Shore Boulevard West and Allen Avenue just after 7:15 p.m. Speaking to reporters at the scene, Insp. Andy Singh said the bank was held up by two suspects armed with knives. Two plainclothes officers who were investigating a separate incident nearby arrived at the bank and confronted the suspects inside, Singh said. He noted that an altercation then ensued between the officers and the suspects. Singh said one of the suspects led police to a brief foot pursuit but was shortly apprehended. The other suspect was arrested inside the bank. During the incident, one of the officers was stabbed while the other sustained cuts. Singh said both were transported to hospital and are now in stable condition. No other injuries were reported. Two knives were recovered at the scene. Singh noted that the suspects are believed to be responsible for other robberies in the area. He said Toronto police interim Chief James Ramer has attended the hospital and spoke to the officers. \"Whatever the supports we have, we're providing to everyone, not only the officers that are injured but officers that are here that obviously were part of the investigation,\" Singh said. \"It truly showcases how dangerous and how quick these situations and how they can quickly escalate.\" Police said there is no threat to public safety, and there are no outstanding suspects. \"We're continuing with the investigation, interviewing witnesses, and canvassing for video,\" Singh said. \"If there's anybody that has any information in the public that was here that saw any of the ongoings, we asked them to come forward and contact Toronto police.\"","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["knives"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a TD Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday evening","after 7:15 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Andy Singh"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Mimico","area of Lake Shore Boulevard West and Allen Avenue"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Hostages die in foiled Brazil bank robberies","document":"At least five hostages, including a child, have died as armed police battled robbers who had tried to raid two banks in north-east Brazil. Six other people also died in the gun battle in the city of Milagres, reports say. It is not clear if they were robbers or police officers. The mayor of Milagres, in Ceara state, said the hostages were killed by their captors as police moved in. Two suspected robbers were arrested, Brazilian media reported. Four of the hostages, including the child, were all from the same family, city mayor Lielson Landim told Radio Band News. According to initial reports, police surprised the robbers in the early hours of the morning and engaged them in a shootout. The gang then fled, reportedly grabbing the hostages on their way. Mr Landim, quoted by Brazil's Globo newspaper, said the gang had blocked a road with a truck and seized the family from a vehicle that was forced to stop. \"The criminals killed the hostages and the police killed the criminals,\" he added. However, a spokeswoman for the state governor said that 12 people had died, including six police officers. Security officials said police had seized guns and explosives used by the gang. Three vehicles had been used in the attempted robberies on two bank branches, they added. Brazil country profile China and US in surprise joint climate agreement The world's two biggest CO2 emitters pledge to co-operate in an announcement at the COP26 summit. Elon Musk sells $1.1bn of Tesla shares Can 'sponge cities' help combat extreme weather? COP26: ‘I grew up seeing typhoons in my community’ VideoCOP26: ‘I grew up seeing typhoons in my community’ How much is still spent supporting fossil fuels? The village split in two by climate change. VideoThe village split in two by climate change Afghans facing 'hell on earth' as winter looms How are migrants getting to Belarus? Can 'sponge cities' help combat extreme weather? Would the world be better if it was run by teenagers? 'We use more power than almost anyone in Australia' Video'We use more power than almost anyone in Australia'","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["guns and explosives"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Two suspected robbers"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["Three vehicles"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["a spokeswoman for the state governor"]},{"role":"Location","values":["north-east Brazil"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Suspected bank robber shot and killed in Visalia identified","document":"VISALIA, Calif. (FOX26) — A man was shot and killed in a Visalia neighborhood following an armed bank robbery. Visalia police got the call of a bank robbery at the Tri Counties Bank on S Pinkham St. in Visalia around 11:15 Wednesday morning. Bank employees said the man, later identified as 43-year-old Joshua Van Machado from Hanford, kept a hand in his pocket like he had a gun and demanded money. They say Machado took the money and left in a pickup with the tailgate open. Police spotted a pickup matching the description and set blocked Court St. south of Laura Ave. More VideosVolume 90%Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcutsKeyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabledPlay/PauseSPACEIncrease Volume↑Decrease Volume↓Seek Forward→Seek Backward←Captions On/OffcFullscreen/Exit FullscreenfMute/UnmutemSeek %0-9Next UpStudent sends video holding gun replica & threatening to kill peers; police take no action Email facebook twitter Linkhttps://kmph.com/news/local/shots-fired-in-visalia?video=5c77251966fd40d98302c8ccbca58c37&jwsource=clCopied EmbedCopiedLive00:0000:0000:00 Shots fired in Visalia (Courtesy: Lena B.) Machado eventually got out of the truck and police saw he was holding a handgun. Police say they demanded he drop the gun but he raised it causing them to open fire. Machado fell to the ground but continued holding the gun. Officers say they kept telling him to take his hand off the gun but they say he raised it again causing them to open fire again. They say Machado was still moving and still holding the gun, forcing them to shoot him a third time. Officers rendered first aid until paramedics took over and pronounced the man dead. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a pickup"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["43-year-old Joshua Van Machado"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Tri Counties Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["11:15 Wednesday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Pinkham St. in Visalia","Visalia","visalia"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robbery suspect arrested after crashing car in Ann Arbor neighborhood","document":"ANN ARBOR, MI – A bank robbery suspect was arrested Monday afternoon after crashing his getaway vehicle in an Ann Arbor neighborhood and trying to runaway on foot, police say. Police were called at 1:24 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, to a Key Bank branch, 2225 Washtenaw Ave., in Ypsilanti Township for a reported robbery at gunpoint, according to the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office. Arriving officers spotted the suspect’s vehicle fleeing the scene and pursued it west towards Ann Arbor, police said. The suspect crashed near Turnberry Lane and fled on foot in the neighborhood near Scarlett Middle School, close to the crash, but was quickly located and arrested without further incident, police said. The suspect was taken to the Washtenaw County Jail to await charges while police remained at the bank and crash scene to investigate and collect remaining evidence, police said. The Ann Arbor Police Department, Ypsilanti Police Department, Pittsfield Township Department of Public Safety assisted at the scene. More from The Ann Arbor News: Ann Arbor council rehashes drama before choosing Tom Crawford as next city administrator Glazier Way, Green Road closing in Ann Arbor for resurfacing Liberty Street to close in downtown Ann Arbor for DDA project ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["A bank robbery suspect"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Key Bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1:24 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["2225 Washtenaw Ave., in Ypsilanti Township"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Buda police: Man confesses to Broadway Bank robbery","document":"BUDA, Texas - Buda police say a man confessed Thursday to the robbery of a bank in northwest Buda Monday afternoon. Santiago Campuzano-Salazar (Buda Police Department) Santiago Campuzano-Salazar, 39, was arrested on robbery charges March 12 in relation to the robbery of the Broadway Bank on FM 1626 on March 9, says Buda police. In a Facebook post Friday, Buda police says Campuzano-Salazar confessed to the robbery and was taken into custody without incident. RELATED: Buda police asking for help in identifying bank robbery suspect Buda police posted photos of a bank robbery suspect on Facebook Monday. In their initial post, they say a man had left on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash after passing a note to the teller demanding money. The suspect was described as a white or Hispanic male in his 40s, but as shown in the photos, he attempted to conceal his identity by blacking out his face. The suspect is described as a white or Hispanic male in his 40s, but as shown in photos posted by Buda police, he attempted to conceal his identity by blacking out his face.   \"Thank you to everyone for your assistance in sharing the post and getting the word out there!\" says Buda police. The startling turn came after Rittenhouse, in a high-stakes gamble, took the stand and testified that he was under attack when he shot three men in the summer of 2020.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Buda Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["on foot"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Santiago Campuzano-Salazar, 39","Santiago Campuzano-Salazar","Salazar"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Broadway Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday afternoon","March 9"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["an undisclosed amount of cash"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Buda police","Buda Police"]},{"role":"Location","values":["northwest Buda","FM 1626"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Images from Arlington Heights bank robbery released","document":"The FBI released this surveillance image of a man who entered a TCF Bank branch in a Jewel/Osco store in Arlington Heights and demanded money from the teller. Courtesy of the FBI The FBI released this surveillance image of a man who entered a TCF Bank branch in a Jewel/Osco store in Arlington Heights and demanded money from the teller. Courtesy of the FBI Federal authorities have released surveillance images of the robbery of the TCF Bank branch at the Jewel at 1860 S. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights. The Chicago office of the FBI said that at 3:28 p.m. Wednesday, a man entered the branch and demanded money from the teller, implying he had a weapon. Authorities said the robber was described as white, thin, 5-feet-7-inches, 160 pounds and approximately in his late 30s to early 40s. He was wearing a black-and-white baseball cap with writing, a dark facial covering, a green long-sleeved T-shirt with writing on the back, khaki cargo shorts, gray socks and black gym shoes.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a weapon"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The FBI","FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a TCF Bank branch","TCF Bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["The Chicago office of the FBI","FBI"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Arlington Heights"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Ex-rugby international charged over stealing €578,000 from Bank of Ireland","document":"A former Irish rugby international has appeared in court charged with stealing over €500,000 from the Bank of Ireland. Brendan Mullin, with an address at Stillorgan Road in Dublin, was arrested and brought before the Dublin District Court this morning on foot of an investigation by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau. He is charged with nine counts of theft under the Theft and Fraud offences Act, accusing him of stealing €573,000 from Bank of Ireland between 2011 and 2013. The 57-year-old former managing director of Bank of Ireland private banking is also accused of deceiving two people, Nicola Johnson and Paul Gallagher, to sign a payment instruction to make a gain for himself or causing a loss to another. Mr Mullin is also charged with five counts of false accounting. Detective Garda Sean O'Riordan of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution. He told the court that Mr Mullin was arrested at 9.08am this morning on Chancery Street in Dublin 7 and when he was charged with the offences at the Bridewell Garda Station, he made no comment. The detective told the court the DPP had directed trial on indictment and there was no garda objection to bail Mr Mullin was released on bail of his own bond of €10,000 and agreed to surrender his passport within 48 hours He is due back in court on 11 November for service of the book of evidence. We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences Mr Mullin earned 55 international caps for Ireland between 1984 and 1995. He played at three Rugby World Cup finals - in 1987, 1991 and 1995 - and in nine Five Nations championships. He also toured Australia in 1989 with the British and Irish Lions and at the time played club rugby for Blackrock College RFC.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Brendan Mullin"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau","Garda National Economic Crime Bureau"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Bank of Ireland"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["573,000"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Indiana Man Arrested for Attempted Santa Monica Bank Robbery","document":"Santa Monica police arrested an Indiana man who attempted to rob a bank with a shotgun this week. According to the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD), on December 8 at around 9:20 a.m., the dispatch received a call of an armed robbery in progress at the Wells Fargo Bank on 170 Pier Avenue. Police say the robbery was reported to involve a male armed with a shotgun. “Santa Monica Police Officers were in the area and quickly arrived on scene. Officers observed the suspect inside a vehicle exiting the bank parking lot. Officers were able to conduct a high-risk traffic stop at the intersection of Neilson Way and Bicknell,” said SMPD Lt. Joseph A. Cortez. “Officers recovered a shotgun from the vehicle.” According to police, the suspect–27-year-old Aaron Koehler-Marsh from Dayton, Indiana–was taken into custody without incident on robbery charges. November 10, 2021 Sam Catanzaro Man listed in stable condition following Monday night incident in Santa Monica By Sam Catanzaro A security guard at a... 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Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and events in Santa Monica and the surrounding areas!","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a shotgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Aaron Koehler-Marsh"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Santa Monica police","Santa Monica Police","Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD)","SMPD"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["an Indiana man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Wells Fargo Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 8 at around 9:20 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["170 Pier Avenue"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Jailed: Robbers who targeted OAPs at east London cashpoints","document":"A man and woman have been jailed after carrying out at least 11 robberies on pensioners at cashpoints across east London. Anton Welio grabbed the cash while his accomplice Stephanie Smillie kept lookout. The 34-year-olds from Philpot Street in Stepney targeted elderly men and women withdrawing money from cash machines outside banks in Stratford, Whitechapel, Forest Gate and Plaistow. The biggest hit was a £500 robbery in Whitechapel at the cashpoint outside Lloyd's Bank in Commercial Road. Welio approached the victims from behind and started talking to them, then pushed them aside and grabbed their money as it came out of the machines while Smillie kept watch, before both run off. But they were identified by Det Con Raf Patel and Det Sgt Keith Faris, from the Met’s North East burglary and robbery unit, while trawling through CCTV footage. Both were arrested in January. “This pair carried out cowardly robberies on elderly people,” Det Con Patel said. “This sort of crime creates fear in some of the most vulnerable people who may already been concerned about going out in public during the height of the pandemic.” They have each been jailed for five years. Anton Welio admitted 13 robberies and Stephanie Smillie 11, both pleading guilty when they appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on September 10. Anton Welio from Philpot Street, Stepney... 13 robberies at cashpoints - Credit: Met Police Diary of Welio's robberies outside banks in 2020: January 9 and 29: Barclays, Romford Road, Forest Gate, £300 both times from women. September 11: Nat West, Stratford Broadway, £200 from a man. October 19 and November 10: Nat West, Stratford Broadway, £200 each time from men. December 17: Lloyd's, Whitechapel Road, £200 from a man. December 23: Barclay's, Barking Road, £10 from a man. December 21: Nat West, Stratford Broadway, £206 from a man. December 23: Nat West, Whitechapel Road, £200 from a man. Diary of Welio's 2021 Whitechapel robberies in January: 2: HSBC, Whitechapel Road, £200 from a woman. 11: Lloyd's, Commercial Road, £500 from a man. 12: HSBC Whitechapel Road, £100 from a man. 19: HSBC Whitechapel Road, £200 from a woman. Stephanie Smillie from Philpot Street, Stepney... 11 robberies at cashpoints - Credit: Met Police Diary of Smillie's robberies with Welio in 2020: January 29: Barclay's, Romford Road, £300 from a woman. September 11 and October 19: Nat West, Stratford Broadway, £200 each time from men. November 11: Nat West, Stratford Broadway, £200 from a man. December 17: Lloyd's, Whitechapel Road, £200 from a man. December 20: Barclay's, Barking Road, £10 from a man. December 21: Nat West, Stratford Broadway, £206 from a man. December 23: Nat West, Whitechapel Road, £200 from a man. Diary of Smillie's 2021 Whitechapel robberies with Welio in January: 2: HSBC, Whitechapel Road, £200 from a woman. 11: Lloyd's, Commercial Road, £500 from a man. 12: HSBC, Whitechapel Road, £100 from a man. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Anton Welio"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Lloyd's Bank","Lloyd"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["a £500"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Stratford, Whitechapel, Forest Gate and Plaistow","Whitechapel","Forest Gate","Stratford","Commercial Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Authorities: Arrest Made In Flagstaff Bank Robbery","document":"The Flagstaff Police Department says it has made an arrest in a bank robbery that happened at the Wells Fargo Bank on Milton Road last week. On Thursday, April 30, 2020 shortly after 12:30 p.m., Flagstaff Police were called to the 1200 Block of S. Milton Road for a Bank Robbery report that had just occurred at the Wells Fargo Bank. According to a written news statement from the Flagstaff PD, officers arrived and met with bank staff, who reported a male suspect approached a teller and produced a note. The note advised of a robbery and requested cash be placed in an envelope. The male suspect was given an undisclosed amount of money and he fled out of the bank. Staff at the bank provided officers with a description of the suspect and direction he fled after leaving the bank. Responding officers searched the area and quickly located a subject matching the description provided by bank staff, walking away from the bank. A witness was brought to the suspect and verified the individual was the man they saw produce the note and leave the bank with the envelope. The suspect was identified as Robert Donald Rickman, 66. He was arrested for robbery and during a search of his person; evidence of the robbery was allegedly located on his person. Officers did not locate any weapons in his possession. Rickman has been booked into the Coconino County jail for one count of Robbery.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Flagstaff Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Wells Fargo Bank","Wells Fargo Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last week","On Thursday, April 30, 2020 shortly after 12:30 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["undisclosed amount of money"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Milton Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Tip-off triggers bank robbery arrest","document":"A tip-off from the public led to the arrest of an alleged bank robber in Coffs Harbour overnight. A man armed with a knife threatened a teller at the National Australia Bank in Hickory Street, Dorrigo about 10:00am (AEDT) yesterday. He escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash. About 9:00pm police received a call from the public that a man matching the robber's description was at a south Coffs Harbour service station. The 28 year old was subsequently arrested and is due to face the Coffs Harbour Local Court today. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a knife"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["south Coffs Harbour service station"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the National Australia Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["10:00am (AEDT) yesterday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["undisclosed amount of cash"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Hickory Street, Dorrigo"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police charge man in connection to bank robbery Thursday","document":" Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Winnipeg police have arrested and charged one man in connection to a bank robbery on Thursday. Police were called to a bank in the Bridgewater neighbourhood and officers were told that around 1:15 p.m. a man went into the bank with his face covered and it appeared he was carrying an assault-style rifle. Police said the man went to the counter, pointed the gun at an employee and demanded money. Investigators said the employee gave the man the money and he left. The employee didn't suffer any physical injuries. Police were eventually able to find the man at a home in the 100 block of Bairdmore Boulevard and he was taken into custody. Police were able to get a search warrant and were able to seize a vehicle, the money from the bank and an imitation firearm. Oshiobugie Bryan Okhaimo, 24, from Winnipeg, has been charged with armed robbery using a firearm, using an imitation firearm during the commission of an indictable offence, pointing a firearm, possessing a weapon and disguise with intent.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["assault-style rifle"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["one man"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Winnipeg police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Bryan Okhaimo, 24"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["on Thursday","1:15 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank in the Bridgewater neighbourhood"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"College Station Police arrest suspect hours after two Wells Fargo robberies","document":"College Station Police arrested a 21-year-old in connection to the two robberies that took place earlier Tuesday. Waseem Khali, a Houston resident, was arrested hours after the reported robberies at the Wells Fargo Rock Prairie location and the bank on Southwest Parkway. He was charged with two counts of robbery and evading a vehicle, according to police. UPDATE: 3:00 p.m. College Station Police said there are two bank locations that have been robbed. One is the Wells Fargo Rock Prairie location and the bank on Southwest Parkway. Both locations are closed for the rest of the day. How many suspects involved have not been released by the CSPD, however, we do know at least one person is in custody at this time. Previous Story: 2:30 p.m. The College Station Police Department is investigating a reported bank robbery that happened at a Wells Fargo Bank Tuesday afternoon. Authorities reported the suspect took off in a vehicle on Highway 6 towards Navasota going more than 100 miles per hour. The car went off the road near Navasota and police said the suspect is in custody. We have a crew at the scene of the bank robbery and will bring you more information as it becomes available.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Waseem Khali, a Houston resident"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["College Station Police","The College Station Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Wells Fargo Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["earlier Tuesday","Tuesday afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Southwest Parkway","Wells Fargo Rock Prairie","the bank on Southwest Parkway"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI releases images from Coral Gables bank robbery","document":"CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A Coral Gables bank was robbed Thursday afternoon, and the FBI is circulating photos in hopes of identifying the suspect seen on surveillance. The robber entered the HSBC Bank branch at 2222 Ponce de Leon Blvd. around 4:50 p.m. and demanded money from an employee, investigators say. Authorities are not releasing the amount of money that was taken, if any. If anyone has information, they are urged to call the FBI at 754-703-2000 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["an employee"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the FBI","FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["A Coral Gables bank","the HSBC Bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday afternoon","around 4:50 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["2222 Ponce de Leon Blvd"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police: Bank robbery suspect caught after pursuit through Rochester, nearby towns","document":"Rochester, N.Y. - A bank robbery suspect is in custody, police say, following a pursuit in Rochester Monday. Around 1:45 p.m., police say the suspect robbed the M&T Bank on Lyell Avenue. They say the suspect passed a note to a teller. Soon after, officers in the area saw a vehicle matching a description of the suspect's and attempted to stop it. This reportedly resulted in a lengthy police pursuit that stretched through multiple areas, including Greece and Irondequoit. After nearly 45 minutes, the pursuit eventually came to an end on West Avenue. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to the hospital to be evaluated for injuries. The suspect has been identified as Stevie C. Williams, 42, from Buffalo. He has been charged with third-degree robbery and fourth-degree grand larceny. e is also being charged with DWAI-drugs and multiple traffic offenses. No police or civilians were injured.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Stevie C. Williams, 42"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the M&T Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday. Around 1:45 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Rochester","Lyell Avenue"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI searching for San Marcos bank robbery suspect","document":"SAN MARCOS, Calif. (KGTV) — FBI investigators are asking the public for help finding the suspect who robbed a Chase Bank location in San Marcos on Wednesday. The FBI and San Diego Sheriff's Department say the suspect entered the Chase Bank at 348 South Twin Oaks Valley Road at about 11:45 a.m. and waited in line. He approached the counter and produced a handwritten note that said, \"Give me all your 50's and 100's and give me the note back.\" The teller gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of money and the suspect fled the scene on foot. Investigators described the suspect as a white male, between 25 and 30 years old, standing 5' 11\", and with a thin build. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie sweatshirt, black pants, black plastic sunglasses, and a colorful tube-style mask pulled over his face. Anyone with information is asked to call San Diego FBI at 858-320-1800 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the counter"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The FBI and San Diego Sheriff's Department","FBI","FBI investigators"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a white male"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Chase Bank","Chase Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday","about 11:45 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["an undisclosed amount of money"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["San Marcos","SAN MARCOS","348 South Twin Oaks Valley Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Downtown Toledo PNC Bank robbed by male threatening violence in a note","document":"TOLEDO, Ohio — The FBI is seeking clues in a bank robbery that took place Friday afternoon at the PNC Bank branch on Madison Avenue downtown. The bank was robbed at 1:19 p.m. by a lone white male who presented a note threatening violence, the FBI said. The man fled the bank on foot with an undisclosed amount of money. The suspect is described as a younger white male, approximately in his late 20s, approximately 6 feet tall with a thin to average build. He wore a zippered jacket with a dark hoodie underneath, a blue medical mask, jeans and winter gloves. Law enforcement is seeking the public's assistance in the identity of the unknown suspect in surveillance photos. Tips can be provided to the FBI Toledo Resident Agency or the Toledo Police Department. Tips can remain anonymous, reward money is available for information leading to the successful identification and prosecution of the individual responsible.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The FBI","FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a younger white male, approximately in his late 20s"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the PNC Bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday afternoon","1:19 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["an undisclosed amount of money"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Madison Avenue downtown"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Gunman Robs Bank in Sterling","document":"The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an armed robbery of a Sterling bank that occurred Saturday morning. According to the report, the man entered the Bank of America on Dulles Crossing Plaza at approximately10:30 a.m. Jan. 2 and approached a teller. He displayed a firearm and demanded cash. The suspect left the store with an undisclosed amount of money and fled the area in a dark-colored SUV. There were no injuries sustained to anyone inside the bank. The suspect is described as a Black male wearing a blue jacket, blue jeans, and a black mask that was partially concealing his face. Anyone with any information regarding the identity of the suspect is asked to contact Detective S. McCormack at 703-777-1021.Callers wishing to remain anonymous are asked to call Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919or submit a tip through the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office app. Cyclist Mugged at Gunpoint on W&OD Trail2019-08-26In \"Public Safety\" Sheriff’s Office Investigates Sterling Robbery2020-01-26In \"Public Safety\" Deputies Search for Sterling Bank Robber2019-02-11In \"News\" ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a firearm"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office","Office"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a Black male"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Sterling bank","Sterling Bank","the Bank of America"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday morning","approximately10:30 a.m. Jan. 2"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["an undisclosed amount of money"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Dulles Crossing Plaza"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Cleveland FBI looking for suspect who may be involved in two robberies","document":"CLEVELAND, Ohio (WJW)– The Cleveland Division of the FBI is looking for a suspect who they say could be involved in two bank robberies. The first robbery happened Friday at around 5:30 p.m. at Dollar Bank on Fulton Parkway. According to the FBI, the suspect gave a note indicating a bank robbery. No weapon was seen. The man-described as 5’9″- fled on foot. Then, on Monday, the FBI said a male suspect robbed the Citizen Bank on Pearl Road. Similar to Friday’s robbery, a note was passed indicating a bank robbery; no weapon was seen. No one was injured. Anyone with information is asked to call Cleveland Division of Police – 2nd District, the Cleveland Division of the FBI or Crime Stoppers. Tips can remain anonymous and reward money is available for information leading to the successful identification and prosecution of the individual responsible.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Cleveland Division of the FBI","FBI","Cleveland Division"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["The man","a male suspect"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Dollar Bank","the Citizen Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday at around 5:30 p.m","Monday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Fulton Parkway","Pearl Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI Media Alert: FBI Offers Reward for New Mexico Serial Bank Robber","document":" The FBI is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the man suspected of robbing four banks in New Mexico. The unidentified suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his mid-40s, approximately 5'5” tall, with a medium build. He has tattoos on his neck. He is suspected of using demand notes to rob two banks in Moriarty, July 15 and July 19, Tijeras on July 19, and Socorro on July 22. “The FBI is working with our local law enforcement partners to find this individual and bring him to justice,” Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda of the Albuquerque FBI Division said. “Bank robberies can put innocent employees and customers at risk. We are asking the public to call us if they have any information on this suspect.” Anyone with information about these robberies is asked to contact the FBI at (505) 889-1300. Tips can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov. Information about other bank robbers wanted by the FBI can be found at bankrobbers.fbi.gov. 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.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun","other dangerous weapon","toy gun","hoax bomb device"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The FBI","FBI","fbi"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["male in his mid-40s, approximately 5'5” tall"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["July 15","July 19"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda of the Albuquerque FBI Division"]},{"role":"Location","values":["New Mexico"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"2 Suspects Now Charged In Gary Bank Robbery In Which Security Guard Was Shot Dead; Federal Prosecutors Could Seek Death Penalty","document":"HAMMOND, Ind. (CBS) — Two suspects now face federal charges in a bank robbery in Gary earlier this month in which a security officer was shot dead, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday. Charges in the June 11 robbery and shooting had already been filed against James Anthony King Jr., 24, of Miami, Florida. He is charged with murder in the perpetration of a felony and with armed robbery. The FBI and police in Northwest Indiana apprehended King after the incident. King has now been charged in a federal grand jury indictment with armed bank robbery; and using, carrying, brandishing and discharging a firearm during the course of that robbery. He was ordered detained on Monday and will remain in custody pending trial. A second suspect was arrested in Georgia several days after the robbery. That suspect – Hailey Gist-Holden, 26, of Miami – has been brought to the Northern District of Indiana and now faces the same charges in a criminal complaint. Prosecutors are seeking an indictment against Gist-Holden. The suspects knew each other through a semi-pro football team, prosecutors said. Authorities said Gist-Holden had planned to use the proceeds from the robbery to fund that semi-pro football team, which he owns. The FBI said the guard, identified by the Lake County Coroner’s Office as Richard Castellana, was killed during the robbery shortly after 1:15 p.m. Friday, June 11 at the First Midwest Bank branch at 1975 W. Ridge Rd. in Gary. Castellana, 55, worked many years with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office before taking the job with the bank. Authorities said officials said it appears the bank security guard was ambushed outside and was shot and killed by Gist-Holden. Surveillance images show the deadly duo, one with a handgun and one with a long gun, both dressed in all black. Investigators say they used the weapons on the security guard, shooting and killing him first and then stormed the bank with the weapons to get the cash. The Lake County, Indiana Sheriff’s office earlier said King was apprehended in a wooded area near 43rd Avenue and Garfield Street in Gary. A backpack containing a .40-caliber Glock Model 22 handgun and about $9,000 in cash were found near where King was apprehended, authorities said. Federal prosecutors on Tuesday said both suspects could be sentenced to the death penalty if convicted. Whether or not prosecutors seek the death penalty will be up to the U.S. Attorney General, and the Northern District of Indiana has not yet decided whether to make that request. “Regardless of what our position is, it will be the Attorney General’s decision and the Department of Justice’s levels of authority will decide if it’s appropriate to seek death penalty against one and or both subjects,” said Tina Nommay, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["firearm","a handgun","a long gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Hailey Gist-Holden, 26, of Miami","Miami","Holden"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["earlier this month"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["about $9,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Man charged after bank robbery in north Regina","document":" Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Copy Url A 36-year-old Regina man is facing charges after allegedly robbing a bank in the north end of the city. According to the Regina Police Service, officers were called to a bank in the 5800 block of Rochdale Boulevard just before 11 a.m. Tuesday morning, after a report of a robbery. Police said a man allegedly walked into the bank and demanded money, then was seen getting into a vehicle after leaving the location with an undisclosed amount of cash. RPS said officers identified a suspect and found him later in the day around 7th Avenue and McIntyre Street. The man was taken to hospital after suffering an unrelated medical issue. He was subsequently released and taken into custody. The 36-year-old is charged with robbery, possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 and failure to comply with a probation order. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday afternoon. Police are still looking for a woman who was reportedly seen in the vehicle during the robbery. Anyone with details is asked to contact the Regina Police Service at 306-777-6500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Regina Police Service","Regina Police Service"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["before 11 a.m. Tuesday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["an undisclosed amount of cash","under $5,000"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the north end of the city"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Men charged in Metro East bank robbery that left security guard dead","document":"EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Two men were charged Sunday for the East St. Louis bank robbery that left a security guard dead Friday afternoon. Jaylan Quinn, 22, was charged with bank robbery resulting in death and Andrew Brinkley, 19, was charged with bank robbery in federal court Sunday. Quinn could spend his life in prison while Brinkley could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. RELATED: One man dead in East St. Louis bank robbery, suspects in custody According to charging documents, Quinn and Brinkley entered First Bank on Riverpark Drive at around 4 p.m. Friday. They walked up to the teller and Brinkley handed the teller a note which read, \"I GOT A BOMB STRAPPED TO MY CHEST PUT ALL THE MONEY IN OR EVERYONE DIE.\" The teller handed over some money, and while the men were leaving, a uniformed security guard stopped them. Investigators said Brinkley pushed past the guard, but Quinn pulled out a gun and shot the security guard in the head. The security guard died at the scene of the robbery. He was identified as 56-year-old Ted Horn of St. Libory, Illinois. The men then fled in a white Lexus sedan. The next day, FBI investigators executed a search warrant at a home on North 13th Street in St. Louis, where they arrested Quinn and Brinkley. Investigators found two marked bills that were taken in the robbery, a loaded 9mm handgun and clothing that matched what they were wearing during the robbery. They also found the getaway vehicle outside. Quinn was charged with bank robbery resulting in death because police said he was the one who fired the shot that killed the security officer. The two suspects are believed to have also been involved in an incident in Fairmont City around 3 p.m. Friday. A bank would not let the men into the building after they were seen acting \"suspiciously,\" according to an FBI spokesperson.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun","a loaded 9mm handgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["getaway vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Jaylan Quinn, 22","Andrew Brinkley, 19"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["First Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["around 4 p.m. Friday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["FBI spokesperson"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Riverpark Drive"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Man charged after morning robbery in north Regina","document":"Around 10:49 a.m., police were called to a bank in the Lakewood neighbourhood on the 5800 block of Rochdale Blvd. When officers arrived, they learned that a man walked into the business with a screw driver in his hand and demanded money. The suspect was given an undisclosed amount of money before he left the business. He then got in the driver seat of a vehicle with a female passenger inside and then drove away. Through investigation, police were able to identify the suspect as Adrian Southwind and found him in the area of 7th Avenue and McIntyre Street later in the day. He was suffering from an unrelated medical issue and was transported to hospital for treatment. Once he was released from hospital, Southwind was taken into police custody and is now facing three charges.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a screw driver"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["10:49 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["an undisclosed amount of money"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Lakewood neighbourhood on the 5800 block of Rochdale Blvd"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Two charged in East St. Louis armed robbery that killed security guard","document":" by: Elizabeth Barmeier EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Two East St. Louis men have been arrested and charged in a recent bank robbery that resulted in the death of a security guard. Jaylan D. Quinn, 22, has been charged with armed bank robbery resulting in death, and Andrew R. Brinkley, 19, has been charged with bank robbery, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District Illinois. The incident happened Friday, Aug. 27, around 4 p.m. at First Bank located at 350 Riverpark Drive in East St. Louis. The suspects entered the bank wearing face masks. One man, who was wearing a white face mask, put a note on the counter that read, “I got a bomb strapped to my chest Put all the money in or everyone die,” according to the press release. The bank teller gave the man money and the two suspects headed to leave. Before they could, security guard Ted Horn stopped them. The man wearing the white face mask push past Horn and ran out of the bank. The second man, who wore a black face mask, pulled out his semi-automatic handgun and shot Horn in the head, the press release states.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a bomb"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Two East St. Louis men"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District Illinois"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Jaylan D. Quinn, 22","Andrew R. Brinkley, 19"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday, Aug. 27, around 4 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["First Bank located at 350 Riverpark Drive in East St. Louis","EAST ST","LOUIS","East St","Louis"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"2 charged in fatal shooting of security guard during East St. Louis bank robbery","document":"EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (KMOX) - Federal charges have been filed against two men for robbing a bank and killing a security guard in East St. Louis on Friday. The US Attorney's Office of Southern Illinois announced charges against East St. Louis residents Jaylan D. Quinn, 22, and Andrew R. Brinkley, 19. Quinn is facing life in prison or possibly the death penalty for fatally shooting the bank's guard in the head. Around 4 p.m. Friday, they entered First Bank in East St. Louis at 350 River Park Drive and put a demand note on the counter to a bank teller that read: “I GOT A BOMB STRAPPED TO MY CHEST PUT ALL THE MONEY IN OR EVERYONE DIE.” The teller gave the men an undisclosed amount of money and the suspects began to leave the bank. That's when the uniformed guard, Ted Horn, 56, of St. Libory, Illinois, stepped in front of the suspects. Brinkley pushed past Horn, but then Quinn pulled a semi-automatic handgun and shot Horn in the head. The suspects fled the scene and were arrested the next day at Brinkley's residence on North 13th Street in St. Louis. Horn was pronounced dead at the scene. He is survived by his wife, two adult sons, and three grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at noon on September 4 at Wenneman Park in Marissa, Illinois. Both Quinn and Brinkley are facing federal charges. A date for the defendants’ initial appearance in federal court has not been set. KMOX's previous reporting: The FBI is looking for two men they say are \"armed and dangerous\" after a fatal shooting during an attempted bank robbery around 4 PM Friday. There's no word yet who died, whether it was a robber, employee or customer of the First Bank on Riverpark Drive. The Springfield, Illinois office of the FBI took over the investigation, releasing bank camera images of the suspects. They also released the following descriptive details: 2 black males, both approximately 5'8\" to 5'9\"One suspect was wearing a black hoodie with distinct white writing down the arm and a photo on the front. Writing going vertical on the left arm: Dunder Mifflin, horizontal writing: inc, vertical writing: Paper Company, The other suspect was wearing a black hoodie with a silver zipper running up the middle of the front of the hoodie, black pants, black shoes","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a semi-automatic handgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the counter"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The FBI","FBI","The US Attorney's Office of Southern Illinois"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["East St. Louis residents Jaylan D. Quinn, 22, and Andrew R. Brinkley, 19","EAST ST","East St","Quinn","Brinkley"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["First Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Around 4 p.m. Friday","Friday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["undisclosed amount of money","MONEY"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["East St. Louis at 350 River Park Drive","EAST ST","LOUIS","East St","Louis"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Man arrested for suspected armed robbery at a moneylender in Bukit Batok","document":" SINGAPORE: Police on Friday (Jul 9) said a 30-year-old man was arrested for his involvement in a suspected case of armed robbery at a moneylender along Bukit Batok Street 31. The authorities were alerted to the incident on Thursday at about 7.13pm, said police, with preliminary investigations revealing that the suspect is believed to have acted alone and fled the scene with about S$22,000 in cash. The suspect had allegedly showed a woman working in the unit a handwritten note saying \"this is a robbery”, police said. “The suspect had also allegedly indicated that he had a knife with him in his bag,” police said. “The victim complied with the suspect’s instructions and handed over to him cash amounting to about S$22,000. The suspect subsequently fled the scene with the money.” The authorities said the robbery lasted a few minutes, after which the victim called the police. The suspect, said police, had taken “proactive steps” to conceal his identity by covering his features and avoiding leaving any evidence at the crime scene. Police said the suspect was arrested within 11 hours of the incident at Lorong 8 Geylang, following “extensive investigations” and footage from police cameras. More than 50 officers from the Jurong Police Division, Criminal Investigation Department, Police Intelligence Department, Police Operations and Command Centre, and the Public Transport Security Command were involved in the manhunt. “Cash amounting to about S$18,506, two handwritten notes and a bag were also recovered following the arrest,” police said. “Efforts are ongoing to recover the rest of the loot and the knife allegedly used during the robbery.” Investigations are ongoing. The man will be charged on Saturday with armed robbery. If convicted for armed robbery committed between 7pm and 7am, he could be jailed between three years and 14 years, and given a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane. If a deadly weapon is used, he could be given not less than 12 additional strokes of the cane.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a knife","the cane"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["a 30-year-old man"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a moneylender"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday (Jul 9)","Thursday at about 7.13pm"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["S$22,000 in cash"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Bukit Batok Street 31"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"WANTED: FBI asks for help after ‘takeover’ robbery in Colorado where bank teller was pistol whipped","document":"THORNTON, Colo. (KKTV) - Authorities believe three bank robberies in Colorado are connected, and now they are hoping the public can help them identify the suspects involved. On Tuesday, the FBI is reporting a Bank of the West in Thornton along Colorado Boulevard was hit in a “takeover” robbery. Three suspects rushed into the bank armed with handguns and the pistol-whipped a teller. Similar robberies happened on Nov. 19 in Englewood at the First Bank at 4600 S. Broadway and on Dec. 2 at the FirstBank at 3594 S. Logan St. In each of those robberies there were four suspects, described as white or Hispanic men about 20 to 30 years of age.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["handguns"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Three suspects"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Bank of the West","the First Bank","FirstBank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday","Nov. 19","Dec. 2"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Colorado","Thornton along Colorado Boulevard","Englewood","4600 S. Broadway","3594 S. Logan St"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Wilmington man accused of robbing pair of banks within 24 hours","document":"WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The Wilmington Police Department has arrested a suspect in connection with two recent bank robberies in the city. According to a news release, Elijah Muhammad McFarland entered the Wells Fargo, located at 590 South College Road, just before 11 a.m. Thursday and passed a teller a note, demanding money. No weapon was displayed. The teller handed over the money and he left the bank in a red Lincoln sedan. Officer Kmetz with the Wilmington Police Department was on patrol in the area when the call came out and spotted McFarland’s vehicle on Racine Drive, the release stated. Kmetz stopped the vehicle, arrested McFarland, and recovered the money. McFarland, 37, was also charged in connection with the robbery at the First Citizens Bank on Market Street Wednesday morning. In that robbery, he allegedly took money after passing a teller a note. No weapon was reportedly shown in that incident. He was booked into the New Hanover County Jail on two counts of armed robbery. He received a $100,000 secured bond and will appear in court Friday, April 23. McFarland was previously convicted of robbing the same Wells Fargo as well as a Circle K gas station in Leland during a 12-hour span in 2019. Back in February, McFarland was at the center of a nationwide Amber Alert after he allegedly took his daughter from her home in Brunswick County. The pair were later found in Tennessee. At the time, McFarland was taken into custody by Tennessee police for probation-related charges out of North Carolina for the 2019 convictions.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Officer Kmetz with the Wilmington Police Department","Wilmington Police Department","The Wilmington Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a red Lincoln sedan"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["McFarland, 37","McFarland","Elijah Muhammad McFarland"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Wells Fargo","Wells Fargo","the First Citizens Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["before 11 a.m. Thursday","Wednesday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["received a $100,000"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["90 South College Road","Market Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Suspect arrested immediately following Irvine bank robbery","document":" by: Brian Day Irvine Police Department officers take a bank robbery suspect into custody on June 9, 2020. (OnScene) Police arrested a man minutes after a robbery at an Irvine bank as employees followed the alleged robber and directed officers to him, authorities said. Officials were first alerted of trouble when a silent robbery alarm was activated inside the Bank of America at 4500 Barranca Parkway, according to the Irvine Police Department. An employee soon confirmed by phone that a robbery had just taken place, police said. A man had handed a teller a note demanding money and fled with cash in a clear plastic bag. No weapon was seen. “Bank employees followed the suspect at a distance as he exited and were able to provide a detailed description,” police said in a written statement. “Officers responded to the area and located a male matching the suspect’s description walking in a business complex across the street from the bank. The male was detained and thestolen U.S. currency was recovered in the original plastic bag.” The suspect, later identified as 21-year-old Ryan Ray Staples, had changed clothes before officers arrived, according to police and Orange County booking records. His discarded clothing was found in a trash can near the bank. Officers arrested Staples without a struggle, police said. “The Federal Bureau of Investigation believes Staples may be responsible for other bank robberies, both inside and outside of California,” the statement said. Bail for Staples was set at $100,000 pending his initial court appearance, scheduled for Thursday in Orange County Superior Court. His occupation was listed in booking records as “unemployed.”","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Irvine Police Department","Irvine Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["as 21-year-old Ryan Ray Staples"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Bank of America"]},{"role":"Date","values":["June 9, 2020"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["4500 Barranca Parkway"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Three suspects sought in broad daylight robbery at Las Vegas bank","document":"by News 3 Staff LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Police are looking for three suspects who robbed someone at a Las Vegas bank in broad daylight last week. The robbery was reported around 1:10 p.m. in the 6900 block of Westcliff Drive on Tuesday, April 27, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said in a statement. MORE ON NEWS 3 | Restaurants increase capacity, move towards traditional dining experiences Three people ran up to an employee and forced him to give them money, according to police. The trio then ran away in an unknown direction. All three are described as men between 20 and 25 years old and were wearing face masks. Two of the suspects had dreadlocks, and one was carrying a weapon. Police described them as follows: Anyone with information is asked to contact LVMPD's robbery section at (702) 828-3591 or Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Las Vegas bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["1:10 p.m","Tuesday, April 27"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Las Vegas Metropolitan Police"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the 6900 block of Westcliff Drive"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"UPDATE: Suspect Arrested During Armed Bank Robbery in Gaithersburg","document":" by Jordan Lindsay Update (October 8): Officers from both the Montgomery County Police Department and Gaithersburg Police Department arrested and charged 30-year-old Samrat Lama for the armed robbery of a WellsFargo bank in Gaithersburg on Tuesday. An employee called 9-1-1 shortly after 10:00 a.m. and stated that the bank located on the 600 block of North Frederick Avenue was being robbed. Officers arrived approximately two minutes after receiving the call and found Lama still inside; he was taken into custody. An investigation revealed that Lama entered the bank and told an employee he was interested in opening a savings account. According to an MCPD press release, Lama took a knife from his book bag during the interaction and pointed it at the employee and demanded money from the tellers. He then placed the money in a trash bag that he had removed from his book bag. Lama also went to the drive-thru teller and demanded more cash. As Lama returned to the bank lobby, he was met with officers where he was arrested. Lama was transported to the Central Processing Unit and charged with armed robbery. He is being held without bond. Authorities say there were no injuries. Original Post (October 6): Montgomery County Police are investigating an armed bank robbery at a Wells Fargo in Gaithersburg. On Tuesday, police responded to the 600 block of N. Frederick Avenue shortly after 10:00 a.m. Authorities say the suspect is in custody and a weapon was recovered. There are no additional suspects at large. There were no injuries reported. MCPD says additional details about the suspect will be released soon as the investigation continues. MCP investigative armed bank robbery at 607 N. Frederick Rd in Gaithersburg. Suspect is in custody and weapon was recovered. No add’l suspects at large. Initial call rcvd at 10:02am Add’l details provided as info is confirmed. — Montgomery County Department of Police (@mcpnews) October 6, 2020 spotlight-slider Montgomery County Police Gaithersburg video gaithersburg police department mcpd wells fargo Gaithersburg bank robbery N. Frederick Avenue Samrat Lama","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a knife"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Montgomery County Police Department and Gaithersburg Police Department","gaithersburg police department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a WellsFargo bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"JPD continue to search for bank robbery suspect","document":"JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Jonesboro police are continuing their search for a bank robbery suspect, as new details have been released in an incident report. The BancorpSouth bank on Parker Road was robbed Tuesday morning, according to Jonesboro police. Police were called to BancorpSouth on Parker Road at approximately 9:20 a.m. in regards to a “hold up” alarm. JPD says officers responded to the bank within minutes and K-9 units began a track from the bank heading south towards the woods. Please be on the lookout for the suspect in these photos. According to the incident report, the suspect is described as a Black male, 5′10″ and weighs 165 pounds. If you have information on the case, you can call JPD at 870-935-5657. Region 8 News will continue to track this story and update as soon as more details are released.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Jonesboro police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a Black male, 5′10″ and weighs 165 pound"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["The BancorpSouth bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["BancorpSouth on Parker Road","BancorpSouth","Parker Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"UPDATE: 73-year-old woman charged in Cache bank robbery","document":"CACHE, Okla. (TNN) - A 73-year-old Indiahoma woman is looking at no less than 5-years in prison if convicted on an armed robbery charge filed by the Comanche County District Attorney. Helen Wright was arrested Tuesday after being accused of going into the All American Bank in Cache and taking $700. Investigators say Wright told a bank employee through clinched teeth “I need some money. You have to help me and I have a gun.” She was later arrested at the Apache Casino in Lawton. Police say they found Wright in her car with a loaded gun under her leg.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Comanche County District Attorney"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["A 73-year-old Indiahoma woman"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the All American Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["700"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Cache"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI and Knoxville police searching for suspect in a FSNB Bank robbery inside a Walmart","document":"KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Knoxville Police Department said they were searching for a suspect in a bank robbery of an FSNB Bank location inside of a Walmart in East Knoxville. Police said that the suspect walked into the bank and approached the tellers, handing them a note and demanding money at around 2:49 p.m. They complied with the suspect's demands and he drove away in a dark green Honda Accord, according to a release. The robbery suspect is a Black man with a medium-to-large build, officials said. He could be around 40 or 50 years old, and was between 5'10\" and 6'2\" tall. He was wearing a long-sleeve camouflage shirt and dark pants with a gray ballcap that had a \"W\" on the front, officials said, along with sunglasses and gray gardening gloves. He was wearing black boots and a royal blue face covering and kept a yellow ag under his arm during the robbery. Anyone with information about the suspect should call the FBI's Knoxville, Tennessee Field Office at (865) 544-0751. People can also submit a tip to the FBI online, or call KPD at (865) 215-7212.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Knoxville Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a dark green Honda Accord"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a Black man with a medium-to-large build"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["an FSNB Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["around 2:49 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a Walmart in East Knoxville"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Tampa bank robbery suspect arrested in Daytona, police say","document":"DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A man accused of robbing a bank in Tampa was arrested 150 miles away on the other side of the state in Daytona Beach about a week later, according to the Tampa Police Department. On Oct. 30, 46-year-old Roger Salik is accused of donning a Guy Fawkes mask, going to a TD Bank on Kennedy Boulevard and handing the teller a note demanding cash. [TRENDING: Eta still soaking Fla. | Do masks with antiviral coating work? | Shaq’s mansion discounted by $3M] Records show he fled in a Toyota Camry and at the time, his identity was unknown. Police said they were able to identify Salik and issue a warrant for his arrest. That warrant was executed during a traffic stop in Daytona Beach on Nov. 5, a news release said. Salik reportedly admitted to the crime after his arrest and the stolen cash was located in his hotel room, records show.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Tampa Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["46-year-old Roger Salik"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a TD Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["On Oct. 30"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Kennedy Boulevard"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Man officers killed minutes after Texas bank holdup was serial robber","document":"A man whom police officers shot and killed minutes after a holdup at a Texas bank was a serial bank robber, authorities say. Terry Cagle, 73, of Whitesboro, whom Sherman police officers shot and killed minutes after a bank holdup Monday was a serial bank robber, authorities told KXII in Sherman. Cagle, was armed with a replica Beretta BB-style handgun when he robbed the First Texoma National Bank at around 8:15 a.m. Monday. A witness followed Cagle and provided police with information on his location as he changed shirts and license plates on his vehicle, authorities said. That gave police enough time to respond and corner Cagle. A negotiator gave him commands, but Cagle refused to comply and exited his white four-door sedan with the gun, authorities said. The negotiator ordered Cagle several times to put the gun down and walk away from it. Cagle yelled “No”, began to advance and pointed the gun at the officers, forcing them to open fire on the suspect,\" Sherman police Lt. John Kennemer said in a prepared statement. \"The suspect died at the scene. No officers were injured,” he said. Police said evidence located in Cagle's vehicle and home connected him to multiple bank robberies in the Sherman-Denison area dating as far back as 2018. In 2003, Cagle served 30 months in federal prison for bank robbery.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a replica Beretta BB-style handgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["his vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Terry Cagle, 73"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the First Texoma National Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["8:15 a.m. Monday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI Offers up to $5,000 Reward in Escondido 'Takeover Style' Bank Robbery","document":" 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.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun, other dangerous weapon, toy gun, or hoax bomb device"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Violent Crimes Task Force","FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["the getaway vehicle","handgun","switch vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["three males"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["San Diego County Credit Union"]},{"role":"Date","values":["May 23, 2019, at approximately 9:50 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["up to $5,000"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["1875 S. Center City Parkway in Escondido, California","Escondido","California"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Suspect sought: Man walked up to Abbotsford bank teller, passed a note demanding money, fled with cash","document":" Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Copy Url Police in Abbotsford are investigating after a bank robbery in the city Tuesday evening. Officers were called to the TD Bank at 30788 Fraser Hwy. at 5:50 p.m., according to a news release from the Abbotsford Police Department. Police said a male suspect walked up to a teller, produced a note and demanded cash. The teller complied, and the man fled the scene. No one was injured in the incident. According to police, the suspect is a white man in his 30s with a medium build. He was wearing a black baseball hat, black sunglasses, \"a blue zip-up sweater jacket,\" black pants and a blue mask that covered his nose and mouth, police said. A photo provided by Abbotsford police shows the man wearing the sunglasses on top of the brim of his hat, rather than over his eyes. Investigators are asking anyone who was near the 30700 block of Fraser Highway between 5:30 and 5:50 p.m. on Aug. 3 and saw someone matching this description to get in touch with them. They're especially interested in dash cam or other surveillance video from the area.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Abbotsford Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a white man in his 30s with a medium build"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the TD Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["5:50 p.m","on Aug. 3"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["30788 Fraser Hwy"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Suspect sought in armed robbery of Montgomery bank","document":"MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The Montgomery Police Department is investigating a Wednesday afternoon bank robbery on Zelda Road. While MPD, as a policy, declines to specifically identify businesses, multiple police units were found outside the Regions Bank building in the 2700 block of Zelda Road. MPD spokeswoman Capt. Saba Coleman said responding officers were notified that the unknown suspect came into the business, pulled a weapon, demanded money, then fled the scene on foot. Coleman said there were no injuries in the robbery and that no arrests have been made. Regions spokeswoman Jennifer Ardis Elmore sent the following statement: “The safety of Regions’ associates and customers is our top priority. We are thankful no one was injured in today’s incident. The holidays can give rise to criminal activity, and our teams are working closely with local authorities to increase patrol around our facilities while the investigation moves forward. Regions has structures in place year-round to address criminal activity. It will not be tolerated.”","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a weapon"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Montgomery Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Regions Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Regions spokeswoman Jennifer Ardis Elmore"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the 2700 block of Zelda Road","Zelda Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"3 Kitchener teens, 1 man arrested after bank, armoured car robberies","document":"Three Kitchener teenagers and one Brampton man have been arrested in relation to an armed bank robbery in Drumbo and an armoured car robbery in Toronto. On Jan. 19, three masked males, armed with guns and a knife, entered a bank in Drumbo in Oxford County. The suspects pointed guns at victims inside the bank and demanded cash. Once they received cash, they fled in a getaway vehicle with a fourth suspect inside. Two weeks later, on Feb. 2, three masked males targeted two armoured car guards outside a bank in Toronto in the area of Morningside and Milner Avenues. The suspects ambushed the guards and demanded cash. One guard locked himself inside the truck and another was held at gun point. The suspects fled the scene, taking the guard's gun with them, in a stolen vehicle once they realized an alarm was set off, Toronto police said in a release. Following the incidents, the Toronto Police Service began a joint investigation with the Waterloo Regional Police Service and Ontario Provincial Police. Authorities identified the people allegedly involved and the group was eventually arrested in Toronto on Feb. 13. The four individuals were in an stolen vehicle at the time, police said. Police arrested three male teenagers from Kitchener aged 18, 18 and 17, and a 22-year-old man from Brampton. Police said through search warrants, they recovered a replica handgun, loaded semi-automatic rifle, cash, as well as the guard's stolen firearm. All three teenagers are facing a slew of charges and several counts related to robbery, pointing firearm, threatening death, possessing a firearm and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. The two 18-year-olds are also each facing two counts of failing to comply with release order. The 17-year-old is facing several additional charges related to possessing a firearm, careless storage of a firearm and ammunition, as well as possession of proceeds of crime under $5,000. The 22-year-old is facing one charge including conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. Police said they all appeared in court on Feb. 14. Anyone with information is asked to contact police 416-808-7350 or Crime Stoppers. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["guns and a knife"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":["Three Kitchener teenagers and one Brampton man"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a getaway vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["three masked males"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["under $5,000"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police searching for suspect after bank robbery in southeast Columbus","document":"COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) — Columbus Police are searching for the suspect that robbed a Fifth Third Bank near the Hilltop area on New Year's Eve. Police say the suspect walked into the Fifth Third Bank on Eakin Road at around 1:40 p.m. and approached the counter. The man then wrote a threatening note demanding money and handed it to the bank teller. Police are searching for the suspect who robbed a FIfth Third Bank on Eakin Road. Dec. 31, 2020. (Columbus Police) The teller gave the man an undetermined amount of money. He then took the money and ran out the door. The suspect, captured on security cameras, is described as male, white, 5'5\" to 5'9\" tall, medium build, wearing a yellow hoodie, black beanie, blue medical mask, black neck gator, black gloves, jeans, and work boots. Anyone with information should contact the Columbus Police Robbery Unit at 614-645-4665 or Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477).","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Columbus Police","Columbus Police Robbery Unit"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["male, white"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Fifth Third Bank","Fifth Third Bank","a FIfth Third Bank","FIfth Third Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["New Year's Eve","around 1:40 p.m","Dec. 31, 2020"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Eakin Road","the Hilltop area"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Three men, 18, one boy, 17, accused of armoured car and bank heists","document":" Guard held at gunpoint in Scarborough, firearm stolen Three young men and one boy faces dozen of charges for allegedly stealing numerous vehicles, holding up a bank and robbing an armoured car in the city and west of the GTA in recent weeks. Toronto Police say three masked bandits armed with guns and a large knife entered a bank in Drumbo — a village about 30 kilometres southwest of Kitchener — on Jan. 19. “They pointed guns at victims while a fourth suspect waited in a stolen getaway vehicle close by,” acting Insp. Shawn Getty, of the Holdup Unit, said in a statement released Wednesday. He said the bandits “used threats and demanded cash.” “Once cash was handed over, they fled the area in their getaway vehicle,” Getty said. The same crew is believed to be behind another frightening heist in Scarborough on Feb. 2. In that incident, three masked crooks “ambushed” two armoured car guards as they exited a bank near Morningside and Milner Aves. “One guard was able to lock himself in the truck while the other was disarmed and held at gunpoint outside,” Getty said, explaining the bandits “demanded cash from the guard inside the truck.” “Once they realized an alarm was triggered, they fled to their stolen vehicle, taking the guard’s gun with them,” Getty said. Following a joint investigation between Toronto cops, Waterloo Regional Police and Ontario Provincial Police, numerous suspects were identified. Getty said the group of suspects were located in an allegedly stolen vehicle in Toronto and taken into custody on Saturday. Police executed six search warrants in Waterloo and various Toronto neighbourhoods. Those searches allegedly led to the seizure of evidence related to the robberies, a replica handgun, a loaded semi-automatic assault rifle and cash. With assistance from the OPP, Getty said further investigation also led to the recovery of the guard’s stolen firearm in the Toronto area. Shahroze Raja, 18, Ismael Isse, 18, and a 17-year-old boy, all of Kitchener, face a slew of robbery and gun-related charges. The fourth suspect — Imran Kayani, 22, of Brampton — is charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is urged to call the Holdup Unit at 416-808-7350 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). cdoucette@postmedia.com On Twitter: @SunDoucette ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["guns and a large knife"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the Holdup Unit","Holdup Unit"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Jan. 19"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Shawn Getty"]},{"role":"Location","values":["village about 30 kilometres southwest of Kitchener","Kitchener"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police confirm cash found from Belfast bank robbery","document":"It has been confirmed that 50,000 pounds ($A120,000) discovered at a police sports centre in Belfast came from a spectacular bank heist in the city last December. The Irish Government has accused the Irish Republican Army of being linked to the Northern Bank robbery and subsequent attempts to launder the cash. Police said they uncovered five packages, each containing 10,000 pounds, in the toilets of the New Forge police recreational club, situated in an exclusive part of south Belfast after receiving a tip off from an anonymous caller. When the notes were found a police spokesman had said, that the money \"could be an elaborate prank aimed at directing attention away from the events elsewhere over the last few days.\" He was referring to a number of arrests in the Irish republic earlier in the week. Officials in both Belfast and Dublin blame the IRA for stealing 26.5 million pounds ($A63 million) from the Northern Bank in Belfast on December 20. The IRA's political wing Sinn Fein strongly denies the allegation, which has thrown efforts towards restoring power-sharing government in the British province into disarray. Of eight people arrested since Wednesday, one man, Don Bullman, has been charged with membership of a clandestine organisation. Bullman, a cook, is suspected of money-laundering for the IRA. Another man arrested near Cork Friday was still in custody on Saturday suspected of having burned a quantity of sterling banknotes in his fireplace. Six others have been released. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Northern Bank","Northern Bank","a spectacular bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last December","December 20"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["50,000 pounds ($A120,000)","26.5 million pounds ($A63 million)"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Belfast"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Security guard killed in attempted bank robbery","document":"A security guard has been shot dead in an attempted bank robbery in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. The shooting happened just before 1pm AEDT at the Commonwealth Bank at Blackburn North Shopping Centre in Springfield Road. Ambulance officers tried to revive the man but he died at the scene. Witnesses say they heard the shot, followed by screams. \"We just heard the shot and when I ran out I just saw the other security guard [come] up and the other one was already down,\" a female witness said. \"I just stood back and when I went to have another look, I just saw him on the ground - I could see that he was shot in the head.\" A shocked bank customer says there were gunshots followed by screams for help. \"People were standing around and everyone was nervous you know, you could tell,\" the witness said. \"I was shaking like a leaf - I'd only been in the bank for a minute before and when I came out I went around to the teller machine and I heard people were saying something was wrong and I went inside and saw the gentleman laying down.\" Susanne, who works in a nearby Pharmacy, tried to help the security guard. \"Basically I had to get blankets and gloves and that, but no one could actually do much until the ambulance arrived,\" she said. \"It's such a great centre and the people around here are so great and lovely and you can't believe that something like this would happen - it's just such a big shock to everyone.\" Several other people in nearby shops watched on in horror. \"I was serving a customer at the time - we just heard a gun go off and just heard a man yelling,\" a female shopkeeper said. \"Basically there was a lot of screaming and yelling and someone crying out for 'help, help',\" another woman said. Another man says he saw the security guard laying down on the ground as paramedics tended to him. \"They [the paramedics] said he wasn't too good,\" he said. Victorian police have begun searching for two men. Detective Senior Sergeant Jeff Maher says it was a brazen offence. \"It's a shopping centre, it's in the middle of the afternoon, it's suburban Melbourne and a security guard going about his business has been shot dead in front of members of the public, outside of a bank,\" he said. \"So you know it's a very, very tragic and unfortunate incident.\" ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Commonwealth Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["before 1pm AEDT"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Melbourne's eastern suburbs","Melbourne"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Thieves rob bank in central Milan despite warnings from residents","document":"Residents told bank they could hear tunnelling as early as last Monday, but thieves finished digging and emptied safe and deposit boxes Last modified on Sun 4 Mar 2018 12.46 GMT Police in Italy have been left embarrassed after thieves robbed a bank despite warnings from local residents that they could hear a tunnel being dug, according to media reports. The four robbers dug the tunnel under a bank in central Milan, and once inside waited for the first employees to arrive before forcing them to open the safe and empty the safety deposit boxes. Police arrived on the scene after the alarm went off, only to discover that the crooks had made their escape. Local residents were quick to point out that they had warned the authorities something odd was going on underneath the building. “We began hearing noises on Sunday evening. We were jokingly saying to each other, ‘Are they robbing the bank?’,” one unnamed resident was quoted as saying in the media. “On Monday one of us went to the bank to warn them about the tremors we had felt. Others went to the nearest police station on Tuesday because the sounds had not stopped.”","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["GMT Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["thieves"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Sun 4 Mar 2018 12.46"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Four men charged over 'cyber plot' to steal money from Santander bank in London","document":"British police have charged four men over a plot to remotely take control of a computer at a branch of Santander bank and steal millions of pounds. Police found a device fitted to a computer in a branch of the bank in Surrey Quays in London's Canary Wharf financial district. They say the device would have enabled the suspects to download data from the desktop machine. Police carried out search-and-seizure raids at several addresses across London, and arrested 12 men aged between 23 and 50. Four were later charged on suspicion of conspiracy to steal, while eight others have been released on bail until mid-November pending further inquiries. A spokeswoman for London's Metropolitan Police said its \"time-critical\" action prevented the Spanish bank suffering \"multi-million-pound losses\". A keyboard-video-mouse (KVM) device had been fitted to a computer in the bank branch \"allowing the transmission of the complete desktop contents of the bank computer over the network\", the spokeswoman said. Detective Inspector Mark Raymond from the cyber crime unit added: \"This was a sophisticated plot that could have led to the loss of a very large amount of money from the bank, and is the most significant case of this kind that we have come across.\" ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":["arrested 12 men"]},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["four men"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a branch of Santander bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["millions of pounds"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["London's Canary Wharf financial district","London"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Armored truck guard shot in the face during robbery attempt at NE Houston bank, HPD says","document":"HOUSTON — It was a scary afternoon for customers and employees at a northeast Houston bank after shots were fired during a robbery attempt outside. It happened at the Wells Fargo bank near Eastex/69 at Tidwell. Investigators say a Brinks armored truck was at the ATM when one guard got out to load the money. The driver also got out of the vehicle and saw a man with a gun but it was too late. Police say the suspect fired at least one shot and the guard loading the machine was struck in the face. He was taken to Ben Taub Hospital but we don’t know his condition. Police say he is expected to survive. No other injuries were reported. The suspect got away with the money, according to HPD. Robbery detectives are on the scene sorting it all out. Check back for more on this developing story. Robbery Detectives are en route to a Robbery/Shooting of a Security Guard at a Bank in the 9300 Block of the Eastex Freeway. #hounews CC1","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["truck"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a northeast Houston bank","the Wells Fargo bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Eastex/69 at Tidwell","Eastex"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Suspect arrested, charged in College Station bank robberies","document":"COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - College Station police have released the identity of the suspect involved in Tuesday’s bank robberies. Waseem Khalil, 21, of Houston has been arrested and charged with two counts of robbery and evading in a vehicle. College Station police say the bank robberies happened at two Wells Fargo banks. One bank is located at Southwest Parkway and Texas Avenue, the other at Rock Prairie Road and Longmire Drive, said authorities. According to authorities, Khalil passed employees a note at both locations demanding money. He reportedly admitted to having a handgun in his pocket during both incidents. Police say no one was injured in either of the robberies or during the pursuit. CSPD officers were seen pursuing a vehicle south on Highway 6 where they arrested Khalil on the side of the highway near Navasota.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a handgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["employees"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["College Station police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Waseem Khalil, 21"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["two Wells Fargo bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["authorities"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Southwest Parkway and Texas Avenue, the other at Rock Prairie Road and Longmire Drive"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank Robber Dubbed ‘Mr. Potato Head' Pleads Guilty","document":"A North Texas man dubbed 'Mr. Potato Head' because of a fake rubber nose he wore in robberies pleaded guilty on Jan. 19 to three counts of bank robbery. John Thomas Rutledge, 56, was arrested by the FBI in late 2019 after robbing multiple banks during September and October of 2019 in the Dallas area including Legacy Texas Bank, Oakwood Bank and Bank of America locations. He showed tellers notes demanding money but never displayed a weapon, the FBI said. Rutledge stole more than $17,000 in cash from the banks. Rutledge used other disguises along with the fake rubber nose to hold up banks, according to the FBI. Rutledge worked in commercial real estate, according to his LinkedIn page and declared bankruptcy in May of 2019.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["tellers"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the FBI","FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["John Thomas Rutledge, 56"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Legacy Texas Bank, Oakwood Bank and Bank of America locations"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Jan. 19","late 2019","September and October of 2019"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["17,000 in cash"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"3 Convicted in Federal Court of Tennessee Bank Robberies","document":"Federal prosecutors say three people face prison sentences after they were convicted in Tennessee court of using tracking devices and zip ties to abduct bank employees and steal more than $600,000. 3 Convicted in Federal Court of Tennessee Bank Robberies MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Three people face prison sentences after they were convicted in Tennessee federal court of using tracking devices and zip ties to abduct bank employees and steal more than $600,000. Antonio Johnson 44, Travis Jackson 37, and Shalundra Johnson, 39, were found guilty after a four-day jury trial of kidnapping and bank robbery charges, the U.S. attorney's office in Memphis said Wednesday. In three separate robberies of Memphis banks in 2018 and 2019, bank employees were restrained in zip ties and taken from their homes at gunpoint. The defendants forced the employees to take them to the banks, where they stole money, prosecutors said. In two cases, the robbers placed tracking devices on the employees' vehicles, which allowed them to determine where the bank workers lived. Jackson faces 41 years in federal prison. Antonio Johnson faces 34 years. Shalundra Johnson faces up to 20 years in federal prison. All three are scheduled to be sentenced in September. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Antonio Johnson 44, Travis Jackson 37, and Shalundra Johnson, 39","Shalundra Johnson"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Federal Court of Tennessee Bank Robberies MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["more than $600,000"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["the U.S. attorney's office"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Santa Rosa police seek bank robbery suspect","document":"Santa Rosa police are looking for this man suspected of robbing the West America Bank at 2489 Guerneville Road in Santa Rosa, Calif., on September 23, 2021. (Photo courtesy Santa Rosa Police Department) SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Police are searching for a suspected bank robber after a heist Thursday morning at a Santa Rosa bank. The man entered the West America Bank, 2489 Guerneville Road, about 9:50 a.m. He produced a note and implied he had a firearm, but none was seen, Santa Rosa police said in a news release. The man obtained an undisclosed amount of cash and left on foot, police said. No injuries were reported. The man is described as a Black man in his late 30s to early 40s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall with a medium build. He was wearing a gray Hurley brand baseball hat, a checkered facemask, and a gray/blue long-sleeve shirt. Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact Santa Rosa police through the department's Tip Line: www.srcity.org/CrimeTips, or by calling (707) 543-3590.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a firearm"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Santa Rosa police","Santa Rosa Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a Black man in his late 30s to early 40s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the West America Bank","West America Bank","a Santa Rosa bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["September 23, 2021","Thursday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["an undisclosed amount of cash"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["2489 Guerneville Road in Santa Rosa, Calif","Santa Rosa","SANTA ROSA","Calif","2489 Guerneville Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Northern Bank robbery: The crime that nearly ended the peace process","document":"The robbery of Belfast's Northern Bank is one of the most audacious thefts in UK history. Armed raiders took £26.5m from the vaults at the headquarters on Donegall Square, quietly loaded it into crates inside a white lorry and drove away into the night. The crime had huge political ramifications for the Northern Ireland peace process, coming at a particularly delicate time in the negotiations. Despite its notoriety - and the numerous arrests in connection with the robbery over the past four years - no one has been brought to justice. On December 19 2004 a group of masked and armed gang members arrived at the homes of two Northern Bank executives, Chris Ward and Kevin McMullan, in Poleglass and Loughinisland. Posing as police officers to gain entry, they held the men and their families at gunpoint. Ward was transferred to McMullen's house while his family remained captive in their home. McMullen's wife was taken to a forest south of Belfast where she was held hostage. Ward and McMullen were told to go to work at Donegall Square West on Monday and behave as if nothing was wrong, otherwise their families would be killed. When the bank closed that evening, the two men led the gang members to the underground vaults and opened them. At 7pm, a white van was loaded with crates filled with cash. It returned an hour later for a second collection. The haul included £10m of uncirculated Northern Bank sterling banknotes, £5.5m of used Northern Bank sterling notes, £4.5m of circulated sterling notes issued by other banks, and small amounts of other currencies, largely euros and US dollars. It was one of the largest amounts of money ever taken in a bank robbery in the UK. A few hours later, McMullen's wife escaped from the forest. Despite suffering from exposure, she managed to raise the alarm at about 11.45pm. By this time the gang had made its getaway. As the hunt for the gang continued stretched into weeks, then months, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) - along with the British and Irish governments - claimed the IRA was involved. Sir Hugh Orde, the PSNI chief constable, issued an interim report blaming the IRA. He strongly denied the report was published because of political pressure. \"These cases are extremely complicated. The robbery itself was carried out by a competent group of criminals … This was a particularly brutal crime, people were extremely badly treated and assaulted by the gang,'' he said. Sinn Fein insisted the IRA had not carried out the robbery and Sinn Fein officials had not known of or sanctioned it. Amid the prolonged political slanging match, there was not enough evidence to prove the involvement of any single group. The biggest series of arrests was made in February 2005 when seven suspects, including a member of Sinn Fein, were questioned. They were later released. Police recovered £2m - including £60,000 of Northern Bank notes - during raids in Cork and Dublin. Around $100,000 in US banknotes was found in the toilet of the police athletics association's Newforge country club. The PSNI confirmed the money was taken during the Northern Bank heist, but said the stash was likely to have been \"planted to distract detectives\" investigating the robbery and \"divert attention from events elsewhere\". In total, 10 people have been arrested and three have been charged in connection with the robbery. However, to the frustration of detectives, no one has been charged with actually carrying it out. To this day, the robbers themselves remain unknown.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["executives"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a white lorry"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["two Northern Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["On December 19 2004"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["Belfast's Northern Bank","Northern Bank","Belfast","26.5m","5m"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Armed bank robbers storm another Brazilian town, battle police","document":"The attack is the second in two days, marking an escalation in the scale and scope of bank robberies. More than 20 armed robbers stormed a bank in a small Brazilian town on Wednesday, taking hostages, exchanging gunfire with police in the streets and killing one person before fleeing in a convoy of vehicles. The attack, in the early hours of the morning in the northern riverside city of Cameta, which has a population of 140,000 people, was the second such heist in as many days in Brazil, marking an escalation in the scale, organisation and aggression of bank robberies. “They drove around shooting at the police and at the houses. It was a horrible scene to see,” said Junior Gaia, who lives nearby, in an interview with television network Globo News. “We were all laid out on the floor, afraid they would invade the homes.” The attack saw the group of men, armed with high-calibre weapons, storm a branch of Banco do Brasil SA, the Para state security ministry said. Images on social media showed a firefight in the streets of the town. The robbers killed one hostage during the heist, the ministry added, while another local resident was shot in the leg and is in a stable condition in hospital. “We pray to God to comfort the family of the young man who lost his life,” Cameta Mayor Waldoli Valente wrote on Facebook. The robberies took place at the start of December, when bank coffers are filled in anticipation of employees withdrawing their year-end bonuses, according to Cassio Thyone, a council member of the non-profit Brazilian Forum on Public Safety. “It doesn’t happen without planning,” Thyone told the Associated Press by phone. “It’s another demonstration that everything is planned. They think of the location, and the timing.” The security ministry said it had found one abandoned getaway vehicle outside the town with explosives inside. The town was now calm, it added, with police reinforcements arriving by plane and boat. NOITE DE TERROR EM CAMETÁ, PARÁ: Mais imagens dos reféns sendo colocados no carro. — Allan Dos Santos (@allanldsantos) December 2, 2020 It was not immediately clear how many hostages had been taken or if they were all freed. Authorities also did not say how much money was stolen from the bank. Brazil has a long history of bank heists, and major lenders have struggled with a wave of violent robberies in recent years. Still, the country’s banking lobby association Febraban said bank raids fell 48.35 percent, year-on-year, to 47 attacks in the first nine months of 2020. The Cameta attack came a day after a similar heist to a Banco do Brasil branch in the southern city of Criciuma. Bank robbers there blasted explosives and fired high-calibre weapons at police, in a heist that injured two people and left reams of cash in the streets to be pocketed by locals. State-controlled lender Banco do Brasil did not immediately comment on the attacks. Destruction of the world’s largest rainforest in 2020 rose 9.5 percent from a year earlier according to government data. How one Kaiowá family is rebuilding their prayer house as explosions from a nearby rock quarry threaten their community. Images on social media showed armed men firing automatic weapons in the streets and taking hostages before fleeing. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["non-profit Brazilian Forum on Public Safety"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["vehicles"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Banco do Brasil branch","Banco","a branch of Banco do Brasil SA"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Thyone"]},{"role":"Location","values":["a small Brazilian town"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"FBI searching for suspects in string of suburban bank robberies","document":"Surveillance footage shows two men accused of robbing banks in Lombard and Wilmette before attempting to rob a Naperville bank Monday, according to the FBI. Courtesy of FBI Chicago Two men are accused of robbing banks in Wilmette and Lombard before attempting to rob a third in Naperville on Monday afternoon. Courtesy of FBI Chicago The FBI is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of two men suspected in a string of suburban bank robberies Monday afternoon. The first occurred about 1:45 p.m. in Lombard at the PNC Bank, 2810 S. Highland Ave., according to the FBI. The second took place less than an hour later at the Byline Bank Wilmette branch, 3245 Lake Ave. The suspects then attempted to rob the Fifth Third Bank at 1311 Ridgeland Ave. in Naperville about 4:17 p.m. before fleeing the parking lot and heading north on Naperville Road in a green Dodge Challenger, officials said. Officers pursued the car on eastbound Interstate 88 but lost sight as it approach Interstate 294, according to Naperville police. No injuries were reported. The two suspects were described as Black men in their early 20s wearing face masks, according to police. One was between 5 feet, 11 inches and 6 feet tall, weighing 150 to 170 pounds, and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with \"AMG Petronas Motorsports\" on the front. He wore blue jeans, white shoes and white gloves, the FBI said. The second suspect was about 5 feet, 9 to 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing 150 to 190 pounds, and wearing a gray Nike long-sleeve hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and multicolored Air Jordan shoes. Anyone with information about the suspects is asked to contact the FBI Chicago office at (312) 421-6700.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the FBI","FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["car"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Black men in their early 20s"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["banks in Wilmette and Lombard","Lombard","Wilmette","the Byline Bank Wilmette branch","Naperville bank","the PNC Bank","Fifth Third Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["3245 Lake Ave","1311 Ridgeland Ave"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Man arrested after bank robbery in Virginia Beach","document":"On September 4, at 12:14 p.m., Virginia Beach Emergency Communications (VBECCS) received a report that the Navy Federal Credit Union, located at 5193 Shore Drive had just been robbed. According to officials, the man had entered the bank, indicated he had a weapon, and demanded cash. He then fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. A person matching the description of the bank robbery suspect was seen in a vehicle that was stopped in traffic at the intersection of Independence Blvd. and Haygood Road shortly after. Multiple officers instructed the suspect to exit the vehicle. Police say he refused and brandished a large, edged weapon towards the officers. Officers successfully deployed \"Stop Sticks\" prior to the suspect fleeing again, puncturing two of the suspect vehicle tires. He continued driving until he was intercepted again by additional police units in the 4600 block of Haygood Road. Police say the man refused to comply with further directions and was still displaying the edged weapon. Officers ultimately utilized a Taser to take the suspect into custody. After receiving medical treatment for the Taser exposure, the man was taken to the Virginia Beach City Jail, where he remains in custody. The suspect is identified as 45-year-old Jonathan Dwayne Perry, of Norfolk, Va. He has been charged with robbery, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, eluding police, and obstructing justice.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a weapon"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Virginia Beach Emergency Communications"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Navy Federal Credit Union"]},{"role":"Date","values":["On September 4, at 12:14 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["5193 Shore Drive"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["an undisclosed amount of cash"]}]} {"event_trigger":"30-year anniversary of one of Denver's most notorious crimes","document":"DENVER — The Father's Day armed robberies and murders at the United Bank building were one of the biggest crimes in Denver history. Wednesday marks 30 years since it happened. A man was charged and tried for the crime, yet acquitted. Here's a look back at the robbery. Watch the video above for a look back at the crime with perspectives from two men who were on different sides of the courtroom. RELATED: Sheriff on United flight spots SOS on Guanella Pass in 1982, decades later the rescued man's charged in a double murder RELATED: Colorado man who pleaded guilty to killing his parents when he was 12 arrested for trying to buy a gun It was Father's Day. The United Bank building (now the Wells Fargo Center) on Lincoln Street in downtown Denver was closed, but several employees were still working and counting money from recent armored car deliveries. At around 9 a.m., a man posing as a bank vice president — and wearing a hat, mustache and sunglasses — made his way into the building. Over the next hour or so, that man would kill four unarmed security guards and steal approximately $200,000 from the bank's vault. > Video below from 1991: Four security guards killed in United Bank heist on June 16, 1991. Police arrest James King, a former Denver Police officer who also once worked at United Bank as a security guard. No physical evidence linking King to the robbery or murders was found during the search of King's home in Golden. > Video below from 1991: James King arrested in connection with the robbery and murders at United Bank in 1991. King's trial begins. King was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated robbery. The case is mostly circumstantial, focusing in part on King's knowledge of the United Bank building. The trial lasted for nearly a month. > Video below from 1992: Opening statements in James King's trial. King is found not guilty of all charges. King dies of dementia. He lived until his death in Golden. He was 77 years old. The murders and robbery remain unsolved. None of the money stolen from United Bank has ever been recovered. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["James King"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the United Bank","United Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["June 16, 1991"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Lincoln Street in downtown Denver"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["approximately $200,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Truckee Police looking for Wells Fargo Bank robber","document":"TRUCKEE, CA. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Truckee Police officers are looking for a man who robbed a Wells Fargo Bank on Tuesday morning. On April 13th around 11:20 am, Truckee Police officers were called to Wells Fargo Bank upon receiving an 9-1-1 call of an in-progress bank robbery. Prior to their arrival, the officers were told that the suspect had fled the location through the parking lot. Over the course of the investigation, officers and detectives learned that a man was initially circling the parking lot on his bicycle for a few minutes before he walked into the bank and demanded money from the teller. The man then fled the location westbound through the Safeway parking lot on a black bicycle. According to witness statements and surveillance footage, the suspect was described as a white man in his 40’s, about 5’6” in height with a slender build. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing a plaid blue flannel shirt, blue jeans, a black hat, grey shoes and wearing a grey facemask. He has a distinct mole near the right side of the bridge of his nose. This incident is currently under investigation and anyone with additional information is urged to contact the Truckee Police Department at (530)550-2330 and reference Truckee Police Department case number T2100346.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Truckee Police officers"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Wells Fargo Bank","Wells Fargo Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday morning","April 13th around 11:20 am"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Council Bluffs police arrest two men for afternoon bank robbery","document":"Council Bluffs police arrested two men on Friday after a bank robbery and vehicle pursuit. The robbery happened at the US Bank on 34th Ave. just before 2:15 p.m. One man went into the bank and displayed a note demanding money while the other man waited in the car. No weapon was displayed during the robbery and no one was injured. The teller handed over cash and the men fled, but not before witnesses were able to provide a vehicle description to officers. The green Honda Pilot with Nebraska plates was spotted headed eastbound on Interstate 80. Officers located the vehicle and began a pursuit. The men were stopped at Railroad Highway and Highway 6 in Council Bluffs and taken into custody without incident. Patrick Spagnotti, 49, of Omaha, was charged with robbery, theft, reckless driving, felony eluding and two outstanding warrants. George McGinness, 40, of Colfax, Iowa was charged with robbery and theft. The FBI assisted the police department in the investigation.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["The teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Council Bluffs police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["the car"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["George McGinness, 40"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the US Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["before 2:15 p.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["34th Ave"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police Search for Suspect in Attempted Bank Robbery","document":"HOCKESSIN, Del. (AP) — Authorities are searching for a man suspected of trying to rob a Delaware bank. The masked man who entered a M&T Bank branch in Hockessin on Saturday passed a note to a bank employee in which he demanded money, but he left the bank without any cash after the employee didn't cooperate with his demands, according to the Delaware State Police. A State Police news release says the suspect drove off in a light colored sport utility vehicle. Nobody was injured during the robbery attempt. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a bank employee"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Authorities","the Delaware State Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["drove off in a light colored sport utility vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Delaware bank","M&T Bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Hockessin"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Florence bank robbery suspect identified, jailed in different county on unrelated charges","document":"FLORENCE, S.C. (WMBF) – Police have identified the man who they said robbed a Florence bank earlier this week. Authorities said on Tuesday morning Hugh Dentler went into the Anderson Brothers Bank on Second Loop Road dressed in camouflage and demanded money at gunpoint. No injuries were reported in the robbery. Investigators said Dentler is already being held at the Marlboro County Detention Center on unrelated charges. The Florence Police Department has obtained warrants for Dentler on four counts of kidnapping, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Authorities"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Florence bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Investigators"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Second Loop Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Milan bank robbers escape via tunnel despite warnings from local residents","document":"Italian police were left embarrassed on Friday after thieves robbed a bank despite warnings from local residents that they could hear a tunnel being dug, according to media reports. The bank robbers' escape in Milan is just one of many high-profile heists that have made headlines — here are six others. The four robbers dug the tunnel under a bank in central Milan, and once inside waited for the first employees to arrive before forcing them to open the safe and emptying the safety deposit boxes. Once the alarm was triggered, the police arrived on the scene only to discover the crooks had made their escape. Local residents were quick to point out they had warned the authorities something odd was going on underneath the building. \"We began hearing noises on Sunday evening,\" one unnamed resident was quoted as saying in the media. \"We were jokingly saying to each other, 'Are they robbing the bank?' The resident said the police had been warned several times leading up to the robbery. \"On Monday one of us went to the bank to warn them about the tremors we had felt,\" they said. \"Others went to the nearest police station on Tuesday because the sounds had not stopped.\" On Thursday, the night before the robbery, \"even the pavement outside was shaking\", they added. The value of the theft was not immediately known. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Italian police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["The four robbers"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank in central Milan"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Would-be Hobart bank robber sought after two hold-ups in Moonah","document":"Police are hunting a man who tried to rob a bank and later held up a department store in the Hobart suburb of Moonah. The man went into the Westpac branch on Main Road just before 1:30pm and demanded $1,000 in cash from a teller, police said. No money was handed over and he fled on foot. Police said about 10 minutes later he stole an undisclosed amount of money from a nearby Harris Scarfe outlet on the same road. The man was described as Caucasian, 180 centimetres tall, with a thin build and a salt and pepper beard. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["on foot"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Caucasian, 180 centimetres tall, with a thin build and a salt and pepper beard"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["1:30pm"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the Hobart suburb of Moonah","the Westpac branch on Main Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["1,000 in cash","No money"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Pregnant woman held up by armed bank robbers who remain on the run in Sydney's south-west","document":"Pregnant woman held up by armed bank robbers who remain on the run in Sydney's south-west Keep up to date with the latest COVID-19 exposure sites in Queensland A pregnant woman was among several people held up by armed robbers who targeted a bank and golf club in Sydney's south-west. Police have set up a strike force to investigate the robberies as they continue to search for four suspects, who remain on the run after crashing their getaway car and unsuccessfully attempting to hijack others. Four streets in the suburb of Fairfield were evacuated as more than 100 officers searched for the suspects, who were armed with guns and a hammer and wearing balaclavas. The crime spree began when the men attempted to rob the Commonwealth Bank on Waldron Road in Chester Hill at 10:40am (AEDT). The ABC understands several employees were inside the bank at the time, including a pregnant woman. After their robbery attempt failed, the men went to the Rosnay Golf Club at Auburn where they threatened staff and stole money from a cash register. Local police in an unmarked car spotted the men and gave chase, but the pursuit was called off after about three minutes when the suspects' car collided with another car at Villawood. The female driver of the car was not injured, police said. Police said the suspects tried to hijack two other cars before fleeing on foot through Hercules Street at Fairfield, where they reportedly ran through a house and jumped a fence. Heavily armed officers evacuated homes and surrounded the area, alarming some residents. Andrew Vilches said the police surrounded the house he was in with their guns drawn. \"About 15 minutes later, the cops started to come in their big vests and I thought, oh no,\" he said. \"A couple of minutes after that they told us to leave the house. \"I asked them what was going on and they said, 'I can't tell you'.\" Hercules, Tangerine, Mitchell and Crown streets were all in lockdown. Residents were later allowed to return to their homes, and police called off the search about 3:00pm. The mother of a pregnant bank worker, who did not want to be identified, said she came to the scene straight after her daughter phoned to tell her about the robbery. \"She was very shaken, very, very shaken and emotional,\" she said. \"She's pregnant and I was really worried about her and the baby... but they're OK. \"She just wanted to let me know that she was OK and I've just come down here just to make sure she's fine. \"It was the worst feeling ever knowing that your daughter could have been killed instantly.\" Superintendent Peter Gilham said the men were considered dangerous. \"We believe they're armed. They may still be armed,\" he said. \"Obviously, they're to be treated as such, so if anybody sees anything suspicious, we ask them to ring the local police or Crime Stoppers straightaway.\" Detectives from State Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crime Squad have established Strike Force Wallent to investigate. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["guns and a hammer and wearing balaclavas"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["A pregnant woman","Pregnant woman","pregnant woman"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Detectives from State Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crime Squad"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["on foot"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Commonwealth Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["10:40am (AEDT)"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Sydney's south-west","Sydney","Waldron Road in Chester Hill"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Adelaide woman Jane Gibson jailed for attempted bank robberies","document":"A woman who tried to rob two Adelaide banks and made a false bomb threat has been sentenced to seven years' jail. Jane Alison Gibson, 52, pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery and three of attempted robbery. The District Court heard she gave notes demanding money to tellers at a Bank SA branch at West Lakes and a National Australia Bank branch at Findon last October, but left empty-handed. At Findon, her note referenced Al Qaeda and a bomb, but none existed. The court was told Gibson later wrote to bank staff to apologise for her behaviour. Gibson also tried to rob three service stations and got about $250 from one, which she used to gamble. Judge Wayne Chivell said Gibson drank to \"dangerous levels\". \"You said that you were very drunk when you committed the [service station] offences, but police only noted that you were slightly affected by alcohol,\" he said. He told Gibson the staff she threatened at various locations \"were all traumatised by [your] behaviour and that cannot be tolerated\". Judge Chivell told Gibson her rehabilitation prospects were promising and the likelihood of reoffending low, but only if she stopped drinking alcohol. \"Obviously your ability to remain sober remains the issue,\" he said. \"I accept that your offending was relatively unplanned but not completely spontaneous. \"The fact that you reoffended while on bail calls for a custodial sentence.\" Judge Chivell imposed a two-year non-parole term. Outside court, Gibson's friend Pauline Lambert said the woman was truly sorry for her behaviour. \"She regrets every moment of it, she is sympathetic, she realises that they would have thought it was real and the terror they went through and she regrets it,\" she said. Ms Lambert said she felt the sentence and low non-parole period were suitable and hoped her friend would get the treatment she needed in prison and emerge a better person. \"If they support her in the prisons... that's my hope, that the prisons do help her and if they help her she'll be fine. I'll be there to love her and support her,\" she said. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["tellers"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Jane Alison Gibson"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Bank SA branch","a National Australia Bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last October"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Findon","two Adelaide banks","West Lakes"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robbery attempts blamed on marriage breakdown and alcohol abuse","document":"A woman's attempts to rob banks and service stations in Adelaide have been blamed on her alcohol abuse and marriage breakdown. Jane Alison Gibson, 52, pleaded guilty in the District Court to one count of robbery and three of attempted robbery. The court heard she handed demand notes to Bank SA staff at the West Lakes branch and National Australia Bank staff at Findon last October, but fled empty-handed. The note given to staff at Findon had referred to Al Qaeda and a bomb, but there was not one, the court was told. Last May while on bail, Gibson targeted two service stations and stole about $250 from one, which the court heard she used in poker machines. The woman's lawyer Rebecca Gristwood said her client had sought counselling for her drinking problem after a marriage breakdown. She said Gibson was drinking heavily and made about 20 failed attempts to use detoxification clinics. The lawyer said the robbery attempts had been \"botched\" and \"spontaneous\" and the woman had been in an irrational state after previously being a good mother and dedicated to her work. \"She tells me it wasn't about the money. It's almost as if she had an urge to do this,\" Ms Gristwood said. \"In her mind she saw it as a form of rebellion against anything she stood for previously.\" The court heard Gibson turned herself in to police and stopped using alcohol after her arrest, but resumed drinking as her birthday and date of her wedding anniversary approached, at one point attempting suicide. Ms Gristwood said Gibson's offences were not violent and she was committed to rehabilitating herself \"not only for herself but for her daughters and to rid herself of the shock and shame of what she has done\". The court was urged to impose a suspended sentence or parole term which would help the woman's rehabilitation efforts, but the prosecution said the offences warranted an immediate custodial sentence without any suspension. Gibson is to be sentenced in a fortnight. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Jane Alison Gibson"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the West Lakes branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last October"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["banks and service stations in Adelaide"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["about $250"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Would-be bank robber flees empty-handed","document":"Police are searching for a man who tried to rob a Gold Coast bank yesterday afternoon. Police say the man was armed with a knife when he entered the bank on Griffith Street in Coolangatta shortly after 4:30pm (AEST). He demanded money but the teller did not comply. The man left on foot and no-one was injured. Police are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a knife"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["on foot"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Gold Coast bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday afternoon","after 4:30pm (AEST)"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["bank on Griffith Street in Coolangatta"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Northern Bank robbery: New BBC documentary shines light on crime that shook peace process","document":"Close Premium In 2004, £26.5m was stolen from the Northern Bank in one of the UK’s biggest robberies. In a new documentary, two reporters take a look back at the theft and speak to some of the key political figures from the time Allison Morris Twitter Email May 02 2021 07:48 PM It was the biggest bank robbery in UK history, as £26.5m in used and unused notes were walked straight out of the Northern Bank in Belfast and into a van parked outside. The IRA have never admitted involvement in the robbery and only a fraction of the cash was ever recovered. Chris Ward, one of the hostages, leaving the bank Chris Ward, one of the hostages, leaving the bank Key questions such as who sanctioned the robbery, what if anything was known by the Sinn Fein leadership and — the more burning question — where the money is now, still remain unanswered. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["van"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Northern Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["May 02 2021 07:48 PM"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["UK","Belfast"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["26.5m"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Three Kitchener teens arrested in relation to bank, armoured car robberies","document":"KITCHENER -- Three Kitchener teens have been arrested and charged in connection to an armoured car robbery, a bank robbery and stolen vehicle offences. Toronto police say the incidents happened between Jan. 19 and Feb. 13 in Toronto, Waterloo and Drumbo. On Jan. 19, officials say three male suspects entered a Drumbo bank armed with guns and a knife. They pointed the guns at victims while a fourth suspect waited in a stolen vehicle. They stole cash and fled the scene. On Feb. 2, police said three male suspects stopped two armoured car guards coming out of a bank in the area of Morningside Avenue and Milner Avenue in Toronto. One guard locked himself in the truck, while the other was disarmed and held at gunpoint. They demanded cash from the guards. The alarm was triggered and the suspects fled in a stolen vehicle, taking the guard's gun. Toronto police and Waterloo regional police worked together to identify the suspects. They were arrested on Feb. 13 in an alleged stolen vehicle in Toronto. Police say they also seized a replica handgun, a loaded semi-automatic assault rifle and cash. The gun stolen from the guard was also recovered. Two 18-year-olds and a 17-year-old from Kitchener are all facing multiple charges, including robbery, pointing firearms and threatening death.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["guns and a knife","guns"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Toronto police and Waterloo regional police","Toronto police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a stolen vehicle","stolen vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Two 18-year-olds and a 17-year-old from Kitchener","Kitchener","Three Kitchener teens"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Drumbo bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Jan. 19 and Feb. 13","Jan","19","Feb","13"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Toronto, Waterloo and Drumbo","Toronto","Drumbo","Waterloo"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Brazilian robbers strap hostages to getaway cars in Araçatuba bank heist that leaves three dead","document":"A daring and bloody heist has shut down streets in the Brazilian city of Araçatuba, with a gang of armed robbers targeting banks, exchanging gunfire with police and escaping in cars covered with human shields. After ransacking two bank branches, the criminals drove away with hostages clinging to their cars to deter police from firing at the getaway convoy. Video shot from an apartment building in central Araçatuba, not far from the banks targeted, showed two cars driving slowly with people either clinging or tied to the outside of the vehicles. Other video shared on social media showed black-clad men marching hostages down the same street. At least three people were killed in the clashes, two of them civilians, local authorities said. Preliminary information suggested one was a local businessman who went to the location to film the attack and the other was a delivery worker. The third person killed was a suspect, found in his car. Six people were injured, including one passerby who had his leg amputated after an explosion. The coordinated robbery involved dozens of criminals and at least 10 cars. Brazil's military police said the attackers burned cars and left explosive booby traps in their wake to impede police responses. The statement said the group used a drone to monitor the city streets. \"Araçatuba was shaken by highly dangerous criminals who fired thousands of shots,\" Colonel Rodrigo Arena, the police commander in the region, told reporters. Colonel Arena said that three suspects had been arrested and that federal police were taking over investigations. Large-scale bank heists have become more frequent in Brazil in recent years, with hostages often used as human shields. Araçatuba was itself the site of a similar attack, in 2017. Araçatuba Mayor Dilador Borges said earlier on Monday that authorities believe undetonated explosives remain in some areas of the city centre, and called on residents to remain in their homes. Local media reported that branches belonging to state banks Caixa Federal and Banco do Brasil were the ones targeted. In a response to a request for comment, Caixa said it only provided information about crimes to police. Banco do Brasil said it was working with authorities, and that it would not disclose the amount of money stolen in robberies. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["hostages"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Brazil's military police","Brazil"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["cars"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a gang of armed robbers"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["streets in the Brazilian city of Araçatuba","Araçatuba","streets"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Sick bank robber fails to front court","document":"The trial of three Bowraville locals charged with an armed bank robbery has been delayed because one of the accused is sick. A letter stating 38 year old Phillip Jarrett is \"unfit to attend\" was handed to the Coffs Harbour Local Court in September. Jarrett still wasn't able to attend yesterday because he is in the hospital at Long Bail jail with medical condition. Police say he and 29 year old Peter Stadhams were masked and armed with a tyre lever and a gun when they stole a large amount of money from a Urunga credit union in June. Their cases have been adjourned until next month. 25 year old Jasmine Bowden is also charged with the hold-up and is on bail. Her case has been committed for trial in the District Court in January. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a tyre lever and a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["three Bowraville locals","Phillip Jarrett","Peter Stadhams","Jasmine Bowden"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Urunga credit union"]},{"role":"Date","values":["June"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["a large amount of money"]}]} {"event_trigger":"10yrs jail for bank robber","document":"A 43-year-old Canberra man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for a bank robbery and two attempted robberies last year. Michael Virgil Tresize from Curtin used a replica gun and silencer cut from foam and painted black, and a knife in the first attempted robbery at the Hughes post office. A shop assistant was stabbed as he struggled with Tresize. In the other incidents two days later, Tresize used an item designed to look like a bomb. He attempted to rob the Commonwealth Bank in Fyshwick, but a teller refused to hand over money. He then robbed the robbed the CPS Credit Union at Manuka, handing a note to the teller demanding money. He escaped with just over $1,000. Police identified him from fingerprints on the note he left behind. Tresize blamed his addiction to ICE for the crimes. He will not be eligible for parole until 2019. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a replica gun and silencer cut from foam and painted black, and a knife"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Michael Virgil Tresize"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the CPS Credit Union"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last year"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Manuka"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["just over $1,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Greek bank robber surrenders","document":"A gunman who took bank customers and staff hostage on Monday after a botched robbery at Greece's main port of Piraeus has surrendered and released all his captives unhurt, police said. \"The perpetrator holding hostages has surrendered after negotiations,\" the police said in a statement. The attempted raid occurred on one of Piraeus' busiest streets after midday when three men attempted to rob the bank. Police surrounded the building and arrested two of the men when they came out, but the third, believed to be a former Soviet Union national, stayed inside and took over a dozen hostages. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["three men"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Greece's main port of Piraeus","Piraeus"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Foiled bank robbers target customers","document":"Two armed men have turned on customers at a bank in Adelaide's southern suburbs after the bank's security defences were activated. Two men wearing balaclavas and carrying a shotgun walked into BankSA on Main South Road, Morphettvale at about 10:25am ACST. They threatened staff who immediately activated security screens. Several customers were in the bank at the time who the bandits then proceeded to rob. Police Senior Constable Kate Denman says the thieves stole wallets, purses and other personal items before fleeing. \"The men left the scene in a stolen Ford Telstar which was located shortly afterwards in Albert Terrace, Morphettvale,\" she said. Police say customers in the bank were not physically injured in the ordeal. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a shotgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Two armed men"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["BankSA"]},{"role":"Date","values":["10:25am"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank in Adelaide's southern suburb","Main South Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bandits on the run after bank robbery","document":"Police are searching for two men wanted over a bank robbery at Oatley in Sydney's south this morning. Shortly before 10.00am AEST the men robbed a bank on Fredericks street. They were wearing masks and one of them had a gun. The bandits escaped in a white van, which was found by police a short time later. No-one was hurt during the robbery. The men were last seen on foot in the Mortdale area, possibly near railway lines. They were wearing dark clothing and one is thought to have an reflective orange workman's vest. Police are warning the public not to approach the men as they are considered to be armed and dangerous. Anyone who sees the suspects should call 000 immediately. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a white van"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["this morning","Shortly before 10.00am AEST"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank robbery at Oatley in Sydney's south","a bank on Fredericks street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"PNG police shoot would-be bank robbers","document":"Police in Papua New Guinea have shot two suspected robbers in the ankles in the resort town of Madang. Details are sketchy, but police sources say four men tried to rob a person outside the Bank South Pacific in Madang this morning. It is not clear if the bandits were armed but police started shooting as the men tried to run towards a nearby boat. A police spokesman says they shot two and one man drowned while trying to swim away. Eddie Yehriwanie is a health worker at the hospital where the two injured men are being treated and says they had been shot in the ankles. \"Their bones have been broken. They are stable at the moment. None of them are in a critical condition,\" Mr Yehriwanie said. The fourth alleged robber was arrested and is in police custody. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Police in Papua New Guinea"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["four men"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Bank South Pacific"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Madang","resort town of Madang"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"German police search for 'little old lady' bank robber","document":"Police in Germany are searching for a little old lady whose only success in an attempted bank robbery was making a clean get-away. Police say the woman appeared to be in her 70s and confused when she shuffled into the bank in Berlin clutching a bag. She told the tellers crooks had given her the bag with a bomb inside and were threatening to blow her up if she did not rob the bank. Staff however refused to meet her demands and took the bag before evacuating the building. By the time police arrived, the white-haired woman had scarpered without a trace and the bomb turned out to be a fake. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a bomb"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Police in Germany"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a little old lady"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Berlin"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"57 arrested in Basra bank robbery","document":"British soldiers arrested 57 Iraqis after an audacious bid to rob a branch of the national bank in central Basra, an officer said. Lieutenant William Horley of the Irish Guards says the group managed to blast open one of six vaults in the bank with grenades, which they had attached to one-metre thick concrete walls after breaking in through the basement of the building. He says the sound of the blasts alerted British troops in a nearby base and \"we caught 57 red-handed\". \"They had bin bags full of notes, pressed and bound up in cellophane,\" he said. Most of Basra's banks were raided in the aftermath of the city's fall to British troops nearly two weeks ago but the manager of the central bank was confident security measures were adequate to prevent an attack on his establishment, Lt Horley said. British tanks have now been placed outside the branch in a bid to prevent any further bid to storm the bank. Money and gold bullion in the remaining vaults is now likely to be transferred to a more secure location. The officer says pools of blood had been found in the basement, possibly indicating that shots had been exchanged between rival robbers, but no bodies or injured people were found at the scene. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["grenades"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["57 Iraqis"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Lieutenant William Horley of the Irish Guards"]},{"role":"Location","values":["a branch of the national bank in central Basra"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Tellers scoff at would-be bank robber","document":"When Julius Kearney tried to rob a bank in the central Arkansas town of Pine Bluff, one teller started laughing and told him the bank was fresh out of cash and another teller made fun of him, police say. Both tellers also doubted that he had a gun in his pocket, as he had claimed. Kearney, 23, allegedly entered a bank and told a teller to stuff a bag full of money. His other hand was allegedly thrust in his pocket to make it seem like he was carrying a gun, police said. The first teller laughed at the robbery attempt and told Kearney the bank was out of money. Kearney then allegedly went to another teller a few feet away and tried the same method to rob the bank, police said. This time, he was handed deposit slips as the teller told him that if he wanted to steal money, he had better first put some money in the bank, they said. The tellers told police that Kearney then allegedly threw down his plastic bag in disgust and walked out of the bank. He was arrested a few minutes later about four blocks away after bank employees called police for help. \"Most everybody was happy. He wasn't,\" said Sgt Bob Rawlinson of the Pine Bluff police. Kearney was arrested on suspicion of attempted bank robbery and could face up to 10 years in jail if convicted. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Julius Kearney"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Sgt Bob Rawlinson of the Pine Bluff police"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the central Arkansas town of Pine Bluff","Pine Bluff"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"White-bearded bank robber shouts 'Merry Christmas' and throws cash into the air, reports say","document":"A man with a white beard robbed a Colorado bank and threw the stolen cash into the air while shouting \"Merry Christmas\" to passersby, police and local media reported on Tuesday. David Wayne Oliver, 65, was arrested at a nearby Starbucks coffee shop after he held up the Academy Bank in Colorado Springs on Monday afternoon, according to a police report. Police said the suspect had \"threatened the use of a weapon\" and left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash. A police spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment, but Colorado Springs television station KKTV reported that eyewitness Dion Pascale recounted Mr Oliver stepping outside the bank and tossing the money \"all over the place\". \"He started throwing money out of the bag\" before yelling \"Merry Christmas\", the TV station quoted Pascale as saying. Pascale said bystanders retrieved some of the money and returned it to the bank as Mr Oliver walked to the Starbucks, sat down and appeared to wait for police to arrest him, KKTV reported. The Denver Post quoted police as saying \"thousands of dollars\" remained unaccounted for, adding there was no indication Oliver used a weapon in the heist. Mr Oliver was being held at the El Paso County jail on $10,000 bond and was set to make his first court appearance on Thursday, jail records showed. It was not clear from the records whether he had a lawyer. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["David Wayne Oliver"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Academy Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Colorado Springs"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Murwillumbah remembers great bank robbery 40 years ago, still wonders where the cash is","document":"Forty years ago, a group of men known as the 'magnetic drill gang' broke into the Bank of NSW in the quiet town of Murwillumbah in the wee hours and stole almost $2 million. To this day, no-one knows what happened to the cash — worth around $8.5 million in today's money. The bank is now Westpac. The money — $1.7 million — and the gang, whose signature was to use an electromagnetic diamond-tipped drill, were never seen again. The thieves broke through the bank's back door and used clever techniques to crack the safe open and lock it again, once they had stolen all the cash. The following morning, a security guard found the back door ajar, and the vault locked from the inside. A locksmith tried to break the safe open, but failed. Former Tweed mayor, Max Boyd, who was a councillor at the time of the infamous robbery, said a council work crew, who were repairing roads nearby, were called in to help. \"The robbers had spiked the vault door so the bank staff couldn't get inside to see how much money had been stolen, so a council work crew were called in and they had to smash a hole through the bank's thick brick wall to get access inside the vault,\" Mr Boyd said. A bank official finally managed to get into the safe and told police \"they got the lot\". This slogan was to become famous and was printed on T-shirts and beer glasses that were sold around Australia and the world. Mr Boyd said many in the community thought it was an inside job. \"The crooks knew that the Murwillumbah branch of the Bank of New South Wales kept cash supplies from other banks in the area, so someone must have told them this as why would they target a country branch?\" he said. He said there were also suggestions that a new police officer in town or one of the security guards could have been involved. Mr Boyd said he and his brother, Jack Boyd, who was the state member for Byron at the time of the robbery, had concerns about gangsters leaving the big cities of Sydney and Melbourne to move into the Tweed Shire to start up criminal syndicates. The Boyd brothers successfully stopped former premier Neville Wran's plans to build a casino in south Tweed Heads in the late 1970s. \"Jack was strongly opposed to the casino because he didn't want to see the underworld getting established up in this part of the world and he fought strongly against it during his time in State Parliament and I did too as a Tweed councillor,\" Mr Boyd said. Mr Boyd said the famous robbery was part of the Tweed's colourful history, and he wondered if the case would ever be solved. Police said the case was still open, and they welcomed any new information. \"Even though today marks 40 years since this robbery occurred, the NSW Police remain dedicated to arresting those responsible,\" NSW Police said in a statement. \"Anyone with any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.\" We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["the NSW Police","NSW Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a group of men known as the 'magnetic drill gang"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Bank of NSW","NSW"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Forty years ago"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the quiet town of Murwillumbah","Murwillumbah"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["almost $2 million"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Images released of Scone bank robber","document":"Police have released security images of a man responsible for holding up a Scone bank with a shotgun. The man entered the Kelly Street bank on Friday November 27 at about 11.15 (AEDT), threatening staff with the gun. He stole cash before fleeing and was last seen getting into a blue vehicle seen heading west on Kingdon Street. Police say the man was carrying a green bag, was about 183cm tall, wearing grey long pants, white joggers and a black-and-grey camouflage hooded jacket. Anyone with information on the robbery is urged to contact Hunter Valley police or CrimeStoppers. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a shotgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Hunter Valley police or CrimeStoppers"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a blue vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Scone bank","the Kelly Street bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday November 27 at about 11.15 (AEDT)"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"3rd Lovelady Bank robbery suspect arrested in Houston","document":"HOUSTON, TX (KTRE) - A suspect in the December Lovelady Bank robbery has been arrested in Houston on unrelated charges, according to Deep East Texas Crime Stoppers. Demetrius Wheeler, 25, is being held at the Harris County Jail for possession with intent to deliver and motion to provoke parole. Wheeler has a Trinity County charge for evading arrest with a motor vehicle and a Houston County charge for first-degree aggravated robbery. Two Lovelady State Bank employees were pistol-whipped during the robbery, according to a bank official. Three men robbed the bank on December, 17, 2015 before heading south on State Highway 19. A deputy with the Trinity County Sheriff's Office caught up to them and they bailed out of the car, holding handguns. The deputy fired his, gun at them and one of the robbers collapsed and was arrested. Two of the four suspects related to the robbery, Allus Bernard Hubbard Jr.,27, and Alonso Donell Irving, 27, of Houston, have already been arrested. The fourth suspect, Ryan Glenn Scott, 26, is still at large, according to Deep East Texas Crime Stoppers. A robbery warrant has been issued for Scott, who is about 6 feet tall and weighs about 190 pounds. According to Deep East Texas Crime Stoppers, Scott has ties to the Kemah area of Galveston County. Anyone with any information about Scott's current whereabouts is urged to call Deep East Texas Crime Stoppers at (936) 639-TIPS. People can also visit the Deep East Texas Crime Stoppers Website to leave a tip. \"Calls and tips to Crime Stoppers are anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward if the information leads to an arrest,\" stated a post on the Crime Stoppers Wesbite.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a motor vehicle"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Deep East Texas Crime Stoppers"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Demetrius Wheeler","Three men","Allus Bernard Hubbard","Alonso Donell Irving","Ryan Glenn Scot"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["December","December, 17, 2015"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Lovelady Bank","south on State Highway 19"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Man charged over 1999 police shooting but $500k reward still on offer in search for two more men","document":"Man charged over 1999 police shooting but $500k reward still on offer in search for two more men Keep up to date with the latest COVID-19 exposure sites in Queensland Queensland police have had a major breakthrough in \"Australia's only unsolved police shooting\", where an officer was shot during a 1999 bank heist. A 49-year-old Brisbane man was arrested in the Logan area yesterday, after a search of seven properties in Logan, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. The man appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court this morning charged with a total of 13 offences, including attempted murder, armed robbery with violence and deprivation of liberty. He was denied bail and is due to face court again on February 8. Police are still pursuing two other people believed to have been involved in the robbery, which occurred at the National Australia Bank branch at Browns Plains, in Logan, in March 1999. Senior Constable Neil Scutts and his partner responded to the robbery. The offenders allegedly held staff and customers at gunpoint and opened fire as the officers arrived. Senior Constable Scutts was shot in the groin and was unable to walk for months. Speaking in Brisbane today, Detective Inspector Tod Reid said the officers who responded to the robbery were \"very, very happy with the result\" when told of the arrest. \"It was quite an emotional call to those officers to pass on that message,\" Detective Inspector Reid said. The man's arrest was a result of information received when a $500,000 reward was announced last month. Detective Inspector Reid described the man's arrest as \"a major breakthrough in Australia's only unsolved police shooting case\". We offer tailored front pages for local audiences in each state and territory. Find out how to opt in for more Queensland news. He said investigations were continuing, with police close to locating and charging two other people. He reissued an appeal for information, pointing out the $500,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of person/s responsible, remained on the table. Detective Inspector Reid delivered a strong message to the offenders who remained at large. \"We're never going away, if there is a time now to admit what you've done and come forward this would be it,\" he said. \"We're ready and waiting for you, if you'd like to come forward and surrender yourself to custody and admit what you've done.\" ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["A 49-year-old Brisbane man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["National Australia Bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["March 1999"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Browns Plains, in Logan","Logan"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Goolwa North man arrested for alleged Victor Habor bank robbery","document":"A 53-year-old Goolwa North man has been arrested in relation to a bank robbery south of Adelaide on Thursday. The man was arrested at his property at about 8:30pm last night and taken to Victor Harbor police station where he was charged with aggravated robbery. Police said the man entered the BankSA on Ocean Street at about 1:15pm and told staff he had a firearm, before leaving with cash. He was refused bail and is expected to appear in the Christies Beach Magistrates Court today. Police located the man through CCTV footage and information from witnesses. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a firearm"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Victor Harbor police station"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["A 53-year-old Goolwa North man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday","about 1:15pm"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["south of Adelaide","the BankSA on Ocean Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"41yo man to front court accused of Denmark bank robbery in WA's Great Southern","document":"Albany detectives have charged a 41-year-old man with armed robbery as a result of investigations into a bank robbery in Denmark in southern Western Australia. A 36-year-old woman has been charged with receiving. Both are from the Great Southern region. Police allege the man threatened staff with a tomahawk at an NAB branch in Denmark last Wednesday and then made off with cash he forced them to hand over. The man is due to appear in Albany Magistrates Court on Thursday. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a tomahawk"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Albany detectives"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a 41-year-old man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["NAB branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["last Wednesday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Denmark in southern Western Australia","Denmark"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police unable to find armed man who attempted bank robbery north of Adelaide","document":"Police have been unable to locate a man who attempted to hold up the Bendigo Bank at Virginia shopping centre on Old Wakefield Road, north of Adelaide, this morning. The man, who was armed with a machete, entered the bank through the roof. He managed to drop down into the building and hide until staffed arrived to open up the branch just before 9:00am (ACST). A female employee who had opened the door was threatened by the man and told to open the safe. The woman, and another female staff member, managed to escape. They fled to the cafe next door and called police. The centre was evacuated and heavily armed Special Tasks and Rescue group officers were called in the search the building. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a machete"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["A female employee"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Bendigo Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Virginia shopping centre on Old Wakefield Road, north of Adelaide"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Accused bank robber to face court","document":"They allege the 45 year old entered the Suncorp bank at Coolangatta just before midday (AEST) and threatened staff, before leaving with cash. The Elanora man ran down the road and through a nearby arcade where a member of the public grabbed him and held on to him until police arrived. The accused man has been charged with armed robbery and is due to face the Southport Magistrates Court today. Meanwhile in a separate matter, police are continuing investigations into an attempted armed robbery on the Gold Coast last night. A man armed with a knife entered a convenience store at Chevron Island about 11:30pm and demanded money. The attendant challenged him and the man ran from the store empty-handed. He escaped in a dark blue sedan. Police are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["the 45 year old","The Elanora man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Suncorp bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["just before midday (AEST)"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Coolangatta"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Man charged over Hamilton bank robbery","document":"A 32-year-old man has been charged over a robbery at a bank in Hamilton. On Monday afternoon, it is alleged he went into the Beaumont Street bank, threatening a female teller and demanding money. Police say the Wallsend man then ran from the scene with cash. After an investigation, detectives yesterday charged him with robbery and an outstanding warrant for larceny. His bail was refused overnight and he will face court today. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a female teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["A 32-year-old man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Beaumont Street bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank in Hamilton"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Shots fired during bank robbery at Mount Pleasant in South Australia","document":"Shots have been fired during a bank robbery at Mount Pleasant, a town north of the Adelaide Hills region in South Australia. A man went into the BankSA branch on Melrose Street just after 11:30am (ACST) and demanded money, police said. He fired several shots before escaping with cash. No one was injured. Police said he fled in a silver four-wheel drive. It is the third time the bank has been targeted, with police saying there are striking similarities between the robbery and 10 others between 2004 and 2009. The daughter of an employee at the bank said she was shocked to hear of the robbery. \"We got a phone call saying that mum had been in a bit of trouble - not her personally, but the bank, so we just spun around back from Gawler and come to see her, and she's a bit shaken up at the moment,\" the woman said. Police are seeking assistance from the public to find the man. He has been described as 188cm tall, of solid build, with a tanned complexion. He was wearing a black jacket and pants. 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)","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["shots"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a silver four-wheel drive"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the BankSA branch","BankSA branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["11:30am (ACST)"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Mount Pleasant, a town north of the Adelaide Hills region in South Australia","Melrose Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police hunt man over bank robbery bid","document":"Police will today examine surveillance footage to help identify a man involved in the attempted armed robbery of a bank in Maryborough. It is alleged he entered the Kent Street bank about 3:00pm (AEST) yesterday claiming to have a gun. He demanded cash from the teller before running down Adelaide Street with no money. No-one was injured. The man is described as 175 centimetres tall, with a slim build and dark brown hair. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["175 centimetres tall, with a slim build and dark brown hair"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Kent Street bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["3:00pm (AEST) yesterday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank in Maryborough"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robber uses gopher as getaway vehicle","document":"Police say a 62-year-old man who allegedly robbed a Perth bank and used a gopher mobility scooter to make his escape did not get far before he was caught. Police allege the man entered Bankwest's Subiaco branch on Rokeby Road on Friday afternoon. They say he approached a female teller, demanding cash. The man allegedly tried to get away on a gopher, but police say they caught up with him three streets away on Hamersley Road a short time later. He has been charged with robbery and will appear in court later this month. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a female teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a gopher mobility scooter"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a 62-year-old man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Bankwest's Subiaco branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Rokeby Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Staff foil bank robbery","document":"Staff at a bank at Bondi Junction in Sydney's east have managed to foil an armed robbery. Police say a man aged in his 60s threatened workers with a knife and demanded cash about 10:00am (AEDT) this morning. But they managed to disarm him and hold him down until police arrived. A staff member has been treated for shock. The man is being questioned at Waverley Police Station. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a knife"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Waverley Police Station"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a man aged in his 60s"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["10:00am (AEDT) this morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank at Bondi Junction in Sydney's east"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Austrian granny takes on armed bank robber","document":"An 82-year-old grandmother took on a bank robber who was armed with a gun and a home-made bomb, according to an Austrian newspaper report. Hertha Wallecker is said to have ripped the thief's mask off and snatched a bag containing cash he had stolen out of his hand, shouting: \"The money belongs to the bank.\" The robber fled the bank in the village of Sankt Egyden, in the country's east, empty-handed and was arrested later in the day. \"Maybe I watch too many police series on television,\" the heroine told the daily Oesterreich paper. \"There were also men there, standing around. None of them lifted a finger.\" ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun and a home-made bomb"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["An 82-year-old grandmother"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the village of Sankt Egyden, in the country's east"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robber appeals against sentence","document":"A former bank employee who was jailed for nearly 10 years for committing a robbery which was an inside job is appealing against his sentence. Justin Robert Lundberg, 35, was found guilty of aggravated robbery and false imprisonment and jailed for nine years and 10 months. The former Bank SA financial planner tied up teller Jennifer Hosking and stole $120,000 from the Mannum branch in December 2009. Now, in the South Australian Supreme Court, Lundberg's lawyer argued the sentence should be reduced because the offender did not use a weapon, did not shout at Ms Hosking and fetched her a jacket to kneel on while restrained. The Crown said Lundberg had shown no remorse and most of the money was yet to be recovered. The court reserved its judgment. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["teller Jennifer Hosking"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Justin Robert Lundber"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Mannum branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 2009"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["120,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Police investigate bank robbery on Gold Coast","document":"Thieves have used a ramming device attached to a van to force their way into a Gold Coast bank this morning. Two men wearing balaclavas drove the white van through plate glass windows at the Commonwealth Bank at Ashmore around 8:30am (AEST). One of the men was armed with a sawn-off rifle. Detective Acting Inspector Chris Toohey says the men escaped with a substantial amount of money from the safe. \"The ram raid part was used to gain entry,\" he said. \"It is peculiar - certainly a bank getting robbed outside of actual business hours as well. \"The use of the ram bar is rare and certainly different.\" Inspector Toohey says banks may need to revisit their security systems. \"We haven't had a substantial bank robbery for a number of years and that's mainly due largely due to the financial institutions having good security policies,\" he said. \"It's never going to be perfect and we adjust to the trends of the day. \"If we would have had a better number of bollards and more spread out evenly certainly the entry couldn't have been made by the van.\" ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a sawn-off rifle"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a van"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Commonwealth Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this morning","around 8:30am (AEST)"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Detective Acting Inspector Chris Toohey"]},{"role":"Location","values":["at Ashmore"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police charge alleged bank robber","document":"Police have charged a 38-year-old Maylands man over three robberies in the Perth CBD and Northbridge in the last two weeks. It is alleged the man walked into a bank on Murray Street two days ago and handed a note to a staff member demanding money, before leaving with an amount of cash. It is also alleged he committed a robbery in Northbridge and was responsible for an attempted robbery on St Georges Terrace earlier this month. The man will appear in court tomorrow. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a 38-year-old Maylands man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["last two weeks","two days ago"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Perth CBD and Northbridge","Northbridge","Murray Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Floreat bank robbed.","document":"eA police hunt is underway for a man who robbed a bank in the Boulevard shopping centre in the Perth suburb of Floreat this afternoon. It is understood the man may have been armed with a firearm. He fled with cash but police will not reveal how much. They are looking for a man in his mid thirties, with fair to tanned skin, wearing a blue hoodie. Police have warned members of the public not to approach him. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a firearm"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["eA police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["mid thirties, with fair to tanned skin, wearing a blue hoodie"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["this afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the Boulevard shopping centre in the Perth suburb of Floreat"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Inside job bank robber jailed","document":"Justin Robert Lundberg, 35, was found guilty by a jury of aggravated robbery and false imprisonment. The Adelaide District Court heard the former Bank SA financial planner stole $120,000 from the Mannum branch, east of Adelaide, in December 2009. Half the money is still unaccounted for. The trial heard Lundberg had just $7 in his bank account in the days leading up to the robbery, but paid off a $41,000 debt within hours of the heist. Another $20,000 was found in a wardrobe at his home unit. Bank teller Jennifer Hosking was bound with cable ties and tape during the robbery. She said it was a frightening ordeal. \"Especially the inside job, you have to trust your staff members that you work with ... and something like this happens and it's terrible,\" she said. Ms Hosking said she still had nightmares. \"That's probably been one of the hardest things, [he showed] no remorse, just really cocky throughout the whole thing. Yeah it's been hard,\" she said. Judge Dean Clayton said during sentencing Lundberg had shown no remorse and imposed a sentence of nine years and 10 months' jail, with a non-parole term of five years and 10 months. Another employee, Anna Martha Hein, is due to stand trial for her alleged role in the robbery. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Justin Robert Lundberg"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Mannum branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 2009"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["east of Adelaide","Adelaide"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["120,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Alleged bank robber knew victim, court told","document":"A former financial planner with Bank SA has gone on trial over his alleged role in a robbery where he is said to have known one of the victims. Justin Robert Lundberg, 35, is accused of tying up two staff at the Bank SA branch at Mannum and stealing more than $120,000 in a robbery in December 2009. In the Adelaide District Court, prosecutor Phil Crowe said Lundberg had used the money to repay a $41,000 debt and $20,000 in cash was found at his unit in Sydney. Mr Crowe said Lundberg was a former Bank SA employee and knew one of the women he allegedly tied up during the robbery. He said cable ties which were used were found at the woman's home. It is alleged Lundberg sent a text message to the woman after the robbery about DNA being left on the cable ties. The other bank teller who was tied up, Jennifer Hosking, told the court she was scared during the robbery but the man, whom she said fitted Lundberg's description, was calm and even joked that at least she would get the day off work. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["two staff"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Justin Robert Lundberg"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Bank SA branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 2009"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Mannum"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["more than $120,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Police release bank robbery video","document":"Police have released security footage of two men wanted over a daylight bank robbery on Queensland's Gold Coast. An ANZ branch at Benowa was robbed on Wednesday morning at knifepoint. A teller had the weapon held to her throat. They escaped with a sum of cash. No-one was hurt. Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Austin says about a dozen staff and customers were in the bank at the time. \"With the amount of people in the bank it was quite brazen,\" he said. \"At this time of year people are doing their banking after public holidays and the like, so there was a lot of people. \"There was a number of staff so [the bandits] were quite forthright in going in there armed with knives and doing what they did.\" Anyone with information is urged to contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["knifepoint"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["A teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["two men"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["ANZ branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Austin"]},{"role":"Location","values":["on Queensland's Gold Coast","Queensland's Gold Coast","Benowa"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Attempted bank robbery in Booragoon","document":"Police are seeking information from the public regarding an attempted bank robbery in Booragoon yesterday afternoon. A man walked into the National Australia Bank on Davy Street about 3:15pm Friday (AWST). He handed a note to the teller, demanding cash, but walked away when the teller went to speak to a supervisor. He was last seen running from the area. The man is described as fair skinned, aged between 20 and 30, between 175 and 190cm tall, of medium build with short black hair. Police are hoping to speak to the man pictured who they believe can assist with the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["fair skinned, aged between 20 and 30, between 175 and 190cm tall, of medium build with short black hair"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the National Australia Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday afternoon","3:15pm Friday (AWST)"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Booragoon","Davy Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Image released of bank robberies suspect","document":"Police have released an image of a man wanted over a string of armed robberies on Sydney banks. The security camera images show a man wearing a cap and dark glasses at one of three banks targeted in May and June of this year. In the first robbery a staff member was threatened with a gun at a bank on Mona Vale Road at St Ives about 1:30pm (AEST) on May 4. The robber made off with a sum of cash. In the second incident a gunman left empty handed after security screens were activated at a bank on the Pacific Highway in St Leonards just after midday on June 24. Money was also stolen from a bank on New South Head Road at Edgecliff just before midday on June 30, after staff were threatened with a pistol. Police say the man in the pictures in aged in his 30s to 40s, about 185 centimetres tall with a medium build and fair complexion. He was seen riding a silver-coloured mountain bike. Police have asked anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a man wearing a cap and dark glasses"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["May and June of this year","1:30pm (AEST) on May 4"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Sydney banks","a bank on Mona Vale Road at St Ives"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robbers may be caught red-handed","document":"The men pinned a cleaner to the ground when they broke into the Bendigo Bank branch at Virginia on Adelaide's northern outskirts on Tuesday night. They say the cleaner had been washing windows at the branch in Old Port Wakefield Road about 10:30pm (ACDT) when the men approached him. After their attack they fled with a backpack filled with cash. Police say a red dye bomb in the cash went off. They say the men may find the dye will remain on their skin for up to six months. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a red dye bomb"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the cleaner"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Bendigo Bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday night"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Virginia on Adelaide's northern outskirts"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Curtin man arrested over bank robberies","document":"A 42-year-old man has been arrested over two hold-ups within 20 minutes at south Canberra banks on Wednesday. Police conducted a search warrant at a house in McCulloch Street in Curtin, and seized a number of items. Officers say the man is expected to be charged in relation to the aggravated robberies at the Commonwealth Bank in Fyshwick and the CPS Credit Union at Manuka. The robber reportedly threatened staff at both sites, telling them he had a gun and a bomb. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun and a bomb"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["A 42-year-old man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["south Canberra banks"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"AFP hunt for Jamison bank robber","document":"ACT police are looking for a man who held up the Jamison Commonwealth bank in Canberra's north at gunpoint around 10:30am. The robber used a silver handgun to threaten a teller who handed over an unknown amount of money before the offender fled in a stolen car. The bank was full of customers at the time but no one was hurt. Sergeant Anthony Brown says the AFP is appealing for witnesses to come forward. \"He was wearing a grey and black coloured hoodie, blue jeans and carrying a green environmental shopping bag,\" Sergeant Brown said. \"He left the area on foot and got into a Suburu Outback. So if anyone noticed anyone matching that description in the area or that vehicle we ask them to contact Crimestoppers.\" ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a silver handgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a teller"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["ACT police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a stolen car"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["The robber"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Jamison Commonwealth bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["around 10:30am"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Sergeant Anthony Brown"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Canberra's north"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["an unknown amount of money"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Police appeal over bank robbery","document":"Tasmanian police are appealing for witnesses to a robbery outside a bank in the state's south. A security guard was attacked by two men while depositing cash into a night safe at the Commonwealth Bank on the Channel Highway at Kingston about 1:00am yesterday. Police say the men were wearing balaclavas and stole the money before running off towards John Street. The guard received minor injuries. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Tasmanian police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["two men"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Commonwealth Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["about 1:00am yesterday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["the state's south","the Channel Highway"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robbers leave empty-handed","document":"Police have revised their advice about a Sydney bank robbery early this morning, saying the culprits left empty-handed. Two robbers in balaclavas used sledge hammers to smash their way into the bank at Bella Vista in the city's north-west about 2:40am (AEST). Police say they were initially told by a bank worker that a large sum of cash was stolen from an ATM. But subsequent investigations, including a review of security camera vision, has confirmed the thieves left without any cash. Police say the robbers arrived and left the crime scene in a black Audi sedan. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["sledge hammers"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a black Audi sedan"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["about 2:40am (AEST)"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Sydney","Bella Vista in the city's north-west"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["a large sum of cash","cash"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Notorious PNG bank robber jailed","document":"Papua New Guinea's most notorious criminal has been sentenced to 30 years in jail over one of the country's biggest bank robberies. In 2008, William Kapris and his accomplices kidnapped the manager of Bank South Pacific's Madang branch and held his family hostage. Then, dressed as policemen, they went to the bank and stole $1 million. The National Court sentenced Kapris to 30 years in jail for several offences, including armed robbery, conspiracy and kidnapping. Eleven others were also handed prison sentences for their roles in the heist. Kapris is already serving time for attempted murder, two jailbreaks and the robbery of a gold refinery. He is also facing charges over a second bank robbery. 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)","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["the manager","his family hostage"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["William Kapris and his accomplices"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Bank South Pacific's Madang branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["In 2008","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)"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["1 million"]}]} {"event_trigger":"'Obama' bank robber on the run in Austria","document":"Police in Austria are hunting a gunman who robs banks wearing a rubber mask of US president Barack Obama, but speaks very much like a local. The Obama robber struck in the town of Handenberg on Thursday, robbing his sixth bank in the region since 2008. Police say he turns up in a mask just before closing time, equipped with a silver pistol and a black shoulder bag. He is believed to have stolen $13,000 in Handenberg. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a silver pistol"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Police in Austria"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a gunman"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["town of Handenberg","Handenberg"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["13,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Police hunt suspected bank robber","document":"Police are searching for a man they believe is responsible for a robbery and two attempted robberies at Perth banks. The man entered a bank in Maddeley yesterday afternoon and handed the teller a note which demanded money and stated he was armed. The teller activated security screens and the man escaped empty handed. Police believe the man was also involved in two incidents at a bank in Mount Hawthorn. The most recent of those was last week, when he escaped with an undisclosed sum of cash. Detective Senior Sergeant Dario Bolzonella is urging anyone with information to contact police. \"The person is described as between 25 and 35 years-of-age, just under six foot tall, so just under 180 centimetres tall, slim build,\" he said. \"Unfortunately that's all the description we have because he was wearing a hat and sunglasses in all three events.\" ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["between 25 and 35 years-of-age, just under six foot tall"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Detective Senior Sergeant Dario Bolzonella"]},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank in Maddeley"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police release bank robbery footage","document":"Queensland police have uploaded footage from a bank robbery in Cairns, in the state's far north, to their Facebook page. They are appealing for help to find a man who held up a Suncorp branch at Westcourt's DFO shopping centre on Tuesday afternoon. The video shows a man with a handgun demanding a teller place cash in a brown paper bag. The robbery happened about lunchtime and no-one was hurt. Police spokesman Chris Loy is urging anyone with information to contact police. \"The man is described as being of Caucasian appearance, 180 centimetres tall, wearing a grey polo shirt, blue-coloured jeans, brown-coloured sandals and a green hat with a red stripe around the crown,\" he said. \"He left on foot after stealing cash and was last seen walking through the adjoining shopping mall.\" ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["handgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Queensland police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["on foot"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a Suncorp branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Police spokesman Chris Loy"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Cairns, in the state's far north","Westcourt's DFO shopping centre"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Man arrested over Koroit bank robbery","document":"A 52-year-old man has been remanded in custody over the armed robbery of a bank at Koroit near Warrnambool in November. The Killarney man was arrested in Warrnambool on Monday night. He faced the Warrnambool Magistrates Court on Monday morning charged with one count of armed robbery, two counts of incitement to commit armed robbery as well as firearms offences. The man made no application for bail and will return to court in May. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["A 52-year-old man"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["November"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank at Koroit near Warrnambool"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank Robbery at BMO Harris Bank at Washington St and Redstart Rd, Naperville","document":"Naperville police responded about 10:27 a.m. Wednesday, September 22, 2021 to a report of a bank robbery at the BMO Harris Bank, 1795 South Washington Street on Naperville’s near southeast side. The suspect is described as a male/white 5’6″ with a slim build. The suspect was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a black mask, and blue pants. The suspect fled westbound on foot. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Naperville police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["on foot"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["BMO Harris Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["10:27 a.m. Wednesday, September 22, 2021"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["1795 South Washington Street on Naperville’s near southeast side"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Two bank robberies in two days in Naperville","document":"The FBI released images of the suspect in a robbery Wednesday at a BMO Harris Bank in Naperville. Courtesy of FBI Chicago A person described as a male between 5 feet, 8 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall robbed the BMO Harris Bank in Naperville, authorities said. Courtesy of FBI Chicago For the second time in as many days, a Naperville bank was robbed. Wednesday's robbery occurred at the BMO Harris Bank at 1795 South Washington St. Courtesy FBI Chicago The second bank robbery in as many days occurred Wednesday in Naperville, this one at the BMO Harris Bank at 1795 S. Washington St. According to the Chicago bureau of the FBI, the robbery occurred at 10:26 a.m. Wednesday when a man walked into the bank, presented a note to a teller and gave the teller a white garbage bag. No weapon was used in the robbery. He jumped a fence and fled into a neighborhood, the FBI said. The suspect is still at large and was described as a lone male of an unknown age, between 5 feet, 8 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall with a thin to average frame; no race was given. He was wearing navy blue pants, a black-hooded jacket, purple gloves and a black face covering. According to a neighborhood notification from the city, a large police presence was reported Wednesday morning at the Hawthorne Square shopping mall. The FBI did not immediately say if the incident was related to Tuesday's bank robbery at the Fifth Third Bank at 2644 Showplace Drive. Five nearby elementary schools and Lincoln and Madison junior high schools were placed on lockdown Wednesday morning, according to Naperville Unit District 203 officials, but police officials quickly ended the lockdown and allowed normal activities and pickups to occur. Tuesday's armed robbery suspect was described as a Black male about 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing 170 to 175 pounds, according to officials. He was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, gray pants with black stripes on the sides, light-colored shoes, dark gloves and a dark face covering.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The FBI","FBI"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a BMO Harris Bank","BMO Harris Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Naperville"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Hostages taken in Greece bank robbery","document":"A man has taken hostages in a bank robbery in Athens' port of Piraeus, police say. The robber has released some hostages but still holds four captive. The bank robber fired shots in the air, police said, adding that no one had been injured. Negotiators are talking with him to convince him to free the remaining hostages. \"There are four hostages in the bank, the rest have been freed,\" a senior police official told Reuters. Police say three men had stormed into a National Bank of Greece around midday on Monday (local time). \"Two of them were chased and arrested and the third one returned to the bank and held people hostage,\" a spokesman said. The hostage taker was holding a gun and told police he also had a hand grenade. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun","hand grenade"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["four captive"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["National Bank of Greece"]},{"role":"Date","values":["around midday on Monday (local time)"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Athens' port of Piraeus"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police warn foiled bank robber may still be armed","document":"Police in Tasmania's north-west will today resume their search for a man who threatened bank staff in Ulverstone with a shotgun. The man entered the Bendigo Bank in Ulverstone yesterday morning carrying a shotgun hidden in a blue shopping bag. He demanded cash from a teller but fled on foot and empty-handed when she screamed in fright. Police spent yesterday searching around Ulverstone but concede he could have gone further afield. They warn he could still be armed. Detective Inspector Mark Wright says the man's face was caught on camera but his identity still is not known. \"If anyone does have any knowledge as to the offender, we certainly ask that they contact Crimestoppers or your local police station,\" he urged. The man is thought to be between 30 and 40 years old, about 178 centimetres, heavily built, with square facial features. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a shotgun","shotgun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Police in Tasmania's north-west"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["on foot"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Bendigo Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Detective Inspector Mark Wright"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Ulverstone"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Gun held to head of customer in bank robbery","document":"Victoria Police say a gun was held to the head of a customer during a bank robbery in Taylors Lakes, north of Melbourne, this morning. Police say a man entered the bank armed with a gun shortly before 10:30am (AEST) and demanded cash from staff. He fled on foot with the money. Police are continuing to search for the man. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a customer"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Victoria Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["on foot"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["this morning","before 10:30am (AEST)"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Taylors Lakes, north of Melbourne"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police look for bank robber","document":"The man walked into the Westpac branch on St Georges Terrace on Wednesday, handed the teller a note demanding money and left with a quantity of cash. He told the teller he had a gun. Police have released video footage of the man in an attempt to find him. He is described as 190 centimetres tall, fair skinned and was wearing a grey cap, a white hooded jumper with a Transformers logo and blue track pants. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Westpac branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["St Georges Terrace"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Shot fired during bank robbery","document":"A shot has been fired during a hold-up of the Westpac Bank in the east Canberra suburb of Fyshwick. A robber wearing a black and white mask and armed with a gun demanded money from tellers in the Wollongong Street branch just before 1:00pm AEDT. During the bank robbery, the offender fired a weapon but no-one was hurt. Police say the bank's security screens were deployed and they believe the robber left empty-handed. The wanted man is described as having wavy shoulder-length hair and was well built. Police believe he is driving a beige coloured Audi with New South Wales registration. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a beige coloured Audi with New South Wales registration"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Westpac Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["just before 1:00pm"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["east Canberra suburb of Fyshwick","in the Wollongong Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Iraqi bank robbers sentenced to death","document":"In Iraq, four security force officers have been sentenced to death for their part in a multi-million dollar bank robbery in Baghdad. Eight police guards were killed in the raid. The robbers seized about $US4 million in a raid on a bank branch in Baghdad in late July. The cash was later recovered and police arrested four men, including two former bodyguards of Iraq's Vice-President. The judge found one of them had killed six of the eight guards found dead at the bank. The accused men have 30 days in which to lodge an appeal. Another four men are still on the run and were tried in absentia, but are yet to be sentenced. The case could have political ramifications - with opponents of the Vice-President questioning whether he or his political party had any involvement. Iraq holds national elections in January. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["four security force officers"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["late July"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":["The cash"]},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Baghdad","In Iraq","Iraq"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["US4 million"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Shots fired: Hunt for Sydney bank robber","document":"Police are searching for a robber who fired shots with a bolt-action rifle inside a western Sydney bank this morning. Officers say a man wearing a balaclava and dark clothes walked into the Westpac branch on busy Auburn Road carrying the rifle about 10:00am (AEST). About 35 customers and staff were inside at the time. The robber demanded money from a security guard, who was delivering cash inside the bank. In a struggle with the security guard, the gun was fired into the ground. Detective Acting Inspector Darren Cloake says the robber took a bag of cash and fled, but the security guard chased him and grabbed the gun. \"Obviously the offenders were prepared to discharge a firearm, they were armed,\" he said. \"So he's certainly got a lot of courage to display those sort of actions.\" Acting Inspector Cloake says the robber escaped in a blue sedan, which officers suspect was driven by another person. \"The car is the key. We're obviously looking for witnesses that may have seen the vehicle or the offender,\" he said. \"The vehicle was travelling south on Auburn Road. There was a lollipop man up the top there where they're doing construction work. \"There was a slight traffic altercation there but the vehicle was last seen travelling at high speed south on Auburn Road.\" No-one was injured but the bank's staff are being offered counselling. Forensic police are at the scene and have sealed off the bank. A knife is lying on the road outside but police are not sure whether it is related to the robbery. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a bolt-action rifle","the gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Westpac branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this morning","10:00am (AEST)"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Detective Acting Inspector Darren Cloake"]},{"role":"Location","values":["busy Auburn Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robbery: Manager 'injected with substance'","document":"Police are investigating claims two men dressed as road workers threatened a bank manager with a gun and injected him with an unknown substance on the Gold Coast this morning. Acting Detective Inspector Terry Goldsworthy says the manager has told police he was taking a mobile phone call at the side of a road when the men got into his car about 8:30am (AEST). He says the manager, 49, was told to collect a sum of money from the Bank of Queensland at Mudgeeraba, where he worked. Police say the manager followed the assailants' orders to take cash from the bank's safe and drop it off in a garden about 200 metres away from the branch. \"He went back to a pre-arranged location, he didn't meet the offenders there,\" he said. \"He merely deposited the cash at that location and he then had further instructions to move away so that he had no line of sight with that location so after the offenders dealt with him initially and gave him the instructions ... he hasn't seen the offenders.\" \"I'd say there was a fair amount of planning that went into it. \"To get the manager to access the bank for them, to get the cash for them, takes a lot of planning.\" Police say the manager, who called police after the drop off about 12.30pm (AEST), has been traumatised by the incident. He is awaiting test results in relation to the injections. Inspector Goldsworthy says officers hoped to speak again with the manager to get more detailed descriptions of the offenders, who were dressed as construction workers. They have been described as Caucasian and aged between 20 and 30. The manager's car, which was stolen by the robbers, was found partially burnt out in Mudgeeraba on this afternoon. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a bank manager"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["car"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["two men dressed as road workers"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Bank of Queensland"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Acting Detective Inspector Terry Goldsworthy"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Mudgeeraba","Gold Coast"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police think bank robber repeat offender","document":"A man who has robbed a string of banks may have struck again, this time at a branch at Willunga, just south of Adelaide. Police say a man who robbed the branch this morning fits the physical description of a robber dubbed the bicycle bandit in the past and used some similar tactics. Police say the bicycle bandit has robbed nine banks, stealing more than $250,000. Margo Kellett works near the Willunga bank branch which was held up. \"I was opening up the shop and one of the girls that actually had seen the robbery came and said to be careful because there was a guy in the bank who had a gun,\" she said. The armed man walked into the bank with his face covered. Less than a minute later he fled with cash in a silver four-wheel-drive, with stolen number plates. Police say three staff were in the bank but no-one was injured. The man they are seeking is about 180 centimetres tall, in his late 30s or early 40s and with a black goatee. He wore large black sunglasses and a blue-grey jumper with a checked shirt underneath. Detective Inspector Lyn Dunstan says the description is similar to that of the bicycle bandit. \"That description's consistent with the person of interest that we are investigating in relation to those other robberies.\" We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["this morning"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a branch at Willunga, just south of Adelaide","Willunga"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["more than $250,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Police find stolen car used in bank robbery","document":"A stolen car used during a bank robbery in Western Australia's south-west has been found by police near Mandurah. The robbery happened at a branch of the Bendigo Bank in Collie on Friday afternoon. Police say a man aged between 21 and 30-years-old entered the bank, threatening staff and demanding money. The man fled and drove away in a black Holden Commodore with the licence plate 'GET M OUT'. The car was located by detectives at Binningup, south of Mandurah. Police are still looking for the robber. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["a black Holden Commodore"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a man aged between 21 and 30-years-old"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a branch of the Bendigo Bank in Collie"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Western Australia's south-west","south of Mandurah"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police hunt bank robber after Noosa hold-up","document":"Sunshine Coast police are searching for a gunman who held up the Noosa Heads branch of the Bank of Queensland. He threatened staff with the weapon this afternoon and ran off with a sum of cash. The offender is described as being about 20 years old, 183 centimetres tall, with a solid build and clean shaven. He was wearing a red cap and long-sleeve shirt. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["the weapon"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Sunshine Coast police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a gunman"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Noosa Heads branch of the Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Queensland"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["a sum of cash"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Teens arrested over attempted bank robbery","document":"Kununurra police have arrested two teenagers over an attempted bank robbery in Western Australia on New Year's Day. Police allege the pair, aged 13 and 17, smashed windows to enter the bank about 1:30am AWDT. A silent alarm alerted security guards who caught one of the alleged offenders after a lengthy chase. The other was arrested at his home later that morning nothing was taken during the break-in. The boys have been charged with aggravated burglary. The 13-year-old will remain in police custody while the 17-year-old has been released on bail with a curfew until he appears in court again on January 6. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Kununurra police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["two teenagers"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["New Year's Day"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Western Australia"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Nine dead in Philippines bank robbery: police","document":"Nine people have been found dead in a bank outside the Philippines capital in an apparent armed robbery, police said. Bank clients alerted police when they found a bloodied body at the door of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. branch in Cabuyao, south of Manila. Police found nine bodies inside the bank, while the bank manager was in critical condition at a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound to the head, national police spokesman Nicanor Bartolome said in a statement. Two of the dead were women who have not been identified, he added. Police later recovered an abandoned vehicle at a nearby area which they believe the suspects used to escape, Chief Superintendent Bartolome said. The crime took place at a light industrial park and the bank branch serves export-oriented electronics manufacturers. Police believe the bank was attacked by robbers, possibly working with insiders, who fled its usual opening time of 9:00am (11:00 AEST). It was not immediately known if any money was stolen. \"This is not the handiwork of humans. This was perpetrated by animals,\" regional police chief Ricardo Padilla told ABS-CBN television. Mr Padilla said investigators were looking for two missing bank security guards who he said could have been involved in the attack. Police have erected roadblocks in the region and the identities of certain motorists are being checked, Supt Bartolome said. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["national police spokesman Nicanor Bartolome"]},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank outside the Philippines capital","Cabuyao, south of Manila"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Cleveland bank robbed at gunpoint","document":"Police are investigating an armed robbery this afternoon at the Bank of Queensland at Cleveland on Brisbane's east side. Officers say a man aged between 25 and 40 entered the bank armed with a hand gun about 2:00pm AEST and demanded money. He fled the scene with a large sum of cash. No one was injured during the incident. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a hand gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["a man aged between 25 and 40"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Bank of Queensland"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this afternoon","about 2:00pm AEST"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Cleveland on Brisbane's east side"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["a large sum of cash"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Passers-by pounce on bank robber","document":"Members of the public chased and tackled a would-be bank robber as he made his escape after a hold-up at a bank in western Sydney today. Police say a man entered the Commonwealth Bank branch at Plumpton Marketplace on Jersey Road at around 11:00am and threatened staff before taking a female staff member hostage. The man took money from the tellers before freeing the woman and trying to leave the bank. \"He dragged the girl out by the neck over to the car park, then pushed her,\" witness Sue Dunstan said. Nora Tivitian was working in a nearby shop and saw events unfold. \"About 10 bystanders ran after him,\" she said. Police say he was wrestled to the ground in the bank's car park and held down until they arrived. They say the man turned out to be unarmed. He was arrested and is now being questioned by police. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a female staff member hostage"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Commonwealth Bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["today"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["western Sydney","Plumpton Marketplace on Jersey Road"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police hail men after bank robbery foiled","document":"Police have praised the actions of a group of men who chased and caught a bank robber in Sydney's west yesterday. The 20-year-old walked into the Commonwealth Bank at Plumpton, claiming to have a weapon and demanding cash. He allegedly took hold of a woman from the bank, who was forced to hand over a bag of money. The man took money from the tellers before freeing the woman and trying to leave the bank. \"He dragged the girl out by the neck over to the car park, then pushed her,\" witness Sue Dunstan said. Chief inspector Wayne McMahon says as he ran from the bank, witnesses caught him and held him down. \"They believed that the male was in fact not armed,\" he said. \"He had been gesturing under his coverings that he had a weapon but they satisfied themselves that they didn't believe that to be the case. They weren't in the bank at the time.\" The man is in custody at Mt Druitt Police Station. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Mt Druitt Police Station"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["The 20-year-old"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Commonwealth Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Chief inspector Wayne McMahon"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Sydney's west","Plumpton"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Alleged Plumpton bank robber to face court today","document":"A 20-year-old man is due to face Parramatta Local Court today charged over a bank robbery in Sydney's west yesterday. The man allegedly entered a Commonwealth Bank branch at a shopping centre in Plumpton and took a female staff member hostage before stealing cash. Police say that when some members of the public realised he was unarmed they tackled him to the ground and held him until officers arrived. He has been charged the man with aggravated robbery. Police have praised the actions of the men who allegedly chased and caught him. Chief Inspector Wayne McMahon of Mount Druitt police said the man had been gesturing under his disguise that he had a weapon. \"But they satisfied themselves that they didn't believe that to be the case,\" he said. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a female staff member hostage"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Commonwealth Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Chief Inspector Wayne McMahon of Mount Druitt police"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Sydney's west","a shopping centre in Plumpton"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Venezuelan bank robbers arrested, hostages freed","document":"Venezuelan police have swooped on an ambulance used by robbers escaping a bank siege in the town of Altagracia de Orituco, arresting four men and freeing a group of hostages held in the getaway vehicle. The four men had botched a robbery at the bank in the sleepy central Venezuelan farming town early on Monday and seized dozens of employees and customers to avoid capture. Hostages said as many as 60 people were held captive before the assailants negotiated an escape plan on Tuesday and sped away from the bank in a white ambulance with a small group of their captives. State governor Eduardo Manuitt said the ambulance drove to the outskirts of the capital city Caracas before being surrounded by police, who pinned the robbers to the ground. The four men, all in their 20s and carrying pistols and a hand grenade, had threatened to kill hostages if security forces stormed the bank or tried to storm the getaway vehicle. It was not clear if the robbers had stolen money from the bank before boarding the ambulance. The hostages freed from the bank included a pregnant woman, an infant and several other child captives. None were wounded, although a few were carried away on stretchers and more than 20 were taken to the hospital for check-ups. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["pistols and a hand grenade"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["a group of hostages","Hostages"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Venezuelan police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["the getaway vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["four men"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":null},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["State governor Eduardo Manuitt"]},{"role":"Location","values":["the town of Altagracia de Orituco"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Court jails Wangaratta bank robber","document":"A man who robbed a bank in Wangaratta last year has been sentenced to a year and nine months in jail. Damon Howard Alexander, 41, went into a bank in Murphy Street in November and demanded money. The teller handed over cash. Alexander pleaded guilty in the magistrates court in Wangaratta yesterday to robbery and theft. He was sentenced to nine months in jail for the robbery, and another 12 months for breaching a community corrections order. He will be eligible for parole in a year. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Alexander","Damon Howard Alexander"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["last year","November"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Wangaratta","a bank in Murphy Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Bank robber jailed for nine years","document":"A County Court judge says a Warrnambool man who robbed a bank was motivated by his gambling addiction. 34-year-old Bradley Armitstead has been jailed for nine years for armed robberies at the Seymour bank and the Warrnambool Football Club gaming room, late last year. Judge Tim Woods said Armitstead's prospects of rehabilitation were slim, unless he overcame his gambling problem and stopped abusing drugs and alcohol. Armitstead has been sentenced to nine years jail and will be eligible for parole in six. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["34-year-old Bradley Armitstead"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Seymour bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["late last year"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["A County Court judge"]},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"DPP appeal bid rejected on bank robbers","document":"A prosecution bid to increase the jail sentences of two young Adelaide bank robbers has been rejected. The offenders' families clapped in the Court of Criminal Appeal as the decision was announced. Andrew Davi, 21, and James Randall-Smith, 22, held up seven Adelaide banks over eight months, starting in December 2005, dressed in what became trademark blue overalls. They smashed into the buildings armed with guns and stole a total of $100,000. Each was sentenced to 16 years' prison with non-parole terms of eight years. South Australia's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Stephen Pallaras appealed, arguing that the penalties were too light and the trauma suffered by scores of bank staff had been given too little weight in the sentencing. But two of three judges today refused the DPP permission to launch an appeal. Chief Justice John Doyle wanted to boost their jail sentences by two years but the other appeal judges Robyn Layton and Tom Gray found the penalties were long enough considering the men's ages. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["guns"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Andrew Davi, 21, and James Randall-Smith, 22"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["seven Adelaide banks"]},{"role":"Date","values":["December 2005"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":null},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["a total of $100,000"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Police release security footage of bank robbery","document":"Police have released security vision of two men who held up and robbed a bank inside Karrinyup Shopping Centre. Two men entered the bank at 4:30 pm last Wednesday armed with a handgun and a knife, threatened two female workers and demanded cash. Detective Senior Constable Troy Kendall says it was well-planned, but they have not linked it to four robberies on Home Building Societies around Perth since October. He has called for witnesses to contact police. \"We're looking for two caucasian males, aged between 30 to 40 both short in stature, one of the males was dark haired, clean shaven and of slight build the other was of stocky build, he had a distinctive blonde pony tail,' he said. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a handgun and a knife"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":["two female workers"]},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Detective Senior Constable Troy Kendall"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["two men"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["4:30 pm last Wednesday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank inside Karrinyup Shopping Centre"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police need public help to catch bank robber","document":"Police are appealing to the public for information about a man who robbed a bank in Claremont with a kitchen knife. Police say the man entered the Home Building Society in Bayview Terrace yesterday around 3:00pm and handed the teller a note note, outlining his demands. Constable Aldo Arco says the man had a knife concealed in his sleeve and left with a large amount of cash. \"Well he's a caucasian male, he's about 20-30 years of age, slim to medium build. He was wearing dark clothing a hooded top, a baseball cap and dark sunglasses,\" he said. \"Well it's important {to catch him] because obviously in today's climate....it's dangerous, it's fairly brazen about the whole situation, it's pretty much three-thirty in the afternoon and it's important we get a hold of him and recover most of the money.\" ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a kitchen knife","a knife"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday around 3:00pm"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Constable Aldo Arco"]},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank in Claremont","Home Building Society in Bayview Terrace"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Gold Coast police suspect 5 bank robberies linked","document":"Police suspect the same group is responsible for five bank robberies on the Gold Coast in the past 18 months. Acting Detective Inspector Marc Hogan says three men used a sledgehammer to smash their way into the Bank of Queensland at Nerang late yesterday. He says three trio was armed with a knife but no-one was injured. Inspector Hogan says there have been similar robberies at Oxenford, Surfers Paradise, Burleigh and Ashmore since April last year. \"They've been waiting for either just on opening or just on closing when there's basically no customers in the bank,\" he said. \"They'll then approach the bank and smash their way in through the glass windows and set about taking money they can find in the premises and then decamp in a stolen car.\" ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a sledgehammer","a knife"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["in a stolen car","stolen car"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["three men"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Bank of Queensland"]},{"role":"Date","values":["the past 18 months","late yesterday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["Acting Detective Inspector Marc Hogan"]},{"role":"Location","values":["Gold Coast","Nerang"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Police search for clues at scene of Launceston bank robbery","document":"Forensic police a short while ago were still looking for clues at a Launceston bank which was robbed this afternoon. Police say a female teller at a branch of the Commonwealth Bank at Riverside was injured by a man who was wielding a knife. Police say the woman received a defensive wound to the hand. Police say the thief walked in to the bank at about half-past-one and escaped with a considerable amount of money. Detective Inspector Mike Otley from Launceston CIB is appealing for public help to find the robber. \"This person is described as between 20 and 30 years of age, and 6 foot tall, slim build, was wearing dark clothing,\" he said. \"He was last seen near, or heading towards, the Riverside Golf Club.\" ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a knife"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Forensic police","Detective Inspector Mike Otley","Launceston CIB"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a branch of the Commonwealth Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["this afternoon"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Riverside"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Hunt on for North Ward bank robber","document":"Police are searching for a man they say robbed a bank in North Ward in Townsville, in north Queensland, yesterday afternoon. They say the man entered the Bank of Queensland on Eyre Street just before 2:00pm AEST and allegedly threatened staff with an unseen firearm before stealing a sum of money. The man is described as being about 165 centimetres tall, of solid build, wearing a green cap, dark coloured shirt and three-quarter length light coloured cargo pants. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["an unseen firearm"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Bank of Queensland","Queensland"]},{"role":"Date","values":["yesterday afternoon","before 2:00pm AEST"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["North Ward in Townsville, in north Queensland","Eyre Street"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["a sum of money"]}]} {"event_trigger":"The Descent into Madness of Brazil’s Bank Robberies","document":"The pictures shocked Brazil and the world. Bank robbers fleeing the scene at high speed in their getaway vehicle, with hostages strapped to the roof and hood. The videos are grainy, shot hurriedly by nearby residents as the scene unfolded beneath them. But the violence in Araçatuba, a city of 200,000 people in the very west of São Paulo, did not happen in isolation. It is the latest in a series of outrageously violent robberies where dozens of thieves shut down entire city centers, plant numerous explosives and target several banks at once. In Araçatuba, the attack began early on the morning of August 30. According to media reports, around 15 to 20 criminals descended on the center of town and attacked three banks. Following the attacks, some seized passers-by and took them hostage, while others blocked off streets near police stations and other major thoroughfares, clearing an escape route. Up to 20 explosive devices were also found around the city, police informed, although it remains unclear at what point of the attack these were placed and how many of them were primed to detonate. The police statement even said the gang used drones to monitor the response.As the robbers fled the scene, exchanges of gunfire took place with military police, and residents shot videos showing hostages being marched down a street and then tied to the outside of a car as it drives down a road with gunshots being heard. SEE ALSO: Brazil Thieves Growing Bolder With Heavily Armed Robberies The criminals successfully got away. Three people were reported dead and five more injured. The first was identified as a local businessman, shot by the robbers as he filmed events on his phone. Another was a delivery worker who was caught in an explosion while riding on his bicycle. The final body reportedly belonged to one of the assailants and was found in a car, but no further information about his identity has been provided. The attack had many similarities with another brazen bank robbery, which took place in November 2020 in Criciúma, a city in the southern state of Santa Catarina. Around 30 heavily armed men took over the city center for almost two hours, seizing approximately 125 million reais ($24 million) in cash from several banks and taking several hostages before fleeing. Hostages were stripped of their clothing and forced to sit across main roads to prevent police from giving chase. Almost 30 kilograms of explosives were seized from around the city but nobody was killed, with one police officer being seriously injured. These attacks have become known as “novo cangaço” (new struggle) in reference to a form of armed banditry that began in Brazil in the 19th and 20th centuries. Until the early 20th century, the northeast of Brazil suffered attacks from groups of roaming bandits who attacked entire cities, committing robbery, murder and rape. But these attacks have grown beyond compare, seemingly becoming a competition between criminals about who can pull off the most dangerous heist, with utter disregard for human life. And these attacks are not based in the Northeast. Despite some exceptions, such as the November 2020 robberies in Criciúma, most novo cangaço attacks have been focused in the state of São Paulo. According to figures from the state secretariat of public security, the state saw 23 bank robberies in 2020, up 44 percent from 2019. While not all of these showed the same level of planning, two stood out. In November 2020, around 20 men assaulted banks in Araraquara, São Paulo, again leaving explosives behind and exchanging running gunfights with police. In July, robbers blew up a bank in the city of Botucatu and tried to blow up several others with dynamite. Again, hostages were forced to sit in the middle of the road and the thieves escaped with just one of them being killed. SEE ALSO: Pandemic Aid Money Fuels Brazil's Bank Robberies In 2017, a similarly spectacular attack took place in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, near the Brazilian border, with dozens of armed assailants attacking the office of a security company that transported loads of cash for banks.Brazil’s largest criminal group, the First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital – PCC), has been linked to several of these attacks, including the Araraquara, Botucatu and Paraguay robberies. While the group is present nationally and in neighboring Paraguay, the PCC has its main base in São Paulo, which would allow it to strike at towns across the state. We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources. We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article. We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources. The death of a top Rio de Janeiro drug trafficker at the hands of police provides insight into the relationship… Authorities in Brazil have seized thousands of live freshwater fish native to the country’s Amazon region that are commonly seen… Nearly 100 prisoners have been killed in Brazil since the start of the year, in a display of extreme violence… InSight Crime was a proud supporter of this year's Global Investigative Journalism Conference, which took place November 1 through November 5 and convened nearly 2,000 journalists… InSight Crime was delighted to support investigative reporting in the Americas through a workshop with our friends at Connectas, a non-profit journalism initiative that facilitates collaboration… InSight Crime’s investigation into the battle for the Venezuelan border state of Apure resonated in both Colombian and Venezuelan media. A dozen outlets picked up the report, including Venezuela’s… In October, InSight Crime and American University’s Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS) began a year-long project on illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing in… In late September, the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) published an excerpt of its forthcoming guide on reporting organized crime in Indonesia. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["20 explosive devices"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":["getaway vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["around 15 to 20 criminals"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["the morning of August 30"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Araçatuba","three banks"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["approximately 125 million reais ($24 million) in cash"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Midwest Heritage Bank has been robbed","document":"The Urbandale Police Department asked for assistance from the public Tuesday in identifying the person involved in a bank robbery. The robbery occurred at 11:55 a.m. at the Midwest Heritage Bank at 8701 Douglas Ave. According to police, a man arrived at the bank and passed a note demanding money to a bank clerk. Police said the man involved fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. The man was last seen wearing a blue plaid button-up shirt, blue jeans, a gray zip-up hoodie with blue pockets and a red stripe down the sleeves and Timberland boots. Anyone with information connected to the case is asked to contact Urbandale police Detective Zach Johns at 515-331-6894. Information can also be shared anonymously with Crime Stoppers of central Iowa at 515-223-1400, or at crimestoppersofcentraliowa.com. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["The Urbandale Police Department"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["on foot"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Midwest Heritage Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["11:55 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["8701 Douglas Ave"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Santander Bank has been robbed","document":"Brockton Police spent hours searching for two men after an armed bank robbery Tuesday morning. Officers said the men, who were dressed in black, hooded sweatshirts, robbed the Santander Bank at 25 Torrey St. at gunpoint at approximately 10 a.m. Responding officers pursued the men after the robbery. \"During the pursuit, police recovered two guns investigators believe were used in the robbery,\" police spokesman Darren Duarte said. \"They also recovered the getaway vehicle and stolen money.\" Police K-9 units are involved in the search. Just before 2 p.m., Duarte said the men were arrested after \"a city-wide search.\" No one was injured in the robbery, but one woman was taken to the hospital by ambulance after saying she did not feel well. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites.","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Brockton Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":["getaway vehicle"]},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":null},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["the Santander Bank"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Tuesday morning","at approximately 10 a.m"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["police spokesman Darren Duarte"]},{"role":"Location","values":["25 Torrey St"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Robbers in Brazil stage brazen bank raids, taking hostages; at least 3 dead","document":"RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Armed robbers hit several banks in a small Brazilian city on Monday, using locals as human shields, leaving a trail of explosive devices and shooting at police in an assault that killed at least three people, a senior state security official said. The brazen attack around midnight in Araçatuba, a city of roughly 200,000 people in the interior of Sao Paulo state, is the latest in a series of increasingly violent recent bank heists in Brazil. Experts believe a COVID-19 pandemic welfare program for poorer Brazilians has encouraged robbers to plan bold raids in sleepy regional cities where bank branches are storing more cash. More than 20 heavily armed men carried out the attack, using 10 cars, Alvaro Camilo, the executive secretary of Sao Paulo's military police, said at a news conference. As the criminals made their getaway, they used locals as human shields, and burned cars, while leaving a trail of explosive booby traps across the city, the military police said in a statement. The attackers used drones to monitor the streets as they entered the city, hit the banks, and made their getaway, the statement said. Camilo urged people not to leave their houses until the explosives have been found and deactivated. There were two separate firefights with police, and three people died, Camilo said. Two of the fatalities were local residents, while one of the alleged assailants was also killed. The statement said two attackers had been arrested. One passerby who was injured by an explosion had his leg amputated, it added. There were more than 350 police in the city, using two helicopters to track down the attackers, Camilo said. He added that a Banco do Brasil SA (BBAS3.SA) branch in Araçatuba was a repository to store cash - something state officials were not aware of. Late last December, there were two similar bank raids on consecutive days in the cities of Cametá and Criciúma, targeting Banco do Brasil branches in both cases. Camilo said it was to early to tell where the most recent raid was related to other recent attacks. Brazil has a long history of bank heists, and major lenders have struggled with a wave of violent robberies in recent years. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Subscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox. A war of words fought in the media and rife with espionage - double agents, wire taps and hidden cameras - is raging in Cuba ahead of protests planned for Nov. 15, setting up a showdown between the government and a dissident movement that says its most potent weapon is the cellphone. The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday it has been meeting this week in Washington with a delegation from El Salvador, for annual talks which the Fund said could \"underpin\" discussions about a new lending program. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["explosive devices and shooting"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Armed robbers"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["Monday","around midnight"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["Araçatuba","several banks in a small Brazilian city"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"West Springfield police charge woman in connection with 2 bank robberies","document":"WEST SPRINGFIELD — A woman who had been staying at a hotel on Riverdale Street was arrested Monday and charged with robbing two banks in a span of four days, police said. Wendi R. Young is charged with two counts of armed robbery while masked. She was arrested Monday at the Bel-Air Motel, 387 Riverdale St. Police said she had recently been staying at the motel. The charges are related to a robbery Friday at Freedom Credit Union on 58 Union St., and another robbery on Monday at the TD Bank branch at 969 Riverdale St. In each robbery, a masked woman entered the bank, handed a note to a teller in which she claimed to have a gun and demanded cash. In each, the robber made off with an undisclosed amount of cash. No gun was ever shown and no weapon was recovered. Young was taken into custody when police found the car used in the TD Bank robbery parked at the motel. She was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Springfield District Court. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Wendi R. Young"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["Freedom Credit Union","the TD Bank branch"]},{"role":"Date","values":["Friday","Monday"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["58 Union St","969 Riverdale St"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"Alan Slattery robbed a bank","document":" Alan Slattery used written notes to ask the cashiers to hand over money. But failed. Photo / Sussex Police Is your handwriting so bad it threatens to ruin your career prospects? That's what happened to one wannabe thief in England who attempted to rob a bank but whose plan failed after bank staff were unable to decipher the illegible note he had handwritten. Alan Slattery has been given a six-year extended sentence after being arrested for the failed attempt at robbery. The 67-year-old visited three banks in two different towns in the space of two weeks, where he would hand cashiers notes demanding they hand over cash. The first attempt was in May. However, he left empty-handed when staff were unable to decipher the handwriting. A Sussex Police spokesperson said: \"Staff at the bank later managed to read the note, which said: 'Your screen won't stop what I've got, just hand over the 10s and the 20s. Think about the other customers.\" \"They then rang police, who attended and seized the note and CCTV footage from inside the bank.\" But the first failed attempt didn't stop Slattery, who visited a second branch of Nationwide Building Society in St Leonards on March 26 where he once again handed over the poorly written note demanding cash. This time he didn't leave empty-handed and was given £2400 (NZ$4730) by the terrified cashier. While investigating the robbery local police received a call from staff at a bank branch. The Sussex Police spokesperson said: \"Staff at the bank reported a man entering the branch and handing over a threatening note demanding money. \"The cashier challenged the man, who then left empty-handed.\" Not long after this report, Slattery was arrested on suspicion of robbery and two counts of attempted robbery. The police spokesperson added: \"A search of his address found some sticky labels identical to the label that had been handed to staff at NatWest bank, and a jacket that matched that of the man seen in CCTV from NatWest.\" Slattery pleaded guilty to all three offences and was given a six-year extended sentence, meaning he will serve four years in jail and two on licence. Speaking after sentencing, investigating officer Detective Constable Jay Fair said: \"These incidents caused fear and distress to both the employees working in the banks, and to the wider public. \"I'd like to thank all the victims and witnesses who supported our investigation, and I'm pleased to see the severity of the offences reflected in the sentence handed out by the court.\"","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":null},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":["Sussex Police"]},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Alan Slattery"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":["a second branch of Nationwide Building Society"]},{"role":"Date","values":["May","March 26"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":["A Sussex Police spokesperson","Sussex Police spokesperson"]},{"role":"Location","values":["St Leonards"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":["2400 (NZ$4730"]}]} {"event_trigger":"Lloyd Phillip Simon in connection with two 2019 bank robberies at the same bank within one week","document":"Baltimore, Maryland – Lloyd Phillip Simon, age 71, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to bank robbery, in connection with two 2019 bank robberies at the same bank within one week. The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department. According to his guilty plea, on August 13 and August 19, 2019, Simon robbed a bank located in the University of Maryland Medical Center. In each instance, Simon entered the lobby of the Medical Center, partially obscuring his face by wearing a baseball hat and large glasses. Upon entering the bank, Simon approached a teller and demanded money. In the first robbery, Simon told the teller he had a gun. Fearing for their safety, the tellers gave Simon money and he left the bank. Specifically, on August 13, 2019, a video surveillance camera captured Simon walk into the lobby of the Medical Center wearing a black jacket, white shirt, black and white shorts, and black and white shoes. He also wore a purple and gold lanyard around his neck. His face was partially hidden by a grey baseball hat and large glasses. Simon obtained a white wristband from the receptionist, which allowed him access to the food court and bank area of the Medical Center. As Simon walked toward the bank, he reached into a donation bin located in the atrium and took one of the donations placed there - a black backpack. He then approached the bank and placed his black jacket and the newly acquired black backpack on a bench outside the bank. Simon immediately approached Bank Teller #1, who was in the process of counting money from the bank’s night drop. Simon demanded money from Bank Teller #1, stating, “Give me that money. I have a gun. No dye packs.” Fearing for her safety, Bank Teller #1 gave Simon all of the money that she had been counting. Simon left the bank, grabbing the backpack and black jacket, as he quickly walked away. Simon donned the black jacket to cover his white shirt and as he exited the Medical Center, he took off his hat and glasses. Simon’s face was captured on an outdoor video surveillance camera. On August 19, 2019 Simon robbed the same bank. A video surveillance camera captured Simon entering the Medical Center lobby, where he again obtained a white wristband from the receptionist. Simon was wearing different clothing—a black and grey striped shirt; red shorts; black, white, and red shoes; and a lanyard depicting flames. Simon again wore large glasses and a baseball cap – a blue LA Dodgers baseball cap, to partially obscure his face. This time, Simon went through a back corridor before approaching the bank and did not immediately enter the bank. Instead, Simon is observed on video surveillance peering toward the bank, then sitting down on a bench outside of the bank. Simon waited on the bench until the bank security guard left on his lunch break. Simon then donned his glasses and entered the bank. Bank Teller #1 immediately recognized Simon from the previous robbery the week before. She told Simon to go wait in line, and then went to press the panic button. Simon approached Bank Teller #2, and stated words to the effect of “Give me all of your money, I want the big stuff!” Fearing for her safety, Bank Teller #2 gave him money, and Simon stated, “Hurry up, I’m not joking!” Simon continued to demand more money, so Bank Teller #2 gave Simon more money, and she slipped a hidden GPS tracking device into the money. As Simon left the bank, he is observed on camera fanning through the money that he took from Bank Teller #2. Simon found the hidden GPS tracking device, removed it from the wad of cash and dropped the tracker on the floor of the bank as he left. Simon quicky left the Medical Center, and outdoor video cameras captured Simon’s image after he took off his hat and glasses. On August 28, 2019, investigators obtained and executed a search warrant at Simon’s apartment. Law enforcement recovered the two lanyards, shorts, shoes, and a shirt that matched the clothing worn by Simon during the robberies, as well as a black backpack consistent with the backpack Simon took from the donation bin. In addition, investigators recovered a single round of .357 Magnum ammunition in Simon’s kitchen cabinet. On January 29, 2013, Simon was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison, after being convicted of bank robbery. As a result of this conviction, Simon knew he was prohibited from possessing ammunition. Simon faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for bank robbery. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has not yet scheduled a sentencing date. Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the FBI and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Duey and Mary Setzer, who are prosecuting the case. ","event_type":"Bank Robbery","arguments":[{"role":"Weapon Used","values":["a gun"]},{"role":"Arrested","values":null},{"role":"Hostage","values":null},{"role":"Investigating agency","values":null},{"role":"Transportation","values":null},{"role":"Perpetrators","values":["Lloyd Phillip Simon"]},{"role":"Bank Name","values":null},{"role":"Date","values":["2019","August 13 and August 19, 2019"]},{"role":"Recovered Amount","values":null},{"role":"Investigating Spokesperson","values":null},{"role":"Location","values":["a bank located in the University of Maryland Medical Center"]},{"role":"Stolen Amount","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2011 Reince Priebus of Wisconsin is elected as the chairman of the United States Republican National Committee. (MSNBC)","document":"Priebus won the post after seven rounds of voting at the RNC's winter meeting, besting four other candidates - including outgoing chairman Michael Steele. Priebus, the chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party, served as the general counsel of the RNC beginning in 2009 (he stepped down from that post to run for the committee’s top job.) The Wisconsin native ran unsuccessfully as for state Senate in 2004. He was considered the frontrunner going into today’s RNC votes, with the most on-the-record support of any candidate. ","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Priebus","Michael Steele. Priebus"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["RNC"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party","chairman"]},{"role":"Position","values":null},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2011 In Westminster Cathedral, three Anglican bishops are ordained as Catholic priests. (The Guardian)","document":"In its 100-plus years Westminster Cathedral, the mother church of English Catholicism, will have seen few stranger sights than Saturday's procession of three Anglican bishops' wives, in matching beige coats, one with an outsized brown hat, going up on to the high altar to embrace their husbands, all newly ordained as Catholic priests. Catholicism isn't that keen on women on the altar – to the pain of the demonstrators from the Catholic Women's Ordination movement protesting outside the cathedral's doors – and it doesn't usually countenance priests having wives.\nBut this was no ordinary ceremony. Almost everyone who spoke during it used the word \"historic\" to describe the ordination as Catholic priests of John Broadhurst, Andrew Burnham and Keith Newton, all formerly Anglican bishops.\nIt is the Vatican's negative attitude to women's ministry that formed the backdrop to the whole affair. The three recruits oppose the Church of England's plans to appoint female bishops and regard the Catholic priesthood as a safe, female-free haven.\nThere has been a steady stream of converts since the Church of England voted in favour of female priests in 1992. What made the two-hour service in Westminster Cathedral genuinely historic, however, was that these three men were not simply joining the ranks of Britain's six million Catholics, or even being granted a special dispensation from Rome's usual rules to allow them to become married Catholic priests. That, too, has been happening in small numbers since 1992.\nNo, this whole ceremony, complete with 80 Catholic priests on the altar, plus six bishops, was a grand launch for Pope Benedict's new ringfenced section within Catholicism for Anglican dissenters. There has never been anything of its kind before. Its name was unveiled – the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham – as well as the identity of its first leader, Father Newton. He will preside over a church within a church, where the normal rules of Catholicism don't apply. As well as a married priesthood, it can also use its own prayer books and rites, imported from Anglicanism.\nWhat is breathtaking about the whole initiative is the speed at which 550 years of post-Reformation practice is being overturned. Until two weeks ago Broadhurst, Burnham and Newton were still Anglican bishops. In the space of 14 days, they have completed a journey that usually takes other converts seven years: 12 months to go through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults to become a Catholic, and six years in a seminary.\nPerhaps it was the sense that something was afoot in their church that had drawn so many to the neo-Byzantine cathedral. It was standing room only. Choirboys sang from up in the gods as the incense drifted into the upper reaches of the building.\nConfronted by the heightened expectations, Archbishop Vincent Nichols, leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, did his best to inject a certain dignity and calm into proceedings. He was walking a difficult line between minimising the offence this ceremony would cause to Anglicans, including his good friend Rowan Williams, and doing what the pope wants.\nIn his homily, Nichols paid lavish tribute to Williams's \"characteristic insight, and generosity of heart and spirit\". His biggest challenge, however, was to present the ordination in record time of the three former Anglican bishops as doing a service to the cause of church unity. After all, it is hard to carry on saying that you respect the Anglican tradition and want to explore ways to work with it, up to and including eventual reunification, when at the same time you are offering special deals to woo dissident Church of England figures.\nThe new ordinariate, Nichols said, was intended by the pope \"to contribute to the wider goal of visible unity between our two churches\". Unless three Catholic bishops have plans to join the Church of England, it is hard to see quite how this notion of reciprocity works in practice.\nInstead, it was hard to avoid concluding that what this ceremony really signalled was an end to the search for the compromises that would reunite two distinctive churches, and its replacement by Rome's scheme to gather up so many Anglican converts that the Church of England simply withers on the vine. A takeover, not a merger.\nNo one was saying that, but such is the confusion that surrounds the nature of the new ordinariate that anything is possible. At present, it has no offices, no church to worship in, very little money, and – it claims – a pile of applicants to process.\nWhen it was first announced, Nichols assured me in an interview that the biggest take-up was likely to be among unhappy Anglicans in the US and Australia, yet here we are in London.\nIf many in the cathedral were puzzled, for the families of the three convert bishops in the front row there was at least clarity. No one would begrudge the pope extending a helping hand to men in the midst of a crisis of faith over the actions of their church. As they begin life as Catholic priests, though, even they probably have no real idea of whether, ultimately, they will be absorbed into the Catholic parish network or remain within the fortress of their ordinariate.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["three Anglican bishops'"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["Catholic priests"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2014 Evo Morales, president of Bolivia is re–elected for a third 5 year term. (The Guardian)","document":"Evo Morales has coasted to victory in Bolivia’s presidential elections, winning an unprecedented third term as voters rewarded the former coca grower for delivering economic and political stability.\nMorales, a native Aymara Indian, received 60% of the vote against 25% for cement magnate Samuel Doria Medina, the highest polling of four challengers in Sunday’s election, according to a quick count of voting stations by the polling firm Ipsos for ATB television. Official partial results were expected early on Monday.\nDoria Medina conceded defeat late on Sunday, promising to “keep working to make a better country”.\nMorales’s supporters poured into the streets to celebrate the triumph, but the festive mood was partly dented by an apparent failure by the ruling Movement Toward Socialism party to retain the two-thirds control of congress needed to push through a constitutional reform lifting a two-term limit on presidential mandates.\nIn a victory speech from the balcony of the presidential palace in La Paz, Morales dedicated his victory to Cuba’s Fidel Castro and the late Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez.\n“It is a triumph of the anti-colonialists and anti-imperialists,” Morales said in a booming voice. “We are going to keep growing and we are going to continue the process of economic liberation.”\nMorales won eight of Bolivia’s nine states, including the former opposition stronghold of Santa Cruz, an agribusiness centre in the eastern lowlands where he polled 51%, according to Ipsos.\nMorales is on track to become Bolivia’s longest-serving leader consecutively in office, eclipsing 19th-century Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz, a founder of the republic in power from 1829-1839.\nWhile known internationally for his anti-imperialist and socialist rhetoric, the 54-year-old coca growers’ union leader is widely popular at home for a pragmatic economic stewardship that spread Bolivia’s natural gas and mineral wealth among the masses.\nA boom in commodities prices increased export revenues ninefold and under Morales’s watch Bolivia accumulated record international reserves and sold bonds abroad for the first time in nearly a century. Economic growth has averaged 5% annually, well above the regional average. Half a million people have put poverty behind them since Bolivia’s first indigenous president first took office in 2006.\nYet Morales has alienated environmentalists and many former indigenous allies by promoting mining and a planned jungle highway through an indigenous reserve. And despite Bolivia’s economic advancements, it is still South America’s poorest country. Nearly one in four Bolivians live on $2 a day, according to the World Bank.\nMorales had sought on Sunday to improve on his previous best showing of 64% in 2009 and to maintain a two-thirds control of Bolivia’s senate and assembly needed to lift term limits.\nHe has not said whether he would seek a fourth term, only that he would “respect the constitution”.\nA court ruled last year that Morales could run for a third term because his first preceded a constitutional rewrite. All seats were up for grabs in the 36-member senate and 130-member lower house. Results were not immediately available but exit polls indicate he fell just short of the needed threshold.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Evo Morales"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["president"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["54"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2014 Nicola Sturgeon becomes Leader of the Scottish National Party. (NY Times)","document":"LONDON — After 10 years as deputy leader, Nicola Sturgeon moved into the top job of the pro-independence Scottish National Party on Friday and immediately suggested that the party might seek another referendum on separation from the United Kingdom after the defeat of an independence vote in September.\nMs. Sturgeon, 44, was unopposed for the position at a party convention in Perth, Scotland. She will replace Alex Salmond, who announced his resignation as party leader and first minister of Scotland, the head of government, after Scots voted “no” on independence.\nThe party holds a majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, and Ms. Sturgeon is expected to be formally elected first minister next week. Known as a tough and effective politician, Ms. Sturgeon studied at Glasgow University and worked as a lawyer before being elected to the Scottish Parliament at the age of 29 in 1999.\nAfter her long apprenticeship as deputy, Ms. Sturgeon had no rival for the leadership and takes over a buoyant party.\nAdvertisement\nDespite losing in September, the pro-independence campaign has galvanized support for the Scottish National Party, which has increased its membership and is expected to make gains at the expense of the opposition Labour Party in next year’s British general election.\nMs. Sturgeon’s early statements suggested that September’s referendum on independence was no longer seen as the once-in-a-lifetime decision it had been portrayed as by both sides leading up to the vote.\nSpeaking to the BBC, Ms. Sturgeon said she believed that Scotland would become independent in her lifetime. “It will be the wishes and the will of the Scottish people that determine if and when there is another referendum,” she said.\nPrime Minister David Cameron of Britain has promised, if re-elected next year, to hold a referendum in 2017 on whether to remain in the European Union, and Ms. Sturgeon said this vote could prove to be a trigger for Scots to reassess their constitutional position.\nShe argued that to have a mandate to quit the European Union, there would need to be a majority of votes in all parts of the United Kingdom — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\nAdvertisement\n“It would be democratically indefensible for Scotland, or indeed Wales or Northern Ireland, to be taken out of the European Union against our will,” she said.\nMost opinion polls suggest that Scots are less hostile to the European Union than the English are.\nOne task facing Ms. Sturgeon is to negotiate new powers for the Scottish Parliament promised by the main British political parties before the independence referendum in September. In interviews on Friday, Ms. Sturgeon also suggested that a failure to agree on these would stoke demands for another referendum.\nAsked what the Scottish National Party would do in the event that no party won next year’s general election outright, Ms. Sturgeon ruled out a coalition with Mr. Cameron’s Conservative Party.\nMr. Salmond’s future remained unclear, with speculation that he would fight for a seat in the British Parliament next year.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Ms. Sturgeon","Sturgeon","Nicola Sturgeon"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["pro-independence Scottish National Party"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["deputy","deputy leader"]},{"role":"Position","values":null},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":["next week"]},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Alex Salmond"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["44"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2014 Former Polish prime minister Donald Tusk becomes the second full–time President of the European Union. (EUobserver)","document":"EU Council chief Herman Van Rompuy on Monday (1 December) is handing over the baton to Polish ex-prime minister Donald Tusk.\n\nQuite the opposite of European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso, who held numerous farewell speeches, interviews, and self-promoting events in his last weeks in office.\nBut Van Rompuy, a Belgian politician little-known outside his country and with no global ambitions, who once called himself \"a grey mouse\", remained true to his nature: no glam, no pomp, no big farewell.\nThe 67-year old is leaving politics altogether, looking forward to spending more time with his grandchildren and teaching a few classes at Belgian universities, including the College of Europe.\nHis legacy is not insignificant. It overlapped with the eurozone crisis during which the former Belgian prime minister chaired countless meetings of EU leaders quarrelling about bailouts, whether to keep Greece in the eurozone or not, or if printing money is a solution because austerity is too harsh. What ensued may not be a clear-cut success - unemployment is still very high in Greece and Spain, the economy is sluggish, euro-scepticism and nationalist scaremongering are still issues in several countries.\nBut the eurozone stayed intact, after several make-or-break moments. A permanent bailout fund - initially an \"out-of-the-question\" idea for Germany - exists. There is more scrutiny over national budgets - but as the latest case with France and Italy shows, the rules are quite \"flexible\" and now the focus is shifting on more investments rather than more austerity.\nUnlike Barroso, who was already in charge of the EU commission for his second term, Van Rompuy had to start from scratch as his office was a novelty of the Lisbon Treaty which came into force on 1 December 2009.\nHe had been a Belgian prime minister only for a year, but was seen as a skilled negotiator, who managed to accommodate the clashing views of Flemish and Walloon parties. As he recalled in an interview with a Belgian newspaper, it was French president Nicolas Sarkozy who persuaded him to take up the job.\nThree months later, he was already chairing the first summit, an informal gathering in a Brussels' library, where EU leaders for the first time discussed the idea of bailing out Greece.\n\"He was unassuming, he was interested in getting things done. Van Rompuy didn't care about protocol details such as who gets to speak first on stage, him or Barroso,\" one EU official recalls.\nAnd yet it was Van Rompuy, not Barroso, who shaped the EU agenda, who managed to secure a deal on the EU budget after months of quarrels among leaders, and who was appointed several times to draft plans on how the eurozone architecture should look like to avoid future crises.\nBecause many of the deals brokered by Van Rompuy ended up more or less in line with what Germany wanted, Van Rompuy, who speaks German and who is a devout Christian, was criticised of being a pawn in the hands of chancellor Angela Merkel, head of the Christian Democratic Union.\n\"He was often accused of being buddies with Merkel, of rubber-stamping whatever came out of Berlin. This is not true, there were lots of tense moments,\" one of his close aides told EUobserver.\nThis was mostly because of the economy on which the Germans are \"in complete denial\", as the source put it.\nBut overall, leaders respected him for his discreet, behind-closed-doors diplomacy.\nExcept for Matteo Renzi, Italy's new prime minister, who came in this year and who made a point of publicly criticising Van Rompuy for \"wasting\" his time and not \"preparing well enough\" for a June summit, where leaders failed to agree on his candidate, Federica Mogherini, to become the next EU foreign affairs chief.\nMogherini got the job two months later, but the animosity between Van Rompuy and Renzi remained, also because the EU council chief had sought to build consensus around Enrico Letta as his successor, a move Renzi saw as a personal affront, since he had toppled Letta just months earlier.\nThe top posts deal, which in the end heralded Poland's prime minister Donald Tusk as council chief and Mogherini as foreign affairs chief, could have played out very differently had the French president, Francois Hollande, steered Renzi and not the other way around.\n\"Had Hollande rallied his troops in June and said 'we Socialists want the council post', they would have gotten it,\" the EU source said.\nBut Hollande hesitated on fully endorsing Danish prime minister Helle Thorning Schmidt for the job, because she was perceived as 'not a real Socialist' and by the time he realised that the Socialists were only going to get the foreign affairs post, it was too late.\nApart from high-level politics, Van Rompuy has also developed a passion for short Japanese-styled verses (haiku) such as \"The sun is rising / sleeping yet in Europe / but still the same sun,\" which he recited at the end of a press conference in Tokyo.\nHis haikus were published in 2010, when he said: \"I know that I am the only poet among the EU leaders. But I hope I won't just be remembered for being a poet.\"\n, your membership gives you access to all of our stories. We highly appreciate your support and value your feedback. If you have any thoughts on this story, we would love to hear it.\nVan Rompuy and Barroso said goodbye to EU leaders Friday after attending their final summit as presidents of the EU council and commission. But the summit was marred by a budget row.\nEurope should shift its focus from open borders to \"protection\", while avoiding interference in areas where national governments can better act alone, the EU's Van Rompuy has said.\nVan Rompuy has published ideas on how to further integrate the eurozone, including a common budget and parliamentary assembly.\nThe new trio of EU leaders has a chance to make a difference on foreign policy after five years of stagnation despite the Lisbon Treaty's promises.\nThe EU’s new Polish chairman has urged Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine in his first official statement.\nIn some cases, the change is reason for celebratory singing. For others, the end of a mandate – including its perks – takes them by surprise.\nThe Belgian and Bulgarian prosecutors who were appointed had also not been the experts' first choice. Belgian prosecutor Jean-Michel Verelst has challenged the council's decision at the European Court of Justice.\nPortugal's prime minister António Costa will on Wednesday discuss with European Parliament president David Sassoli and MEPs and try to resolve the issue of who will chair the conference.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Donald Tusk"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":["Monday (1 December)","1 December 2009"]},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["Polish ex-prime minister","prime minister"]},{"role":"Position","values":null},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Herman Van Rompuy"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2014 The United States Senate approves Vivek Murthy's nomination as Surgeon General by a 51–43 vote. (CBS)","document":" With just enough votes to clear the required threshold, Dr. Vivek Murthy on Monday evening was confirmed by the Senate to become U.S. Surgeon General.\nUnder Senate rules, Murthy needed 51 votes to clear the procedural hurdle, and did so with 51 yeas to 43 nays. The final confirmation reflected the procedural vote's numbers.\nRepublicans have opposed Murthy's nomination because of his views on gun control and his politics, and they say at 37, he is too young and inexperienced to be Surgeon General.\nSen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, a physician, who opposes the Murthy nomination said on the Senate floor today, \"Americans deserve a surgeon general who has substantial experience in managing complex crises and delivering patient care. The American people deserve a surgeon general who has proven throughout his or her career that their main focus is a commitment to patients, not a commitment to politics. Dr. Murthy has time to learn, time to gain experience, and that may make him a fine surgeon general someday, but that day is not today.\" Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, also a physician, said earlier this year that he was concerned that Murthy's non-clinical experience stems from his position as the co-founder of Doctors for America, an offshoot of a pro-Obama campaign group that works closely with the liberal Center for American Progress and the president's advocacy group Organizing for America. Paul said more transparency is needed to reveal where the groups get their funding.\nPresident Obama, for his part, hailed Congress's upper chamber for their decision, saying in a statement: \"As 'America's Doctor,' Vivek will hit the ground running to make sure every American has the information they need to keep themselves and their families safe. He'll bring his lifetime of experience promoting public health to bear on priorities ranging from stopping new diseases to helping our kids grow up healthy and strong. \"Vivek will also help us build on the progress we've made combatting Ebola, both in our country and at its source,\" he went on. \"Combined with the crucial support for fighting Ebola included in the bill to fund our government next year, Vivek's confirmation makes us better positioned to save lives around the world and protect the American people here at home.\"","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Dr. Vivek Murthy","Murthy"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":["Monday evening"]},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["U.S. Surgeon General","Surgeon General","surgeon general"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["37"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2018 Aman Tuleyev, who resigned as governor of Kemerovo Oblast after a shopping centre fire killed 64 people there, is elected speaker of the regional legislature. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)","document":"Veteran Russian politician Aman Tuleyev has been elected as speaker of the Kemerovo regional legislature in Siberia, eight days after he resigned as governor following a shopping-mall fire that killed 64 people.\nTuleyev was elected speaker on April 10 by vote of 38-1 in the legislature, which like others across Russia is dominated by the Kremlin-controlled United Russia party.\nTuleyev, 73, had been governor of the coal-mining region in Siberia since 1997.\nHe resigned on April 1, saying it was \"morally impossible\" to stay on after the March 25 fire at the Zimnyaya Vishnya (Winter Cherry) mall in the regional capital -- one of the deadliest blazes in post-Soviet Russia.\nTuleyev had faced public calls to step down, including by people in a crowd of thousands who demonstrated outside his administration's office two days after the fire.\nHe and his subordinates were criticized over what many have seen as a callous response to the tragedy, including their characterizations of public outrage as the work of political opportunists.\nTuleyev received a parliamentary seat on April 3, two days after he resigned as governor.\nHis election as speaker came after the previous speaker resigned from the post and said Tuleyev deserved to replace him.\nResidents, relatives of victims, and Russians nationwide blamed corruption and government negligence for the high casualty toll in blaze, whose victims included 41 children -- some of whom died after being trapped in a locked movie theater at the mall.\nInvestigators said initial investigations indicated that blocked fire exits, a shutdown alarm system, and \"glaring violations\" of safety rules exacerbated the human toll of the fire.\nSeven people have been arrested in the case, including the head of the local building-inspection agency and an executive with the firm that owns the shopping mall.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Aman Tuleyev"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":["April 10"]},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["governor"]},{"role":"Position","values":["speaker of the Kemerovo regional legislature in Siberia","speaker","Siberia"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["73"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2018 Gerard Batten is elected unopposed as the leader of the UK Independence Party, having been interim leader of the party since previous leader Henry Bolton was overthrown in a vote of no confidence in February. (Sky News)","document":"\nSaturday 14 April 2018 21:10, UK\nUKIP has confirmed it has a new leader - its fifth since Nigel Farage stepped down in late 2016.\nGerard Batten, who ran unopposed in the election to replace Henry Bolton, announced he had taken over the role officially on Saturday.\nMr Bolton, 55, was ousted from the leadership following a scandal over his affair with 25-year-old model Jo Marney.\nMr Batten, who is also UKIP's MEP for London, said he would now concentrate on restoring the \"party's fortunes\" after it saw its vote share in the polls slip from a high of more than 25% in the European elections in 2014 to less than 2% in 2017.\nHe also pledged to resign after 12 months to allow a full leadership election to take place.\nHe said in a statement: \"I received the backing of all three UKIP Lords, our major donors, our MEPs, our London and Welsh Assembly Members, and party activists and members from all over the UK.\n\"I would like to thank everyone for their support, and am grateful for the trust and confidence placed in me.\n\"For the next twelve months, I will concentrate on doing all I can to restore the party's fortunes. A very good start has been made and the party is now on a sound financial footing.\n\"However, we need to get UKIP back into the political fight. We have made a very good start with the 554 UKIP candidates standing in the English local elections.\n\"Don't pay any attention to our enemies who are crowing that our candidates numbers are 75% down on what they were last time.\n\"The truth is that instead of 554 candidates, the number would have been zero if you had not all backed me from the 17 April onwards and the party had disintegrated. Instead, let's celebrate the 554 and help them all we can.\n\"My role as Interim Leader was to ensure the immediate survival of the party. That has been done. However, we must move on and progress.\"\nUKIP lost control of its only major council in February when the party's local leader resigned.\nBefore he became the official leader, Mr Batten was forced to defend his description of Islam as a \"death cult\".\nDiane James was the first to replace Mr Farage after a vote but, before taking up the role, she announced she would not be doing so as she claimed she did not have the authority.\nPaul Nuttall followed Ms James but lasted seven months before he resigned when he failed to win a seat in the General Election.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Gerard Batten"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":null},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":["Saturday"]},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Henry Bolton"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"November_2006 José Montilla becomes the new President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, renewing the left–of–centre tripartite pact between his PSC, the pro–independence ERC and the leftist ICV–EUiA alliance after the election held on 2006–11–01. (Monsters and Critics)","document":"Barcelona - The prosperous northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia appeared set to get another leftist government Monday as three left-leaning parties started negotiations to form a coalition. The centre-right Catalan nationalist party Convergence and Union (CiU) took the most votes in Wednesday's regional elections, but did not get an absolute majority. The separatist party Esquerra Republicana (ERC) became a power- broker and decided to give its backing to the Socialists, who are seeking to renew their previous coalition with the ERC and the ecologist ICV. Catalonia was governed by CiU for 23 years until 2003, when the Socialists were voted in. Their three-party coalition fell apart when the ERC opposed Catalonia's new autonomy statute, arguing it did not go far enough in extending the region's self-rule. Regional prime minister Pasqual Maragall had to call early elections and was replaced by a new Socialist candidate, former industry minister Jose Montilla, who was closer to Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. If the ongoing negotiations are successful, Montilla would become regional premier and ERC leader Josep Lluis Carod-Rovira possibly his deputy. The Socialists' alliance with the ERC has caused concern in Spain, where especially the conservatives fear regional separatist strivings. Catalonia, a region of 7 million residents, contributes about 20 per cent of Spain's gross domestic product (GDP). Barcelona - The prosperous northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia appeared set to get another leftist government Monday as three left-leaning parties started negotiations to form a coalition. The centre-right Catalan nationalist party Convergence and Union (CiU) took the most votes in Wednesday's regional elections, but did not get an absolute majority. The separatist party Esquerra Republicana (ERC) became a power- broker and decided to give its backing to the Socialists, who are seeking to renew their previous coalition with the ERC and the ecologist ICV. Catalonia was governed by CiU for 23 years until 2003, when the Socialists were voted in. Their three-party coalition fell apart when the ERC opposed Catalonia's new autonomy statute, arguing it did not go far enough in extending the region's self-rule. Regional prime minister Pasqual Maragall had to call early elections and was replaced by a new Socialist candidate, former industry minister Jose Montilla, who was closer to Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. If the ongoing negotiations are successful, Montilla would become regional premier and ERC leader Josep Lluis Carod-Rovira possibly his deputy. The Socialists' alliance with the ERC has caused concern in Spain, where especially the conservatives fear regional separatist strivings. Catalonia, a region of 7 million residents, contributes about 20 per cent of Spain's gross domestic product (GDP). There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment!","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Jose Montilla"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["industry minister"]},{"role":"Position","values":["regional premier"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Pasqual Maragall"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"December_2006 The king of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, abdicates in favor of his son, two years before he had initially planned to do so. (BBC)","document":"The king made his announcement in a royal edict read out late on Thursday at a council of ministers meeting.\nHe had been in power for three decades and announced a year ago that he planned to step down in 2008. He did not say why he was going earlier.\nBhutan becomes a parliamentary democracy under a new constitution in 2008. It is not clear when Crown Prince Jigme Kesar Namgyal will be crowned.\n'Thank you'\nThe king's kasho, or royal edict, relinquishing office said: \"I am stepping down as king of Bhutan.\" The prince needs enough experience and exposure in the art of governance, so the king has decided to step down earlier than planned\n Member of the royal staff\nThe edict thanked the people, the clergy and the business community for their support for the king during his reign in the tiny and remote Himalayan kingdom. King Wangchuk gave up absolute power in 1998 and has ruled since in conjunction with the government, an assembly and a royal advisory council.\nHe announced a year ago that he would step down and be succeeded by his son when the country holds its first national democratic elections in 2008.\nCrown Prince Jigme Kesar Namgyal studied at Oxford before returning to Bhutan to assist his father at the peak of the Bhutanese military offensive against anti-Indian rebels from the state of Assam in December 2003.\n \n \n\n\n\nKing Wangchuck has four wives, all of whom are sisters\nCrown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is 25 and unmarried\nCountry profile: Bhutan\nHe will be the fifth king of Bhutan. A date for his coronation has yet to be announced.\n\"The prince needs enough experience and exposure in the art of governance, so the king has decided to step down earlier than planned,\" a member of the royal staff who did not wish to be named told the BBC over the phone. When he made his announcement a year ago, the king said he would begin handing over responsibility to his son immediately.\nIn September 2006, officials said the 2008 polls would pave the way for a two-party system in Bhutan. The authorities say there will be no restrictions on who is allowed to vote. A draft constitution currently provides for two houses of parliament - a 75-member national assembly and a 25-member national council - with the king as head of state.\nCorrespondents say the king likes to project the image of a simple lifestyle, preferring to work in a small log cabin above the capital while his fortress-like palace is used by his four wives, all of whom are sisters.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Jigme Kesar Namgyal"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["Crown Prince"]},{"role":"Position","values":null},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Wangchuk"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["25"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2007 Fakhruddin Ahmed becomes the new Chief Advisor in Bangladesh amid the current political crisis. (USA Today)","document":"Fakhruddin Ahmed, the former head of Bangladesh's central bank, took the oath of office from President Iajuddin Ahmed during a brief ceremony at the presidential palace. The ceremony came one day after the president declared a state of emergency, postponed the Jan. 22 elections and stepped down as leader of the caretaker government amid often-violent protests.\nFakhruddin Ahmed, whose main job is to lay the ground for new elections in the impoverished nation, did not speak during the ceremony.\nThe country's two main political leaders, whose bitter feud has fed months of increasing violence, made no comment about the appointment, but one of them — former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina — attended the swearing-in.\nHer 19-party political alliance had forced Iajuddin Ahmed to quit as the head of the interim government by organizing repeated strikes and blockades. The alliance accused the president of favoring her archrival, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who did not attend the ceremony.\nEarlier Friday, soldiers arrested an opposition politician, Kamal Majumder, a member of the Awami League party that organized many of the protests and a candidate in the now-postponed vote.\nDhaka police official Jasim, who uses only one name, would not say what charges Majumder would face. Under the constitution, many fundamental rights are suspended during a state of emergency.\nDespite the arrest, much of Bangladesh was calm and there was little sign of military activity after the president's surprise announcement Thursday. Many Bangladeshis hoped the resignation would end the political standoff. The violence has left at least 34 people dead since October, largely paralyzed the government and slowed the economy.\nIajuddin Ahmed did not say when the elections would be held, and fears remained of further turmoil. He will remain president, a largely ceremonial role.\nPolitics in this country of 144 million people are so bitter that the constitution stipulates a caretaker government take over 90 days before elections to oversee the voting — an unusual setup that led to successful, if violent, votes in the past.\nEarlier this month, Hasina's alliance said it would boycott the elections unless the caretaker government met its two main demands: that Iajuddin Ahmed step down and the voter list be revised. The alliance threatened more unrest before the vote, which appeared to force the president's hand.\nThe country's eight private TV stations were told by the Information Ministry to suspend news programming during the state of emergency and relay bulletins from state-run television, according to broadcasts.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Fakhruddin Ahmed"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["head of Bangladesh's central bank","head","Bangladesh"]},{"role":"Position","values":null},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":["The ceremony came one day after the president declared a state of emergency"]},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Iajuddin Ahmed"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"January_2007 The Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, reshuffles his Ministry with Joe Hockey and Malcolm Turnbull promoted to Cabinet and Amanda Vanstone losing her position. (ABC News Australia)","document":"Amanda Vanstone has been sacked as Immigration Minister. (ABC) Prime Minister John Howard has announced sweeping changes to his Ministry, including dropping Amanda Vanstone from his frontbench.\nMr Howard says Kevin Andrews will move from Workplace Relations to the Immigration portfolio. The Prime Minister is also promoting Joe Hockey and Malcolm Turnbull to Cabinet.\nMr Hockey will take on the Workplace Relations portfolio, while Mr Turnbull will be Minister for Environment and Water.\nMr Howard said he had made some difficult decisions and thanked Senator Vanstone for her contribution. \"I record my very deep appreciation to her,\" he said. He also praised new faces Mr Hockey and Mr Turnbull.\n\"I want to pay tribute to both Joe Hockey and Malcolm Turnbull for the excellent work that they have done in their respective positions to now, in relation to Joe as Minister for Human Services and assistant to Kevin Andrews in workplace relations and Malcolm Turnbull as my parliamentary secretary,\" he said. In other changes, Rod Kemp has retired from the Ministry because he is leaving Parliament at the next election.\nQueensland Liberal Gary Hardgrave has been dropped from the frontbench, while the Nationals' John Cobb has also left. Victorian Liberal Andrew Robb, Queensland Liberal Senator George Brandis and Northern Territory Senator Nigel Scullion have all been promoted to Cabinet.\n\n\n","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Joe Hockey","Malcolm Turnbull"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["Human Services","parliamentary secretary"]},{"role":"Position","values":["Minister for Environment and Water","Minister","Workplace Relations portfolio"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Amanda Vanstone"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":["John Howard"]},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"February_2005 The parliament in Greece elects Karolos Papoulias as their new president for the next five–year term. (Seattle Post–Intelligencer) (Washington Post)","document":"ATHENS, Greece -- The Greek parliament elected Carolos Papoulias as president Tuesday, choosing a former foreign minister who served more than 20 years in the legislature for the largely ceremonial post.\n Papoulias, 75, will be sworn in March 12 as Greece's sixth president since the collapse of the country's military dictatorship in 1974.\n A leading member of the main opposition Socialist party, Papoulias received a record 279 votes in the 300-seat Parliament, winning support from his own party as well as the governing conservative New Democracy party -- who had nominated him. Papoulias was the only candidate running.\n Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis' New Democracy party ousted the Socialists in March elections after they governed the country for 11 years.\n Papoulias replaces Costis Stephanopoulos, who ends his term next month after being only person to serve two consecutive five-year terms in the post.\n \"With respect to the views of all parties and the representatives of the Greek people, I want to thank you for the great honor, which I accept with a feeling of responsibility,\" Papoulias said after he was informed of the result.\n First elected to parliament in 1977, Papoulias was re-elected every year until 2000 -- when he decided not to run.\n When the Socialists governed from 1981-89, Papoulias served three years as deputy foreign minister and four years as foreign minister. He again served as foreign minister from 1993-96.\n He also served as deputy defense minister under a 1989-90 coalition government.\n Greece's presidency was stripped of nearly all executive powers in March 1986, when the Socialists amended the constitution and transferred power to the prime minister and Parliament.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Carolos Papoulias"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":["Tuesday"]},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["foreign minister"]},{"role":"Position","values":["president"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Costis Stephanopoulos"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":["five-year"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2014 The internationally-acclaimed environmental campaigner Marina Silva replaces Eduardo Campos, who died in a plane crash on August 13, as the presidential candidate of the Brazilian Socialist Party, with polls suggesting she could surpass Aecio Neves in the first round and current president Dilma Rousseff in the second. (BBC)","document":"The Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) has formally named the internationally-acclaimed environmental campaigner Marina Silva as its new presidential candidate. Ms Silva replaces the late Eduardo Campos, who was killed in a plane crash last week.\nShe was Mr Campos's running mate and served as environment minister.\nShe is seen as a leading challenger to President Dilma Rousseff, who's seeking re-election in the 5 October poll.\n\"I will give the best I have in me,\" said Ms Silva, 56, after the announcement, which was widely expected. PSB President Roberto Amaral told a news conference she had been chosen unanimously.\nCongressman Beto Albuquerque was named the party's new vice presidential candidate.\nMs Silva will test President Rousseff's status as favourite to win October's election and make this a much more interesting process than it looked like being barely a week ago, the BBC's Wyre Davies in Rio de Janeiro says.\nIn the last presidential election, standing as the Green candidate, Ms Silva polled a credible 20% of the vote and is already a recognisable and much-admired figure across this continent-sized nation, our correspondent adds.\nThe first test of public opinion after Mr Campos's death suggested she could surpass the main opposition PSDB candidate Aecio Neves in the first round and beat current President Dilma Rousseff in the second, although both outcomes were within the poll's margin of error.\nBut analysts caution that, with the strong emotional reaction to last week's events, a bounce in the polls was inevitable and the picture could change substantially.\nA devout evangelical Christian who overcame poverty, Marina Silva only learnt to read and write when she was 16.\nCorrespondents say she appeals mostly to young voters who are unhappy with the Brazilian political establishment.\nOn Sunday, more than 100,000 people in Brazil paid their last respects to the late presidential candidate, Eduardo Campos, a former governor and rising political star.\nThey attended a funeral Mass and filled the streets of the city of Recife to follow the passage of his coffin.\nMr Campos's jet crashed on 13 August in bad weather in the port city Santos, near Sao Paulo, killing six other people.\nInvestigators are still trying to establish the exact causes of the accident.\nProfile: Marina Silva\n\n\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Marina Silva"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["internationally-acclaimed environmental campaigner"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Eduardo Campos"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":["The Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB","PSB"]},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2014 Belgium nominates Marianne Thyssen as its candidate for European commissioner. (EU Observer)","document":"The list of proposed new EU commissioners is now complete, with enough women for the European Parliament to approve the 28-strong team led by Jean-Claude Juncker.\nWith Romania finally deciding on Thursday (4 September) to send Socialist MEP Corina Cretu to meet Juncker for the commissioner post, the count of female commissioners was raised to nine, the minimum required by MEPs.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCretu, 47, is a former presidential spokeswoman who made headlines last year when the email account of former US foreign secretary Colin Powell was hacked and a series of intimate emails between him and Cretu were published, prompting the US politician to deny he ever had an affair with her.\nCretu trumped Romania's outgoing commissioner for agriculture, Dacian Ciolos, who was Romania's initial nomination, because of the EP's condition for at least nine women to be part of the commission.\nThe centre-right opposition in Bucharest meanwhile has written a letter to Juncker accusing the Socialist government of having \"illegally\" appointed her, without the approval of the Romanian Parliament. Earlier on Thursday, Belgium also decided in favour of a woman, centre-right MEP Marianne Thyssen, instead of sending foreign minister Didier Reynders for the commissioner post.\nThe college of commissioners consists of one member from each EU country, but in theory they should not represent their capitals and be qualified for their portfolios.\nIn practice, however, commissioners often defend their national interests, especially when policies tabled by the entire college affect their country's industry or financial services.\nCountries are also pushing for weighty portfolios by sending high-profile politicians: four Prime Ministers (Slovenia, Finland, Estonia and Latvia), three foreign ministers (Italy, the Netherlands and Hungary) two ministers for economy and finance (Denmark and France) and six other ministers ranging from defence to environment and health.\nJuncker, himself a former prime minister, has indicated he will reshuffle the portfolios and give female commissioners better posts \"as compensation\" for being outnumbered by their male colleagues.\nIn an interview with EUobserver back in July, Juncker's chief of staff, Martin Selmayr spoke also of a restructuring which would put former prime ministers in \"filtering\" vice-president roles, a sort of deputies to Juncker with the authority to select what policies get done. With several leaks of the alleged organigram circulating on social media, Juncker's spokeswoman on Thursday said \"we are currently at number 54 of the various commission models\".\nJuncker met all the 27 candidates throughout the week to sound out what they might be qualified for and interested in doing. He will send out the names list for formal approval by the council on Friday and then work some more on carving out the portfolios, which he will communicate to the European Parliament mid-next week.\nThe candidates will then have to go through parliamentary hearings, before a final vote on the entire Juncker commission in October.\nAustria - Johannes Hahn, regional policy commissioner, 56, EPP\nBelgium - Marianne Thyssen, MEP, 58, EPP\nBulgaria - Kristalina Georgieva, humanitarian aid commissioner, 61, EPP\nCroatia - Neven Mimica, consumer affairs commissioner, 60, S&D\nCyprus - Christos Stylianides, MEP, 56, EPP\nCzech Republic - Vera Jourova, regional development minister, 49, ALDE\nDenmark - Margrethe Vestager, economy minister, 46, ALDE\nEstonia - Andrus Ansip, former Prime Minister, 57, ALDE\nFinland - Jyrki Katainen, former Prime Minister, 42, EPP\nFrance - Pierre Moscovici, former finance minister, 56, S&D\nGermany - Guenther Oettinger, energy commissioner, 60, EPP\nGreece - Dimitris Avramopoulos, defence minister, 61, EPP\nHungary - Tibor Navracsics, foreign minister, 48, EPP\nIreland - Phil Hogan, former environment minister, 54, EPP\nItaly - Federica Mogherini, foreign minister nominated for High Representative for foreign and security policy, 41, S&D\nLatvia - Valdis Dombrovskis, former Prime Minister, 42, EPP\nLithuania - Vytenis Andriukaitis, former health minister for health, 63, S&D\nLuxembourg - Jean-Claude Juncker, former Prime Minister, elected President of the EU commission, 59, EPP\nMalta - Karmenu Vella, tourism minister, 64, S&D\nNetherlands - Frans Timmermans, foreign minister, 53, S&D\nPoland - Elzbieta Bienkowska, minister for infrastructure and development, 50, EPP\nPortugal - Carlos Moedas, secretary of state dealing with troika, 43, EPP\nRomania - Corina Cretu, MEP, 47, S&D\nSlovakia - Maros Sefocvic, inter-institutional and anti-fraud commissioner, 48, S&D\nSlovenia - Alenka Bratusek, Prime Minister, 44, ALDE\nSpain - Miguel Arias Canete, former agriculture minister, 64, EPP\nSweden - Cecilia Malmstroem, home affairs commissioner, 46, ALDE\nUK - Lord Hill, former leader of the House of Lords, 53, ECR\n \n\n\n\n\n \n\n \n ","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Marianne Thyssen"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":["October"]},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["EU commissioners"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":["Belgium"]},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2014 Saturday Night Live alumnus Darrell Hammond is chosen to be the new announcer of the long running U.S. variety show following the death of Don Pardo in August. (The New York Times)","document":"To replace a legend that began with the start of “Saturday Night Live” in 1975, Lorne Michaels has reached back to a different era in the show’s history: Darrell Hammond will be the announcer this season of “S.N.L.,” stepping in for the late Don Pardo.\nNBC will make the appointment official in an announcement Thursday morning.\nMr. Hammond served longer than any other performer in the history of the NBC broadcast, working in the cast from 1995 until 2009. He also had the distinction of quietly subbing for Mr. Pardo on several occasions when the announcer could not do the show for health reasons. Mr. Hammond, who was among the best impressionists in the history of “S.N.L.,” read in the introductions in the famous Pardo voice.\n","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Darrell Hammond"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["the announcer this season of “S.N.L.,","announcer"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":["Thursday morning"]},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Don Pardo","Pardo"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2011 Bob Buckhorn is elected as the mayor of the US city of Tampa, Florida. (WUSF)","document":"Bob Buckhorn will become Tampa's newest mayor. The former city councilman beat Rose Ferlita, and the margin of victory was wider than many expected. The crowd grew racuous at Bob Buckhorn's rally at the Channelside entertainment complex when Ferlita called about an hour after the polls closed to concede the race. Buckhorn shouted over the music to thank his supporters.\n\"Let's build this city, let's make us proud,\" he told the crowd. \"This is our time, this is our turn, this is our destiny.\" The mayoral runoff was a mirror image of the earlier five-way race, when Ferlita got nearly a thousand more votes than Buckhorn. This time, he picked up several key endorsements - including the woman he will succeed, Pam Iorio - and one of his challengers for office, Ed Turanchik.\nTuranchik says he expected Buckhorn to win by about 10 percent, and said he was surprised by the margin of victory. \"There was a gathering storm of support for Bob, and Rose wasn't picking any of it up,\" Turanchik said. \"And Rose waited a very, very long time to talk specifics, and I think that hurt her.\" Buckhorn will be sworn into office on April 1st.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Bob Buckhorn"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["city councilman"]},{"role":"Position","values":["mayor"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2011 Goodluck Jonathan will be reelected as President of Nigeria based on unofficial results in the presidential election. (The Guardian)","document":"The Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, last night appeared to have secured victory in an election intended to draw a line under decades of coups, violence and vote rigging.\nJonathan had an unassailable lead as votes were tallied from around Nigeria, despite a strong showing by his rival Muhammadu Buhari in his mainly Muslim strongholds.\nBuhari, a former military ruler from the north, was hoping to at least force a second round against Jonathan, a Christian and the first head of state from the oil-producing Niger delta.\nThat looked impossible, with a Reuters tally of results from 35 of 36 states across Africa's most populous nation showing Jonathan on 22m votes to 12m for Buhari.\nJonathan's officials said there would be no victory claim until results were announced by the independent national electoral commission, but they were upbeat. Oronto Douglas, a senior adviser to the president, said: \"This is no time for triumphalism. It is a time for deep reflection, for strengthening the bond of our union and for all of us to work together.\"\nJonathan, 53, a fedora-wearing zoologist from the south, inherited the presidency last year when Umaru Yar'Adua, a northerner, died during his first term. Some members of the ruling People's Democratic party said another northerner should have be allowed to stand for what would have been Yar'Adua's second term.\nAs expected, the results revealed a geographical divide. Jonathan did particularly well in the predominantly Christian south, while Buhari swept many of the Muslim-dominated northern states.\nSince the end of military rule in 1999, Nigerian elections have been widely condemned for state-sponsored manipulation and fraud bordering on the farcical. Observers generally gave a clean bill of health to this year's vote.\nThe former president of Botswana, Festus Mogae, who leads the Commonwealth observer group, told the Associated Press: \"In recent decades, Nigeria had come to be known for flawed elections. People outside and Nigerians themselves had come to believe that elections could not reflect the will of the people, but today people showed that they can change that.\nWe seem to be witnessing a giant of Africa reforming itself and putting its house in order.\"A senior political source, however, told the Guardian he could see a different picture emerging from election monitor reports. \"I'm afraid they'll be singing a different tune,\" said the source, who did not wish to be named. \"I can see there are massive complaints, including the abandonment of collection centres. It's very disquieting.\"\nThere were allegations of underage voting in the north and the snatching of ballot boxes in the south-east.\nFearing the ruling party would try to fiddle the results, Buhari supporters took to the streets in some northern cities. Bello Ar-Adam, a representative of Buhari's Congress for Progressive Change, told Reuters: \"Rigging is the stock in trade of the PDP. A leopard doesn't change its spots.\"\nTrouble flared in isolated areas. Police said a bomb was detonated at a hotel in the city of Kaduna, wounding eight people on Saturday night. A PDP official's house was burned down in the town of Azere.\nShots were fired in Bauchi and a car thought to be carrying fraudulent ballots was set ablaze in what turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. Young men stalked the streets armed with bows and arrows.\nThere were signs that young people had voted in record numbers. Chude Jideonwo, the co-founder of EnoughisEnough Nigeria (EiE), a youth voter registration campaign, said: \"Young people came out massively to vote across the country, including in rural areas. This election disappointed the cynics and defied even our expectations.\"\nJideonwo added that, curiously, social media sites such as Twitter had seemed to indicate a likely victory for Buhari, but now results suggested Jonathan would win. \"Goodluck Jonathan spent five or six months trying to engage young people in various ways.\n\"His strategy was to emphasise his likeability by being positive and reluctant to criticise. A week ago I would have said it's too passive, but now it seems to have been a good strategy.\"\nJonathan, whose PDP lost seats in a parliamentary election last week, cast his ballot in his home state of Bayelsa in the Niger delta and hailed the election as a \"new dawn in Nigeria's political evolution\".\n\"If the ballot paper means nothing then there is no democracy,\" he said. \"Nigeria is now experiencing true democracy where we the politicians have to go to the people.\"","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Goodluck Jonathan"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["Nigerian president"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["53"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2010 U.S. talk–show host Ellen DeGeneres announces that she is leaving the American Idol television show after one year as a judge. (People)","document":"Filling Simon Cowell‘s seat on American Idol was already a tough task –- now another chair is there for the taking.\nTalk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who became a full-time judge on the show during its ninth season, is bowing out of the series, PEOPLE has learned.\n“A couple months ago, I let FOX and the American Idol producers know that this didn’t feel like the right fit for me,” she says in a statement. “I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next. It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for.”\nDeGeneres adds, “I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings. I loved the experience working on Idol and I am very grateful for the year I had, I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be.” In the same statement, Idol creator and executive producer Simon Fuller says, “I loved Ellen’s passion for the artists and her nurturing skills. She brought honesty and optimism to our judging panel and I will miss her greatly.” Peter Rice, the FOX entertainment chairman, says, “We love Ellen and understand and support her decision to bow out of Idol. We were fortunate to receive the humor, energy and love for talent that she brought to the show.”\nA longtime fan of Idol, DeGeneres signed on to replace Paula Abdul after Abdul Tweeted about her departure in August 2009. “I’m going to have a day job and a night job,” DeGeneres said at the time. “This is exciting for me.” In January, Cowell announced he was leaving to concentrate on bringing his U.K. hit The X Factor to the U.S. – ","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["American Idol"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["judge"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Ellen DeGeneres"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2015 The International Association of Athletics Federations elects former British Olympic champion runner Lord Sebastian Coe as its new President, replacing Lamine Diack of Senegal. Ukrainian pole vault champion Sergey Bubka was the other contender for the position. (BBC), (Al Jazeera)","document":"Last updated on 19 August 201519 August 2015.From the section Athletics\nFormer Olympic 1500m champion Lord Coe is the new president of the IAAF, the body that governs world athletics.\nThe 58-year-old Briton beat rival Sergey Bubka, a former Olympic pole vault champion, by 115 votes to 92.\nOne of Coe's first tasks will be to deal with the fall-out from a series of doping allegations to hit athletics.\nDouble Olympic champion Mo Farah and Olympic 1500m silver medallist Steve Cram have backed their countryman to make a positive impact.\nFollowing his election, Coe tweeted that, after the birth of his children, this was the most \"momentous moment\" of his life.\nThe former chairman of London 2012, Coe replaces 82-year-old Senegalese Lamine Diack, who has been in charge for 16 years.\nOne of Britain's finest sportsmen, having won gold medals in the 1500m at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics and set numerous world records over both the 1500m and 800m.\nHis battles and rivalry with fellow Brits Steve Ovett and Cram during the 1980s became legendary and increased the popularity of middle-distance running enormously.\nCoe has also been a Conservative MP, worked for Fifa and was a key figure in London's successful bid for and staging of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.\nHe was appointed an MBE in 1982, an OBE in 1990 and accepted a life peerage in 2000.\nAn IAAF vice-president since 2007, he becomes only the sixth president in the organisation's 103-year history.\nHe seemed very happy, as his initial tweets indicated.\nIn a subsequent interview with BBC sports editor Dan Roan, he said his appointment was \"a big challenge but a great honour\".\nCoe added: \"My sport is what fires and drives me.\n\"I am fortunate to be one of those people who has woken up - since the age of 11 - and athletics has shaped my day. I want to do everything I can to make sure it is in the best possible shape.\"\nBeaten opponent Bubka, 51, who was re-elected as a vice-president, said: \"I continue to serve athletics with dignity and big passion.\"\nFrom a domestic point of view, reaction has been very positive.\nCram, who won silver behind Coe at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, told BBC Radio 5 live: \"It's a great result for the sport.\"\nHe added Coe was the \"right guy\" to lead the IAAF, praising his leadership qualities and the respect he commands.\n\"It's not going to be easy,\" added Cram, \"but I think Seb's prepared to be tough himself to hopefully make those changes.\"\nUK Athletics chairman Ed Warner said Coe's election was \"momentous for the sport\" .\nHe added: \"This felt like a crossroads for me. The challenges facing athletics are such that we need a great president right now and I do believe Seb's got the range of skills and the character that's required to really pull us forward.\"\nBut he warned against a quick solution to the drug issues, insisting: \"It's not an overnight success story that Seb is going to ring here.\"\nWarner also said athletics needed Coe's \"commercial nous\" at a time when the prestigious Diamond League, an annual series of track and field meetings held around the world, was without a headline sponsor.\nUSA Track and Field said it had been \"impressed\" with Coe's \"vision for the sport\", \"his dedication to its cause\" and \"his demonstrated effectiveness as a leader\".\nEuropean Athletics president Svein Arne Hansen said he was looking forward to working closely with Coe \"for the good of our sport\".\nThat sentiment was echoed by World Anti-Doping Agency president Craig Reedie, who referenced Coe's \"avowed plans to protect the rights of the clean athlete\".\nAthletics Australia president David Grace said Coe's \"wealth of knowledge in the field of sports governance and administration\" will \"ensure that athletics globally is in capable hands in years to come\".\nOutgoing president Diack added: \"For me, it's a dream come true that I can pass on the baton to Sebastian, who has been prepared for the job.\"\nHelping restore the battered image of athletics following a number of harmful doping cases and allegations.\nEarlier this month, The Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD/WDR alleged an \"extraordinary extent of cheating\" after obtaining blood test data from 5,000 athletes between 2001 and 2012.\nCoe, who will hold an initial term of four years, claimed the reports were a \"declaration of war\" on his sport.\nHe has already promised to create of an independent anti-doping panel to address the issue within his first 100 days in office.\nWarner added: \"If there's one person that I know will pursue cheats to all four corners of the earth, it is Seb.\"\nCoe's tenure will be ultimately judged on how successful he is in the fight against doping, according to BBC Radio 5 live sports news correspondent Richard Conway.\n\"As Warner has said, the IAAF must now do the right things and be seen to do the right things,\" added Conway. \"That is Lord Coe's challenge in both the short and long term.\n\"But if you want a signal of the scale of the problems he faces over public confidence, then look no further than the men's 100m final at the World Championships in Beijing on Sunday.\n\"If Justin Gatlin, a man convicted not once but twice for doping offences, beats Usain Bolt, the sport's poster boy, it will merely underline the task ahead for athletics and for Coe.\"\nTackling the drugs issues aside, he has also pledged to:\nCoe has highlighted the need for a more structured calendar and the need to be more innovative in how the IAAF presents the sport.\nIn his manifesto, he said he wants to consider an 'IAAF Street Athletics' circuit in major cities across the world.\nHe also wants to increase the quality on show at the Diamond League events, the IAAF's flagship one-day meetings.\nAs far as the national federations are concerned, Coe intends to give an Olympic Athletics Dividend, which would provide at least US$ 100,000 of extra funding over four years, to all 214 IAAF member federations.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Lord Coe"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["IAAF"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["The former chairman of London 2012"]},{"role":"Position","values":["new president"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Senegalese Lamine Diack"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["58-year-old","82-year-old"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2015 Interim Prime Minister of Greece Vassiliki Thanou-Christophilou, the country's first female prime minister, was sworn in Thursday. The PM named her caretaker government cabinet that will oversee implementation of austerity measures required by the latest debt bailout with Eurogroup. Elections, required after Alexis Tsipras resigned last week, are scheduled for September 20, 2015, the third time Greeks will be going to the polls this year. (AP via The New York Times), (The Irish Examiner), (CTV News)","document":"A caretaker government, led by Greece’s first female prime minister, was sworn in as the country heads to early elections next month, the third time Greeks will go to the polls this year.\nPrime Minister Vassiliki Thanou, a top judge, and her cabinet will lead the country to elections expected to be on September 20, following outgoing prime minister Alexis Tsipras’ resignation last week.\nHe stepped down following a rebellion by members of his radical-left Syriza party who objected to his agreement with the conditions of Greece’s third bailout.\nThe new cabinet may be in power for less than a month but it will have to oversee the implementation of several of the austerity measures which are conditions of the new bailout.\nThe finance ministry post went to Giorgos Houiarakis, an academic who had been on Greece’s negotiating team during talks with creditors.\nVeteran diplomat Petros Moliviatis was named as foreign minister, a position he has held twice in the past.\nA highly popular singer, Alkistis Protopsalti, was named tourism minister.\nThanou,65, head of the Supreme Court, had been sworn in on Thursday.\nTsipras, who resigned barely seven months into his four-year mandate, has said he needs a stronger mandate to implement austerity measures accompanying the three-year, €86bn bailout.\nThe first major opinion poll since elections were called — published in the left-leaning Efimerida ton Syntakton newspaper yesterday, found small support for his move.\nSome 64% said Tsipras was wrong to call the snap poll, compared to 24% who considered it correct. The remainder took no position or did not reply.\nmore courts articles\nMore in this section\nOur Covid-free newsletter brings together some of the best bits from irishexaminer.com, as chosen by our editor, direct to your inbox every Monday.\n3 hours ago\n6 hours ago\nSelect your favourite newsletters and get the best of Irish Examiner delivered to your inbox\n Your Irish Examiner delivered to your door\nFriday, June 18, 2021 - 10:00 PM\nFriday, June 18, 2021 - 6:00 AM\nFriday, June 18, 2021 - 9:00 PM\n© Irish Examiner Ltd, Linn Dubh, Assumption Road, Blackpool, Cork. Registered in Ireland: 523712.\nThese cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. 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If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.\nCookies, device identifiers, or other information can be stored or accessed on your device for the purposes presented to you.\nAds can be shown to you based on the content you’re viewing, the app you’re using, your approximate location, or your device type.\nA profile can be built about you and your interests to show you personalised ads that are relevant to you.\nPersonalised ads can be shown to you based on a profile about you.\nA profile can be built about you and your interests to show you personalised content that is relevant to you.\nPersonalised content can be shown to you based on a profile about you.\nThe performance and effectiveness of ads that you see or interact with can be measured.\nThe performance and effectiveness of content that you see or interact with can be measured.\nMarket research can be used to learn more about the audiences who visit sites/apps and view ads.\nYour data can be used to improve existing systems and software, and to develop new products\nYour precise geolocation data can be used in support of one or more purposes. This means your location can be accurate to within several meters.\nYour device can be identified based on a scan of your device's unique combination of characteristics.\nYour data can be used to monitor for and prevent fraudulent activity, and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely.\nYour device can receive and send information that allows you to see and interact with ads and content.\nData from offline data sources can be combined with your online activity in support of one or more purposes\nDifferent devices can be determined as belonging to you or your household in support of one or more of purposes.\nYour device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends, such as IP address or browser type.\nWe and our partners store and access information on your device, such as unique IDs in cookies. This is done to process personal data. To take these actions we require your consent, which you can provide through the banner options. You can manage your preferences and object to processing based on legitimate interest at any time in the privacy policy page. Cookie Policy\nUse precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. List of Partners (vendors)","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Vassiliki Thanou"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["caretaker government"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["prime minister","Prime Minister"]},{"role":"Position","values":null},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Alexis Tsipras"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2015 Jioji Konrote is elected President of Fiji by the country's Parliament. Konrote, Fiji's Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, received 31 votes, defeating Epeli Ganilau, who garnered 14 votes. (Radio New Zealand International)","document":"Fiji's Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Jioji Konrote, has been elected by Parliament as Fiji's next President.\nFiji President Jioji Konrote Photo: supplied\nMr Konrote's resigned from his seat, in accord with the constitution.\nHe was elected by a margin of 31-14, with the three National Federation Party members abstaining from the vote.\nThe opposition SODELPA party had proposed Ratu Epeli Ganilau as its presidential candidate.\nAccording to electoral laws, the next most popular candidate at the previous election will take his place, however that is the current acting Military Commander Viliame Naupoto, who told FBC he would not leave the military.\nThe next most popular candidate at last year's election for FijiFirst was the veteran journalist Matai Akauola.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Jioji Konrote"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["Fiji's Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations"]},{"role":"Position","values":["Fiji's next President","Fiji President"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2019 Venezuelan political parties waive the multi-party agreement to rotate leadership of the National Assembly annually in favor of allowing Juan Guaidó to continue in the position for another term. (Reuters)","document":"CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan lawmakers from small opposition parties on Friday said Juan Guaido should continue as head of congress in 2020, waiving their option to lead the legislature under an informal agreement to rotate leadership between parties.\nThe announcement ended speculation of an opposition rift over the 2020 legislative term, which under a 2016 agreement within the opposition would have fallen to a group of 17 small parties.\nGuaido in January declared President Nicolas Maduro a usurper and assumed a rival interim presidency that has been recognized by more than 50 countries, and the opposition is keen for him to remain in the post.\n“The national interest comes first,” Carlos Berrizbeitia, a lawmaker from the small Venezuela Project party, told reporters. “Until the usurpation ends, the president of the National Assembly will be Juan Guaido.”\nVenezuela’s constitution says that in the event of a presidential vacancy, the presidency falls to the head of the National Assembly until a new election is held.\nMaduro calls Guaido a U.S. puppet seeking to oust him through a coup and has suggested he may be arrested for treason.\nVenezuela’s political stalemate comes against the backdrop of a hyperinflationary economic collapse that has fueled an economic crisis.\nMore than 4 million citizens have left the country, fleeing shortages of food and medicine, according to the United Nations.\nReporting by Mayela Armas; Writing by Luc Cohen; Editing by David Gregorio\nOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.\nMore From Reuters\nAll quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.\nExclusive: Fed’s Neel Kashkari opposes rate hikes at least through 2023 as the central bank becomes more hawkish","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Juan Guaido"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["National Assembly"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["president","President"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"March_2005 In Uruguay, Dr. Tabaré Vázquez, the first leftist president in the country's 180–year history, takes office, announces his cabinet and restores diplomatic relations with Cuba. (Prensa Latina), (Bloomberg),(XinHua), (Globe&Mail), (BBC)","document":"Thousands of Uruguayan supporters celebrated in the streets of the capital, Montevideo, as he took office.\nPresident Vazquez restored full diplomatic relations with Cuba immediately after being sworn in.\nHe said that ties between the two countries - severed in 2002 - should never have been broken off.\nMr Vazquez, whose win in presidential elections in October ended almost 180 years of two-party rule, promised to \"work tirelessly\" for Uruguay's people.\nUruguay becomes the fifth Latin American nation to move to the left.\nMr Vazquez was sworn in for a five-year term in front of leaders including Brazil's Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Argentina's Nestor Kirchner.\nCuba ties\nCuba's President Fidel Castro cancelled his trip at the last minute, citing health reasons, but Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque did attend the ceremony. Uruguay broke off diplomatic ties with Cuba three years ago under outgoing President, Jorge Battle, after Fidel Castro accused him of being a traitor for supporting US efforts to condemn Cuba's human rights record in a United Nations vote. The Cuban minister and his Uruguayan counterpart Reinaldo Gargano signed the agreement restoring relations.\n\"It is with great pleasure that I am welcoming the Cuban people once again at this house and thus strengthening that friendship and ties that should never have been broken,\" said President Vazquez. Focus on poverty\nThe 65-year-old's win at the head of the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) coalition party ended the long dominance of the ruling Colorado Party, beaten into third place, and the National Party, whose candidate came second.\n\"I swear to work tirelessly for the prosperity of the Uruguayan people,\" Mr Vazquez said as he took office, also promising to respect the constitution. The BBC's Elliott Gotkine in Uruguay says the country's shift to the left is down to disillusionment with the right and the failure of its economic policies.\nThe left has also rejected many policies which had scared off voters in the past, he says.\nMost analysts expect Mr Vazquez to emulate Brazil's President Lula by maintaining a broadly unchanged economic policy but placing greater emphasis on poverty and jobs, our correspondent adds.\nMr Vazquez, a former mayor of Montevideo, signed a $100m anti-poverty programme as one of his first acts in office. \"We have pledged changes and we will bring in changes,\" he said.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Vazquez"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":["October"]},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["President"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":["five-year"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2005 The Moldovan parliament re–elects president Vladimir Voronin. (Reuters) (RIA Novosti)","document":" CHISINAU, April 4 (RIA Novosti) - The Moldovan parliament has reelected Communist leader Vladimir Voronin to the new four-year presidential term. All in all, 75 parliamentarians voted for Voronin. Only one person voted for the second candidate, Georgy Duka.\n Vladimir Voronin was born on May 25, 1941.\n He graduated from the Chisinau cooperative college in 1961, the All-Union Food Industry Institute in 1971, the Academy of Social Sciences under the CPSU Central Committee in 1983 and the Academy of the Soviet Interior Ministry in 1991.\n Vladimir Voronin is an engineer, economist, political analyst and lawyer. His military rank is Major General.\n In 1983 he was appointed instructor and deputy head of the organizing department of the Central Committee of the Moldovan Communist Party. In 1985 Voronin became a department head at the Council of Ministers of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic.\n In 1985-1989 he was the first secretary of the Bendery city committee of the Moldovan Communist Party. In 1989-1990 Voronin was the Interior Minister of Moldova.\n In 1993 he was elected cochairman of the organizing committee of the Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova. In 1994 he became the first secretary of this party.\n In 1996 Voronin ran for Moldovan presidency.\n Vladimir Voronin was a deputy of the Supreme Council of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic of the tenth and eleventh convocations. In March 1998 he became a deputy of the Moldovan parliament of the 14th convocation, a member of the parliament's permanent bureau and a cochairman of the parliamentary faction of the Moldovan Communist Party.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Vladimir Voronin"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["Communist leader"]},{"role":"Position","values":["president"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":["four-year"]}]} {"event_trigger":"April_2005 Turkish Cypriots elect Mehmet Ali Talat as their new president. Talat endorses unification of Cyprus and membership in the European Union. (Reuters) (Turkish Weekly) (Guardian)","document":"Ushering in a new era for divided Cyprus, Turkish Cypriots last night elected the moderate Mehmet Ali Talat as their leader, ending decades of hawkish rule by Rauf Denktash.\nMr Talat is an intrepid proponent of reunification, and his clear victory over Mr Denktash's nominee immediately raised hopes of a peace deal.\nWith 96% of the ballot boxes counted, the pro-EU socialist had 55% of the vote, giving him victory without needing a second round. Dervis Eroglu, heartily endorsed by Mr Denktash, won 23%. \"Today is a turning point,\" said Mr Talat, casting his vote along with some 150,000 Turkish Cypriots in the boycotted breakaway state. \"We have to solve the Cyprus problem. We have to do this with the Greek Cypriot community.\"\nUN negotiations to reunite Cyprus as a loose federation collapsed when Turkish Cypriots said yes but Greek Cypriots said no in a referendum held separately a month before the Greek Cypriot state's entry into the EU last year.\nMany see the pragmatic Mr Talat as the only viable future, after the failure of Mr Denktash's policy of winning inter national acceptance for a state recognised only by Turkey.\nYoung Turkish Cypriots have no memories of the bitter ethnic fighting that ultimately led to the island's division in 1974.\nTwo months ago Mr Talat's party won 24 of the 50 seats in parliamentary elections. Before yesterday Mr Talat called on Tassos Papadopoulos, president of the Greek-controlled south, to resume talks.\n\"With the passing of Denktash, this really is the end of an era for Turkish Cypriots,\" said James Ker-Lindsay, a regional specialist based in Nicosia, the island's divided capital. \"But at the end of the day, the ball is still in the court of the Greek Cypriots.\"\nMr Papadopoulos is increasingly compared to Mr Denktash in terms of intransigence. After leading efforts to have the UN plan rejected by his people - saying it failed to satisfy 200,000 refugees forcibly displaced when the Turkish army invaded after an Athens-backed coup in 1974 - he has since refused to offer changes that could foster peace talks.\nHis stance has particularly dismayed Turkey, which has 45,000 troops in the north, and now, more than ever, wants the long-running problem resolved lest it hamper Turkey's bid to start European Union entry talks in October.\n\"Once Denktash is out of the picture we can finally begin to solve the problem,\" a senior Turkish cabinet member told the Guardian.\n\"Cyprus is our neighbour, we all live in the same region, it's ridiculous that we cannot live together in peace. This issue should have been solved long ago. Turkey, I can assure you, will do everything to support Mr Talat.\"","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Mehmet Ali Talat"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["leader"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":["Turkish Cypriots"]},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2019 Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is elected as the next president of Kazakhstan. The election was marred by the arrests of more than 500 protesters and was not declared to be fully democratic by OSCE observers. (DW)","document":"The designated successor of former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev has won the presidency in a vote overshadowed by the arrests of more than 500 protesters. Nazarbayev stepped down in March after decades in power.\nThe handpicked successor of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was elected to the presidency on Sunday in a vote marred by clashes between protesters and police.\nThe electoral commission said that Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a career diplomat, had won with 70.8% of the vote. The candidate with the next highest vote share, opposition rival Amirzhan Kossanov, won around 15%.\nTurnout was at about 77%, according to the national elections commission.\nRead more: Historic Kazakhstan election sparks hope for a taste of democracy\nTokayev, 66, became interim president in March after the resignation of Nazarbayev, who had ruled the country since Kazakhstan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.\nYet Nazarbayev, who holds the official title of national leader, is set to exert significant influence on day-to-day politics as leader of the ruling Nur Otan party.\nAs he voted, Tokayev said Nazarbayev was \"still in power in the capacity of chairman of the security council ... and other capacities.\"\nRead more: Could Kazakhstan be a model for a power transfer in Russia?\n Send Facebook Twitter reddit EMail Facebook Messenger Web Whatsapp Web Telegram linkedin Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3K5zV\nOpposition arrests\nThroughout the day, police detained some 500 people in Almaty and Nur-Sultan — the capital city recently renamed after Nazarbayev — as they protested for voters to boycott what they see as a fixed election.\nDeputy Interior Minister Marat Kozhayev said the arrests were necessary because \"radical elements\" had held \"unsanctioned\" rallies.\nTokayev pledged his administration would be \"building up a dialogue with all those who support the government and those who are against the government.\"\nNazarbayev was Kazakhstan's president from 1991 to 2019\nIn the weeks leading up to the vote, police raided the homes of opposition figures and courts sentenced anti-government protesters to short prison stays.\nNo vote in the Central Asian country has yet been recognized as fully democratic by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which sent more than 300 observers to monitor Sunday's election.\nKazakhstan is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), a free trade bloc that also includes Russia and Belarus.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Kassym-Jomart Tokayev"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":["Sunday"]},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["Kazakh President"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Nursultan Nazarbayev"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["66"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2019 The European Council nominates German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as President of the European Commission. If confirmed by the European Parliament, she will be the first woman to hold the position. The Council also nominates Charles Michel of Belgium as President of the European Council, Josep Borrell of Spain as High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Christine Lagarde of France as President of the European Central Bank. (BBC)","document":"EU leaders have put forward their nominations for the bloc's top jobs, with a woman for the first time proposed as European Commission chief.\nThe surprise choice of German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen to replace Jean-Claude Juncker came after the main front-runners were rejected.\nIMF chief Christine Lagarde has been nominated as the first woman to head the European Central Bank (ECB).\nThe announcement follows days of difficult negotiations.\nIn all, EU leaders were tasked with nominating five people for the top jobs.\nBelgian liberal Prime Minister Charles Michel is nominated to replace European Council President Donald Tusk while Spain's Josep Borrell is proposed as foreign policy chief.\nThe fifth key role - president of the European Parliament - is to be chosen on Wednesday. Possible candidates include German centre-right MEP Manfred Weber and Bulgarian socialist Sergei Stanishev.\nMost of the roles must be ratified by the European Parliament. \"We have agreed the whole package before the first session of the European Parliament,\" said Mr Tusk. He said Germany had abstained on Mrs von der Leyen's nomination over coalition issues but pointed out that Chancellor Angela Merkel herself had backed her. French President Emmanuel Macron said the nominations were \"the fruit of a deep Franco-German entente\".\n\"Von der Leyen is a very good candidate and a very good choice to head the European Commission,\" he told reporters, adding that Ms Lagarde's \"capacities and competences... totally qualified her\" for the ECB.\nIrish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the nomination of two women for key jobs sent a powerful message that the EU was leading the way towards gender equality.\nHowever, there were concerns that the European Parliament's own contest for the main job - the \"Spitzenkandidaten\" (lead candidate) process - had been cast aside. Neither the winner of that process, Manfred Weber of Germany, nor other frontrunners were selected by EU leaders.\n\"You have to compromise in politics,\" Mr Varadkar insisted, adding that the centre-right Mr Weber would most likely be given the shared presidency of the European Parliament along with a Socialist figure.\nThere was also surprise that four of the main jobs had gone to Western Europeans, with no nominations from Eastern Europe. However, the eastern states are thought to have been strongly behind Mrs von der Leyen's nomination, having rejected a compromise involving Dutch Labour leader Frans Timmermans the night before.\nUrsula von der Leyen - if confirmed as new European Commission president - will not bring winds of change to Brussels. She's loyal to the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a true Christian Democrat and a conservative Europhile. As for Brexit, remember, the European Commission negotiated on behalf of EU member states. Those negotiations ended when the UK government signed off on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement back in November. The only ones now with the legal power to change or add to the text are EU national leaders, not the commission. And what these days of indecision among national leaders over these top EU jobs have shown us is that while France and Germany are still powerful, they are not all-powerful in EU circles any more. Chancellor Merkel and President Macron were unable to impose on others the EU job allocation plan agreed between them at the G20. Something for the new UK prime minister to consider, perhaps, ahead of planning trips to Berlin and Paris to request a renegotiation of the Brexit deal.\nUrsula von der Leyen - European Commission president\nWhat's the job? The EU commission president heads the executive branch, sets the policy agenda and controls a cabinet of commissioners.\nWho is she? Born in Brussels, Mrs von der Leyen, 60, and her family moved to Germany when she was 13. She studied economics at London's LSE and medicine in Hanover before going into politics.\nShe has been a member of Mrs Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) since 2005.\nIf Mrs von der Leyen is confirmed in the role it would be the first time in more than 60 years that a German has been given the post.\nChristine Lagarde - head of the European Central Bank\nWhat's the job? Running the ECB, which is responsible for the euro and the monetary policy of the eurozone. The role is currently filled by Mario Draghi, who was widely credited with saving the euro during the eurozone debt crisis. Who is she? Ms Lagarde, 63, who is French, was the first woman to head the International Monetary Fund (IMF) when she took the job in 2011.\nShe studied in the US before graduating from law school in Paris and obtaining a Masters degree from the Political Science Institute in Aix en Provence\nShe was appointed France's trade minister in 2005 and finance minister in 2007.\nCharles Michel - European Council president\nWhat's the job? Chairs the body made up of the leaders of EU member states which defines the EU's political direction.\nWho is he? In 2014 Mr Michel at the age of 38 became Belgium's youngest prime minister since 1841.\nHe has been a lawyer at the Brussels Bar since 1998 and a member of the Belgian parliament since 1999.\nMr Michel's father, Louis Michel, has also been a prominent politician and an MEP.\nJosep Borrell - EU foreign policy chief\nWhat's the job? Co-ordinating and representing foreign and security policy for the EU. The brief is currently held by Italy's Federica Mogherini.\nWho is he? The 72-year-old Spanish foreign minister is set to make a return to the top tier of EU politics after serving as European Parliament president from 2004 to 2007.\nHe began his career as a member of the Spanish Socialist Party in 1975 and has a reputation for plain speaking.\nWho is EU's powerful head Ursula von der Leyen?\n\n","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["von der Leyen","Ursula von der Leyen","Von der Leyen"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["European Commission"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["president","President","European Parliament president"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2019 The European Parliament elects Ursula von der Leyen of Germany as the new President of the European Commission. Succeeding Jean–Claude Juncker, she will be sworn in on 1 November 2019. She is the first woman to be elected to this office in EU history. (BBC)","document":"Germany's Ursula von der Leyen has been narrowly elected president of the EU Commission following a secret ballot among MEPs.\nThe centre-right defence minister will replace Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on 1 November.\nShe secured the backing of more than half of the members of the European parliament on Tuesday evening.\nThe Commission drafts EU laws, enforces EU rules and has the power to impose fines on member states if necessary.\n\"The trust you placed in me is confidence you placed in Europe,\" Mrs von der Leyen, who is the first woman to be elected president of the European Commission, said in a speech immediately after the vote. \"Your confidence in a united and strong Europe, from east to west, from south to north.\"\n\"It is a big responsibility and my work starts now,\" she added. \"Let us work together constructively.\"\nShe was confirmed by a margin of 383 votes to 327. She needed the backing of 374 out of 747 MEPs to win.\nA total of 751 MEPs were elected in May, but four were absent for Tuesday's vote.\nBorn in Brussels, Mrs von der Leyen has seven children and trained as a gynaecologist before entering politics.\nThe 60-year-old defence minister has been criticised in Germany over the armed forces' persistent equipment shortages and what some consider to be her aloof management style.\nShe has promised to push for the EU to play a bigger role in social welfare, to tackle poverty, and has stressed that she would stand up for women's rights.\nShe has also pledged in the past to allow a further extension of the UK's withdrawal date from the EU \"should more time be required for a good reason\".\nIn a speech in the European parliament earlier on Tuesday, Mrs von der Leyen made some other significant pledges:\nAnalysis by Damian Grammaticas, Europe Correspondent, BBC News\nEuropean leaders will be breathing a sigh of relief. It took days of fraught negotiations and a difficult compromise among EU countries to nominate Mrs von der Leyen, a German conservative and close ally of Angela Merkel.\nShe scraped through with 383 votes, just nine more than the minimum. That may leave her in a weakened position, as it seems she was helped over the line by votes from Eurosceptic and right-wing MEPs in Poland and Italy.\nGreens, on the other hand, did not vote for her. They said her commitments on climate change and saving the lives of refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean were too weak. Socialists, too, were angered that their preferred candidate was overlooked by EU leaders. So what does all this division mean? For a start, the European Commission Mrs von der Leyen will lead from November may have problems passing legislation through the parliament.\nFigures from across the bloc have been quick to congratulate Mrs von der Leyen on her election victory.\n\"This job is a huge responsibility and a challenge. I am sure you will make a great president,\" outgoing Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker wrote on Twitter.\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel paid tribute to her outgoing defence minister, who she described as a \"committed and convincing European\".\n \"Even if I lose a long-standing minister today, I win a new partner in Brussels,\" she said in a statement. \"I am therefore looking forward to good co-operation.\"\n\"About time we get a woman in that important position,\" Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said in a tweet. \"Time to continue work on the crucial issues: jobs, climate change, migration and security in Europe.\"\nSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez offered his congratulations and said: \"Europe has to move forward. In this we have to work together, addressing the changes that the common project needs.\"\nDonald Tusk, president of the European Council, tweeted a simple message:\nCongratulations Ursula @vonderleyen. Congratulations Europe.\nBelgium's leader - and incoming head of the European Council - Charles Michel said: \"I wish to congratulate [Mrs von der Leyen]. Let's work together in the interest of all Europeans.\"\nEU nominee pledges 'green deal' in bid for top job\n\n\n\n","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Ursula von der Leyen"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":["1 November"]},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["EU Commission"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["president","President","president of the European Commission","president of the European Council"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker","Claude Juncker"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2019 President–elect of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen resigns from her position as Federal Minister of Defence of Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel appoints Annegret Kramp–Karrenbauer, the leader of the ruling CDU, as her successor. (Deutsche Welle)","document":"Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the head of Angela Merkel's conservative CDU party, has replaced Ursula von der Leyen as defense minister. The announcement came as a suprise to many in Berlin.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nlinkedin\nPermalink https://p.dw.com/p/3A2cA\nAnnegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was officially named Germany's new defense minister during a ceremony in Berlin on Wednesday, a day after Ursula von der Leyen's departure from the post to become president of the European Commission.\nKramp-Karrenbauer, who leads German Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right CDU party, received her official letter of appointment from Berlin Mayor Michael Müller, who was standing in for the vacationing President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.\nMüller also gave von der Leyen an official certificate of dismissal. Merkel, whose health has been in the spotlight after a series of shaking fits, was also in attendance, though she sat for most of the ceremony.\nKramp-Karrenbauer is scheduled to swear the oath of office next Wednesday in the Bundestag, Germany's parliament.\nUrsula von der Leyen (L) stepped down as defense minister to become the next president of the European Commission\nUnexpected appointment\nThe move is a surprise, as many had expected Health Minister Jens Spahn to become defense chief. It was doubly surprisingly because Kramp-Karrenbauer, also known by her initials AKK, had previously said she would forgo a ministerial post in favor of concentrating on party leadership.\nKramp-Karrenbauer won a hotly contested leadership vote in December to succeed Merkel as CDU leader. However, since then, she has failed to connect with voters and many see her as out of touch, stiff and lacking in the chancellor's political savvy.\nA former leader of the state of Saarland, Kramp-Karrenbauer is well versed in domestic issues. The defense ministry could give her experience in security and military matters that could prove useful when Germany holds elections in 2021.\nHer appoint as defense minister is also significant for the Bundeswehr, Germany's military, according to CDU defense and foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter.\n\"What is special about this decision is that, for the first time in the history of the Bundeswehr, the defense minister and CDU leader positions will be held simultaneously,\" Kiesewetter told DW on Wednesday. \"That is a clear commitment by the CDU to the Bundeswehr like never before in the history of Germany.\" \nKiesewetter also said that he believes that Kramp-Karrenbauer's dual responsibility \"will be able to face the upcoming Bundestag election campaign in a broad and experienced manner.\" ","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer","Kramp-Karrenbauer","Karrenbauer"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["German Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right CDU party"]},{"role":"Position","values":["Germany's new defense minister","Germany"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":["Wednesday"]},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Ursula von der Leyen"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2019 President Félix Tshisekedi and the Congolese parliament, controlled by a rival party, agree to form a new government following negotiations, six months after he replaced Joseph Kabila during the 2018 DR Congo general election. Sylvestre Ilunga will be formally nominated for the post of Prime Minister in the coming week. (News24)","document":"The two rival political camps in DR Congo Friday forged a pact on forming a government, six months after President Felix Tshisekedi took power from veteran ruler Joseph Kabila, officials said.\nTshisekedi was elected in December to replace Kabila who presided over sub-Saharan Africa's biggest country for nearly two decades. He took power at the end of January but has struggled to form a government as Kabila's Common Front for Congo (FCC) coalition won comfortable majorities in both houses of parliament as well as provincial assemblies. Kabila's supporters also dominated elections for governorships across the country. The current, outgoing government comprises ministers from the Kabila era. Tshisekedi's CACH alliance in the legislature has been holding tortuous talks with the FCC to break the stalemate.\n\"An agreement has just been reached on Friday between the FCC and CACH,\" Nehemie Mwilanya, the coordinator of the pro-Kabila alliance, announced on Twitter.\nHe said Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunkamba, who was proposed by Kabila and backed by Tshisekedi, could be formally nominated as early as next week.\n\"This will be a government of 65 members: 42 coming from the FCC and 23 from CACH,\" said Jean-Baudouin Mayo, a negotiator for CACH.\nMwilanya said both sides had made \"reciprocal concessions\" but neither provided details on who would get key ministries such as interior, defence, economy, finance and mining.\n\"Now we are going to join forces. That is to say we will be of the same political family,\" Tshisekedi said a month ago.\nThe opposition views Tshisekedi as a puppet of Kabila.\nTshisekedi emerged victorious in elections that marked the Democratic Republic of Congo's first peaceful transition of power since the vast mineral-rich country gained independence from Belgium in 1960.\nBut the vote was marred by allegations of rigging, and Tshisekedi is struggling to push ahead with pledges of reform.\nThe unstable country's politics remain overshadowed by Kabila, who amassed extensive clout after 18 years in power.utton.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Felix Tshisekedi"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":["at the end of January"]},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["President"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Joseph Kabila"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2014 Narendra Modi is officially re–elected as the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the National Democratic Alliance ahead of being sworn in as the Prime Minister of India. (Indian Express)","document":"2.50 pm: NDA leaders, led by LK Advani, meet President Pranab Mukherjee to convey support to Narendra Modi-led government.\n2.15 pm: Meanwhile, BSP supremo Mayawati dissolves all committees of her party following rout in Lok Sabha polls, party sources.\n1.55 pm: Even though BJP got majority on its own, NDA allies will be as important as they would have been without clear majority, says Modi.\n1.30 pm: Chandrababu Naidu, Parkash Singh Badal and Ram Vilas Paswan present at the NDA meet.\n1.25 pm: NDA board meeting to elect Narendra Modi as leader of alliance begins.\nREAD FULL STORY: Modi elected leader of BJP Parliamentary Party\n1.08 pm: This election result has increased people’s faith in democracy, says Narendra Modi.\n1.03 pm: I am not doing any favour, only performing a duty; this victory is a result of struggle of five generations: Modi.\n1.05 pm: When we meet again in 2019, I will present my report card again, says Modi.\n1.02 pm: I am a very optimistic man; only optimistic man can bring optimism in the country, says Modi.\n12.58 pm: Modi says, “couldn’t die for India, will live for this country.”\n12.52 pm: I don’t believe UPA government did nothing; they did whatever they could and they deserve appreciation for whatever good they did, says Modi.\n12.50 pm: Narendra Modi becomes emotional, breaks down while delivering speech, says BJP is his mother. \nALSO READ: Phase to phase, BJP’s 59-day final push\n12. 48 pm: There is a new hope among people that this dispensation can fulfill their aspirations: Modi.\n12.45 pm: After being elected as leader of BJP Parliamentary Party, Narendra Modi says he will work for country and not post.\n12.42 pm: We are not here for any positions but for a responsiblity: Modi.\n12.40 pm: On September 13 I was chosen PM candidate by party and I started on my campaign work from the 15th as a ‘karyakarta’: Modi.\n12.39 pm: If Atal ji’s health permitted and he would have been present here, it would have been like the icing on the cake: Modi.\n12.38 pm: Modi addresses newly-elected BJP MPs; thanks Advani and Rajnath for their blessings.\n12.30 pm: Emotional Advani weeps as he praises Modi, says: “I am an emotional man. When I greeted Modi, I got tears in my eyes.”\n12.08 pm: Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari, Murli Manohar Joshi and Venkaiah Nadu second Modi’s name proposed by Advani.\n12.03 pm: L K Advani proposes name of “popular” and “famous” leader Narendra Modi for leader of BJP Parliamentary Party.\n12.01 pm: Rajnath Singh says,”it is a historic moment for the BJP and in the history of Indian politics.”\n11.55 am: BJP Parliamentary meeting begins; party President Rajnath Singh addresses newly-elected MPs.\n11.50 am: Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi reaches Parliament, set to be elected as the leader of BJP Parliamentary party.\n11.30 am: BJP MPs start arriving in Parliament ahead of the meeting; Modi to reach shortly.\n11. 11 am: 15-member NDA delegation to meet President Pranab Mukherjee this afternoon. READ MORE\nFROM THE PRINT: ROLE REVERSAL\nTheir roles have now changed. Former Union home secretary R K Singh who won the Lok Sabha election from Bihar on a BJP ticket, visited RSS office at Keshav Kunj in Delhi and met Indresh Kumar among others. It is obvious that he wants his name recommended for a berth in the next government. Interestingly, he as the home secretary was monitoring the terror cases linked to the saffron brigade and in which Indresh Kumar was under scanner.\n11.01 am: L K Advani to propose Narendra Modi’s name for leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party.\n10.00 am: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, BJP leaders Smriti Irani and Prakash Javadekar meet Narendra Modi.\nAhead of being called to form the government by the President, Narendra Modi is all set to be elected as leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party and the NDA grouping on Tuesday.\nREAD MORE: Rashtrapati Bhawan forecourt prepares for Modi’s swearing-in\nModi will meet President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday after his election in the first formal step before he is sworn in as Prime Minister probably by the weekend.\nThe BJP Parliamentary party will meet today at the Central Hall of Parliament House to formally elect Shri @narendramodi as its leader.\n— BJP (@BJP4India) May 20, 2014\n","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Narendra Modi"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["BJP Parliamentary Party","BJP Parliamentary party"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["leader","leader of alliance"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2014 Opposition candidate Peter Mutharika is declared the winner of the disputed presidential election. (BBC)","document":"The leader of the Democratic Progressive Party obtained 36.4% of the vote, the electoral commission announced.\nA protester died earlier after police dispersed an angry crowd demanding a recount of last week's ballot.\nOutgoing president Joyce Banda has alleged the vote was rigged.\nThe Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) had asked for a 30-day extension to declare the results so that a recount could be carried out.\nHowever, the High Court refused to delay the release of results and ordered the commission to make its announcement on Friday.\n\"The law is clear, there is no extension,\" judge Kenyatta Nyirenda said.\nMr Mutharika is the brother of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika, and had served as his foreign minister.\nFormer preacher Lazarus Chakwera came second with 27.8% of the vote. He represented the Malawi Congress Party, which governed from independence in 1964 until the first multi-party poll in 1994.\nMrs Banda, who came to power after the death of Bingu wa Mutharika two years ago, was third with 20.2% of the vote.\nHer administration had been hit by a corruption scandal dubbed \"cashgate\", which led donors to cut aid.\nMalawi is one the poorest nations in the world and is heavily dependent on aid, which provides 40% of the country's budget.\nAbout 7.5 million people were eligible to vote in the elections, which was described as Malawi's closest-fought poll in 20 years.\nThe election was chaotic, with many polling stations opening up hours late and frustrated voters setting one polling station alight.\nThe electoral commission said that in 58 of more than 4,000 polling centres the official number of votes cast was more than that of registered voters.\nLast week, Mrs Banda accused a party, which she did not name, of infiltrating and hacking the electronic system that transmits the results to the MEC's headquarters.\nThe MEC's chairman denied that its system had been hacked.\nMalawi's competitive elections\nBehind the cashgate scandal\nMalawi country profile\n","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Mutharika","Bingu wa Mutharika"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["leader of the Democratic Progressive Party"]},{"role":"Position","values":null},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2014 Former Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front guerilla leader Salvador Sánchez Cerén is sworn in as the President of El Salvador. (AP via CTV)","document":"El Salvador's new President Salvador Sanchez Ceren, sings the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front anthem during a rally with party supporters after his swearing-in ceremony in San Salvador, El Salvador, Sunday, June 1, 2014. (AP / Moises Castillo)\n\tSAN SALVADOR, El Salvador -- A onetime rural schoolteacher who became a rebel commander during El Salvador's long civil war was sworn in as president Sunday, the first former guerrilla to lead the Central American nation.\n\tSalvador Sanchez Ceren, 69, began his five-year term promising \"honour, austerity, efficiency and transparency\" at the inauguration ceremony attended by 13 heads of state or government.\n\tSanchez Ceren's Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front battled U.S.-backed governments during a 12-year conflict in which some 76,000 people died. The Front became a political party after peace accords in 1992.\n\tHe alluded to that struggle Sunday, saying his government is possible \"only because of the work of our heroes and martyrs ... visionary people who gave their lives and dreamed of a country with democracy.\"\n\tThe Front first won the presidency in 2009 under outgoing leader Mauricio Funes, a former journalist who didn't take part in the fighting and governed largely as a centrist.\n\tThe new president promised to focus on one of the country's biggest challenges: gang violence that has made El Salvador one of the world's most dangerous countries. He said he personally will head the System of Citizen Security.\n\tSecurity \"requires that we work together against organized crime, drug traffic, extortions and all expressions of violence,\" he said.\n\tTo spur development, Sanchez Ceren said he was in talks to bring El Salvador into the Petrocaribe program under which Venezuela provides subsidized oil to countries in the region.\n\tBut the new president has said he intends to govern less like Venezuela's socialist leaders than Uruguay's folksy Jose Mujica, a former guerrilla who gives away most of his presidential salary, drives a 41-year-old Volkswagen and never wears a tie.\n\tSanchez Ceren has promised to maintain good relations with the United States, where hundreds of thousands of Salvadoran migrants live. The U.S. dollar is El Salvador's official currency.\n\tOne of 12 children born to a carpenter and a food vendor, Sanchez Ceren became an activist in the teachers union as a youth.\n\tAs bloody repression of union leaders grew in the 1970s, he gravitated toward the rebel movement, finally heading into the mountains as a guerrilla by 1978.\n\tHe rose to become one of the rebels' five top commanders under the nom-de-guerre \"Comandante Leonel Gonzalez.\" He served as a negotiator in the 1992 peace accords.\n\tSanchez Ceren won a narrow election victory March 9 over Norman Quijano of the Nationalist Republican Alliance, which had governed El Salvador for most of the past two decades.\n*Will not be shown on the website\n We welcome your comments. Bell Media reviews every comment submitted, and reserves the right to approve comments and edit for brevity and clarity. Please be advised:\n Comments are moderated and will not appear on site until they have been reviewed.\n Comments are not open on some news articles; Bell Media reserves the right to choose commenting availability.\n Thank you for following these guidelines and contributing your thoughts. You are contributing to debate and discussion, and helping to make this website a more open place.\n Advertisement\n Sign up for our weekly email newsletter delving into climate science and life on a changing planet.\n Listen and subscribe to get a daily fix on the latest political news and issues.\n Listen and subscribe to get a weekly update with the newsmakers who matter.\n A check-in on the public mood of Canadians with hosts Michael Stittle and Nik Nanos. FOLLOW ON","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Salvador Sanchez Ceren"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["El Salvador's new President","new president"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":["Sunday, June 1, 2014","Sunday"]},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2010 Ghana–born doctor Peter Bossman becomes Mayor of Piran (Slovenia), the first black mayor of a town in the so–called former Eastern Bloc of Europe. (BBC) (The Guardian)","document":"A Ghana-born doctor has been elected the first black mayor in Slovenia - and probably the first in old Yugoslavia.\nPeter Bossman, a candidate of the centre-left Social Democrats (SD), narrowly won a municipal election in the Slovenian coastal town of Piran.\nHe said people no longer saw the colour of his skin and his election showed the \"high level of democracy in Slovenia\".\nMr Bossman came to the country in the 1980s, when it was still part of the former Yugoslavia, to study medicine.\nHe won a narrow victory over the previous mayor, Tomaz Gantar, with 51.4% of the vote.\nMr Bossmann said he was \"happy and proud\".\n\"I based my campaign on a dialogue, and I think the dialogue has won,\" he said.\nHis campaign pledges include the introduction of electric cars in Piran. He also hopes to develop an airport and a golf course to boost tourism. 'No problems at all'\nThe 54-year-old had aimed to return to Ghana after his studies, but changed his mind after marrying a fellow doctor of Croatian origin.\nAbout 12% of the population of Slovenia, which declared independence in 1991 and became the only former Yugoslav state to join the European Union in 2004, were born abroad, but only a fraction come from Africa.\nMr Bossman told the Reuters news agency that he had faced no discrimination because of his skin colour or origins in recent years.\n\"There are always small groups of people not accepting people who are different and in the first months after coming to Slovenia I felt that some people did not want to be with us,\" he said.\n\"But for the last 10 or 15 years, I experienced nothing like that any more. I have no problems at all and I think people no longer see the colour of my skin when they look at me,\" he added.\nSlovenians reject minority rights\nSlovenia country profile\n\n","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Peter Bossman"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["doctor"]},{"role":"Position","values":["mayor"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["54-year-old"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2010 Ghana–born doctor Peter Bossman becomes Mayor of Piran (Slovenia), the first black mayor of a town in the so–called former Eastern Bloc of Europe. (BBC) (The Guardian)","document":"A Ghana-born doctor nicknamed \"the Obama of Piran\" became the first black mayor in eastern Europe yesterday after he was elected in Piran, south-western Slovenia.\nPeter Bossman, 54, said he was \"happy and proud\" to have been elected to the post after winning a second round runoff in the town with just over half the votes.\nBossman settled in Slovenia, then still part of Yugoslavia, in the 1970s after arriving in the country to study medicine. He decided to stay after marrying a fellow student from Croatia.\nSpeaking about his campaign, in which he said he would introduce electric cars to the town, Bossman said: \"I based my campaign on a dialogue, and I think the dialogue has won.\"\nBut Bossman was criticised during the campaign for not speaking fluent Slovene, the country's official language, prompting him to say in an interview with Delo, one of Slovenia's leading newspapers, that a friend and professor of Slovenian had \"offered to give me additional lessons\".\nHowever the new mayor, who runs his own private medical practice and is a member of Slovenia's governing centre-left Social Democrat party, said he had not suffered racial discrimination.\n\"In the first months after coming to Slovenia I felt that some people did not want to be with us [African immigrants]. But for the last 10 or 15 years … I have no problems at all and I think people no longer see the colour of my skin when they look at me,\" he said.\nSlovenia has a population of around 2 million, the majority of whom are native Slovene, and immigration is more common from ex-Yugoslavian countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. There are very few black people living there. The town of Piran, which lies on the Gulf of Piran on the Adriatic Sea, has a population of around 17,000.\nVlado Miheljak, a political analyst, said the vote in Piran was a test of whether Slovenia was \"mature enough to elect a non-white political representative.\"","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Peter Bossman"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["doctor"]},{"role":"Position","values":["mayor in eastern Europe","mayor"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["54"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"October_2010 Kenya's internal security minister George Saitoti is named as acting foreign minister following the resignation of Moses Wetangula amid an embassy property scandal. (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation) (Reuters)","document":"Prof. Saitoti will also continue serving in his current capacity of Minister for Internal Security and Provincial Administration.\n\"Following consultations with the Right Hon. Prime Minister Raila Odinga, His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki has today appointed Prof. George Saitoti as the acting Minister for Foreign Affairs.\n\"Prof. Saitoti will also continue serving in his current capacity of Minister for Internal Security and Provincial Administration,\" said a statement from the President's office.\nProf Saitoti's appointment came just a day after Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetang'ula stepped aside to allow investigations into the saga surrounding the purchase of land for Kenya embassies abroad.\nMeanwhile, varied opinions continue to greet foreign affairs minister Moses Wetang'ula decision to step aside to pave way for investigations into foreign embassies saga. Naivasha MP John Mututho has praised the move adding that all other government officials implicated in graft should follow suit.\nHe is however cautioning against rubbishing Parliamentary Committees reports saying their operations remain transparent. Mututho who is also the chairman of Parliamentary Committee on agriculture defended the committees' role saying they carry their duties with diligence and an attack against their findings amounts to cheap attempts to scuttle facts. Wetang'ula and his permanent secretary Thuita Mwangi opted to step aside on Wednesday to pave way for investigations into scandal involving the purchase and disposal of embassy properties in Nigeria and Japan. Addressing a news conference on Wednesday, Wetang'ula maintained his innocence in the saga. \"I have made the decision on the understanding that I am absolutely innocent of any wrongdoing. I am absolutely innocent against any charges of corruption because I am not and I cannot be corrupt,\" he said.\nThe minister's decision came barely two hours after President Mwai Kibaki accepted the stepping aside of Foreign Affairs PS Thuita Mwangi.\nA statement from the President Press Service said Mwangi communicated his decision to President Mwai Kibaki who accepted the request to allow investigations on the report tabled in Parliament by the Committee on Defense and Foreign Relations regarding purchase of and/or disposal of government properties at foreign missions.\nIn a statement, Mwangi said he was stepping aside to allow the competent government organs to fully and without impediment investigate all matters of concern raised in the Report of the Departmental Committee on Defense and Foreign Relations on construction, purchase and disposal of properties abroad. Their action come a day after Wetangula put up a spirited fight in Parliament on Tuesday to have his name expunged from a Report of the Departmental Committee on Defense and Foreign Relations which recommended that he should step aside together with his PS to allow for independent investigations into the scandal.\nDespite passing the buck to civil servants in his ministry by pleading that he played no role in the saga, MPs were adamant that he should take political responsibility and not engage in a blame game.\n\"Ministers don't deal with transactions. We deal with what we are given; ministers only deal with policies,\" Wetang'ula told Parliament as he tried to clear his name.\nThe report accuses Foreign Affairs Ministry officials for ignoring recommendations from civil servants and independent valuers and thereby burdening the public with huge bills that could have been avoided.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Prof. Saitoti","Prof. George Saitoti","Prof Saitoti"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["Foreign Affairs"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["Minister for Internal Security and Provincial Administration","the acting Minister for Foreign Affairs","foreign affairs minister","minister"]},{"role":"Position","values":["acting Minister"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Moses Wetang'ula","Wetang'ula"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2013 Rafael Correa is sworn in as President of Ecuador for an unprecedented third term. (BBC)","document":"Ecuador's President, Rafael Correa, has been sworn into office for an unprecedented third term in the capital, Quito.\nThe left-wing leader and ally of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has a high popularity rating and his party controls Congress. Mr Correa first took power in 2007 and will serve what he says is his last term until 2017. A number of leaders from the region and Europe attended the inauguration.\nMr Correa was re-elected in February with more than half of the votes, and recent polls suggest his approval rating stands at around 90%.\nSpeaking after the ceremony, Mr Correa said his country is going through \"profound political, social and economic changes.\"\n\"Between 2007 and 2012, we managed to make more than one million Ecuadoreans leave poverty behind,\" the President said.\nThe ceremony was attended by Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, the successor of Mr Correa's late friend and ally Hugo Chavez. Among other heads of state and dignitaries at the inauguration were Bolivia's leader, Evo Morales, and Colombia's Juan Manuel Santos. Correspondents say Mr Correa's main challenges are attracting investment and boosting trade.\nHis election in 2006 ended a long period of political instability in Ecuador.\nBut critics accuse Mr Correa of being a dictator in the making.\nThe 50-year-old US-trained economist has been accused of implementing policies that have served to strengthen his hold on power and erode the influence of political opponents and private media.\nBut his so-called \"citizens' revolution\" has made him popular with many ordinary Ecuadoreans and has won him friends among other Latin American left-wing leaders.\nSince 2007, Mr Correa has re-written the country's constitution: a move that allowed him to run for, and win, a new term in 2009. Profile: Rafael Correa\nEcuador's Correa is re-elected\nEcuador country profile\nEcuador Electoral Commission (in Spanish)\nSetback for EU in legal fight with AstraZeneca\nBut the drug-maker faces hefty fines if it fails to supply doses of Covid-19 vaccine over the summer.\nUK Covid infections continue rise, driven by Delta\nTokyo Olympics: No fans is 'least risky' option\nAsia's Covid stars struggle with exit strategies\nWhy residents of these paradise islands are furious\nThe Gurkha veterans fighting for Covid care. VideoThe Gurkha veterans fighting for Covid care\nTroubled US teens left traumatised by tough love camps\nWhy doesn't North Korea have enough food?\nLe Pen set for regional power with eye on presidency\nHow the Delta variant took hold in the UK. VideoHow the Delta variant took hold in the UK","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Rafael Correa"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["Ecuador's President","Venezuelan President","President","Venezuela's President"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":["until 2017"]}]} {"event_trigger":"May_2013 U.S. president Barack Obama appoints James Comey, a former member of the Bush administration, as the new director of the FBI. (The Guardian) (The Independent)","document":"President Obama is expected to nominate James Comey, a widely respected former federal prosecutor and deputy Attorney General during the George W Bush administration, as the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the country’s most important law enforcement agency.\nA formal announcement is expected in the next few days, officials say. Mr Comey, 52, would succeed Robert Mueller, who will have served 12 years in the job when he retires later this summer – the longest tenure since that of J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI’s legendary and all-powerful founder.\nAfter taking a law degree in 1985, Mr Comey spent six years as a federal prosecutor in the high profile Manhattan office, handling drug, mafia and white collar crime cases, before becoming US Attorney in Richmond, Virginia, and then Deputy Attorney General, the second-ranking post at the Justice Department, between 2003 and 2005.\nHis most famous moment – and the one that made him a hero to many Democrats – came in 2004 when the White House tried to have John Ashcroft, the then Attorney General who was in hospital after emergency gall bladder surgery, sign off on a controversial warrantless phone-tapping programme, as part of the ‘war on terror.’\nAs White House officials descended on the hospital, so too did his deputy Mr Comey, who like his boss thought the programme was illegal. Not only did Mr Ashcroft refuse to go along, but he, Mr Comey and Mr Mueller all threatened to resign if changes were not made. “I was angry,” Mr Comey told a Congressional committee later, “ I had just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man.”\nHaving previously served in a Republican administration but also much admired by Democrats, Mr Comey was widely seen in Washington as a deliberately bipartisan choice by President Obama, in the hope of securing swift confirmation from the Senate Judiciary Committee.\nBut with Republicans in their present cantankerous mood, determined to block Mr Obama at every turn, nothing is certain. A dozen years as a Republican senator on Capitol Hill did nothing to help Chuck Hagel’s confirmation as Defence Secretary earlier this year – indeed it may have made it harder, as several of his former colleagues accused him of betraying the party cause. Republicans are currently holding up confirmation of at least two other Obama cabinet nominees, even though neutrals consider both of them eminently qualified.\nJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies\nWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["James Comey"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["Federal Bureau of Investigation"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["former federal prosecutor and deputy Attorney General during the George W Bush administration","Deputy Attorney General"]},{"role":"Position","values":["director"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":["President Obama"]},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["52"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2014 Petro Poroshenko is sworn in as the President of Ukraine as the Pro–Russian separatist conflict continues. (NDTV) (BBC)","document":"Petro Poroshenko has been sworn in as president of Ukraine, setting out a plan to bring peace to the conflict-torn east of the country.\nThe 48-year-old tycoon, who won the 25 May election, offered political concessions to people in the east and said he did not want war or revenge.\nBut he also said he had told Russia's president that Crimea, which Moscow has annexed, would \"always be Ukrainian\".\nSome separatists dismissed the speech, saying they would \"never surrender\".\nRussia's ambassador said the address was a \"promising declaration of intent\".\nMikhail Zurabov, who attended the inauguration, said Ukraine should end its military operation in the east, provided that militias called a ceasefire and allowed humanitarian access.\nKiev says Moscow is backing armed militants in the eastern Donbass area, an accusation that Russia denies.\nClashes continued in some eastern areas on Saturday, with reports of the army shelling the rebel stronghold of Sloviansk and of shooting further south in Mariupol.\nMr Poroshenko was inaugurated in the presence of dozens of foreign dignitaries - including US Vice-President Joe Biden - in parliament in the capital Kiev.\nMr Poroshenko, the owner of the Roshen chocolates group, laid out a programme for ending the crisis that included an offer of early regional elections in the east and a decentralisation of power to the regional administrations.\nHe said: \"I don't want war. I don't want revenge, despite the huge sacrifice of the Ukrainian people.\"\nAnalysis\nBy Kiev correspondent David Stern\nPetro Poroshenko's inauguration speech was forceful and seemed to hit all the right notes for his supporters. Local commentators and bloggers' reaction was overwhelmingly positive.\nPro-revolution Ukrainians were undoubtedly heartened by his strong position on keeping the country unified, and advocacy for EU membership.\nThe Kremlin will give its reaction fairly soon: Moscow and Kiev officials are expected to meet on Sunday to discuss the crisis in Ukraine's east.\nUkrainians in the east and south may see Mr Poroshenko as a man who will defend their interests. But they may be angered by his calls to join the EU and insistence that Ukrainian remain the sole state language - and feel once again that their voices are not being listened to.\nPoroshenko - the rescuer of Ukraine\nPoroshenko speech excerpts\nMr Poroshenko called on separatists in the east to lay down their arms, saying he would guarantee indemnity from criminal charges to all those who did not have blood on their hands.\nBut he added: \"Talking to gangsters and killers is not our path.\"\nThe BBC's David Stern in Kiev says part of the speech was in Russian - directed at those in strife-torn Donbass - and offered concessions on Russian language and a corridor for Russian fighters to return home.\nBut our correspondent says there were also standing ovations for the president's comments on Crimea and on ties with the European Union - which he reiterated he wanted Ukraine to join.\nMr Poroshenko said of Crimea - annexed in March by Russia - \"Crimea is, was and always will be Ukrainian soil.\"\nReferring to a brief meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in France on Friday, he said: \"I put that clearly to the Russian leader in Normandy.\"\nMr Poroshenko also said there would be no discussion concerning the territorial integrity of Ukraine.\nMr Poroshenko condemned the rule of former President Viktor Yanukovych, seen by many as pro-Russian, who fled in February after a popular uprising in Kiev.\nHe accused Mr Yanukovych of financing terrorism in the east, saying he was \"fully responsible for the situation there today\".\nSome separatists were unimpressed by Mr Poroshenko's speech, including a spokesman in Donetsk, Fyodor Berezin, who said the president wanted \"one-sided disarmament and for us to surrender. That will never happen\".\nAn insurgency leader in Luhansk, Valery Bolotov, said he did not believe Mr Poroshenko's offer of amnesty.\nAfter their meeting on Friday, Mr Putin said he liked Mr Poroshenko's approach but would wait to see what he could deliver.\nMr Putin and US President Barack Obama also held an \"informal meeting\" lasting about 10-15 minutes, according to the White House.\nOn Saturday, US Secretary of State John Kerry struck an upbeat note, saying: \"I hope that in the next few days we can see some steps taken that will reduce the tensions... I'm confident there are ways forward.\"\nTargeted sanctions were introduced by the EU and US after Russia annexed Crimea, following a controversial referendum on joining Russia.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Petro Poroshenko"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["president of Ukraine","Russia's president","US Vice-President","president","Russian President","President","US President"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Viktor Yanukovych"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["48-year-old"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"June_2014 In basketball, David Blatt, who coached Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Euroleague title this past season, has reportedly reached a deal to become the new head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Blatt is the first Euroleague coach to become an NBA head coach. (ESPN)","document":"CLEVELAND -- David Blatt went overseas to chase his basketball dreams. He's coming back to fulfill them.\nOne of Europe's top coaches, Blatt was hired Friday by the Cavaliers, who ended a sweeping, 39-day search with an out-of-the-box selection they hope changes their fortunes.\nAmerican-born, Princeton-schooled and considered one of the game's brightest offensive minds, Blatt, 55, has long been interested in coaching in the NBA, and the Cavs will give him his first shot.\nBlatt was given a three-year deal worth about $10 million with a fourth-year team option that includes incentives, sources told ESPN.com.\nCleveland contacted high-profile college coaches and interviewed both retreaded head coaches and on-the-rise assistants before zeroing in and landing Blatt, who won several European titles while coaching in Israel and guided Russia to a bronze medal at the London Olympics two years ago.\n\"David Blatt is going to bring some of the most innovative approaches found in professional basketball anywhere on the globe,\" Cavs owner Dan Gilbert said. \"Time and time again, from Russia to Israel and several other prominent head coaching jobs in between, David has done one thing: 'win.' He is not only an innovator, well-trained and focused on both sides of the court, but he is always learning and always teaching.\"\nBlatt will be introduced by the team Wednesday, one day before the club picks first in this year's NBA draft.\nCleveland's third coach in three years, Blatt replaces Mike Brown, who was fired -- for the second time -- on May 12, a few weeks after the Cavs finished 33-49 and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Blatt was not believed to be on Cleveland's radar early in its search, but that changed when he resigned at Maccabi Tel Aviv to pursue an NBA gig.\n\"I couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to come to Cleveland and lead the Cavaliers as their head coach,\" Blatt said. \"We are going to work extremely hard to achieve the kind of results we all expect and know are possible.\"\nBlatt also was coveted as an assistant by Golden State and Minnesota, but the Cavs made him the first European coach to make the jump to the NBA as a head coach.\n\"David is a great basketball coach and a special person,\" Cavs general manager David Griffin said. \"His abilities to communicate, to build relationships with his players and to foster winning environments at several stops throughout Europe and across the highest levels of international competition speak for itself. He brings unbridled passion, energy and creativity to his craft.\n\"I have watched David's work for many years. He has an uncanny ability to adapt his system to maximize the talents of his teams year after year. That is why I am very confident he will make a smooth transition to the NBA.\"\nWith Blatt in place, the Cavs can focus their attention on next week's draft.\nAs agent Mike Tannenbaum was negotiating Blatt's contract, Griffin and the rest of Cleveland's front office got a closer look at Duke forward Jabari Parker, who worked out at the team's training facility in Independence, Ohio. Parker is one of the Cavs' options with the No. 1 pick, a selection they are determined to get right.\nLast year, the Cavs selected forward Anthony Bennett with the top choice, but he had a disastrous rookie season that began with him coming into training camp out of shape after undergoing shoulder surgery.\nCleveland had been strongly considering Kansas center Joel Embiid, but he underwent foot surgery Friday and estimates on his return range from six months to a full season. Taking Embiid, who missed the end of his freshman year with a back stress fracture, would be risky, and the Cavs are more likely to go a safer route and select Parker or Jayhawks forward Andrew Wiggins, who visited the team earlier this week.\nIt's also possible the Cavs could trade the pick, and Griffin has said the team will listen to offers.\nWith free agency to follow the draft, Cleveland's roster could have a very different look by the time Blatt holds his first practices.\nBlatt played point guard at Princeton under legendary coach Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril, whose pass-and-cut offense has often been mimicked. Blatt has incorporated elements of the Princeton system into his offense.\nHis style with Cleveland will be vastly different than the team experienced under Brown, who improved Cleveland's defense this season in his second stint with the club. However, the Cavs' offense rarely flowed and the team was prone to empty possessions, turnovers or poor shot selection.\nBlatt led Maccabi Tel Aviv to a stunning upset of Real Madrid in this year's Euroleague championship, and in the celebration afterward, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleaded with him to stay. But the chance to coach in the NBA was too much to resist, and Blatt, who emigrated to Israel after college, will return to live in the U.S. for the first time in 30 years.\nCleveland is his new home.\nThe Cavs can only hope he stays a while.\nInformation from ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst and Jeff Goodman and The Associated Press was used in this report.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["David Blatt"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":["Friday"]},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["NBA"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["head coach"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["55"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2014 The German Social Democrat Martin Schulz is reelected President of the European Parliament for another two and a half years. (Deutsche Welle)","document":"German center-left politician Martin Schulz has been elected to head the European Parliament. The parliament is holding its first meeting since EU elections in May.\n Social Democrat Martin Schulz, who also served as European Parliament president from 2012 until earlier this year, won the ballot with an absolute majority of 409 votes.\n Shortly after the result was announced at the session in Strasbourg on Tuesday, the 58-year-old told the EU Parliament that a \"long list of tasks\" lay ahead.\n \"We stand, as ever, before huge challenges,\" he said, pointing to ongoing high employment in some EU nations, free trade talks with the United States and the fate of migrants trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean, along with crisis in Ukraine and Iraq.\n \"If we are serious about the European Union as a force for peace, then our economic power must be used politically so that those who want to trade with us accept the rule of law, and do not practice the might of the stronger,\" he said.\n Schulz's election to the European Parliament presidential post was widely expected after he supported rival Jean-Claude Juncker for the post of European Commission president.\n First meeting\n The European Parliament opened its five-year term with almost one in three of its members, chosen in May elections, belonging to euroskeptic parties. During the ceremonial opening lawmakers from Britain's UK Independence Party, UKIP, turned their backs on the assembly while an orchestra performed the European anthem, the AP news agency reported.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Martin Schulz"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["European Parliament president"]},{"role":"Position","values":null},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["58-year-old","five-year"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2014 Luxembourg's Viviane Reding, Finland's Olli Rehn, Italy's Antonio Tajani and Poland's Janusz Lewandowski step down as EU commissioners in order to take office as newly elected members of the European Parliament. (EU Observer)","document":"Four out of the seven commissioners who were elected to the European Parliament quit their jobs on Tuesday (1 July) in order to become MEPs.\nLuxembourg's Viviane Reding, until now commissioner for justice and fundamental rights, took up her MEP seat, along with economics commissioner Olli Rehn from Finland, industry commissioner Antonio Tajani of Italy, and Poland's Janusz Lewandowski, previously in charge of the EU budget.\nShort-term commitment\nBest value, save 34%\nStudent or retired? Then this plan is for you.\nOur exclusive news stories and investigations. Influential. Investigative. Independent.\nWatch our editor-in-chief Koert Debeuf explain the reasons in this 30-second video.\nLogin here.\nOutgoing commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said their portfolios will be temporarily taken over by other commissioners, pending the hearings and appointment of their successors.\nSiim Kalllas, Estonia's commissioner in charge of transport policies, is taking over the economics portfolio, while Austria's Johannes Hahn, responsible for regional policy, will also look after justice and fundamental rights.\nIndustrial policies are going to France's Michel Barnier, who is in charge of the single market and financial services, while development commissioner Andris Piebalgs of Latvia will oversee budget matters.\nThree other commissioners who were elected to the EP have not given up their jobs, in the hope that their governments will send them again as commissioners in autumn: Slovakia's Maros Sefcovic (administration and inter-institutional relations), Croatia's Nevem Mimica (consumer protection) and Belgium's Karel De Gucht (trade).\nAs for the successors to the four commissioners who have just headed to the EP, Finland has nominated former Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen for the job, while Italy put forward Fernando Nelli Feroci, a career diplomat who was the country's permanent representative in Brussels until last year.\nPoland nominated Jacek Dominik, a director within the European Investment Bank, and Luxembourg went with Martine Reicherts, a yoga teacher who works in the EU commission's publications department. Reicherts will step down once Jean-Claude Juncker, the former Prime Minister of Luxembourg, is elected EU commission president.\nBarroso can put replacement commissioners in charge of portfolios different to their predecessors. The four new commissioners have to pass through parliamentary hearings and two are expected to stay on in the new commission, as governments can also send someone else when the Barroso commission finishes its term in October.\nMeanwhile, the commissioners from Germany and France - Guenther Oettinger and Michel Barnier - two of the commissioners who earned normal salaries of €20,000 per month, will get a boost of €3,150 per month until October as they have been upgraded to vice-presidents of the commission. Oettinger is likely to stay on in the new commission, but it will be up to the new commission chief to decide whether to keep him as a vice-president.\nJuncker, who is expected to be confirmed as the new commission president in a European Parliament vote on 16 July, will later that day meet with EU leaders in Brussels to discuss top posts within his team, notably the high representative for foreign and security policy, who is also vice-president of the commission.\nA restructuring of the EU commission is also on the table, with France, Germany and Britain pushing for so-called cluster portfolios for big overarching topics in line with the priorities EU leaders would like to focus on: employment, migration, social protection, energy, and foreign affairs.\nBut smaller member states are wary of this restructuring and point to the EU treaty which says that all commissioners are equal.\nEconomics, trade, and energy portfolios are considered top dossiers, along with the foreign affairs portfolio.\nBulgaria's centre-right Kristalina Georgieva is one of the names floated for the foreign affairs post. An alternative candidate for the job is Slovakia's foreign minister Miroslav Lajcak, Dutch foreign minister Frans Timmermans, and Italian FM Federica Mogherini - all from the centre-left.\nSpain and France, meanwhile, are eyeing the economics post or heading the Eurogroup, while Britain would like to get the trade portfolio for Andrew Lansley, the speaker of the House of Commons.\nPoland, after seeing few chances to scoop the foreign policy post for Radek Sikorski, is after the energy dossier, something Germany is also eyeing.\nOther countries are also maximising their chances by keeping their current commissioners: Romania is likely to send Dacian Ciolos - the current agriculture commissioner - for another term, while Austria is to keep Johannes Hahn, in charge of regional affairs.\n, your membership gives you access to all of our stories. We highly appreciate your support and value your feedback. If you have any thoughts on this story, we would love to hear it.\nEU leaders have nominated Juncker to be the next European Commission chief, doling out a major diplomatic defeat for London.\nSpain has not yet formally decided who will be the country's next EU commissioner but all eyes are on conservative MEP and former agriculture minister Miguel Arias Canete.\nThe EU commissioners that stood for election to the European Parliament returned to work after they were all elected on Sunday.\nThe prospect of the next EU commission being heavily male-dominated has prompted outgoing female commissioners to take action.\nFormer Finnish PM Katainen and three other interim commissioners-to-be were grilled by MEPs before taking up their posts for four months.\nCatalan separatist MEPs Carles Puigdemont, Toni Comín and Clara Ponsatí lost their parliamentary immunity - a result they have hailed as a \"political victory\" for bringing the conflict between Catalonia and Spain closer to the heart of Europe.\nThe Belgian and Bulgarian prosecutors who were appointed had also not been the experts' first choice. Belgian prosecutor Jean-Michel Verelst has challenged the council's decision at the European Court of Justice.\nPortugal's prime minister António Costa will on Wednesday discuss with European Parliament president David Sassoli and MEPs and try to resolve the issue of who will chair the conference.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Luxembourg's Viviane Reding","Olli Rehn from Finland","Antonio Tajani","Janusz Lewandowski"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":["European Parliament"]},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Position","values":["MEP"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2014 Joko Widodo is officially elected as the new president of Indonesia (The Jakarta Post)","document":" \n .\n\nJoko \"Jokowi\" Widodo, is officially Indonesia's seventh president after the General Elections Commission (KPU) concluded its vote recapitulation on Tuesday evening, confirming that the governor of Jakarta and furniture businessman had garnered 53.15 percent of the vote. Jokowi netted 70,633,576 votes, which was over 8 million more than rival Prabowo Subianto, who received 62,262,844 votes or 46.85 percent.\nAnalysts have said that with a gap of 6.3 percent, it would be difficult for Prabowo to contest the result with the Constitutional Court.\nJokowi will be sworn in as president no later than Oct. 20. Prabowo had earlier rejected the election vote recapitulation process and result, claiming that the election process was flawed and marred by widespread fraud. (ren)","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Joko \"Jokowi\" Widodo","Jokowi"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["governor of Jakarta and furniture businessman"]},{"role":"Position","values":["Indonesia's seventh president"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":["no later than Oct. 20"]},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"July_2014 Fuad Masum is elected as the 7th President of Iraq. (The Washington Post), (BBC News)","document":" BAGHDAD — A veteran Kurdish politician was elected president of Iraq on Thursday, as political leaders moved a step closer to forming a new government that will face the momentous task of repairing the deep divisions that are tearing the country apart.\nFouad Massoum received 211 of 269 votes in the Iraqi parliament after Kurds presented him as their candidate. Under an informal power-sharing agreement, the role of president goes to a Kurd, the job of speaker of parliament to a Sunni, and the position of prime minister to a Shiite.\nMassoum’s election starts the clock ticking on the thornier issue of choosing a prime minister, as pressure mounts on the incumbent, Nouri al-Maliki, to step aside. Lawmakers now have 15 days to name a prime minister, according to the constitution.\nThe United States and other countries are urging Iraqis to move rapidly to form a new government after advances by the Sunni extremist group that calls itself the Islamic State. It has taken over large swaths of Iraq in an offensive that began last month.\nWhile that battle has slowed into a stalemate, the Islamic State has ramped up a bombing campaign in Baghdad. Two car bombs blew up in the busy commercial district of Karrada on Thursday evening, killing at least 15 people, according to Al Sumaria television. The Associated Press put the death toll at 21. The bombs went off near a Shiite congregation hall, residents said.\nEarlier in the day, more than 50 prisoners were killed after an attack by the Islamic State in Taji, 15 miles northwest of Baghdad, Iraqi security officials said. One security official at Taji, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said the prisoners had been “caught in the crossfire” as Islamic State militants attempted a jailbreak. However, human rights groups have accused Iraqi security forces and Shiite militias of executing Sunni prisoners to prevent them from escaping.\nMassoum, whose name also is spelled Massum, served as the first prime minister of Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region in 1992. He replaces his ally, Jalal Talabani, who has been president of Iraq since 2005 but had largely been absent from politics for the last year and a half as he recovered from a stroke. Both are founding members of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.\nThe party, which traditionally puts forward the candidate for president, had been deeply divided over whom to chose, postponing a parliamentary vote scheduled for Wednesday until party members decided on a nominee.\nWe are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.\nworld\nmiddle_east\nThank You!\nYou are now subscribed to Please enter a valid email address You might also like... See all newsletters\nSuperFan Badge\nSuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.\nMore about badges | Request a badge\nCulture Connoisseur Badge\nCulture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.\nMore about badges | Request a badge\nFact Checker Badge\nFact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.\nMore about badges | Request a badge\nWashingtologist Badge\nWashingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.\nMore about badges | Request a badge\nPost Writer Badge\nThis commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.\nPost Forum Badge\nPost Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.\nMore about badges | Request a badge\nWeather Watcher Badge\nWeather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.\nMore about badges | Request a badge\nWorld Watcher Badge\nWorld Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.\nMore about badges | Request a badge\nPost Contributor Badge\nThis commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.\nMore about badges | Request a badge\nPost Recommended\nWashington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.\nYou must be logged in to report a comment.\nYou must be logged in to recommend a comment.\nComments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.\nAll comments are posted in the All Comments tab.\nTo pause and restart automatic updates, click \"Live\" or \"Paused\". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Fouad Massoum"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["veteran Kurdish politician"]},{"role":"Position","values":["president of Iraq","president"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2014 Juan Manuel Santos is sworn in for a second term as President of Colombia. (Today Colombia)","document":"COLOMBIA NEWS – Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was sworn in for a second four-year term here on Thursday.\nSmiling throughout, Santos took the oath before President of Congress, Jose David Name, who presented him with the presidential sash.\nAt the ceremony, the president said, “I firmly believe that Colombia should establish a goal in which we can all compromise. What would it be? To be a country in total peace by 2025, a country with more equity and the most educated in Latin America.”\nThe president, in his speech, reiterated that he would seek to end the 50-year-long internal armed conflict.\nHe asked for goodwill from Colombia’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in the ongoing peace talks and expressed the hope to initiate a negotiation with another rebel group National Liberation Army (ELN).\nIn regard to the talks with FARC, the Colombian president said that both sides had agreed on three of the five points on the agenda, and now were moving to the fourth: the conflict victims.\nBut he warned the FARC’s recent attacks might jeopardize ongoing talks in Havana. “The violence reported in recent weeks are an unacceptable contradiction and compromises the peace process,” he said.\nIn terms of education, he revealed his goal to make Colombia the most educated country in Latin America by 2025.\n“The first decision I took is that the budget for education will be the largest of all in the national budget starting from next year, even above that for defense and security,” Santos said.\nMore than 500 dignitaries attended the ceremony, including Latin American leaders, diplomats and Spain’s former King Juan Carlos, who abdicated the throne to his son in June.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Juan Manuel Santos"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["Colombian President","Colombian president"]},{"role":"Position","values":null},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":["Thursday"]},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":["four-year","50-year-long"]}]} {"event_trigger":"August_2014 In Major League Baseball, current MLB chief operating officer Rob Manfred is elected as the 10th Commissioner of Baseball. He will succeed the retiring Bud Selig in January 2015. (ESPN)","document":"BALTIMORE -- Rob Manfred was elected baseball's 10th commissioner Thursday, winning a three-man competition to succeed Bud Selig and given a mandate by the tradition-bound sport to recapture young fans and speed play in an era that has seen competition increase and attention spans shrink.\nThe 55-year-old Manfred, who has worked for Major League Baseball in roles with ever-increasing authority since 1998, will take over from Selig, 80, on Jan. 25. It's a generational change much like the NBA undertook when Adam Silver, then 51, replaced 71-year-old David Stern as commissioner in February. And like Silver, Manfred was his boss' pick.\nManfred beat out Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner in the first contested vote for a new commissioner in 46 years. The third candidate, MLB executive vice president of business Tim Brosnan, dropped out just before the start of balloting.\n\"I am tremendously honored by the confidence that the owners showed in me today,\" Manfred said. \"I have very big shoes to fill.\"\nSelig has led baseball since September 1992, first as chairman of the sport's executive council following Fay Vincent's forced resignation, then as commissioner since July 1998. After announcing his intention to retire many times only to change his mind, he said last September that he really, truly planned to leave in January 2015.\nOne baseball executive who attended the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press because details of the 4 1/2-hour session were not to be divulged, said Manfred was elected on approximately the sixth ballot. The initial vote was 20-10 for Manfred, three short of the required three-quarters majority.\nHis total increased to 21 on the second ballot and 22 on the third. While teams put written ballots into envelopes, keeping their choices secret, from team official speeches it was evident that the Tampa Bay Rays' Stuart Sternberg and Milwaukee Brewers' Mark Attanasio likely switched their votes, the source said.\nManfred's total dropped to 20, then increased to 22 before a dinner break. He got the needed 23rd vote on the next ballot, apparently from the Washington Nationals. Owners then made the final vote unanimous. The source said that it appeared the Arizona Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays had been the final holdouts.\n\"What I said to the owners when I came down after the vote is that I didn't really want to even think about who was on what side of what issue at points in the process,\" Manfred said, \"and that my commitment to the owners was that I would work extremely hard day in and day out to convince all 30 of them that they had made a great decision today.\"\nWhite Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Toronto president Paul Beeston spoke out strongly against Manfred, the source told the AP. Angels owner Arte Moreno joined Reinsdorf in leading Werner's support. Other teams have said Reinsdorf wanted a commissioner who would take a harsher stance in labor negotiations.\n\"While Rob may not have been my initial choice for commissioner, the conclusion of a very good process was to name Rob as the person best positioned to help baseball endure and grow even stronger for the next generation of fans,\" Reinsdorf said in a statement. \"Today's decision was reached by 30 owners voting separately but speaking, in the end, with one voice.\"\nWerner, who made his career as a television executive, was preferred by those who wanted an owner to follow Selig, who was the longtime head of the Brewers when he took over MLB.\n\"I think the last two days have been productive because we've been able to share a number of ideas about the game and how to improve it and modernize it,\" Werner said. \"I think that Rob agrees with many of the ideas that I espoused, and I am very confident that we are going to see some things, such as improved pace of play.\"\nBrosnan quit the race when it became apparent he likely had one vote: Cincinnati.\n\"I cared too much about the game and really wanted the process to be as efficient as it could be,\" he said.\nManfred has been chief operating officer since September 2013, a role in which he reports directly to Selig and oversees functions such as labor relations, baseball operations, finance, administration and club governance.\nManfred had spent the previous 15 years as MLB's executive vice president of labor relations and human resources, and received an expanded role of executive vice president of economics and league affairs in 2012. He was the point man in negotiating the past three labor agreements, with all three negotiated without a work stoppage for the first time since the rise of the MLB Players Association in the 1970s. He also helped lead negotiations for the first joint drug agreement that was instituted in 2002 and has been strengthened repeatedly.\nManfred started with baseball in 1987 as a lawyer with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius who assisted in collective bargaining.\nManfred has been to Selig what Silver was to Stern -- a longtime trusted aide who negotiated labor deals, handled crises such as the Los Angeles Dodgers' bankruptcy saga and was intimately involved in major issues ranging from drug testing to revenue sharing. Manfred has taken criticism in recent months, however, for some of the methods baseball employed in its controversial Biogenesis investigation.\n\"There is no doubt in my mind he has the training, the temperament, the experience to be a very successful commissioner,\" Selig said, \"and I have justifiably very high expectations.\"\nManfred -- whose term was not specified but is expected to receive a three-year contract, according to multiple reports -- grew up in Rome, New York, about an hour's drive from the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He must address issues that include decreased interest in baseball among younger people and an average game time that has stretched to 3:03, up 30 minutes from 1981. And he will be leading an opinionated group of multimillionaires and billionaires.\n\"I think some of Rob's greatest attributes are his ability to reach consensus,\" said St. Louis Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr., who chaired the committee that picked the three candidates.\nBaseball has had labor peace since a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 that canceled the World Series. Talks to replace the collective bargaining agreement with players that expires after the 2016 season will be conducted with a new union leadership headed by former All-Star first baseman Tony Clark.\n\"I have known Rob for more than 15 years, and I'm confident that his vast experience in all aspects of the sport will serve his commissionership well,\" Clark said in a statement.\nWhile average attendance of about 30,500 is not far below the record of 32,785 set in 2007 before the Great Recession, national television ratings for the World Series have dropped by more than 50 percent under Selig -- partly because of fractured viewing caused by the vast increase in available networks.\n\"We have to figure out ways to make it relevant to that 12-year-old,\" San Francisco Giants president Larry Baer said. \"I have four children, and we want to make baseball as relevant as possible to them with their handheld and on television and getting more people playing the sport. Those are all big challenges, and I think Rob sees all of those in his purview, and I think he's ready to attack.\"\n\"I am confident he will be an outstanding commissioner and I look forward to working with Rob to build upon Commissioner Selig's outstanding legacy,\" ESPN president John Skipper said in a statement.\nSelig is the second-longest-serving head of baseball behind Kenesaw Mountain Landis (1920-44).\nWerner, 64, was the controlling owner of the San Diego Padres from 1990 to '94, triggering fan criticism for the payroll-paring departures of Fred McGriff, Gary Sheffield, Tony Fernandez, Randy Myers and Benito Santiago. He has been part of the Red Sox ownership group since 2002, a period that included three World Series titles. While working at ABC, he helped develop Robin Williams' \"Mork & Mindy\" and later was executive producer of \"The Cosby Show\" and \"Roseanne\" at The Carsey-Werner Co.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Rob Manfred"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":["Jan. 25"]},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["worked for Major League Baseball"]},{"role":"Position","values":["baseball's 10th commissioner"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":["Bud Selig"]},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":["55-year-old","71-year-old"]},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]} {"event_trigger":"September_2009 Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi becomes the first woman minister since the 1979 Revolution. (BBC News)","document":"Iranian MPs have approved the first woman minister in the 30-year history of the Islamic republic.\nShe was one of 18 nominations for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's new cabinet to be approved. Two other women were among three rejected nominees. The president's choice for defence minister, Ahmad Vahidi, who is wanted by Argentina over a deadly 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre, won strong backing. The vote follows months of wrangling after disputed elections in June. Correspondents say Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, the female health minister-designate, is a hard-line conservative who has in the past proposed introducing segregated health care in Iran, with women treating women and men treating men. She has served as an MP for an Islamic physicians' party, spearheading a campaign to introduce segregated hospitals. It foundered over the shortage of women in some specialisms. Her pitch to parliament focused on the need for increasing women's roles in national affairs. In an apparent change of heart from her segregation campaign, she praised the \"miracles\" which happen when men and women work together. The two women rejected were Fatemeh Ajorlou, as welfare and social security minister, and Susan Keshavarz, as education minister. The third nominee to be turned down was the president's choice for energy minister, Mohammad Aliabadi. Mr Ahmadinejad has three months to propose new candidates to replace those rejected. The parliamentary confidence vote followed five days of intense debate. Before the vote, Mr Ahmadinejad urged MPs to approve his choices, saying the ballot reflected \"real democracy\". His government would work closely with parliament, he said. The president's proposed oil minister, Massoud Mirkazemi, was approved, despite questions over his experience. 'Affront to victims'\nMeanwhile, Mr Vahidi - a controversial figure internationally - received the highest number of votes in favour of any nominee, with 227 MPs backing him out of 286, Speaker Ali Larijani said. Interpol has distributed Argentina's warrant for Mr Vahidi's arrest over the attack at the Israeli-Argentine Mutual Association (AMIA) 15 years ago, which killed 85 people.\nIsrael and Argentina had condemned his nomination, with Buenos Aires calling it \"an affront to the victims\" of the bombing. Iran has denied any involvement in the blast and says the case against it is politically motivated. Speaking to the French news agency AFP, Mr Vahidi said his approval by MPs was a \"decisive slap to Israel\". The BBC's Peter Biles says the vote was a test of the president's support and his hold on power, amid continuing opposition following his re-election in a contested presidential ballot in June. The appointment of the cabinet also comes at a time of increasing pressure on the Iranian government from abroad, our correspondent says. US President Barack Obama has given Iran until later in September to agree to new talks on its nuclear programme, or face tougher sanctions. Tehran has said it is ready to present a new package of proposals to the international community, although the details have not been published. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mr Ahmadinejad dismissed any threat of further international sanctions against Iran over its nuclear activities. \"No-one can impose any sanctions on Iran any longer,\" he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency. An aide to Mr Ahmadinejad confirmed that the president would attend a United Nations meeting later this month in New York.","event_type":"Appoint_Inauguration","arguments":[{"role":"Appointee","values":["Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi"]},{"role":"Appointment Time","values":null},{"role":"Employment Agency","values":null},{"role":"Last Job of the Appointee","values":["MP for an Islamic physicians' party"]},{"role":"Position","values":["minister"]},{"role":"Inauguration Time","values":null},{"role":"Predecessor","values":null},{"role":"Appointer","values":null},{"role":"Age of the Appointee","values":null},{"role":"Term of Office","values":null}]}